Electronic Arts' (EA) new large-scale FPS Battlefield 6 has quickly become one of this year's biggest and most popular multiplayer games. The game debuted with an explosive launch and widespread positive reviews in early October, selling over 7 million copies in three days and topping the Steam Top Sellers chart near-instantaneously.
From there, its success has only continued, with the launch of Battlefield 6 Season 1 and Battlefield REDSEC later in the month further spurring on player interest with a free-to-play battle royale mode and other additions like the four-man APC vehicle and the (controversial) Blackwell Fields map.
In essence, everything people hate about Blackwell Fields' gameplay is what Eastwood nails perfectly. The bounds of the map are very wide, giving players ample space to flank enemy positions with infantry and vehicles. Additionally, lavish SoCal residences, resort clubhouses, and abundant flora all provide ample cover for infantry to take advantage of, though there's also a good balance of long streets and open zones where vehicles shine, too.
On top of that, the large central lodge the map's central point is located at is quite a unique objective, with players able to use the Assault Ladder gadget to get on top of its tiled roofs and tanks able to smash through its walls and partially drive into the structure itself.
In essence, everything people hate about Blackwell Fields' gameplay is what Eastwood nails perfectly.
Engagements here are incredibly dynamic and tense, with the environmental destruction Battlefield is known for playing an important role in getting an edge over hostiles. Overall, it's hands down one of my favorite points in the entirety of Battlefield 6, and it's where Eastwood's best action tends to occur.
There's also something to be said of the map's vibrant art direction and environmental design. Comprised of verdant greenery, a bright blue sky, and opulent, colorful structures, it's a breath of fresh air compared to the muted and washed out look that many other battlefields have. To be clear, I enjoy that grittier and worn look too — all-out warfare isn't pretty, after all — but I'm glad we've gotten a more radiant map to spice things up, as well.
All in all, it's a terrific map, and arguably one of if not the best one in the game. But even it, like all the others (aside from the remake of Operation Firestorm), still feels smaller than what a large-scale Conquest/Escalation map should feel like — despite the fact it's noticeably larger than most other stages.
It's a problem you'll notice especially quickly when trying to fly a transport or attack helicopter on Eastwood, as the second you take off and start flying out of your spawn, you'll be in range of counters like Engineers with anti-air missile launchers or the enemy mobile anti-air tank. There's no room to breathe as a pilot, forcing you to endlessly circle your home base's missile defense system and do your best to land rockets from afar since one set of flares will not buy you enough time to retreat if you venture beyond.
All in all, it's a terrific map, and arguably one of if not the best one in the game. But even it, like all the others, still feels smaller than what a large-scale Conquest/Escalation map should feel like.
It's less noticeable on the ground, but even so, it feels like you're always getting thrown into one gunfight or another, and don't have any time or space to think about your approach. This issue is arguably the worst thing about Battlefield 6's maps in general, and it's unfortunate that it's a drawback of Eastwood, too.
Still, it's a massive step in the right direction, and one I'm very glad to see. Hopefully Battlefield Studios takes all the positive feedback about Eastwood to heart — praise for it is topping the Battlefield subreddit, at the moment — and continues to make the bigger, better maps that everyone's hoping for.
Battlefield 6 itself is available across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam, Epic Games, EA app), and PS5 for $69.99, though you can save a few dollars on the Xbox version and get it for $65.99 at Loaded thanks to a cool discount.
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