The studios that are working on the next Battlefield games have revealed some details about what players can expect from the upcoming multiplayer shooter’s class system. Detailed through a lengthy post on Reddit, the studios have described the new class system as being a “series of interconnected systems and fundamentals that shape your role on the field, while granting you the freedom to customise how you execute that role.”
Customisation is going to be a big aspect of how classes function in the next Battlefield game. While the classes will retain the ability to come up with their own weapon loadouts along with class-specific gadgets, it is also worth noting that restrictions that have traditionally been placed on classes in terms of their choice of weapons are being removed. This means that a player with the Medic class, rather than being in the thick of the battle and supporting their squad mates, could instead choose to stay away from the frontlines while using a sniper rifle, making their Medic abilities more or less useless.
In an attempt to gently dissuade players from making the wrong weapon choice, the upcoming Battlefield game will instead feature the concept of the Signature Weapon. With this, each class will have their own Signature Weapon with which they get added benefits. In the example provided, a Recon player with a sniper rifle can hold their breath to line-up long-distance shots for longer than another class would.
The studios have said that these new class features are slated for testing in the coming weeks through Battlefield Labs, during which it will be soliciting feedback from players.
The general response to this new approach to Battlefield’s traditional class system has been quite negative, with one of the top comments referring to it as the game’s “first big L.” Many of the responses are calling for weapon choices to be more restrictive, with some desiring Battlefield 4’s system, where several weapon archetypes worked as signature weapons for certain classes while being unavailable to others, while also having a variety of general weapons that everyone could use.
The plan with this new system seems to be a way for the developers to discourage players from making bad decisions with their weapon loadouts with regards to class identity and teamwork, while not outright stopping them from making those decisions. Rather, with the Signature Weapon system, Battlefield wants to give players benefits for using certain weapon types with specific classes, while not giving too many drawbacks for weapon choices that could be seen as incorrect.
Battlefield is on the verge of kicking off its new playtest via Battlefield Labs, this time around focusing on server performance and stability. Over the weekend, more and more players will be invited to the Battlefield Labs playtest, during which time there will be a small selection of maps and game modes that will be available to play.
The next Battlefield game doesn’t yet have a solid release date. However, EA has stated that it plans on launching the multiplayer shooter later this year.
