Battlefield 6‘s first season launches soon across consoles and PC, and it promises new maps, modes, vehicles, and weapons. I was recently invited to check out some of this new content ahead of next week’s release. If you’ve been wanting a new, giant map, this season will give you that. Eventually.
Season one of Battlefield 6 launches on October 28 and brings with it a lot of new and completely free content. As outlined in EA’s previously released roadmap, BF6‘s first season (and all future seasons) will be split into multiple phases with different themes and battle passes. Season one’s first phase is titled “Rogue Ops” and will add three new weapons, a new armored APC, a new mode, and, perhaps most excitingly for fans, a new map.
Earlier this week, EA and Battlefield Studios held an hour-long preview session for Battlefield 6‘s upcoming first season. In this preview, we were able to go hands-on with the content being added in Rogue Ops, as well as some of the content coming in phase two of season one. I played a few matches of Conquest on the first new map coming this season, Blackwell Fields, and came away unsure of it, but then played Eastwood, which will be added later, and had a fantastic time.
Battlefield 6‘s first new map is just fine
The new map, which is located in an oil field in California, doesn’t feel very big. It’s also a very empty and sparse map, with rolling hills often being the only cover you can hope for when crossing the map to reach a new area. Snipers and aircraft were extremely deadly on this map, and I often found myself frustrated by how much the infantry was at a disadvantage. The map just feels too barren and small to support a mode like Conquest. Perhaps with more time, I’ll learn to love Blackwell Fields, but for now, I’m lukewarm on the map. At the very least, it’s a very pretty map as the sun is setting during your fight, leading to some gorgeous colors and shadows.
While checking out the new map, I played around with the new armored APC, the Traverser Mk. 2. This vehicle came in handy on Blackwell Fields as it provides a safe way for soldiers to get around the battlefield quickly, is packed with mounted weapons, and can even support an integrated med bay to heal allies who hop in. The new APC is such a perfect fit for BF6, offering something more powerful than a jeep, but less bulky than a tank, that I’m a bit shocked it didn’t ship with the game earlier this month.
I also checked out the new weapons. The new Glock pistol is fine, but who really cares about a pistol in Battlefield 6? That’s just the gun you pull out when you are desperate or need to complete a daily challenge. The other two new weapons are the SOR-300C carbine and the Mini Fix sniper rifle.
I played a lot of the preview with the carbine, and I’m still not sure if it will dethrone the M4, but I did enjoy it. Its slower rate of fire and heavier-hitting bullets make it feel more like an assault rifle than a carbine, and it can hold its own in midrange fights. However, in close-quarters combat, I felt like SMGs and faster-firing carbines often beat me in one-on-one fights. Meanwhile, the Mini Fix sniper rifle seems like it might become the rifle of choice for recon players as it hits hard, fires fast, and is extremely accurate. In the hands of a skilled sniper, this might be too powerful. I could see EA nerfing it a tad in a future update. We’ll have to wait and see how things shake out.
The other bit of Rogue Ops I played during the preview was Strikepoint, a 4v4 mode king-of-the-hill-like mode with limited respawning. It’s…certainly a new game mode. I just don’t understand why EA and Battlefield Studios continue to spend so much time and energy on these tiny, tactical modes. Battlefield is all about big moments, chaotic warfare, and silly moments involving tanks, choppers, bombs, and more.
Eastwood is a new map that people are going to love
The best part of the preview was when I got to play the other new map, Eastwood. This map is set in a rich Southern California suburb, complete with McMansions, pools, and even a golf course nearby with drivable golf carts. This map felt very big, is filled with vehicles, and has plenty of houses and buildings for infantry to duck into during more explosive or dangerous moments. After playing it for just an hour or so, I quickly fell in love with it and can’t wait to play more. Sadly, this map won’t be added to the game until phase two of the first season, which launches on November 18.
I personally would have led with Eastwood as the first new map added to BF6, as it seems to offer the giant, vehicle-filled chaos that some fans believe the new entry lacks. It’s also just a visually distinct, super memorable, and fantastic map with lots of places to fight and wild moments to get involved in. At one point during the preview, some folks from both teams orchestrated a golf cart race. Well, they tried. A helicopter pilot flew by and wiped out some of the racers. Another great moment involved a tank crashing through the large mansion I was hiding in and then getting trapped in the backyard pool, letting me destroy it with some rockets. No idea why EA isn’t shipping this map first, but at least we all have something to look forward to next month.
After playing a lot of season one’s new content, I came away excited for Battlefield 6‘s future, even if some of the new content—like the new tiny modes and boring pistol—don’t do much for me. I’m just happy to see that so soon after launch, EA has big plans and new stuff for its popular online shooter. And if future maps can be as great as Eastwood, I think the next year for Battlefield 6 will be a good one. And who knows, maybe I’ll end up liking Blackwell Fields eventually. Battlefield 6 is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Season one launches on October 28 on all platforms.
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