Battlefield 2042 Adds Much Needed Quality of Life Changes in New Update

Battlefield 2042 will be getting itself some much-needed quality of life changes in the game’s latest update. It’s no secret that Battlefield 2042 launched in a state of chaos back in November 2021. After being delayed a month following a poorly received beta, EA released a game that would go to cause irreparable damage to the Battlefield brand. The game was filled with bugs, server issues, and was also just outright poorly designed. The inclusion of 128-players didn’t feel well thought out, leading to giant maps with open spaces and no flow. Many were puzzled by how such a highly-anticipated shooter was able to be such an utter disappointment. In the months since, DICE has worked effortlessly to try and salvage the game by re-designing maps and making other grand changes.

The latest update will continue to alleviate some of the game’s issues and improve various areas. There’s a wealth of quality of life changes coming with this patch, such as the ability to aim down sights while moving, various balancing fixes to nerf some vehicles and buff some weapons, and much more. 

Despite DICE also recently revealing that it would be ending support for Hazard Zone, a mode that is similar to Escape from Tarkov, it also provided an update on the mode with a new mechanic allowing your squad to respawn if they’re wiped before the first extraction. Similarly, DICE has also reduced the number of players required to start a game of Hazard Zone, likely because it’s expecting less players for the mode in the coming months. You can view the full patch notes below.

General

• A new widget has been added to the Main Menu which shows how many friends are currently online. You’ll now also see the number of online friends directly in the Social tab.
• Voice Chat options now show you which device is being used for voice input
• Resolved some instances where Controllers would not provide input when launching the game
• You will no longer get stuck at the “party leader selects game” screen in the lobby when the party leader has already entered the next game. Friends stick together!
• You’ll no longer see Unassigned or Not Set text in menus when using an alternate controller scheme
• A Party Leader icon has been added to the Social menu
• Camera settings for Vehicle 3rd person Field of View now apply immediately without having to cycle through camera options again
• Changing Squads while in a party now automatically sets your VoIP setting to Party
• The Kill Log sometimes didn’t show all kills made when “Show Kills Made” setting was to ALL. It now properly shows all kills.
• Weapon Charms should now always be visible on weapons while scrolling through the menu
• Bonus Missions now show the correct expiration time
• End of Round visuals for Battle Pass rewards are no longer missing after playing a Portal match
• The Zoom button now functions correctly when previewing Charms in the catalog
• Zooming in/out has been made smoother while in preview menus
• Fixed overlapping icons in Tags for players you’ve taken down
• Completed Challenges that previously didn’t give out their reward should now retroactively grant them
• Further new XP events have been added:
• New Pilot Kill Bonus Event – triggers alongside you snipe and kill the pilot of an air vehicle
• New Disarming Mine Event – triggers when you disarm an enemy AT Mine using Interact
• Repair Assist – triggers when someone in a vehicle you recently repaired kills an enemy with that vehicle
• Reduced XP reward of Spot Assists to 10 XP
• How Players of the Match are selected is now more consistent
• Player Icons and Healthbars now update faster when their state changes
• Made various changes to smooth out the overall camera experience
• The Kill Card has received several improvements:
• list of nearby or incoming receivers is now visible on the Kill Card alongside information about the killer
• If there are no assists involved in a kill then assist will not show on the Killcard
• There is now an animation for when the Killcard is showing on screen or when hiding or skipping it

Battlefield Portal

• New game presets Air Superiority and Ground Superiority have been added to the Web Builder
• You are able to adjust vehicle count in Air Superiority and Ground Superiority game modes
• AI Soldiers are now better at climbing ladders across Classic era maps
• Underbarrel attachments can now be resupplied as expected by Ammo Crates
• Added Ranger to Restrictions tab
• Teleportation action block now works inside HQs

Audio

• Battlefield 1942 British Engineer
• Battlefield 1942 American Anti-Tank
• Battlefield 1942 German Engineer (aka Günter)
• Additional voice over lines have been added for Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 non-squad soldiers

Maps

• Added 4 extra-small layouts for existing maps (Battle of the Bulge, El Alamein, Kaleidoscope and Manifest). These are suitable for creating new Vehicle TDM experiences, but they’ll also work with Team Deathmatch and Free-for-All modes
• Several fixes have been made across Classic era maps to resolve terrain, prop and collision issues

Modifiers

• Added Passenger Seat Modifier: disabling passenger seats allows for a higher maximum number of vehicles.
• Added the option to toggle passenger seats availability
• Added Set Max Health Multiplier modifier for vehicles
• Added InfiniteWeaponMagazines modifier
• Added Projectile speed multiplier modifier for throwable items

Rules Editor

• Added CompareVehicleName value block and VehicleName selection list block
• Added GetVehicleState GetPosition value block for vehicles
• Added GetVehicleState GetFacingDirection value block for vehicles
• Added AllPlayersInsideVehicle array value block
• Added GetVehicleState LinearVelocity value block
• Added the option to enable and disable capture points in Air Superiority and Ground Superiority experiences
• Added GetCapturePoint value block
• Allow error reports to send additional payloads in Error Logs
• Add new action block for sending custom error reports in Logic Editor

Vehicles

Bad Company 2

• Replaced the UH-60 on the Russian team with the Mi-24 Hind
• Replaced the BMP-2 on the Russian team with the BMD-3

Battlefield 3

• Added the A-10 Warthog and SU-25TM Frogfoot as new vehicles

Gadgets

• Resolved several clipping animations for melee weapons while vaulting over obstacles
• Resolved several gadgets clipping through hands while vaulting
• The EMP effect from thrown EMP Grenades will no longer affect players outside the visual radius

Repair Tool

• The “Repairing” voice over no longer plays when attempting to repair destroyed vehicles
• Using the Repair Tool no longer sometimes causes the camera to shake

Smoke Grenade Launcher

• The Smoke Grenade Launcher’s name is now properly displayed in the Kill Log and Kill Card

SOFLAM

• The overlay on vehicles for the SOFLAM now has the accurate colors; grey when in progress and yellow when fully locked on

Spawn Beacon

• The Spawn Beacon now takes 1 to 2 bullets to destroy instead of 4 to 7

Hazard Zone

We’ve made several changes to reduce the reliance on the Data Drive Scanners within Hazard Zone. This should make it easier to understand the mode, and allows you more choice in which gadgets you want to deploy with.

• Increased cost of the Data Drive Scanner from 0 to 200
• Now only shows players carrying Data Drives when scanning
• Data Drives are now globally shown in the world
• IBA Armor Plates are now free and the default gadget
• A new mechanic has been added to Hazard Zone, called Second Chance. This should make it more forgiving while you are first getting to know and start interacting with new squad mates.
• If your squad wipes before the first extraction, then the whole squad is redeployed one time after 15 seconds, at a different location from where you first inserted
• Redeploy and Second Chance now spawns players at 500m instead of 100m. Until the player is 100m above the ground, the parachute cannot be used
• Several further changes have been added to faster to get into a Hazard Zone match
• Map Overview has been removed
• Reduced the amount of players needed to start the timer for starting the round, even if the server isn’t full yet
• Reduced the start timer from 2 -> 1 minute

Tactical Items

• Quickdraw Holster has been removed
• Throwable Increase I – Increased to +2 extra throwable, up from +1
• Faster Healing I – Increased healing with 50%, up from 20%
• Insider Information – Increased location reveal from 30s -> 60s before impact
• Insider Information – Reduced rarity to Rare, down from Epic
• Insider Information – Reduced costs from 400 -> 200 Credits
• Biometric Scanning – Now spots enemies for 100% longer, up from 50%
• Biometric Scanning – Increased rarity to Rare, up from Common
• Biometric Scanning – Increased costs from 100 -> 200 Credits
• Table Deal – Increased cost from 400 -> 600 Credits
• Ammo Increase II – Increased to +3 additional magazines, up from +2
• Ammo Increase II – Increased rarity to Epic, up from Rare
• Ammo Increase II – Increased cost from 400 -> 600 Credits
• Faster Healing II – Increased healing with 100%, up from 50%
• Faster Healing II – Increased cost from 400 -> 600 Credits

Maps & Modes

• Fixed several visual, collision, lighting and interaction related bugs across Current era maps
• Resolved an issue on Discarded that could cause defending players to become stuck when spawning
• Resolved instances on Discarded where EMP Grenades exploded without delay after being thrown
• It no longer happens that the wrong voice overs would sometimes play when a match was in overtime

Breakthrough

• Distinctive icons have been added for both Attackers and Defenders
• Directional retreat indicators have been added for defenders. This helps you understand in which direction you need to retreat
• Objective icons now show a hold Hold, Defend, Attack or Retake description to make it easier to understand where you need to go
• Audio has been tweaked to increase the feeling of tension during a match
• The transition from the match into the End of Round screen has been smoothened

Soldier

• Soldiers will no longer sometimes clip through terrain when running up steep slopes
• Gadgets and weapons will no longer sometimes clip through walls while vaulting
• Ping locations are no longer inaccurate when in a vehicle seat as a passenger
• Jumping will no longer sometimes be interrupted after sliding
• Soldier hip rotation animations have been improved
• You are now able to vault over some angled walls that prevented this previously
• You are now able to move while Aiming Down Sights and being prone
• Strafing no longer causes the camera to slightly move
• Several improvements have been added to soldier movements animations:
• Separated aiming from turning so 3P animations can now look around slightly before triggering a turn animation
• Added leaning to 3P animations
• Added new and improved idle animations
• Fixed an issue where your 3P animation wouldn’t always show that you were in traversal sprint
• The revive animation for enemy soldiers has been polished
• Animations for a soldier jumping and descending from an upside down plane have been improved
• Changing to your primary weapon in mid melee attack now shows the correct melee animation
• Fall damage should no longer be inconsistent
• Animations while looking down during traversal sprint have been improved
• Pinging an enemy Hovercraft no longer plays a voice over indicating it’s empty and ready for use
• Players should no longer slide away after a takedown
• Resolved a broken animation while throwing an Ammo Crate or Medical Crate while vaulting
• The death animation when redeploying has been removed
• The Parachute / Wingsuit hint no longer remains on screen after either are deployed
• You will no longer automatically enter a vehicle if you revive a teammate who was under it
• You’ll no longer get a takedown prompt when a takedown is currently being performed on you
• It’s now possible to interrupt the Initial Deploy animation while ADS
• Moving sometimes caused specific weapons to have their animations broken, this has been fixed
• When reviving a player there was a chance that the weapon attachments would get all spooky and become misplaced. We’ve cured their fear of the dead

Specialists

Angel

• A blocked loadout message no longer appears in error when interacting with the Loadout Crate
• It’s now possible to remain crouched while interacting with Angels’ Supply Crate.
• Resolved a repeating animation when repeatedly selecting the Supply Bag
• The 3P flash effect is now visible while being revived by Angel
• Angel’s Trait has been reworded to indicate he now only supplies ammo, instead of armor

Boris

• Resolved several inconsistent placement areas for the SG-36 Sentry Gun on Exposure
• The “Place Turret” hint no longer shows after the SG-36 Sentry Gun has already been deployed
• The SG-36 Sentry Gun can no longer fire downwards at extreme angles
• The SG-36 Sentry Gun can now fall through broken glass

Casper

It’s no longer possible to deploy the OV-P Recon Drone in elevators which allows players to see through walls. This will now instead destroy the drone.
Dozer

• The correct Kill Card is now displayed while Dozer dies from heavy fire while having the SOB-8 Ballistic Shield deployed
• The SOB-8 Ballistic Shield can now block missiles from the G-84 TGM

Falck

• Using ADS with the S21 Syrette Pistol now shows the correct visual instead of a red lined pattern
• Shooting allies with the S21 Syrette Pistol no longer sometimes triggers the friendly fire voice over

Lis

• Being hit by EMP Field Grenades now causes you to exit the G-84 TGM TV screen
• Fixed an issue that caused Lis’ G-84 TGM missile to bounce off of certain bushes
• Fixed an issue that caused Sundance’s Anti Armor grenade to lock onto and chase Lis’ G-84 TGM missile
• Increased the delay for exiting the G-84 TGM’s screen to 1 second
• It’s no longer possible to damage friendly air vehicles with the G-84 TGM’s missile
• The G-84 TGM missile will no longer bounce off vehicles

Rao

The Hack indicator should no longer freeze in place after starting a hack

Sundance

• The Anti-Armor Smart Explosive UI no longer gets stuck in lock on when the grenade has already been deployed
• The Kill Feed now properly indicates players killed by the Scatter Grenade

Paik

Scrolling through weapons with a mouse wheel will no longer activate Paik’s EMG-X Scanner 

UI/HUD

• The Commorose now shows shortened objective names so the text doesn’t clip or overlap
• The Nearby Players list now accurately reflects nearby teammates
• Players dying due to friendly fire no longer show up as an enemy in the Kill Feed
• The Need Spotting Commorose command no longer displays empty text in the game feed
• Player name tags no longer change position while occluded by cover
• You’ll no longer see a hit indicator when shooting a dead enemy

Vehicles

• Anti-Air and Anti-Tank lock on missiles will now acquire new targets without a delay. This should make switching targets significantly smoother
• Anti-Tank missiles now also lock on to empty vehicles to prevent you from losing your target if the target vehicle is abandoned
• Overall target acquisition for lock on missiles has been improved
• The YG-99 would sometimes look a little banged up in the collection screens. We’ve buffed it out
• Fixed Stealth bombing coordinates so they no longer show negative values
• We have taught our autocorrect how to spell Suppressed within the Stealth Helicopter weaponry descriptions
• While flying an aircraft, the yawing input now stops when the mouse is not moving.
• Fixed an issue where a second TOW missile could be fired from vehicles while still controlling the first one
• Fixed an issue where the minimap view cone would not follow the camera in driver/pilot freelook, gunner and passenger seats
• Damage markers distance to center updated in vehicles to solve overlapping HUD
• Driving over a street lamp no longer makes the camera go inside the vehicle. Vehicle love lamp
• You should no longer see the landing gear on the SU-57 while it’s in flight
• Dying while driving the Polaris Sportsman will no longer cause the camera to violently shake
• Fixed an issue where Stealth Helicopter bombs would sometimes jitter as they fell
• Bullet tracers would sometimes go in the wrong direction while firing from vehicle weapons. We’ve reset their internal compass and they now point in the right direction
• Vehicle grenade crosshairs no longer display the wrong ammo
• Fixed an issue where the critical health recovery audio cue triggers everytime you exit vehicle
• Crashing an air vehicle into a friendly vehicle will no longer mark them as an enemy in the kill cam

F-35E Panther / SU-57 FELON – 25mm Cannon (internal)

• Damage increased from 20 -> 30
• Damage Fall Off start increased from 100 -> 250
• Minimum dispersion has been removed
• Maximum dispersion decreased from 1 -> 0.7
• Dispersion increase per shot has been lowered

Airplane Air-to-Ground Missile

• Missile Rate of Fire increased from 30 -> 90
• Replenish delay increased from 8 -> 20s
• Lock time increased from 1 -> 1.5s
• Lock release time reduced from 1 -> 0.5s

Airplane Air-to-Air missile

• Increased lock from 1 -> 1.5s

MD540 Nightbird – Mounted 20mm Cannons:

• Rate of Fire lowered to 250 -> 200
• Replenish time increased from 1.8 -> 2.5

T28 / M1A5 – Kinetic Grenade Weapon Pod

• Lower blast radius from 10 -> 7m
• Lowered inner blast radius from 4 -> 3m

MAV

• Autocannon has been adjusted to make it a close range anti-vehicle weapon with diminished power over longer distances:

• Speed decreased from 980 -> 300
• Rate of fire increased from 120 -> 140
• Damage increased from 40 -> 65
• Added damage fall off start distance at 25m
• Added damage fall off end distance 150m
• Added blast damage fall off curve
• Blast damage increased from 10 -> 25
• Blast radius from 1 ->3m

MV38-Condor – 50mm Cannon Pod

• Now fires single shots
• Rate of Fire reduced from 110 -> 40
• Longer replenish delay to fit the new slower rate of fire

Weapons

No changes have been made to DMR performance in short to medium range combat, and they’ll feel as you are used to when fighting against Assault Rifles and SMG’s. We’re looking forward to your feedback on these changes once you’ve been able to test them.

• AK24 no longer incorrectly shows it has a single rate of fire
• Fixed an issue where AK-24 attachments would not lower the recoil of the weapon as intended
• Fixed an issue where AC-42 magazines were displaying an incorrect rate of fire
• Fixed MCS-880 Flechettes doing unintended high damage at longer ranges
• Fixed an issue where some weapons wouldn’t play reload sounds while using an underbarrel attachments
• Fixed an issue where the SWS-10 Extended mag has a negative rate of fire within the collection screen
• Updated DDM4 magazines so bullets are not shown through scopes
• Fixed an issue where the time to live on the Incendiary grenade underbarrel was too short
• Fixed an issue where attachments were not available when opening the Plus Menu
• Fixed an issue which would cause the bipod to deploy itself changing scopes
• Laser sights would stop working while in 1P when a player would switch equipment or enter in a vehicle. This no longer happens
• Exiting a vehicle with the DXR-1 triggers no longer triggers the bipod deploy animation
• M44 Revolver damage increased up to 75m
• Fixed an issue that caused aim assist to not work for vehicle passengers in open seats
• Fixed an issue where swapping attachments caused some underbarrel attachments to become activated incorrectly
• Fixed an issue that made it possible to fire faster than intended with some bolt action rifles by swapping attachments
• We’ve updated DMR’s to make them more valuable in long-range combat as we currently felt they were underperforming. The first improvement we made here is to increase Bullet Speed, which means less lead time when firing at your target.

• BSV-M: 700 -> 790
• SVK: 860 -> 960
• VCAR: 600 -> 700
• DM7: 740 -> 800
• We also noticed that headshots weren’t rewarding enough for extended combat engagements. To address this we’ve tweaked their Headshot Damage Multiplier at long-range:

• BSV-M / DM7: 1.9x -> 2.2x
• SVK 1.5x -> 1.6 x
• VCAR: 1.8x -> 2x