The Battlefield series has a reputation for rough starts followed by long recovery arcs, with each game ultimately securing the love of the player base just in time for the next game’s announcement. Battlefield 6, for all its record sales and easy comparisons to Battlefield 4, found itself in such a familiar situation, but with Season 4 rolling out next week and the promise of what’s to come, we might already be entering the quiet era of gaming.
Battlefield 6 Season 4 finally showcases some of the key aspects that have made this series stand out over the past 25 years. Launched with a selection of maps geared toward smaller encounters and infantry-first combat, Battlefield Studios began to expand its horizons with larger maps through the seasonal updates that followed, but only now, with Season 4, do we have the arrival of ships and aircraft carriers into the mix of combined arms warfare.
It starts with the all-new Tsuru Reef map, which promises an idyllic Pacific Ocean archipelago to tear apart in battle. The few islands will feature steep cliffs, a luxury resort, an old war bunker and aircraft carriers as key landmarks, in what will be Battlefield 6’s largest map to date.
This will be followed on August 18 with Phase 2, which brings a remake of the classic Wake Island map. This is “faithful to the Battlefield V version”, but it is updated to fit the modern warfare setting and will feature a different mix of vehicles.
Taking to the seas in these two maps will rely on two initial naval vehicles. There’s the RHIB for quickly riding waves and getting your team ashore, and a new patrol boat, the CB90, for some firepower. They will have to brave the dynamic wave system, bouncing off the ripples of the sea as they go.
But the navy isn’t just about boats, it’s also about planes, and Phase 2 of Season 4 will also bring a collaboration with Top Gun. Two new two-seat fighter jets are joining the game – the legally separate F/A-81F Super Specter and F-74A Seacat, although the Top Gun collaboration will also have the F-18/Super Hornet F-14 Tomcat properly represented – and you’ll be able to get Top Gun-inspired cosmetics.
Phase 2 will begin using these carriers with the return of Carrier Strike in limited time mode. As in previous games, it involves fighting through objective points for the chance to directly attack the enemy aircraft carrier, but will take place in the Top Gun crossover universe with featured movie characters, voices and jets – Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Lt. Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman), Admiral Solomon “Warlock” Bates (Charles Parnell). A Fighter Sweep Gauntlet mission will then be a jet-only mode in a special Gauntlet mission.
And this is phase 2 in which two highly requested quality of life features will also be added. Custom lobbies will debut here, giving players more control over the game. In Portal, there will be the option of a pre-lobby screen allowing players to rank into teams, which is essential for community-organized tournaments, while granting administrative controls and designated administrators to manage the session. This will eventually go hand-in-hand with Spectator Mode, which offers map views, a free camera, and more. This feature will initially be limited to verified Battle Royale and Conquest servers, although, similar to ranked play, Battlefield Studios will expand it once they get initial feedback from the community.
Add in a handful of new weapons – a new assault rifle, carbine, DMR, and sniper – and this is sure to be a fan-pleasing season. We can argue that naval warfare should have been present in Battlefield 6 from launch and the initial map selection was unbalanced, but the development of features and map alignment over the first year puts this game in an increasingly stronger position. We look forward to sharing some hands-on impressions soon.
