Once I first heard about EA and Battlefield Studios’ plan to implement an open weapon system in the upcoming Battlefield 6, I scoffed! And enjoying the sport in Los Angeles for an occasion final month didn’t promote me on it, both; I nonetheless fearful it might make lessons really feel much less distinctive. Now, after enjoying the open beta for almost 20 hours, I’m right here to say: I used to be unsuitable.
Let’s again up for a second and clarify, briefly, open and closed weapon class methods in Battlefield. (I promise this received’t be too boring.) Principally, for almost so long as the franchise has been round, lessons have been locked to sure weapons. Recon, for instance, had to make use of a sniper rifle. Over time, builders at Cube tweaked this and added “neutral” weapons that might be picked by a number of lessons, or they unfold particular forms of weapons throughout a couple of lessons. Battlefield 2042 threw quite a lot of this out the window when it launched with out lessons and let gamers basically construct customized heroes who might use any gadget or gun. It then added classes back in when people got angry. Anyway, Battlefield 6 is looking for a cheerful steadiness between 2042‘s total, unbalanced openness and the classic closed weapon system of the past games. And I think, despite being nervous about the change and all the debate raging online among players on both sides, Battlefield Studios has mostly nailed it.
In Battlefield 6, any class can use any weapon. So you can spawn in as a recon soldier, but instead of a sniper rifle, you could bring an SMG. Engineers, traditionally a class that uses SMGs, can rock snipers and LMGs. At first, this seemed like a bad idea to me. I worried that players would just pick the class with the best abilities and pick the best assault rifle, and you’d lose all the individuality that comes from BF’s old-school class system. And in some smaller, extra combat-focused modes, that is certainly the case. However in greater, more Battlefield-y modes, like Conquest and Rush, I’ve been pleasantly stunned by how issues have labored out.
In my hours with the beta, I discovered that in lots of matches gamers have been unfold throughout the 4 lessons. In some previous video games ( you, Battlefield 3), folks would decide no matter class had one of the best assault rifle, and that was that. Throughout a Q&A with the devs final month in LA, they talked about this and mentioned that the open weapon system was partly designed to fight this. The concept is that now folks will decide lessons based mostly on what the crew wants and their distinctive talents and instruments, reasonably than the weapons they’ll and may’t use.
And yeah, that’s precisely what I noticed occurring in lots of BF6 open beta matches. If the enemy crew, for instance, introduced in a bunch of autos or tanks, I’d see gamers swap to engineers to make use of that class’s RPG to take all these machines out. Likewise, I noticed gamers and buddies swap to the help class to assist maintain a degree and revive folks, or swap to recon to assist pin down a goal. It appears now that weapons may be freely outfitted on any class, individuals are way more open to enjoying totally different lessons and serving to out the crew. Positive, perhaps a few of these gamers have simply outfitted the identical assault rifle on all the lessons, but when it helps my crew cease a tank from destroying us, I’m wonderful with it. That’s a significantly better state of affairs than in previous BF video games, the place an entire crew is perhaps assault troopers and also you’d be unable to get ammo resupplies or struggle again towards helis.
Battlefield 6 additionally rewards gamers for selecting a weapon that’s extra aligned with their class. Recon troopers get a ton of unique sniper perks that make it virtually foolish to make use of a sniper rifle on another class. However you are able to do it, if that makes you content. And that is the place I’d counsel some tweaks.
I feel rewarding gamers who decide class-specific weapons is a great concept, however I virtually really feel just like the devs might do extra to verify selecting an assault rifle on each class isn’t a straightforward possibility. Maybe class-specific weapon punishments might work? An assault class soldier selecting a sniper rifle may imply they don’t get the recon advantages, and maybe additionally they reload the large rifles extra slowly. Or an engineer selecting an assault rifle has extra kick and may’t carry as a lot ammo for it. These tweaks would reward folks enjoying lessons extra historically, might be overcome with talent or teamwork, and would nonetheless permit for the weapon freedom the devs need in BF6.
However even when Battlefield 6 devs don’t steal my totally-awesome-and-perfect concept, I feel the open weapon system is an effective change. It lets gamers get pleasure from all of the lessons with out forcing them to play with particular weapons. This results in matches during which all of the lessons are used, and that results in extra gratifying Battlefield motion. And that’s what I’m in search of. Positive, perhaps it signifies that I’ll be killed lots by a couple of fashionable assault rifles, but it surely may also imply that there will likely be extra medics working round who can heal me. That would be nice. And don’t fear; for those who hate the open weapon system, EA goes to supply playlists and modes that function locked weapons, too. Everybody wins.
