Battlefield 6 Season 1 Boasts the Game’s Best Map Yet, Great Skins, and Much More

Battlefield 6 Season 1 begins next week and will inject some brand new content into the popular first-person shooter, including what may be the best map in the entire game thus far. Battlefield 6 has managed to have a very smooth launch, something the series is not accustomed to. Of course, there are still some things that need to be addressed, but the game functions and is fun to play, even with some issues. That means Battlefield Studios is able to quickly transition into post-launch content, something that wasn’t feasible with Battlefield 2042 because the team had to spend months fixing that game.

Battlefield 6 Season 1 will see the launch of two new maps, two new modes, and a plethora of weapons for players to kit themselves out with. It’s a healthy helping of content that will keep players actively engaged, especially because some of it is the best stuff we’ve seen for the game so far. Season 1 begins on October 28th with Phase 1, which will see the release of a map known as Blackwell Fields, and then Phase 2 will see the release of another map known as Eastwood on November 18th. I got a chance to go hands-on with these two new maps and all of the new toys being added to the game, all of which left me feeling very fulfilled.

Battlefield 6‘s New SoCal Map, Eastwood, Is Top-Tier

It’s a shame Battlefield 6 Season 1 isn’t leading its new content rollout with Eastwood, a new map set in an affluent neighborhood of Southern California, because it rocks. The map is quite spacious, making use of tanks, drivable golf carts, and buggies, and helicopters to traverse and destroy it. It’s populated with houses that would likely be listed for millions of dollars on Zillow and a country club that sports a vast golf course that can be torn up with explosives or utilized as a distant sniper spot.

Battlefield veterans may get Battlefield Hardline vibes from Eastwood, as it features the same vibrant color palette seen in that game, along with a domestic Californian environment being torn apart by warfare. It’s a strong contrast from the more bleak, already very war-torn maps in the base game. It’s very picture-esque when you load into it, but by the end, it can be almost completely leveled.

The first thing I tried to do when I got into the match was drive a tank straight through one of those beautiful houses, and much to my satisfaction, you can absolutely do that. I bulldozed straight through it before coming out into a scenic backyard, home to a pool that gave my war machine a nice bath. All of the houses in this pristine neighborhood could be totally leveled and ripped apart, which is exactly what you want from a Battlefield experience.

The inside of the houses are also highly detailed and have garages and bedrooms to make use of, if you’re someone who wants a place to hold up in at the risk of the whole thing toppling over on you. It brings in some of the density that Battlefield 6 has been utilizing so well in its core maps, but it doesn’t compromise on its scale either.

The streets are wide open enough for tank combat and exploration. This isn’t like Siege of Cairo where you can get easily boxed in by engineers camping on rooftops with RPGs, there’s a lot more room to breathe outside. Obviously, the golf course is wide open, but the various paths around the map also aren’t overcrowded with tons of destroyed buses and cars. It’s a healthy balance that gives you the space you need to battle.

Some of the maps in the base game have a bit of a problem where multiple objectives are visible from each other, meaning people can start fighting you from far distances while you’re distracted by something else. The sightlines are far and wide, but Eastwood does a solid job of using hills, houses, and more to break things up more easily. Vehicle battles generally feel a bit more controlled as a result, as the map is more appropriately segmented.

If you’re the creative type, Eastwood also has strong potential for Battlefield 6‘s Portal creations. I rallied fellow journalists and creators to join me on the golf course for an impromptu session of golf cart jousting. It didn’t go very well and was short-lived, as you can imagine, but it seems like a map that’s ripe with opportunity for custom games.

In my opinion, Eastwood is the best playing map in Battlefield 6 so far, and it’s a shame we’ll have to wait until November to really dig into it properly. I’m not the only one who thinks this either. Many people were singing its praises during my preview session, including people who were being vocal about new content they weren’t enjoying.

Of course, this map has likely been in the works for months now, long before the game was revealed to the public, but its immediate inclusion does feel like a bit of a response to criticisms that the game’s maps are too small. While it isn’t one of the biggest maps in the history of the franchise or anything like that, it makes the most of its size and is designed in an incredibly competent way that gives you room to explore, breathe, while still having focused areas that drive combat.

Battlefield 6‘s Blackwell Fields Map Is Fun, But In Line With Other Maps in the Game

Blackwell Fields, the map that will kick things off next week, is also a good time, but it doesn’t feel like much of a shake-up from the launch map in Battlefield 6. It’s set around a burning oil field in California where pump jacks are scattered around for cover alongside industrial buildings and small worksites. It’s a lot smaller than Eastwood, with hillsides giving snipers a lot of vantage points around the map.

I had fun flying around on the map with a helicopter, especially because the out-of-bounds areas for aerial vehicles feel much greater compared to the launch maps and allow you to duke it out without as much interference from rocket-wielding infantry. However, I wasn’t particularly moved by the moment to moment boots on the ground gunplay. It’s totally serviceable and is something I won’t mind playing on, but if you’re someone who isn’t thrilled with the scale of the launch maps, this probably won’t impress you.

The one area Blackwell Fields really shines is its lighting. It’s absolutely gorgeous to look at because it all takes place during sundown. There’s an orange hue casting across the entire map, and there’s more room for stealthing around due to added shadows and darkness across the map. It’s a stunner that adds a greater degree of atmosphere, and you also won’t be absolutely blinded by the aggressive sunlight found in the other maps.

Battlefield 6 Is Adding a Ton of Cosmetic Goodies, Weapons, and Vehicles With Season 1

Much ado was made about Battlefield 6‘s stance on skins when the game was announced as Battlefield Studios took a firm stance against the more whimsical cosmetics seen in other games. That continues with Battlefield 6 Season 1, which adds more cosmetics that have a bit more personality to them. A lot of the skins at launch were sort of generic soldiers with different colored uniforms, but Season 1 adds things that will allow you to have more distinguished characters on the battlefield.

While there are some that are flashier than others, and based on the response to the Razer promo skin, some may not like all of them. However, I think Battlefield Studios has done a great job of balancing worthwhile cosmetic items while respecting the aesthetic and tone of Battlefield 6. If they can sustain this in future seasons, I will be thrilled and I think they’re doing a great job of setting a standard so far. There are also new vehicle skins, decals, and more, so you can really spice things up across the board.

I can’t speak to what it will be like to actually unlock these things, as everything we used in the game was completely unlocked during the preview. The battle pass wasn’t present and was only briefly talked about in a presentation attached to this preview. However, players will be able to pick from four different paths in the battle pass to progress through in a somewhat non-linear fashion, and a fifth one will unlock when you finish the rest of them.

I had a very limited amount of time to get a good feel for the new guns and gizmos in Season 1, but they were all pretty fun to use. There’s a powerful new sniper rifle that doesn’t require you to break ADS to pull the bolt back, allowing you to fire it more rapidly. The new SCAR carbine is a powerful force to be reckoned with at just about any range and was my weapon of choice during my preview. There’s also a heavily-armored new APC vehicle that seats four people, including the driver.

All three passengers have access to mounted guns, though the top-mounted gun is the most powerful and can be swapped out for an LMG or grenade launcher similar to an IFV. The other guns are mounted on the left and right sides, respectively, and allow passengers to be active participants when fighting over an objective without having to leave the vehicle. Don’t worry, though, it’s not a tank, so this thing can be taken down without a great deal of effort.

What really sets it apart, however, are its passive abilities. Its gadget slots feature a medbay that heals allies in proximity to the vehicle, a grenade interceptor that will stop any incoming grenades thrown or launched near it, and more. All of this makes it a great defensive tool for capping or defending an objective.

All in all, Battlefield 6 Season 1 is a promising start to the game’s post-launch journey. The team will release Season 2 in the new year with more maps, modes, and other content planned. I really appreciate the steady stream of content, especially at such a large scale, and I can’t wait to see some highly requested fan content integrated into Battlefield 6 via future seasons as well.