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Hello there,
Update 5.2.0 is rolling out next week and includes a wide range of balance changes, fixes and other areas of improvement.
Here is an overview of what’s new:
- Map Rework: Hourglass
- Vault Weapons: All-Out Warfare attachments for SMGs, LMGs, and Sidearms
- Squad Management: Squad Orders, Lock/Remove functionality
- Ammo Crate improvements
- Dispersion tweaks to SMGs and LMGs
With this release we have fulfilled our commitment that we made to you during last year’s lead up to the launch of Season 1: Zero Hour - we have now reworked all of our launch maps. We’d like to thank you for your continued feedback, but also your patience as we’ve worked to roll out these improvements to you. Let us know how the Hourglass feels!
We are also completing the work to roll out the last set of All-Out Warfare attachments to SMGs, LMGs, and Sidearm Vault Weapons. You will also find further tweaks to these weapons to ensure their gameplay and versatility matches their All-Out Warfare counterparts. Share your thoughts on the feel of these changes, as we’ll be making adjustments if necessary.
Alongside Season 5: New Dawn we also made our first iteration of Squad Management improvements available to you. However, you told us that this feature did not feel complete without “kick and lock” functionality, as it didn’t offer leaders full control over their squad. No matter our previous reasoning for not initially including these options, you’ve told us this functionality is crucial to your squad management experience so we’re adding both these features.
Squad Orders are also included in this update! Work together with your squad to complete objectives and earn additional XP (Squad Order Bonus). All combined, we hope this offers you the Squad Management experience you are looking for. Send us your thoughts.
The team is excited to get this game update in your hands as it covers further areas of your feedback that we’ve been looking to action. We can’t wait for you to play it.
Now stay classy, and PTFO!
//The Battlefield Team
Stay Informed
Follow us on the @BattlefieldComm Twitter account to stay informed on the roll out of our updates. You can also follow along with our tracking of Known Issues.
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Areas of Improvement
Hourglass Rework
Let’s take a look at what's new with the reworked version of Hourglass.
We have reduced the overall size of Hourglass to keep combat focused, while having more opportunity to defend yourself through added cover along the primary routes where you’ll find the action. You’ll also notice remnants of combat that has taken place over time and throughout the map alongside increased military presence and new fortified positions.
Village
The once quiet Village area at A1 is now a fortified military base, and the new starting location for Breakthrough matches.
Al Wadha Arches
The Al Wadha Arches at Flag B1 have received a complete overhaul in this now wartorn zone. The bridge has collapsed, creating a crater in this combat intense area. A new underground section has been added to keep you secure as you prepare for the assault.
You can also take combat to the new underground section below the Al Wadha Arches to find momentary relief from the ongoing battle outside.
You’ll also find the updated Rush layout will now take the combat to these new and updated underground areas.
Bridge
As you make your way from the Arches towards the downtown area, you’ll notice the once pristine skyscrapers are engulfed in flames. The underpass has also been claimed by heavy combat and is littered with destroyed vehicles. Expect heavy resistance from the enemy as you face them in close-quarters-combat.
Security Checkpoint
Fight your way downtown across the main road with new fortified military positions. We have updated this area to make it ripe for vehicle gameplay. The areas leading further into the downtown area have also received new areas of cover which will help you during the assault.
Burj Al-Kahlej, Burj Alsamaha, SIB Building (Downtown area)
While the downtown area might look familiar, you’ll find intense combat with plenty of new opportunities for the enemy to take advantage from new positions of cover.
Vault Weapon Attachments
With SMGs and LMGs as the final Vault Weapons to receive All-Out Warfare Attachments, the rollout is now complete across all weapon categories.
The P90, AKS-74U, PP-2000, M60E4, XM8 LMG, M240B, Type 88 LMG and the RPK-74M have also had their damage curves, dispersion, recoil behavior and accuracy tweaked to feel more consistent with All-Out Warfare counterparts as viable and competitive options.
In addition, Vault Sidearms have also received All-Out Warfare Attachments, where possible.
Since this is a large rebalance injection into the game, we will be monitoring the feedback and data post-update and we are ready to make further changes. We hope you’ll enjoy discovering new ways to play as you interact with moment to moment engagements!
Squad Orders & Lock/Remove for Squad Management
Through Squad Orders leaders can now issue attack or defend orders towards objectives. Collaborate with your squad and earn additional XP (Squad Order Bonus) for successfully completing the orders.
Is your Squad Leader not up to the task? You will now be able to take leadership duties from them if your order requests are not being acted upon.
Lock Squad functionality is also enabled as part of this update, allowing Squad Leaders to lock and unlock squads as they see fit, as well as removing players.
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Changelog
Audio
- Fixed an issue where the sliding sound would play endlessly if a player was killed while sliding.
- Fixed an audio issue that resulted in no impact sounds when hit by certain weapons while inside of an air vehicle.
- Subsonic ammo will no longer have bullet crack sounds.
- Sundance now will play a Voice Over when requesting or skipping a revive.
- Decreased the volume of the late reflection sounds of Crawford's Mounted Vulcan.
- Fixed an issue that caused Irish’s DC-2 Deployable Cover to not play any audio when being destroyed.
- Melee attacking friendly players in the head no longer plays a bullet colliding sound. We still don’t recommend stabbing your friends in the head though.
- Improved the audio impact for the EMP Grenade.
Soldier & AI
- The Penguins had placed grease on some of the ladders which resulted in Specialists losing control of themselves when using them. We told the penguins that these objects were ladders and not slides. They reluctantly agreed to clean up their mess.
- Fixed an issue that caused directional arrows to allied soldiers and vehicles to always be present even if they were in view of the player.
Battlefield Portal
- Fixed an issue that resulted in long names for Custom Experiences not properly being framed during the loading screen.
- The Teleport Block for MCOMs will now correctly function on Flashpoint.
- Updated Game Mode iconography to correctly reflect icons within My Experiences Tab.
- Fixed an issue that caused the BC2 Armored Transport vehicles to have the wrong icon.
Maps
Exposure
- Resolved an issue that allowed for Sundance to fly outside of the play area.
Reclaimed
- Custom Conquest is now available within Battlefield Portal!
Modes
Rush
- Attackers will no longer be able to see if Defenders are defusing MCOMs through the displayed iconography, and Defenders will be unable to see when Attackers are arming.
- Dev Comment: There was too much reliance on this mechanic to indicate when to run in and counter the enemy. We wish to encourage objective awareness rather than icon reliance.
- Made improvements to the retreat timer and fall back messaging for Defenders.
Specialists & Gadgets
- Bushes no longer block players from interacting with dropped weapons and deployed gadgets.
- Fixed an issue that caused the Hazard Zone call-in tablet to auto-cancel the first call-in.
- Fixed an issue that caused post-explosion smoke VFX to not appear for players who were not facing the explosion at the point it went off.
Ammo Crate
- Ammo Crates now have a shared supply cooldown between other deployed ammo crates.
- Ammo & Medic Crates will now have a recharge time of 16 seconds, down from 30.
- Ammo Crates will now supply every 15, instead of 20 seconds.
- Ammo Crates now give an extra magazine to both primary and secondary weapons.
- Dev Comment: We have made these changes for a couple reasons, one being that we want to reduce instances where players are instantly gaining masses of supplies from multiple crates in a short period of time. The second being that we've heard your feedback about crate cooldowns being too long, with the aforementioned change this allows us to lower this without breaking game balance.
Anti-Tank Grenade
- Fixed an issue where Anti-Tank grenades could bounce off a vehicle without detonation while the vehicle was moving away from the thrower.
C5
- Fixed an issue where C5 could bounce off other C5 that was already attached to a target.
- Made improvements towards some cases where throwing C5 at fast moving vehicles would often not stick.
- You can no longer interact with or pick up C5s and Claymores through large foliage structures such as tree trunks.
Irish
- Fixed an issue where an active APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel could intercept the same projectile twice.
Rao
- Fixed an issue that caused Rao's CyberSuite Warfare device to continually switch between targets when aiming at vehicles.
Smoke Grenade
- The Smoke Grenade is now unlocked by default, at level 1, we have also changed the default grenade of the Recon and Support Classes to be the Smoke Grenade instead of the Frag Grenade.
- Dev Comment: With this change we’re hoping to educate new players with the importance of Smoke Grenades when it comes to the aforementioned classes. Smoke Grenades are your friends when it comes to support actions and concealment!
SPH Explosive Launcher
- Fixed an issue that allowed players to be able to go prone when stuck with the SPH Explosive Launchers projectile to negate the damage entirely.
Throwing Knife
- Fixed an issue where the Throwing Knives icon would sometimes appear behind a target if they were moving.
- Fixed an issue where Throwing Knives wouldn’t move with automatic doors when they open or close.
Weapons
- The Fire Mode indicator is now only visible for Marksman Rifles when underbarrels are equipped and active.
- Fixed an issue that made recoil control when firing at a Dozer shield not replicate properly sometimes
- Fixed an issue that caused the player to move slower than intended when aiming with the XCE Bar and BSV-M.
- Fixed numerous Laser Sight VFX alignment issues on weapons.
- The NVK-FSN Holo now has the intended reticule.
- Fixed the weapon firing animation on the NVK-P125.
- Fixed an issue that caused over exposure of the players surroundings when firing full auto with the ACOG 4x Scope.
- Fixed an issue that caused the camera to snap when swapping from or to various weapons while prone.
Dispersion Tweaks
Similar to recent dispersion changes made to Assault Rifles, SMGs and LMGs have now also received tweaks to their dispersion rates, alongside general dispersion improvements across weaponry:
- SMGs now have a higher starting dispersion, but their maximum dispersion and the rate at which it is reached is now comparable to Assault Rifles
- The rate at which dispersion increases and the minimum dispersion while moving has been increased for LMGs
- Fixed an issue that was stopping dispersion penalties from being applied correctly while moving under specific circumstances. These are now being applied as designed and should provide a more consistent and fair experience for all players.
- Fixed inconsistencies with calculated weapon dispersion when the player is moving.
- Vault SMGs have had their spread and shooting behavior tuned to make them more consistent and viable against All-Out Warfare alternatives.
- Bipods' are now more effective against dispersion and recoil on LMGs to compensate for these changes
Vehicles
- Fixed an issue with the roll rate of the F-35E Panther after using VTOL mode. The SU-57 FELON has also received some roll rate resolutions.
- Radar Missiles should no longer lock onto Stealth Helicopters, or hit through flares - this may still happen in close ranges due to vicinity of vehicle and flare activation.
- Passengers will now get hints such as when to reload.
- Fixed an issue that caused the LCAA Hovercraft, Mi-240 Super Hind and MV-38 Condor to not have functional directional exiting.
- Added directional exit to ground vehicles allowing you to exit these vehicles from the direction you are looking at.
- Added additional exit points to the back of the combat ground vehicles to allow you to exit behind the vehicle if you want to.
- Fixed an issue that caused tank turrets to twitch when turning the tank with decoupled aim enabled while giving target lock input.
- Fixed an issue that caused a second shot (purely visual, no damage) of the 20mm Flak to appear in third-person even if one shot had been fired.
- Fixed an issue that caused victims of the EMKV90-TOR's railcannon to not have any visual feedback of the projectiles trail
- Fixed an long standing issue that resulted in a black screen being present when switching between Zoom In and Zoom Out on vehicles, as well as opening menus within vehicles. Hopefully this is the last we see of this one!
- Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause the vehicle weapon's blue bracketed crosshair to not be aligned with barrel direction when the vehicle was moving.
- Fixed missing impact sound on some vehicle weapons including the Flak 20mm and 30mm cannon of Wildcat
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This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.
