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On Tuesday this week, publisher Electronic Arts (EA) and developer Battlefield Studios launched the Winter Offensive update for Battlefield 6. This third and final drop of limited-time content in Battlefield 6 Season 1 introduced a new Winter Offensive Bonus Path to the Battle Pass with winter-themed rewards to earn, along with a snowy version of the Empire State map and special "Ice Lock" modes for it in both Battlefield 6 and the free-to-play Battlefield REDSEC.
You see, the new wintry coat of paint for Empire State is beautiful to look at, but it's not just a visual overhaul. The inclement weather has a direct impact on gameplay, too, and completely shakes up the way the map is played.
The frigid temperatures of the level bring the new Freeze system into play, a mechanic that prevents health regeneration — including from Support medic bags — and eventually begins to drain your health down to a minimum of 35% after an extended period of time. Aesthetically, it also frosts up your HUD and weapons and makes your soldier's hands begin shaking the longer you're in the cold, which is a wonderful immersive touch.
The only way to mitigate the effects of Freeze and warm up is to stand near a heat source; most of these appear as metallic barrels with a roaring fire inside, though there are a handful of burning rubble piles as well. Staying near one will rapidly clear your built-up Freeze and kickstart your health regen, and also enable medic bags to heal you. Notably, fires from incendiary grenades — both allied and hostile — will count as sources of warmth as well.
There's a fire or two at every capture point, as well as several that are scattered all around the map's various routes and positions. But what makes Ice Lock such a fun twist is that many of its fires are placed in spots where players don't typically congregate in the normal version of Empire State.
Because of how valuable pockets of warmth are in this mode, they sort of function as sub-objectives — positions important for your team to control as they move to and fro the main capture points. And because many of them aren't placed in common holding areas, this icy version of the map has an entirely different flow compared to what we're all used to.
It's a fun, fresh, and fascinating gameplay dynamic, and it gives you some incentives to shake up your loadout, too. Carefully thrown or fired incendiary grenades can give you and some teammates a temporary source of heat to heal around if you're wounded and not near a permanent warmth fixture, but they're also a deadly and ironic counter to clumps of enemy players all huddled around a barrel fire. However, they themselves can be countered by the Support's Grenade Intercept System gadget.
My only complaint is that we didn't get an icy version of the Manhattan Bridge map, too, as it's also set in New York. That one has tanks and IFVs, and I think it would have been very interesting to see how vehicles might have interacted with the Freeze mechanic. Perhaps they would function as mobile sources of warmth, making their presence — and survival — even more important and valuable than it is normally.
Still, Ice Lock was a great idea from EA and Battlefield Studios, and spices up the Conquest experience on Empire State quite a bit. That's exactly what I want to see from future seasonal content drops — interesting new ways to experience the large-scale modes Battlefield is known for, rather than something like California Resistance's Sabotage that basically played like a bad 8v8 version of Rush.
Yes, Freeze is kinda weird, and yes, the mechanic can be frustrating to deal with. But these are the kinds of genuinely creative shake-ups we should be encouraging the developers to keep experimenting with.
If you haven't tried Ice Lock yet, definitely make sure you do so while it's available for the next few weeks. And, y'know...stay frosty.
FAQ
Is Battlefield 6 crossplay or cross-platform?
Yes, Battlefield 6 has crossplay and cross-platform play between Xbox, Windows PC, and PS5. It's enabled by default, though console players can opt to turn it off if they want to. This may result in longer matchmaking times, however.
Is Battlefield 6 on Xbox Game Pass?
No, Battlefield 6 is not available to play through Xbox Game Pass. If you want to enjoy it, you'll need to buy a full copy of the game.
When does Battlefield 6 Season 1 end?
Battlefield 6 Season 1 doesn't have a clear end date yet, though it's expected to conclude at some point in mid-January 2026. When it does, Season 2 will presumably begin.
When does Battlefield 6 Winter Offensive end?
The Battlefield 6 Winter Offensive Bonus Path on the Battle Pass is scheduled to go away on December 22, meaning that the event — likely including the Ice Lock mode — will leave in just under two weeks. Play while you can!
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