Battlefield 2042 devs address biggest launch concerns: UI, progression, gunplay

Battlefield 2042 only just released out of its early access period a few days ago and Electronic Arts have already pinpointed dozens of key issues that are being addressed in future updates. From performance problems to overall balance, here’s everything the devs are working on.

Battlefield 2042, the first entry in the series since 2018, is now out in the wild. Although fans are finally getting their hands on the new release, it hasn’t been the smoothest ride at launch.

From game-breaking bugs to missing features and glaring performance issues, it’s been an uphill battle for the franchise in direct competition with Halo Infinite and CoD Vanguard.

Already well aware of the game’s biggest points of concern, devs mapped out an enormous list of ‘fixes, changes and improvements’ currently in the pipeline. While some have already been locked in for a nearby patch, others are further down the line.

Tackling every big talking point from weapon bloom to the user interface, here’s a rundown on everything the devs are working on as Battlefield 2042 moves forward.

Battlefield 2042 performance & network issues

It’s no secret that Battlefield 2042 hasn’t been running as well as many would have hoped after the uninspiring Beta. Both “server side and hardware-related issues” have been impacting the experience, EA acknowledged in a November 23 blog post.

One particular issue is hit registration. When you fire your shots at a target, you expect them to connect. That hasn’t quite been “registering” correctly in some cases. “We’re actively working hard to identify what could be causing this issue,” the devs stressed.

Moreover, players have also been unable to spawn into certain matches due to network issues at launch. This is another area the team quickly looked at and a fix should be going out with Update #2 on November 25.

On the Hardware side, those experiencing mid-game console crashes on Xbox should see a drastic reduction moving forward. “A critical system update was rolled out to prevent instances of the system performing a power cycle during gameplay.”

For those on PC, you’ll have to wait a little longer for specific improvements. While those with higher-end hardware haven’t been seeing the performance they would in other titles, EA can’t provide a concrete date on when optimization may be pushed out.

“Identifying engine-level optimizations and developing solutions will require a lengthier response time so that it gets done right.”

Battlefield 2042 gunplay & weapon balance

At the core of any FPS are the shooting mechanics, as you would expect. Ever since early access kicked off in Battlefield 2042, players have noticed their shots missing more often than not.

Weapon bloom has been in full effect since launch, adding a random element to accuracy. Even if your sights are perfectly aligned, there’s still a chance your shot misses purely due to this ‘bullet deviation.’

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Naturally, many have grown tired of this feature and the devs hear the community loud and clear. 

“We have observed that on many weapons, predominantly on Assault Rifles like the AK-24, the spread tends to be too high,” they admitted. 

“Weapons miss more often than they really should which makes for an unsatisfying experience and can feel unfair when you have done all you could to nicely align your shots.

“We have made a series of adjustments to many of the weapons that aim to greatly reduce the impact of spread on the shooting experience.”

Not only that, but sensitivity should also feel more accurate in the coming days and weeks. If your aim has been feeling off, it’s likely due to an issue with “some settings not applying properly,” the devs confirmed. This should be ironed out in a future update before the year comes to an end.

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Full list of upcoming Battlefield 2042 changes

Balance tweaks and stability improvements are barely scratching the surface of dozens of key issues the devs are working hard to fix already. 

Below is a complete rundown on every single fix, change, or improvement coming to Battlefield 2042 in the near future.

User Interface:

• Improved the collection screens making them easier to use and clear as to what you’re interacting with
• Improved the ways in which you’re able to manage your attachments via the collection screen to reduce the number of interactions you need to have when building your loadouts
• Enhancements to our Player Card screen and End of Round (EOR) to provide additional polish
• Added new markers to make your newly unlocked items easier to find
• Improved screen transitions when entering and returning to the Main Menu
• Improved Report a Player flows, specifically around toxicity and cheating reports

Matchmaking & Friends:

• Improved the experience between EOR and the Main Menu
• Improved Matchmaking reliability and reduced instances of Matchmaking failed
• Improved Crossplay invite flows
• Fixed Rich presence update issues, ensuring that your friends are better able to track where you are in Game
• Addressed servers getting stuck in unresponsive game states, where rounds fail to properly start
• Fixes to Friend Invitations for players on PC

Progression and Unlocks:

• Introduction of weekly missions, providing set challenges that reward cosmetic unlocks.
• Added 1st match bonus of 1000 HZC for HZ
• Fixed an issue that was not properly awarding XP for Angel resupplies
• Improved overall XP/Rank tracking and reliability
• Improved Mastery rank tracking
• Improved reliability of Player card tracking

Rendering:

• Addressed a variety of visual flickering and stuttering issues
• Improvements to water rendering when Aiming Down Sight (ADS)
• Addressed multiple graphical issues affecting water reflections
• Fixed reflections in Kaleidoscope for late-joining players
• Addressed issue with character rendering for late joiners
• Improvements to artifacts affecting DLSS implementation

Maps:

• Over 150 individual fixes, small changes, and improvements across all of our Maps
• Improved level geometry issues across all levels addressing issues such players getting snagged or trapped
• Resolved multiple spawning issues
• Visual glitches such as lens flare, visible seams in skydome
• Resolved a large number of collision and placement issues
• Addressed issues affecting local audio placement in multiple Maps

Battlefield Portal:

• Builder additions
  • Rush game mode layouts for all 2042 All-Out Warfare maps (through Portal)
  • New official Vehicle Team Deathmatch template
  • New official Team & FFA Gun Master templates
  • New official Infection template
  • Rules Editor – Added the ability to detect what players were killed with in order to apply additional logic
• UX Improvements
  • Added Server Info for the Pause screen
  • Added support for server admins to write periodic server messages
  • Added support for reporting a server from the pause menu
• A series of visual, audio, and gameplay improvements to weapons, vehicles, and gadgets

Battlefield Hazard Zone:

• Improvements to visual presentation of Hazard Zone currency system in Front End
• Added an animation and audio cue when the player’s Remaining Balance changes in the Hazard Zone lobby
• Modified Squad and Player Screen in Hazard Zone to only show your squad
• Modified Scoreboard to no longer show players connected in Hazard Zone to elevate tension experienced
• Improved extraction zone smoke visibility
• Added additional flares to extraction point offering players better visibility of extraction area, as well as providing additional cover
• Added variation in Hazard Zone to preplaced intel locations. Initial Data Capsules now have a chance to contain several data drives
• Resolved an issue with persistent scoring in Hazard Zone
• Improvements to the Intel Scanner’s accuracy and enemy identification
• Resolved an issue where two teams could extract simultaneously in Hazard Zone
• Resolved inconsistency in warning to alert players that they’re being scanned in Hazard Zone
• Resolved capacity issues with intel collection in Hazard Zone
• Made it easier to interact with intel pick-ups
• Added distance read-out for next extraction point in Hazard Zone
• Improved Hazard Zone end-of-round camera placement

Conquest:

• Tuned information spamming in Conquest, reducing the amount of messages that appear in the world log. In particular we reduced messages about flag state changes so that they’re not as distracting

Breakthrough:

• Tuned capture times for Breakthrough
• Improved out of bounds defender spawning in Breakthrough to ensure that you’re able to more consistently spawn in safety
• Improvements to Breakthrough’s UI to enable you to better track round progress in the form of a Game Mode Widget.
• The Game Mode Widget is also visible inside the Scoreboard (displaying only when playing Breakthrough, and also on Rush) to put emphasis on sectors and attackers reinforcements
• Elapsed time is now added and trackable in both the Scoreboard & Deploy Screen.
• Added a pulsating effect on the Team 1 (attacker) score and progress bar when their tickets are =< 25% of their initial tickets. This is also present in the GMW in the HUD, Scoreboard and Deploy Screen for both Rush and Breakthrough

General:

• A fix for missing loadouts, sometimes seen when first loading into a server and seeing blank boxes on the deploy screen
• Modified Recent Players screen to include everyone from previous match to allow for easier user reporting
• Improved interaction point system. Switched the default “INTERACT” text on multiple interactions to reflect the action you are about to do, i.e. “OPEN CONTAINER”, “CALL ELEVATOR” etc.
• Kaleidoscope server room lighting issue resolved
• Resolved an issue related to the velocity / trajectory while spawning in jets
• Improved helicopter animation in level fly-bys during insertion
• Improvements to address an issue where players killed in vehicles would fall beneath level geometry
• Improvements to streaming assets in deploy screen presentation

Dynamic World Improvements:

• Addressed issues for VFX affecting late-joiners
• Made improvements to correctly align the bridge behavior on Kaleidoscope for late joiners to the match
• Made improvements to correctly align the destructive silos state for late joiners in Renewal and Orbital
• Improved interaction of SG-36 Sentry Gun and elevators
• Quality of Life fixes and improvements to interact prompts
• Tornado and smoke visual effect improvements
• Resolved a large number of collision issues with large scale animation events
• Improved location-based sandstorm audio experience
• Improvements to destruction audio
• Adjusted the timing for automatic doors

Vehicles:

• Fixed issue where missile countermeasures sometimes didn’t work, causing missiles to not blow up and instead reacquire the same target
• Made exit position from vehicles more consistent
• Made improvements to controller vibration for vehicles
• Fixed an issue where the Nightbird’s rockets hitting the ground can appear frozen
• Fixed an issue where a player driving the Hovercraft can not be shot through the front window
• Added an option to have vehicle boost as toggle or hold
• Fixed an issue where vehicles took double damage when getting hit through glass
• Improved TOW Missile Projectiles flying behavior
• Balanced Nightbird minigun spread buildup and convergence
• Removed blast impulse on Attack Helicopters Anti Vehicle Rocket which caused nudging of vehicles on hit
• Fixed the F-35E Panther repair system ability missing from customisation
• Fixed instances where vehicles sometimes would become stuck on world geometry
• Gadgets no longer pause their cooldown when the player enters a vehicle
• Fixed an issue when a player dies in a vehicle which allowed for the camera to go underground

Weapons:

• Reduced spread globally when zoomed and moving
• Improved stationary zoomed accuracy for many weapons
• Spread now decreases faster and earlier when pacing shots. This means more success with single-fire or short bursts
• Increased PP-29 vertical recoil to ensure that the weapon does not overperform when engaging outside of its intended combat range
• Fixed an issue where spread would be too high when trying to fire while zoomed right after sprinting for some Portal weapons
• Reduced effectiveness of the NTW-50 against vehicles
• Fixed the 8X Scope having a faster ADS time than the others
• Fixed M44 revolver chambering an extra bullet
• Fixed an issue where soldier is unable to shoot after getting hacked while in a vehicle
• Reduced switch back to weapon delay after throwing grenade

HUD:

• Added a UI list that shows nearby players that can revive you within 50m when downed
• Added a UI list that shows incoming revivers when downed and pinged by a player that intends to revive you
• When low on ammo or health, nearby friendly players within 50m will now show a resource icon above their head indicating that they can provide you with health or ammo
• Increased Big Map Resolution for improved navigation
• Added health bars on enemy vehicles and enemy soldiers when looked at
• All player world icons now scale over distance, making them smaller when far away in an effort to reduce icons cluttering the screen
• Time before revive completion is now visible for the downed player when being revived
• Fixed an issue where friendly player icons would sometimes not be hidden when behind walls causing a lot of icons to be constantly visible on screen.
• Fixed an issue where friendly soldiers are missing their blue UI icons when a player is in a downed state
• Fixed an issue where some player names don’t show when looking at multiple Soldiers/Vehicles that are next to each other
• Changed the visibility behavior of the fire mode icon in the HUD. By default, the fire mode icon is now visible if it is currently possible to change fire-mode. The behavior can be changed to allow the fire mode icon to always be visible (even if it’s not possible to change fire mode) or turned off. The option is called “Fire Mode Indicator” under “HUD” Options
• Added an option that allows for the disabling of the button prompts visible in the HUD
• Added message about which player healed you when getting healed by other players
• Added message about which player shared ammo when getting ammo from other players
• Fixed an issue where IFF markers on Squad Members do not change with colorblind option
• Improved visibility of IFF marks over distances
• Fixed an issue where IFF markers would not be visible when using low video settings

Bots:

• Fixed issue where Bots sometimes didn’t revive players
• Improved Bots helicopter handling
• Improved Bots combat behaviors
• Improved Bots gamemode behaviors

Audio:

• Improved reliability of various ability sounds when offscreen, such as reiving, SOB-8 Ballistic Shield, flares, wingsuit, vehicle smoke discharges and system repairs
• Switched lock-on warning sound with incoming missile warning sound
• Improved weapon mix for enemies firing at the player
• Generally tweaked content and mix for distant weapons, improving audibility at range
• Preventing warning sounds and transmission sounds from continuing when a vehicle has low health

Specialists

Sundance: Grenade Belt

• Fixed an issue where the Sundance’s Anti-Armor grenade could get stuck circling in air after the targeted vehicle deploys counter-measures or attempt to target another vehicle instead
• Adjusted the behavior of Sundance’s splitter fragment grenades to bounce once before detonating

Angel: Loadout Crate

• Players that require armor and can receive it now have a white outline around them to indicate that the magnetism will throw the armor to the outlined player.
• When using the Loadout Crate, players can now scroll if more than 4 loadouts are available
• Visual effects and polish on destruction and despawning of Loadout Crate
• The cooldown for the resupply action on the Loadout Crate is now  shared between Loadout Crates
• Added a unique sound when picking up armor
• Player can hold down the specialist ability button to self-apply armour
• Loadout Crate can now no longer be called-in when underneath tall buildings
• Added a hand gesture animation when placing the Loadout Crate

Irish: DCS Deployable Cover

• Fixed an issue where the DCS Deployable Cover Minimap Icon was not displayed correctly
• Improved reliability of the DCS Deployable Cover’s deployable placement allowing placement on more angled surfaces

Dozer: SOB-8 Ballistic Shield

• Fixed an issue where the SOB-8 Ballistic Shield didn’t block bullets when inside an elevator.
• Fixed an issue where Dozer would not be targeted by Boris’s SG-36 Sentry Gun and AI ignoring the user while having a SOB-8 Ballistic Shield equipped.
• Fixed an issue where players couldn’t enter vehicles while the SOB-8 Ballistic Shield was equipped
• Fixed an issue where reviving is hard to perform while having the SOB-8 Ballistic Shield equipped
• Fixed an issue where killing a player with the SOB-8 Ballistic Shield would also take the victim’s dogtag.
• Fixed an issue where players were flung up in the air after being melee’d by Dozers with his shield equipped

Rao: Cyber Warfare Suite

• Added a short grace period for Rao’s Cyber Warfare Suite when something occludes the target being hacked. This will help most frequently when trying to hack vehicles that may be driving in front of trees

Paik: EMG-X Scanner

• Added a sound effect for the victims being scanned by the EMG-X Scanner
• The EMG-X Scanner should now be able to spot targets above or below Paik.
• Disabled the usage of EMG-X Scanner while inside vehicles
• Fixed the EMG-X Scanner’s “target found” audio effect not working for targets beyond 20m

Casper: OV-P Recon Drone

• Fixed an issue where user is unable to deploy the OV-P Recon Drone while in a prone position
• Improved the visibility of Enemy Recon Drones; they now have lights making them easier to see
• Players now switch back to their previous weapon after exiting the OV-P Recon Drone
• Updated OV-P Recon Drone EMP hint message to clarify that firing requires a lock on
• Increased the range of the EMP on the OV-P Recon Drone
• Fixed an issue where Casper’s OV-P Recon Drone is sometimes unable to lock onto enemy targets
• Increased the OV-P Recon Drone’s movement speed
• Increased the OV-P Recon Drone’s hitbox size to make it easier to hit.
• Adjusted the “near drone” spotting distance
• Adjusted size of the spotting area when controlling the drone’s camera view.

Boris: SG-36 Sentry Gun

• The SG-36 Sentry Gun will now be destroyed when the owner dies instead of when the owner is downed
• Fixed an issue where Boris’ SG-36 Sentry Gun would not be able to acquire targets that are near a vehicle

Sundance: Wingsuit

• Fixed an issue where the repair tool crosshair was visible in the wingsuit when you entered the wingsuit whilst having the repair tool equipped
• Fixed an issue when undeploying and then deploying the Wingsuit can cause 1p view while flying

Falck: S21 Syrette Pistol

• Added Lock On and Lock Off sounds for S21 Syrette Pistol for when a target is designated by the magnetism of the S21 Syrette Pistol
• Players that require health and can receive it now have a white outline around them to indicate that the magnetism will fire at the outlined target.
• Added healing VFX for when you’re being healed by the S21 Syrette Pistol
• Added sound feedback for when being healed by the S21 Syrette Pistol

Mackay: Grappling Hook

• Fixed an issue where the Grappling Hook rope got misaligned in front of the gadget after changing FOV settings
• Fixed the vault after the Grappling Hook animation where it could cause camera jerks or provide no animation at all

Gadgets

CG Recoilless M5

• Fixed a bug where the CG Recoilless M5 would not lose its lock on to enemy air vehicles when locked on via SOFLAM Designator and the target deployed countermeasures

C5 Explosive

• Fixed a bug where the C5 Explosive blast damage was sometimes inconsistent when trying to detonate the C5 Explosive on a moving vehicle
• Fixed an issue where the C5 Explosive server and client positions were not correctly synced
• Adjusted the deploy time of the C5 Explosive and reduced the delay before allowing it to be detonated to improve responsiveness.

SOFLAM Designator

• Fixed an issue where the visual SOFLAM Designator UI elements are still present on the screen when switching to other gadgets while zoomed
• Fixed the SOFLAM Designator’s tooltip text being misaligned

Anti-Tank Mine

• Fixed an issue that caused Mines and other deployables to not trigger sound effects when deployed from inside a vehicle

Medical Crate and Supply Crate

• Fixed issue where the Medical Crate healing cooldown was triggered when at Full HP.
• Adjusted Medical and Supply crates’ trajectory to align with the animation of the throw and address jitter
• Improved responsiveness of Medical and Supply crates deployment. It is now possible to throw them a lot quicker after selecting them
• Fixed an issue where the resupply animation would not play when resupplying gadgets from the Supply Crate

Smoke Grenade

• Changed the detonation behavior of the Smoke Grenade; it will now bounce once before detonating
• Fixed an issue where Smoke Grenades could be destroyed by bullets or explosions
• Fixed an issue where the VO was not triggering when an enemy Specialists’ Smoke Grenade has been thrown

Frag Grenade

• Ensured that the grenade warning icon does not draw under certain elements of the HUD like the minimap

Repair Tool

• Fixed an issue where the Repair Tool can repair vehicles while not facing the vehicle.
• Improved the Repair Tool so that it is quicker to equip and put away

Insertion Beacon

• Fixed an issue where picking up an Insertion Beacon would not make any sounds.
• EMP now blocks spawning on Insertion Beacons
• Reduced the delay before the Insertion Beacon is placed after throwing it

FXM-33 AA Missile

• The FXM-33 AA Missile reload sound effect will now appropriately fit the animation of reloading
• Extended the animation of the FXM-33 AA Missile reload

Soldier

• Fixed an issue where attempting to traversal sprint while swimming resulted in a broken swimming animation.
• Fixed missing weapon deploy animation when transitioning from water to land.
• Adjusted soldier animations when swimming.
• Various visual adjustments and fixes for Specialists
• Fixed issues where the soldier would sometimes not properly follow the ground when sliding
• Fixed an issue where jumping would be buffered if holding jump when trying to stand up from crouch or prone pose
• Reduced occurrences where Specialists can be seen with low quality animations in the distance
• Adjusted the pose of the legs when falling to avoid legs blocking the view
• Addressed issues where players prone on thin surfaces could be seen floating in the air. They will now tend to fall if the surface is not large enough.
• Fixed an issue where it is not possible to look up and down enough while prone on a slope
• Fixed an issue where character hands were not in contact with ladders when FOV was higher than default
• Fixed an issue where you could turn and see your own headless 1P body while on ladders
• Fixed an issue where the user was able to gain velocity by hopping on and off a ladder and hit melee
• Fixed an issue where setting the “Always Traversal Sprint” Option would sometimes not allow the player to traversal sprint with the intended speed

Melee

• Adjusted the timing of sound of takedowns on enemies being prone
• Improved the speed in which the weapon switches when watching another player melee attack
• Decreased the range in which you can melee a player
• Fixed visual glitch when blending between ragdoll and settled state in a takedown animation
• Fixed an issue where players sometimes got thrown up in the air while using melee
• You can no longer perform a takedown on a soldier climbing a ladder
• Added a fix that should allow the melee to nudge vehicles to get them to be unstuck.
• Fix for takedowns on enemies lying prone not working from all angles
• Fixed issue where the animation was misaligned while taking down an enemy that is prone on stairs
• Fixed a camera bug for meleeing players while standing on a moving platform

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