Access to the Battlefield 2042 Beta began on Oct 6 through Oct 9. The first two days were only open for people who preordered the game, with the open beta beginning on the latter two. 2024 is set to be released in Nov, but the beta gives fans a chance to experience a slice of the game before the official release. The beta also provides feedback to developer Dice, letting them know both technical and interface issues. The beta met with mixed reaction. The quality of the beta quickly became a point of contention among fans. 

Level-lution!

 A return to a more contemporary time period, 2042 is a big change from the previous two entries in the series. As well as a heavy change in user interface (UI). The new UI has been very controversial. A new on-field modding system replaces the old in menu modding system. Players can still select what loadout they want before respawning, however they can only add attachments and change ammo type on-field with a new real-time menu. A welcome addition to many. But, the loss of the respawn menus is widely criticized. 

The biggest change was the move from classes to specialists. This change was the source of most of the controversy facing the beta, whether directly or indirectly. Battlefield usually implements a class system. This affected the balance of gameplay, with classes encouraging players to play their role to be successful. 2042 introduced specialists. This system is similar to classes in that each character has access to specific abilities that encourage a particular play style. However, this new system is much less restrictive as each specialist has access to your entire arsenal.

Each team uses all the same characters, and the UI at its base is not very intelligible. Meaning that you’re likely to unload on a teammate by accident, or completely fail to realize an enemy and lose a fight. This along with the armor plating system means there are heavy discrepancies in pivotal aspects of gameplay like team recognition and time-to-kill. While there are clear negatives, fans of the series also welcome what feels like a return to form. The beta was chaotic for many, but so was gameplay. Which, for Battlefield, is a good thing.