Just over a year after launching with its controversial new specialists, Battlefield 2042 update 3.2.0 rolls out January 31 to return to the tried-and-true class system from Battlefields past. The update is scheduled to arrive at 1am PST / 4am EST / 9am GMT, and makes some significant changes to the multiplayer game in addition to reviving the class system.
The return to the class system has been a hot topic for Battlefield 2042 over the past several months. Since launch, Battlefield 2042’s new specialists – distinct characters who each have their own custom gadgets and abilities – have been divisive. Many players missed straightforward assault, engineer, recon, and support roles that past Battlefield games have used, and EA/DICE has worked on reincorporating that system into Battlefield 2042 without eliminating its new specialists or their distinctive personalities.
Striking the balance has been a tricky proposition, however. The developer eventually settled on organising the specialists into class-based categories, limiting the availability of gadgets to specialists within a shared class. Class members also share specific weapon proficiencies that highlight their roles in the fight – assault soldiers get three extra magazines of assault rifle ammunition, and recon specialists have a constant steady scope with their sniper rifles, for example.
The update also includes a major rework for Breakaway, Battlefield 2042’s Antarctica map, which shifts the position of the map’s oil rig and brings some of the capture points closer together on the mainland. The map also features new routes across the glacier, a snow cave with a downed aircraft, and additional military fortifications in the workers village area.
Update 3.2 also introduces new thermal scopes, which for the first time in a Battlefield game will only display their effect within the scopes’ sights themselves, rather than changing the entire screen as they have in previous Battlefield games. The team notes that some concessions have been made for the sake of fun: thermal scopes can see through environmental smoke and steam effects, but not through smoke from tactical grenades or gadgets.
The full update 3.2.0 patch notes are available on the official site.
EA/DICE have shared a rough roadmap for the rest of season 3 and into season 4, so there’s still plenty to look forward to in the FPS game’s coming year. Check out our list of the best Battlefield 2042 weapons before you dive back in tomorrow morning.