After I first heard about EA and Battlefield Studios\u2019 plan to implement an open weapon system within the upcoming Battlefield 6<\/em>, I scoffed! And taking part in the sport in Los Angeles for an occasion final month didn\u2019t promote me on it, both; I nonetheless frightened it might make courses really feel much less distinctive. Now, after taking part in the open beta for practically 20 hours, I\u2019m right here to say: I used to be improper.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s again up for a second and clarify, briefly, open and closed weapon class techniques in Battlefield<\/em>. (I promise this received\u2019t be too boring.) Mainly, for practically so long as the franchise has been round, courses have been locked to sure weapons. Recon, for instance, had to make use of a sniper rifle. Over time, builders at Cube tweaked this and added \u201cimpartial\u201d weapons that may very well be picked by a number of courses, or they unfold particular varieties of weapons throughout just a few courses. Battlefield 2042<\/em> threw a number of this out the window when it launched with out courses and let gamers primarily construct customized heroes who might use any gadget or gun. It then added courses again in when folks received offended. Anyway, Battlefield 6<\/em> is looking for a cheerful steadiness between 2042<\/em>\u2018s complete, unbalanced openness and the traditional closed weapon system of the previous video games. And I believe, regardless of being nervous concerning the change and all the controversy raging on-line amongst gamers on either side, Battlefield Studios has principally nailed it.<\/p>\n

In Battlefield 6,<\/em> any class can use any weapon. So you possibly can spawn in as a recon soldier, however as a substitute of a sniper rifle, you possibly can carry an SMG. Engineers, historically a category that makes use of SMGs, can rock snipers and LMGs. At first, this appeared like a nasty concept to me. I frightened that gamers would simply decide the category with the very best skills and decide the very best assault rifle, and also you\u2019d lose all the individuality that comes from BF\u2019s<\/em> old-school class system. And in some smaller, extra combat-focused modes, that is certainly the case. However in greater, extra Battlefield<\/em>-y modes, like Conquest and Rush, I\u2019ve been pleasantly shocked by how issues have labored out.<\/p>\n

In my hours with the beta, I discovered that in lots of matches gamers have been unfold throughout the 4 courses. In some previous video games (taking a look at you, Battlefield 3<\/em>),\u00a0folks would decide no matter class had the very best assault rifle, and that was that. Throughout a Q&A with the devs final month in LA, they talked about this and stated that the open weapon system was partly designed to fight this. The thought is that now folks will decide courses primarily based on what the group wants and their distinctive skills and instruments, fairly than the weapons they will and may\u2019t use.<\/p>\n

And yeah, that\u2019s precisely what I noticed taking place in lots of BF6<\/em> open beta matches. If the enemy group, for instance, introduced in a bunch of autos or tanks, I\u2019d see gamers swap to engineers to make use of that class\u2019s RPG to take all these machines out. Likewise, I noticed gamers and pals swap to the assist class to assist maintain a degree and revive folks, or swap to recon to assist pin down a goal. It appears now that weapons might be freely outfitted on any class, persons are way more open to taking part in totally different courses and serving to out the group. Positive, perhaps a few of these gamers have simply outfitted the identical assault rifle on all the courses, but when it helps my group cease a tank from destroying us, I\u2019m fantastic with it. That\u2019s a significantly better state of affairs than in previous BF<\/em> video games, the place a complete group is likely to be assault troopers and also you\u2019d be unable to get ammo resupplies or combat again towards helis.<\/p>\n