DICE and Electronic Arts have unveiled Battlefield 2042 Season 5. Called New Dawn, it’s out on June 7th and features a slew of additions, chiefly the Reclaimed map, which was inspired by Battlefield 4.
Reclaimed is set at sunrise in the wilderness of Czech Republic, taking place around an abandoned industrial facility with a secret train route nearby.
Reclaimed was designed for combined arms warfare. It has six flags:
- A1, also known as the crash site, hosts a derailed train. The flag’s layout encourages vehicle and medium range infantry combat.
- B1, the landing zone, has a circular layout meant to foster CQC (close quarters combat).
- C1 is an indoor abandoned turbine area designed for close and mid quarters combat, though its open roof allows vertical fire to enter the skirmishes.
- C2 is a military warehouse with a narrow layout that attracts tight firefights.
- D1 is a forgotten bunker built straight into the mountain, with a central room made for CQC.
- E1, also known as the silo, is the second flag layout created specifically for vehicles. Players will easily recognize it thanks to its four central towers and circular layout conducive to tank fights.
Battlefield 2042 Season 5 New Dawn also adds several new weapons and gadgets, such as:
- The XCE BAR, a high-precision bolt action rifle with expanded attachment capabilities.
- The GEW-46 assault rifle returns from Battlefield 4 to offer strong stability and short burst fire at medium range.
- The BFP .50, a powerful hand cannon, is a fan-favorite sidearm capable of dishing serious damage at close range.
- The Spring Grenade bounces into the air before its detonation and can cause heavy damage to enemy infantry.
- The Anti-Tank Grenade goes off on impact against vehicles.
- The Mini Grenade is a very small grenade that can be thrown more quickly and further away than regular grenades.
Perhaps one of the most welcomed additions to Battlefield 2042 Season 5 New Dawn will be the Squad Management system. With this feature, DICE aims to allow users to easily set up their squads, join specific squads, or create new ones while transferring the existing squad leadership.
Later in the Season, DICE will deliver reworked vehicle loadouts to enhance their roles on the battlefield, new weapon stations (heavy anti-air and thermal tech), and reworked Vault weapons (the M16A3, ACW-R, A91, M416, MTAR-21, and AEK-971 will be available right away) that use attachments and skins earned in Battlefield 2042 for parity. Last but not least, the final launch map rework, Hourglass 2.0, will be released later in Season 5.
The map size has been reduced to decrease the downtime between objectives. Cover objects and fortified positions have been introduced on all primary routes. The village is a military base and the new starting point when playing Breakthrough mode.
The skyscrapers are now set on fire and the bridge has collapsed, creating a crater, though the biggest addition is the new underground area located below the arches.
Battlefield 2042 Season 5 New Dawn will also get its own mid-season event, though DICE didn’t talk about it at this time. They did, however, outline the new Battle Pass, which is themed around a cutting-edge, professional faction and a savage, survivalist faction. Year 1 Pass holders will get an Epic skin and an XP booster throughout the first two weeks of Season 5 (players must log in during the first two weeks to obtain it). The Premium Battle Pass tier also includes a new 20% XP seasonal booster.
Battlefield 2042 just received a new Elite Edition, now available on PC and consoles with content from the four previous seasons already unlocked.
