Battlefield 2042 Class system explained: How will Specialists work?
EA are bringing Classes back to Battlefield 2042, but Specialists will still remain in the game. So how exactly will Classes and Specialists co-exist in Battlefield 2042?
Battlefield 2042 launched to a fair amount of criticism and it wasn’t long before players were calling for refunds for the game in droves.
There were many reasons for this from a delay to Season 1 content to not launching the game with a scoreboard on its debut. But another key factor was in EA and DICE’s decision to move away from Classes to the new Specialist soldiers, changing the idea of the series’s core gameplay.
Classic Battlefield titles have always centered the idea of a class-based system, traditionally several key ones: Assault, Medic, Support, and Recon. This philosophy meant that players had to pick and choose their playstyle and this would restrict their selection of weapons and gadgets.
Now, with Battlefield 2042 Season 4 on the way, EA are bringing back Classes, so we’ll explain how they’ll work and what it’ll mean for the game moving forward.
Battlefield 2042 Class system explainer
In a lengthy blog post, the Battlefield 2042 devs ran through the Class changes and how exactly the game will resemble its former past, along with how it’s trying to retain its newer identity.
Primary weapon selection will remain universal across all Classes
One significant difference between Classes of the past and how they’ll be once they drop in Battlefield 2042 is that primary weapons will now be locked to particular characters.
Meaning, if you want to use the MP9, then it will still be available to use across any Class or Specialist. In previous games, Snipers would only be available for Recon players, and LMGs for Support players for instance.
Weapon Proficiencies matter
On the other hand, the decision to keep weapons more open has given the devs the opportunity to make an interesting change regarding weapon proficiency in Battlefield 2042.
Even though you can use an Assault Rifle with an Engineer Class, if you use an AR as an Assault Class, then you’ll receive a special synergy boost.
You can check out all the respective combinations below:
- Assault + Assault Rifles: 3 Extra Magazines
- Engineer + LMG: Improved Dispersion while Crouched or Prone
- Recon + Sniper Rifles: Immediate, constant and steady scope
- Support + SMG: Faster Draw Time
Classes and Specialists will work alongside each other
We’ve already touched on this, but EA have said that the Class system will not replace Specialists, they will merely operate in tandem with them.
Long-time fans have leaned more toward wanting Specialists to be removed altogether, but this will not be the case. EA said: “With the Specialists now moving into specific Classes, it should now be easier to determine what you’re about to come up against during an encounter.”
The devs are looking to improve the “Readability of encounters” so that Classes and Specialists can be identified more easily by players to know where to focus their attacks on.
Gadgets and Abilities will be restricted
While Primary Weapons have been left as a free-for-all for every Battlefield 2042 Specialist and Class, other elements will be tinkered with to make the game more balanced.
A shining example the devs use is Rocket Launchers as instead of being widely available, they will now just be exclusive to the Engineer Class.
“Rocket Launchers being placed under the Engineer Class will now ensure that while only a subset of our Specialists will be able to use Rocket Launchers – there will be more readability to who is carrying a launcher and allows for a vehicle player to adjust their strategy for that but also allows for further balancing for vehicles as time goes on,” the devs said.
Check your favorite Specialists!
Specialists are undergoing identity changes as well as equipment overhauls, so if you’re a big fan of a certain character and their default loadout, then it might be worth seeing how they’ve changed.
As an example, Irish is now a Support character and is a big difference from his Engineer-focused gameplay before the update drops.
We’ll learn a lot more about Battlefield 2042’s big class changes as we move toward and drop into Season 4. Also, check out everything from the 3.1.2 update for Battlefield 2042.
Image Credit: EA / DICE
