This is effectively the game’s first “post-launch” patch, following last Friday’s early access launch. The update prepares Battlefield 2042 for the worldwide, public launch of the standard edition today - when the game is expected to attract its largest audience. DICE shared full patch notes ahead of release, and needless to say, the fixes are disappointing, considering the myriad of issues the game has at the moment. Though many of the patch notes concern Hazard Zone, there are some welcome fixes overall for the rest of the game. The patch implements server-side tweaks to reduce rubber banding, something DICE has been working on identifying the cause of/fixing for days. Stuttering on the map Breakaway when the silos are destroyed should no longer happen. Nameplates for teammates, which have a habit of not showing up, will now consistently display. The rest of the notes address minor problems (see the full list below). As disappointing as this one is, the good news is that Battlefield 2042 is getting two more bigger patches over the next 30 days, so before the end of the year. No dates for either of the two patches were given, but the first should include various fixes to issues reported during early access. The other is going to be a bigger “more substantial” update. Read on below for the full change log for update 0.2.1.
Implemented server side upgrades that are targeted at reducing instances of rubber banding, often experienced in the later part of a round in All-Out Warfare modes. Significantly reduced instances of stuttering when playing on Breakaway. If the silos are destroyed, it should no longer reduce performance on the server. When looking at allies on your team, their names will now correctly display. Adjusted the animations for Falck during the end of round sequence to ensure that she is displayed correctly. Updated a skin earnable for Boris via mastery progression with a new name: Gator. Ensured that TDM rounds in Battlefield Portal always start with random deploy set as active. We observed that this sometimes wasn’t active when moving from round to round, but have now fixed this. Applied a set of measures that ensure the correct number of AI spawn in custom Battlefield Portal modes using the Free for All preset. PC only - Enabled Specialist selection in Hazard Zone via mouse interaction, removing the need to lock in your selection with the spacebar. Fixed a rare occurrence in Hazard Zone that would sometimes cause the end of round flow to not activate correctly, ensuring that the correct amount of bonus XP was awarded. Repaired an issue found in Hazard Zone that could cause players to be shown on the map when they were not visible, or spotted. Provided a fix for Hazard Zone players who were not seeing their Extraction Streaks updating correctly.
We’ve not been having the best time with Battlefield 2042 so far. Dorrani and I sat down to share our first impressions of the game, and dig through all the problems we ran into, missing features, and other frustrations. If you’re jumping in this weekend, best be aware of a few major hurdles, like random bullet deviation making it hard to land shots, misaligned hitboxes for some Specialists, a misleading weapon customisation screen, and the odd glitch. Check the link for the Battlefield 2042 known issues so far.
