Despite what confused Call of Duty players who changed teams would have you believe, Battlefield 6 is a notable modern military FPS that’s doing fine a few months in, usual bumps in the road included. Now, Season 2 has finally arrived following a delay, and it’s kickstarted new positive and negative discussions.
Even though more maps, including fan-favourites from past games, are coming this season, the first phase of S2 is all about Contaminated, a sprawling new location that offers different type of engagements, from medium-range to combat in trenches to close-quarters chaos in closed environments. It’s an especially good fit for the attack/defence structure of the classic mode Breakthrough, yet it also adds a new mechanic to the game that’s giving some players a headache.
As teased in the explosive gameplay trailer released last week, chemical weapons are a key part of this season’s narrative and gameplay. It means Contaminated features huge chemical chaos at certain points (as shown off in extensive gameplay videos from prominent figures in the FPS space), as the new map’s exterior areas are engulfed in giant gas clouds that force every player to use masks, which make return after being a crucial element of Battlefield 1
The problem? Some players are having trouble equipping them (whether it’s due to messy key binds or bugs) or straight-up dislike the mechanic. On the Steam forums for the game, it’s common to find posts like “Am I doing something wrong or is this a bug?” and “Gas I’m not a fan of. Died too many times putting mask on and off.” Meanwhile, others praise the new map and the different rhythm it brings: “Say what you want, but this season/patch is a huge step in the right direction, so I don’t understand all the hate and negative reviews.”
It’s the usual back-and-forth, really, perhaps exacerbated by the fact Battlefield 6 admittedly leaned a bit too heavily on a CoD-like vibe to onboard more players at launch, which led to much of the player base fighting over whether the game should borrow more from its biggest (and currently defeated) competitor or stick to what made the series special. So far, it looks like EA and Battlefield Studios are doubling down on large-scale warfare that brings it back even closer to the series’ roots, but it’s not surprising to see it lose part of its launch-months weight as its future comes into focus.
On Reddit, however, the vibes are more positive even if the usual bugs and performance woes that big updates introduce need to be dealt with. “My faith in BF6 has been restored,” a veteran said before listing a number of changes that made the game feel better beyond new additions like the aforementioned map and extra weapons. Many joined the chorus, praising the new brand of chaos that Contaminated has brought: “I liked the map… bushes, trenches, bunker… I love it.” Some are even more optimistic after just Phase 1 of S2: “Battlefield Feels Like War Again, And That Is A Very Good Sign,” a thread‘s title states.
Meanwhile, the more realistic players are just wondering how long it’ll be before the volatile community turns on the devs again: “How long does it take to be back at only hate posts on Reddit?” Immediately, many users suggested it would be a matter of hours or even minutes. Never change, Battlefield veterans. Never change.