As the resident Battlefield 2042 fan here at Gaming Nexus, it is my duty to report that Season 5: New Dawn is heading to the game on June 7th, and DICE has now revealed all of the pertinent details regarding what is new and what is changing when the update drops. Let’s dive in No-Pats.
On a macro level, Season 5 features a new map, weapons, gadgets, and various quality-of-life updates, including a re-work of launch map Hourglass. Season 5 also comes with a fresh Battle Pass with 100 tiers of unlocks – 30 of which are free and will include the core stuff such as the new weapons and gadgets.
The new map, called Reclaimed, is inspired by Battlefield 4 and is set in an abandoned industrial facility in Czechia. As is typical, the map allows for multiple engagement types from close-quarters to vehicle combat. New weapons include the XCE Bar bolt-action rifle, Battlefield 4 favorite GWE-46 assault rifle, and the BFP.50 hand cannon, which is a powerful new sidearm that deals heavy damage at close range. If you’re tired of being mowed down by helicopters, the new Phalanx CIWS anti-aircraft emplacement combines guns and missiles for ultimate firepower – which, if balanced properly, is much needed. There are new additions for things that go “boom” as well: the Spring Grenade, Anti-Tank Grenade (hallelujah!), and Mini Grenade. Battlefield fans will be familiar with the mini and anti-tank explosives, while the Spring Grenade bounces before detonating on impact.
If you’re not interested in new content alone, DICE is throwing in some quality-of-life changes too, including a new squad management system that lets players tailor their squad to their liking, reworked Vault Weapons to allow more attachments, and new Thermal Tech and Heavy Anti-Air weapon stations (again, hallelujah!). The most welcome change for this No-Pat is the long awaited and much needed re-calibration of the original launch map Hourglass, which will actually come later in Season 5. It will include a new route under the highway, improved cover, and reduced distance between objectives. Perfection. See you on the battlefield June 7th.