Update 2 irons out some of Battlefield 2042’s biggest bugs. But new problems are already on the horizon.
No patch in the world can fix Battlefield 2042 in one go. The construction sites of DICE’s shooter spectacle reach too far and too deep for that. Errors in map design will take a long time to fix – or will become less important with new maps.
So for those of you who are currently hoofing it in front of the computer, waiting by the hour for the big turnaround that will lift the miserable Steam reviews out of the basement: it won’t happen for a while. But at least something is happening.
And that something is definitely a bigger step in the right direction than we would have guessed in the first two weeks after release. DICE not only fixes the terribly annoying revive and respawn bugs, but also tackles the immediate biggest construction site: weapon balance. But unfortunately, you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. Let’s take a look at the matter.
Battlefield 2042: What does Update 2 fix?
We’re not going to paraphrase the full patch notes again, so here’s our overview of all the changes in Update 2, but to briefly frame the three main pillars of the update:
The hovercraft is now no longer a moving armoured cabinet that even Thor’s hammer can’t dent, but noticeably more vulnerable to fire.
The respawn bug: You no longer have to restart the entire game after some deaths because Battlefield no longer lets you spawn.
Weapon dispersion has been changed to reduce the so-called bloom effect. Assault rifles in particular should now also do their job at distances of over five metres.
Reddit user Tonson_AMG captures the difference quite succinctly:
☻
Those who played Battlefield 2042 before the patch will probably get ASMR goosebumps watching this clip, because finally other guns than just the PP-29 are playable properly.
This may sound like a small thing to those unfamiliar with the game, but a multiplayer sandbox like Battlefield thrives on diverse possibilities – and if the 22 weapons are reduced to two or three guns due to balancing problems, the fun quickly becomes monotonous.
There are many constructive posts on Reddit in favour of the changes. Positive voices can also be heard in our community, for example:
A few things fixed, PP-29 and hovercrafts generated? Maybe I’ll have another look at the game this weekend. 🙂
Or:
Okay, I’m having fun with the game, but why the hell is this version 0.2? Well, at least they’re addressing the issues with weapon handling and the Revive bug, which makes me and the other Sanis very happy. At least on the Xbox they revive really well so that in the end even with 30+ revives you’re not necessarily the best medic 😀
But for every positive voice, there are negative responses. According to YouTuber and shooter expert Jackfrags, the patch even gives the game substantial new problems.
Still problems after update 2
Jackfrags, one of the biggest influencers in the Battlefield environment ever, points out a bug in the so-called Hit Reg in his latest video and replicates it with several examples. Hit Reg stands for Hit Registration and basically simply stands for hit detection. After the latest patch, your bullets will shoot through enemies if too many soldiers are running around at one point:
So there is still room for improvement in the weapon balance of Battlefield 2042. And of course this also applies to other areas: Still missing are scoreboard, party features, squad changes and various other comfort features that fans are desperately demanding. By the way, the update roadmap shows what we can expect and when, in which DICE makes big promises for the future of BF2042.
But the map balance also remains an open project until DICE delivers the first major content update in early January
By the way, we will wait until the start of the first season at the beginning of 2022 to do a review of Battlefield 2042. If all bugs have been fixed by then, we will of course remove the rating.
