EA and Battlefield Studios have finally released Battlefield 6 Season 2 after a delay, bringing with it a new map, a plethora of cosmetics and unlocks through the Battle Pass, and the promise of limited-time events and match effects.
The new map is a sprawling battlefield set around a German airbase, designed to accommodate all combat sizes and the main game modes of Conquest, Breakthrough, and Escalation. It features both land vehicles and helicopters, marking a significant step towards the large-scale maps that were lacking at the launch of Battlefield 6.
It is the first of two maps included in Battlefield Season 2, addressing the demand from fans for more variety. DICE’s Producer Alexia Christofi explains, “In terms of cadence, we would love to create more maps. But we’re focused on delivering content to players as quickly as possible while maintaining quality.”
They are striking a balance between creating new maps and hosting limited-time events. Season 2 will introduce a limited-time mode called VL-7 Strike, where psychoactive smoke will drop onto the map, forcing players to quickly don gas masks and manage filters to avoid its effects. The battle royale map has also been altered with smoke covering Fort Lyndon, and the Gauntlet mode has returned with the same smoke affecting gameplay.
Here is the full patch notes for Battlefield 6 Update 1.2.1.0 and the launch of Season 2:
New Map: Contaminated
A large-scale European mountainside battlefield set around a strategic German airbase.
- Supports all combat sizes
- Includes land vehicles and helicopters
- Available across Conquest, Breakthrough, Escalation, Squad Death Match, and Strikepoint
New Limited-Time Modes
Season 2 introduces a set of limited-time experiences centered around VL-7, a new psychoactive smoke weapon spreading across multiple battlefields. As contaminated zones emerge, squads must adapt their tactics, manage masks and filters, and fight for control in increasingly hostile environments across multiplayer, Battle Royale, and Gauntlet.
VL-7 Strike: A limited-time mode where psychoactive smoke VL-7 spreads across select areas in multiplayer and REDSEC. Players must use masks and manage their filters carefully, as running out will leave them exposed to VL-7’s disorienting effects.
Battle Royale – Synthesis: Smoke engulfs Fort Lyndon, transforming the battleground. Fight and loot within contaminated zones while securing masks and filters to survive the smoke’s effects.
Gauntlet: Altered State: Gauntlet returns with a new twist. Squads compete in a knockout-style elimination format while navigating psychoactive smoke and racing to complete missions under pressure.
New Vehicle
- AH-6 Little Bird: The iconic attack helicopter returns for NATO forces, offering high mobility and lethal firepower in skilled hands.
New Weapons
- M121 A2: A belt-fed machine gun delivering high damage, especially effective at close range.
- GRT-CPS: A semi-automatic designated marksman rifle designed for mid- to long-range engagements, featuring a high-capacity magazine for sustained fire.
- VCR-2: A short-range assault rifle with a rapid rate of fire, built for intense close-quarters combat.
New Gadgets
- 9K38 IGLA: A lock-on, anti-air missile launcher that requires active guidance from engineers to stay on target. Provides superior missile maneuverability to adept users.
- HTI-Mk2: A short- to medium-range recon device that can detect and reveal enemy gadgets, overload recon drones, and neutralize incoming rockets.
- Protective Mask: Essential equipment for contaminated zones, protecting players from psychoactive smoke. Additional filters can be acquired and equipped to extend protection time.
Battle Pass & Progression
- Season 2 Battle Pass: Instantly unlock 6 rewards and progress through 4 themed paths featuring new hardware, weapon packages, soldier skins, XP boosts, and more. Complete all paths to unlock the Ultimate Path.
- BF Pro: In addition to the regular Battle Pass, BF Pro includes 6 instant unlocks, 25 tier skips, BF Radio, Portal Server Hosting, and access to an exclusive bonus path with additional tactical rewards
Game Update 1.2.1.0 brings over 240 gameplay improvements and quality-of-life fixes to Battlefield 6. These changes are based on community feedback and real match data, with a focus on enhancing weapon handling, movement, vehicles, gadgets, UI, audio, and overall gameplay reliability. This update demonstrates the ongoing commitment to enhancing consistency and reliability across the core Battlefield experience.
Major Updates for 1.2.1.0
- Weapon Balance and Recoil Improvements: A comprehensive recoil tuning pass has been implemented across automatic weapons, along with targeted balance fixes to enhance consistency, role clarity, and long-term weapon handling.
- Movement and Traversal Fixes: Soldier movement predictability has been improved with refined acceleration, slide and jump behavior, smoother vaulting logic, and enhanced ladder animations in both first- and third-person views.
- Vehicle and Gadget Reliability: Various issues affecting vehicles and gadgets, including anti-vehicle interactions, drone behavior, deployables, and vehicle damage feedback, have been resolved.
- Maps and Mode Fixes: Numerous map exploits, traversal issues, capture logic problems, and world reset bugs have been addressed across Conquest, Breakthrough, Strikepoint, Gauntlet, and other modes.
- UI, HUD and Progression Polish: Enhancements have been made to the Player Profile stat screen, clarity and reliability in the HUD, Battle Pass, challenges, End of Round flow, matchmaking, and party systems.
- Portal Stability and Tooling Updates: Issues affecting Portal creation tools, scripting, mutators, assets, exploits, and server stability have been fixed.
- Audio, Visual and Stability Improvements: Improvements have been made to audio reliability, visual consistency, cosmetic presentation, and overall game stability across platforms.
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
Update 1.2.1.0 includes improvements to recoil behavior at a system level and how recoil is utilized to balance automatic weapons.
Recoil compensation has been made more consistent, ensuring that the aim input required to counter recoil accurately matches the recoil applied. This results in more predictable and reliable weapon handling for players.
A broad recoil tuning pass has been implemented across automatic weapons to bring recoil behavior back in line with each weapon’s intended role. This tuning pass aims to make automatic weapons feel more consistent and differentiated across ranges, with higher-impact weapons requiring more control and positioning, while lighter weapons remain reliable and forgiving in closer engagements.
CHANGELOG
PLAYER:
- Various adjustments to soldier movement behavior and animations to improve predictability and responsiveness.
- Fixes for movement issues such as jittery animations, clipping through walls, and invisible soldiers.
- Improvements to ladder animations, vaulting mechanics, and foot placement for more realistic movement.
- Enhancements to weapon handling, including recoil, weapon switching, and melee combat.
- Visual fixes for character models, weapon skins, and equipment placement.
- Improved animations for various in-game actions and interactions.
VEHICLES:
- Adjustments to vehicle damage mitigation, aiming speeds, and muzzle flash intensity for better gameplay balance.
- Fixes for vehicle-related issues such as disappearing rocket trails, incorrect turret aiming speeds, and unreliable collision detection.
- Prevention of unintended vehicle movements while using the Big Map interface.
GADGETS:
- Fixes for gadget deployment issues, explosive behavior, and incorrect target prioritization.
- Improvements to gadget functionality, consistency, and visual presentation.
- Enhancements to gadget performance and reliability in combat situations.
WEAPONS:
- Adjustments to weapon balance, recoil behavior, and attachment setups for improved gameplay experience.
- Fixes for weapon attachment visual issues, accuracy, and consistency across different engagement distances.
- Updates to weapon recoil tuning to better reflect combat roles and engagement ranges.
MAPS & MODES:
- Addition of Rush mode to Mirak Valley.
- Fixes for map-specific issues, mode exploits, and traversal problems for a smoother gameplay experience.
- Enhancements to map layouts, objective logic, and world reset mechanics for better immersion and challenge.
PROGRESSION:
- Improvements to Battle Pass progression, challenge tracking, and reward distribution for more engaging gameplay.
- Fixes for progression-related bugs, challenge completion issues, and incorrect tracking of in-game actions.
UI & HUD:
- Updates to UI elements, HUD clarity, and menu navigation for a more intuitive user experience.
- Fixes for UI issues such as overlapping elements, missing icons, and incorrect information display.
- Enhancements to player feedback, menu responsiveness, and visual presentation for better immersion.
SETTINGS:
- Accessibility option for flash and stun grenades to reduce sudden brightness effects while maintaining gameplay impact.
PORTAL:
- Fixes for Portal-related issues such as memory leaks, XP farming exploits, and asset inconsistencies.
- Improvements to Portal stability, scripting tools, mutator functionality, and server performance.
- Enhancements to Portal editor features, map assets, and customization options for better user-created experiences.
AUDIO:
- Fixes for audio issues, sound effects synchronization, and clarity for in-game actions and interactions.
- Improvements to audio feedback, environmental sounds, and player movement audio for enhanced immersion.
NETWORK:
- Fixes for network connectivity issues, game responsiveness after network disruptions, and platform-specific bugs.
REDSEC
PLAYER:
- Fixes for mission progression bugs, soldier damage inconsistencies, and extraction mission issues.
- Improvements to player deploy actions, party leader functionality, and mission completion rewards.
VEHICLES:
- Addition of the Traverser Mark II to select Gauntlet layouts, with fixes for weapon rotation and crosshair issues.
- Improved vehicle attachment setups and loot balance for a more dynamic gameplay experience.
CALL-INS:
- Fixes for call-in effects, drop speeds, and the introduction of a new tactical Strike Package for disrupting enemy positions.
MAP:
- Fixes for map terrain issues, object interactions, and player collision detection for smoother gameplay.
PROGRESSION:
- Fixes for challenge reward issues, progression tracking bugs, and challenge completion inconsistencies.
UI & HUD:
- Fixes for UI elements, strike markers, and ping interactions for a more streamlined gameplay experience.
- Improvements to HUD clarity, player feedback, and map markers for better communication and navigation.
Battle Royale
- Fixes for helicopter insertion issues, loot feed inaccuracies, and flashlight toggle bugs for smoother gameplay.
- Enhancements to HUD elements, Second Chance UI, and audio feedback for a more immersive Battle Royale experience.
Gauntlet
- Fixes for Gauntlet UI issues, beacon pulse inconsistencies, and loadout menu overlaps for better player experience.
- Improvements to in-game UI elements, loadout clarity, and mission tracking for more engaging Gauntlet matches.
AUDIO:
- Fixes for audio issues, sound effects synchronization, and audio feedback for dropped items and interactions.
- Improvements to audio clarity, environmental sound positioning, and player movement audio for enhanced immersion.
These updates and improvements aim to provide players with a more refined and enjoyable Battlefield 6 experience. With a focus on balancing gameplay, enhancing visuals, and addressing community feedback, Season 2 promises to deliver a more engaging and immersive gameplay experience for fans of the franchise.
