Hello, sure, it’s me once more, one of many 14 individuals on Earth who take pleasure in enjoying Battlefield 2042. As I enter my sixth month of enjoying the sport, and as I strategy the sport’s degree cap, I’ve discovered my consideration of late turning in direction of the finer particulars of the sport’s maps, and which of them I favor enjoying.
Six months in the past I believe I hated all of them. Or at the least hadn’t but come to grasp how they work on this much-changed entry within the sequence. It’s in the identical approach I believe a variety of sequence veterans are nonetheless struggling to come back to phrases with a lot else about Battlefield 2042. All of them appeared so large, so empty, so suited in direction of chopper and tank play and little else.
I’ve put sufficient hours into the sport now to know that’s solely considerably true. A number of the sport’s maps are certainly barren wastelands which can be in dire want of a retune, however others have grown to develop into a few of my favourites from the entire sequence. Let’s discover out which is which (and be aware that I’m solely rating 2042’s personal, unique Conquest/Breakthrough maps right here, not the traditional maps in Portal like Caspian Border which have had their day!)
8. KALEIDOSCOPE
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Yikes. This map is an entire catastrophe, from prime to backside. Which, funnily sufficient, are the one two ranges Kaleidoscope takes place at. Its flat, central “bowl” form has turned it right into a meat grinder, a spot the place solely snipers positioned within the towers looming over the periphery can have a superb time, and I’ll audibly groan each time I see it loading up. And I’m a sniper, in order that’s saying one thing.
7. HOURGLASS
There are some cool areas right here on this huge desert map, just like the half-buried stadium, residential villages and downtown space, and when battles concentrate on these flashpoints they are often nice! However the huge open dunes in between them are a nightmare for each infantry (due to automobiles) and automobiles (due to choppers), and everytime you hear a few participant complaining about lengthy slogs for foot troopers, that is in all probability the map they’re speaking about.
6. DISCARDED
Discarded seems much more fascinating than it truly is. The assorted, huge rusting ship hulks must be the spotlight right here, however the huge open areas round them and repetitive structure makes them a little bit of a drag. As a substitute, it’s the smaller vantage factors on the sting of the map, like a brief settlement paired with a comms tower, that result in probably the most gratifying showdowns.
5. BREAKAWAY
If somebody is complaining a few lengthy stroll on foot and it’s not Hourglass, it’ll be Breakaway. However DICE’s depiction of a climate-ravaged Antarctic base additionally has some exquisitely-linked seize factors in its major cluster of buildings, and a terrific elevated “gateway” level the place the towering ice shelf ramps all the way down to the valley under. I’m additionally an enormous fan of the absurdity of its mountaintop station, which may solely be reached by plane or a single zipline.
4. RENEWAL
Probably the most visually interesting map within the sport, Renewal’s defining function—and my favorite factor about it—is a big wall that runs proper via the center of it, separating a desert area from lush inexperienced farmland. Monumental battles are thus virtually all the time centred round who’s holding this wall’s central entry level, which seems cool as hell, but additionally in flip makes any flanking breach an thrilling firefight.
3. MANIFEST
Right here’s an enormous shock! For those who’d requested me every week after launch which was my least favorite map, I’d have stated Manifest, as a result of the very fact it’s 70% stacked transport containers was repetitive as hell. However first impressions will be deceiving, as a result of this map’s numerous ranges of elevation, and the infinite struggles to regulate the central hill trying down on the remainder of the map, imply that is truly some of the fascinating—and diverse—maps obtainable, by way of the sorts of experiences it provides to all courses and automobile varieties.
2. ORBITAL
Orbital is an enormous map however by no means seems like a chore to get round, and has huge open areas for automobile duels but additionally loads of cowl and terrain selection for infantry. It has iconic focal factors but additionally giant tracts of fascinating countryside in between, and even the sport’s standout map-based trick, when an enormous house rocket both takes off or explodes on the launchpad mid-game.
Of all of the maps the sport launched with, Orbital was simply probably the most “Battlefieldy” of all of them.
1. EXPOSURE
Publicity, you arrived not a second too quickly. Addressing almost each criticism followers had with the sport’s launch levels—and in addition probably benefitting from extra time within the oven than 2042’s preliminary roster—Publicity is an unimaginable map, and for me has immediately landed within the Pantheon of all-time greats for the sequence. Set amidst a landslide it’s actually three maps in a single, and has every part each form of participant might need, from tense firefights in cramped tunnels to tank duels on grassy plains. A selected spotlight is the wrestle over a boardroom jutting out from a sheer cliff face, which in some way combines intense city fight with aerial bombardments from exterior and the verticality of letting gamers parachute their approach out of it. Although the enormous tank elevator can be nice.
Irrespective of the place you find yourself on this map it’s simply enjoyable. It’s so good that, weeks after the launch of Season One, DICE are nonetheless operating a mode the place you possibly can simply play this map again and again and over all day.
A be aware earlier than we go: I’ve tried to rank these on some form of obscure general degree of enjoyment, as an alternative of catering it in direction of sure playstyles. And that is how issues stand in March 2022; I’ll add to this checklist at any time when the sport will get new maps, which is able to hopefully be quickly!
UPDATE, June 27: Now that Publicity is out, I’ve added it to the checklist, straight at #1.
