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<\/figure>\n Hi, yes, it\u2019s me again, one of the only 14 people on Earth who enjoy playing Battlefield 2042<\/em><\/span>. As I enter my sixth month of playing the game<\/span>, and as I approach the game\u2019s level cap on a personal basis, I\u2019ve found my attention of late turning towards the finer details of the game\u2019s maps, and which ones I prefer playing.<\/p>\n Six months ago I think I hated all of them. Or at least hadn\u2019t yet come to understand how they work in this much-changed entry in the series, in the same way I think a lot of series veterans are still struggling to come to terms with so much else about Battlefield 2042<\/em>. They all seemed so big, so empty, so suited towards chopper and tank play and little else.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve put enough hours into the game now to know that\u2019s only somewhat <\/em>true. Some of the game\u2019s maps are indeed barren wastelands that are in dire need of a retune, but others have grown to become some of my favourites from the whole series. Let\u2019s find out which is which (and note that I\u2019m only ranking 2042’s<\/em> own, original Conquest\/Breakthrough maps here, not the classic maps in Portal<\/em> like Caspian Border which have had their day!)<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n Yikes. This map is a complete disaster, from top to bottom. Which, funnily enough, are the only two levels Kaleidoscope takes place at. Its flat, central \u201cbowl\u201d shape has turned it into a meat grinder, a place where only snipers positioned in the towers looming over the periphery can have a good time, and I will audibly groan every time I see it loading up. And I\u2019m a sniper, so that\u2019s saying something. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n There are some cool areas here on this enormous desert map, like the half-buried stadium, residential villages and downtown area, and when battles focus on these flashpoints they can be great! But the wide open dunes in between them are a nightmare for both infantry (because of vehicles) and vehicles (because of choppers), and whenever you hear about a player complaining about long slogs for foot soldiers, this is probably the map they\u2019re talking about. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n Discarded looks a lot more interesting than it actually is. The various, enormous rusting ship hulks should be the highlight here, but the wide open spaces around them and repetitive architecture makes them a bit of a drag. Instead it\u2019s the smaller vantages points on the edge of the map, like a temporary settlement paired with a comms tower, that lead to the most enjoyable showdowns. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n If someone is complaining about a long walk on foot and it\u2019s not Hourglass, it\u2019ll be Breakaway. But DICE\u2019s depiction of a climate-ravaged Antarctic base also has some exquisitely-linked capture points in its main cluster of buildings, and a terrific elevated \u201cgateway\u201d point where the towering ice shelf ramps down to the valley below. I\u2019m also a big fan of the absurdity of its mountaintop station, which can only be reached by aircraft or a single zipline. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n The most visually appealing map in the game, Renewal\u2019s defining feature\u2014and my favourite thing about it\u2014is an enormous wall that runs right through the middle of it, separating a desert region from lush green farmland. Enormous battles are thus almost always centred around who is holding this wall\u2019s central entry point, which looks cool as hell but also in turn makes any flanking breach an exciting firefight.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n Here\u2019s a big surprise! If you\u2019d asked me a week after release what my least favourite map was, I\u2019d have said Manifest, because the fact it\u2019s 70% stacked shipping containers was repetitive as hell. But first impressions can be deceiving, because this map\u2019s various levels of elevation, and the endless struggles to control the central hill looking down on the rest of the map, mean this is actually one of the most interesting\u2014and varied\u2014maps available in terms of the kinds of experiences it offers to all classes and vehicle types.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/figure>\n None of the maps I\u2019ve listed above are perfect. They\u2019re all saddled in some way with compromises or half-finished design ideas, the way so much of the rest of the game is. Orbital, however, feels like a brief, shining fulfilment of what Battlefield 2042<\/em> was supposed to be. It\u2019s a big map but never feels like a chore to get around, it has big open spaces for vehicle duels but also plenty of cover and terrain variety for infantry. It has iconic focal points but also large tracts of interesting countryside in between, and even the game\u2019s standout map-based trick when a huge space rocket either takes off or explodes on the launchpad mid-game. <\/p>\n
\n7. KALEIDOSCOPE<\/h2>\n
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6. HOURGLASS<\/h2>\n
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5. DISCARDED<\/h2>\n
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4. BREAKAWAY<\/h2>\n
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3. RENEWAL<\/h2>\n
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2. MANIFEST<\/h2>\n
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1. ORBITAL<\/h2>\n
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