Battlefield 6 Devs Actually Listened — Assault Class Buffed, Shotguns Still OP?

There's been a plethora of Battlefield 6 news hitting the airwaves since the multiplayer reveal this last week, with the hype train reaching all-new levels. That train doesn't seem to have any stops either, as new information from The Battlefield Team was released just a few days ago detailing both competitive features and player feedback.

Using information gathered from player map movements, DICE is looking to improve the overall flow of the map. First off, let's talk about its dedication to the analytical side of the game and how it's using data to shape the virtual battlefield for an upcoming launch.

These changes will lead to better layouts of objectives, improved coverage, and refactored objective sizes. A different visual look has been granted to objective barriers as well, for better acquisition of the objective zone.

Going forward, this will be a focus of DICE as they get the product ready for launch on October 10, 2025. They'll be using the billions of data points they'll be getting over the next few weekends to make even more adjustments to the map formulas to create the best and most popular Battlefield experience they can.

Weapons: Where do you align? Open or closed?

Players will also get access to two different formats for operator weapon usage, dubbed Open and Closed. The latter will feature the more traditional Battlefield mechanics, where operators are limited in their weapon selections based on the class they choose.

Someone in Recon is unable to choose an Assault weapon, for example. While someone playing the Assault class won't have access to sniping equipment. The Open variation of this grants access to all weapons for each class, but Signature weapons are still locked to their respective classes.

The game gives players a nod in the right direction, and classes may offer benefits to specific weapon categories, like SMGs having better hipfire when being wielded by the Engineer class. Where Assault will now cater to team-oriented play, taking a sniper rifle to the front lines seems rather dim-witted, but is allowed!

Major class changes in the works

As I mentioned just before, the Assault class is now far more team-focused on the field compared to previous iterations. The stimulant that Assault players can inject themselves with no longer supplies a healing over time effect; instead, it "now clears and boosts resistance to flash and stun effects, enhances tolerance to explosive and incendiary damage, and improves movement speed."

DICE is also removing the Spawn Beacon from the Recon class to place on Assault. Renamed to the Deploy Beacon, the gadget will have limited spawning opportunities for squadmates before the device explodes. It's also destroyed the moment the person who placed it uses it themselves.

Assault also has a new signature ability. Commanding Presence, which replaces Enhanced Mobility, will grant faster objective gathering to squadmates in the area.

Assault players will also be granted the Assault Ladder. A deployable device that can be used, as the name suggests, as a ladder or as a ramp to gain access to areas otherwise not traversable by normal means.

Recon is also getting a fresh coat of paint, as it looks to replace the training path Pathfinder with Spec Ops. This path will cater to players who want to sneak behind enemy lines to cause disruption and chaos where they once felt safe to navigate.

• Spec Ops 0: Your base class training, available from the start, allows quieter takedowns, crouch, and prone movement.
• Spec Ops 1: Spots nearby enemy gadgets (except when sprinting).
• Spec Ops 2: Going prone takes you out of combat much faster and removes the spot on yourself.

At level 3, this class will also have access to an active UAV at a specified location to generate passive spotting of enemies in the area.

Small but meaningful

Next, let's talk about a minor feature coming to Battlefield 6 (remember to activate Secure Boot!) that competitive players have been begging for in games for a long time. No anti-aliasing.

You might be wondering what on Earth I'm talking about. Why would anyone want to turn off anti-aliasing altogether? Simple answer: latency.

You see, anti-aliasing causes a small amount of input latency when enabled. Professional or hyper-sensitive players are the most likely culprits to notice this difference when deactivating it.

For someone who's used to a more casual, relaxed environment, you're less likely to detect anything meaningful. But for players like myself who sit inches from a monitor in competitive settings, we love each and every advantage we can get our hands on. Early impressions of Battlefield 6 are looking pretty great, and I'm looking forward to more correspondence from DICE.