Because Battlefield 2042 is running on the next generation of Frostbite, the maps that players will get to enjoy in Conquest and Breakthrough are going to be larger than any you have ever seen in the series before. The size of the maps means that the player count is increasing, so for those playing on PC or Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, they will be one of 128 players on the ground. If you are still rocking the last generation consoles, the cap remains the same at 64 players on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and yes, that means the base models of each console. While map size is big, it doesn’t mean that there will be lots of wide-open space, because the team took a lot of time in the design to ensure that even on the biggest map, there would be plenty of zones, where players could encounter other the enemy and enjoy a breakneck skirmish.

In order to ensure that you do get a chance to enjoy those little skirmishes, the team developed a few ways to ensure things stay fun, no matter how big the map gets. The first part of that are clusters, which act just like the name suggests, these areas on the map where objectives, or key items will be populated, they can be as large as an entire village or stadium, yes, there is a stadium in the game. The second method is what they are calling sectors, which is just a nice way of carving up the map into chunks, within each sector there will be a number of clusters, which again, contain various objectives and in order to take control of a sector, your team must control all of the cluster points within. But enough about that, you want to know the maps, well these are the maps players will get to play on when the game launches, with a little about each of them:

Kaleidoscope

Set in Sogdo, South Korea. Forces here will clash to control a quantum powered disinformation hub after an attack threatens the global network. The map will contain multiple levels, as well as canals that amphibious vehicles can make use of, for those that want to elevate their gameplay there are also skyscrapers to battle it out in.

Manifest

Set in Brani Island, Singapore. Players will see a strategic flashpoint emerge as global trade chokes this location which is vital for the American supply lines. The location is actually a giant container yard, complete with overhead cranes, meaning that because there are going to be narrow corridors made up of shipping containers, they will become funnel points for battle, but because of those cranes, they will always be changing.

Orbital

Set in Kourou, French Guiana. The battle here is over a rocket launch site as a controversial space launch becomes a race against time. The map is medium sized, at least by the new standards, but battles here will heat up, thanks to the rocket on the launchpad and while the rocket can launch, it might not always be successful.

Discarded

Set in Alang, India. Here you see shipbreakers facing tidal extremes as factions fight to secure rogue nuclear assets. The area is full of ships that are now on land, due to the changing water levels of the planet and as cargo ships, there are tight corridors and surprise deliveries found within their walls.

Renewal

Set in the Eastern Desert, Egypt. Players will fight for a ground-breaking agriculture technology centre in the Egyptian Desert. Players will soon see that the map is split in two here, by a massive wall, on one side it is green and lush, the other dry and barren, plus a massive solar array.

Hourglass

Set in Doha, Qatar - Shifting sands and a lost shipping convoy tear a city center apart. This is one of the larger maps in the game, with skyscrapers to one side of the map and a stadium to the other and in between a massive sandstorm to deal with. With all the sand dunes and highways in the map, there are plenty of chances for those who love jumping around in vehicles, to let loose.

Breakaway

Set in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Struggle over oil and gas that pushes soldiers to the brink as an industry clashes with nature and ice gives way, plus it is also the largest map in the game.

Breakaway was shown to us in more detail because the map size means that things are very different from the maps you might know from past games. When playing Conquest, the map is split into multiple sectors, the HQ for each team and then six addition ones, with some containing a single cluster, others multiple. As you push forward, things will change for the game, with one sector’s cluster being up high, it is an easy get early on, but can easily become a contested location, with some stellar views. Breakthrough however changes things up a little, while Conquest takes up the entire map, Breakthrough makes use of the top portion of it, which consists of ice shelfs and other slippery locales.

To put things in perspective, the smallest map in the game, Kaleidoscope, is about 25% larger than that of Rotterdam from Battlefield V, where are Breakaway, the largest map in the series, is roughly 60% larger than that of El Alamein in Battlefield 1942. What is perhaps even crazier, these are the maps available in the All-Out Warfare mode, the other two modes will have other maps.

One final note on maps, those playing on the previous generation consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will get scaled down experiences there, but only to keep the action going for the player count, the actual gameplay will not change.

Leveloution is levelling up

Battlefield has, for a few games now, included a feature that they first called, Leveloution and while the name may not be as used as it was in the past, the mechanics behind it are still around today. In Battlefield 2042, those mechanics have been added to, in some devastating ways, normally sandstorms and tornados, to name a few. Speaking of the Tornado, you might have noticed it in the reveal trailer and while it is random in the path it takes, leaving destruction behind it, it does not have to be a bad thing. By that I mean it is possible to take advantage of it, if you get pulled into it, or jump in, you can then opt to ride the tornado, giving you a tactical option. There are also other options to make use of it, for example, if you are in a tank, you might be able to take a shot at someone who is hiding up high in a building, just make sure you get out, before the tank goes back into the ground.

Tornados are not the only thing to worry about, ground deformation, ie making big holes in it, is around, which can give you cover when in an open space, or provide a target for a grenade if you are on the hunt. Another aspect is just the general interactivity of the maps, for example you will have seen in the trailer, the map Discarded has ships with sections that have support structures that can be destroyed, causing the collapse of massive sections of the ships. Not only will that kill anyone caught beneath it, it then opens up a new way to access the ship, but that is not all the levels will offer, from doors you can lock, to bridges you can raise, there are countless ways that you can tweak the map to work in your favour.

Battlefield 2042 is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 22nd, with early access happening on October 15.