Find out what you need to know to hit the ground running in Battlefield 2042 – from controls to healing, you'll find the information you need below!

 BATTLEFIELD 2042 TIPS & TRICKS

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Battlefield’s iconic sandbox warfare is back and better than ever. Take on revamped fan-favorite modes, discover new innovative experiences, and witness an unprecedented scale that adds a new dimension to your multiplayer battles.

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GAME MODES

The Specialists of Battlefield™ 2042 are divided into four Classes: Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon – each with its own strengths on the battlefield. Use the unique Class Gadgets and Weapon Proficiencies to assist your team and secure victory.

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CLASSES

Unleash your combat creativity through a full roster of cutting-edge weapons, vehicles, jets, helis, and all-new equipment inspired by the near-future of 2042.

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A CUTTING-EDGE ARSENAL

Engage in large-scale war and close-quarters combat on 17+ maps including base game and Battlefield™ Portal environments. Crafted through a revamped design philosophy, each battlefield has multiple distinct combat areas housed in a single playspace and this extra space means more variety and more meaningful vehicle gameplay.

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MAPS

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NO WEAPON, MILITARY VEHICLE OR GEAR MANUFACTURER IS AFFILIATED WITH OR HAS SPONSORED OR ENDORSED THIS GAME. 


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Battlefield 2042 Official Reveal Trailer

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Specialists engage in a tense firefight in a dimly lit underground tunnel, surrounded by smoke and dramatic lighting.

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Specialists advance in a battlefield with explosions, helicopters, and armored vehicles on the Spearhead map.

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Battlefield™ 2042

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The next generation of all-out war is here – play Battlefield 2042 today. Adapt and overcome dynamically-changing battlegrounds with the help of your squad and a cutting-edge arsenal.


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Battlefield 2042 is a first-person shooter that marks the return to the iconic all-out warfare of the franchise. Utilize a cutting-edge arsenal in immersive multiplayer battles on maps set in both open battlegrounds and close-quarter maps. Choose your class, rally your squad, and fight through the world of 2042 as well as Battlefield's past.

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The charismatic ex-arms dealer, Charlie Crawford, brings a lot to the table in Season 2 – including a keen mind, ambition, and the right connections. His years of experience with the Dark Market make him a major asset to the No-Pats. And his new Gadget and Trait will make him just as valuable to your squad.

Crawford’s Mounted Vulcan is a tripod-mounted minigun that can be used by anyone after it’s been placed. It lays down immense firepower – particularly effective against infantry and light vehicles. Choose your placement wisely and lay down a brutal barrage to pin down your enemies right where you want them or keep enemies at bay and hold a hard-won territory. Of course, the minigun won’t make you and your squad untouchable, it has a limited turn radius and is prone to overheating so keep those factors in mind before you deploy it.

His “Cache Point” Trait is based on his [arms dealer background](https://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/the-world-of-battlefield-2042/the-dark-market) and allows him to add extra ammo to a gadget when he revives a teammate so they can pick up right where they left off. If you want to make sure your squad can get back in the fight fast, Crawford’s your go-to [Specialist](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/charlie-crawford).


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BF2042 Specialist Crawford

Making the most of Crawford’s skills


Find out how to take down enemy aircraft.

There’s a big emphasis on aerial combat in Season 1: Zero Hour – but also many ways to counter attacks from the sky. If you fear fighting flying foes, read on and learn some tactics that will make pesky pilots reach for their parachutes.

- **Attack with other aircraft!** One way to take down enemy aircraft is to fight fire with fire. Jump into a jet or helicopter and use your dedicated anti-air weaponry, such as lock-on missiles. Combine this by whittling down the enemy using your guns, especially against large and slow air vehicles.

- **Use the rocket launcher!** The recoilless is an unguided weapon, so apart from your occasional lucky shot, this is best used against large slow targets at low altitude, such as the Hind or the Condor. However, look out for anytime an ally uses their SOFLAM to acquire a target by painting them, this will mark the enemy target with a yellow square and make the Recoilless able to lock on that target.

- **Use anti-air missiles!** The CRT Mk5 Anti-Aircraft system will track all but the most evasive pilots. When using this, try to get to a position with an unobstructed view of the sky. Wait until the target uses their countermeasures against some other attacker, then acquire your target, fire the missile, and follow up with another shot as fast as possible.
- **Choose a fitting** [**Specialist**](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub)**!** Bringing the right No-Pat for the job is always a good idea. Ewelina Lis, introduced in Season 1, wields a G-84 TGM which uses tv-guided missiles. These are powerful against slower air targets but can be tricky to use against faster targets. Sundance with their anti-air missiles can be effective against helicopters. Use their Homing Anti Armor grenades to bait the pilot into using their countermeasures, then use the missile to inflict some serious damage. Finally, Rao’s cyberwarfare suite is very useful to hack the enemy air vehicle, disabling its countermeasures – thus making those anti air missiles so much more effective.


**Team up and strike together!** The more, the merrier. Gang up on enemy aircraft, using several soldiers with anti-air missiles or Wildcats and target the same vehicle. Make the target use their countermeasures to make them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. To increase the effect of this cooperation, use Rao and his cyberwarfare suite to disable the countermeasures of the aircraft.


Emma "Sundance" Rosier aims a crossbow as an explosion occurs in the background on the Breakaway map.

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How to Master Anti-Air Combat in Battlefield™ 2042


Find out how to own the skies and astound from the ground.

Season 1: Zero Hour comes with many new ways to experience *Battlefield 2042.* Part of this: the new Air Cavalry game mode.

So, how does it work? Air Cavalry is a focused version of[ Conquest mode](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/modes-hub/battlefield-all-out-warfare) where only certain[ Specialists](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub) and vehicles are available, creating a clash between aircraft and anti-air units. The focus is on helicopter-deployed infantry, and the maps you’ll play on emphasize the importance of rapid redeployment. The new Specialist, Lis, excels in taking down aerial threats, but the new stealth helicopters will put her skills to the test.

If you’re playing as infantry, expect high intensity and opportunities for quick flanking attacks with a potent new threat against pesky heli pilots. If you’re one of those pilots, show off your skills as you try to dodge a flurry of player-guided AA missiles!

Here are some pointers which will help you master Air Cavalry and come out victorious.

- Dodging one missile isn’t impossible for enemy aircraft. Dodging four? Not likely. Work together with your squad and combine your strengths to take down your flying foes.
- Utilize the transport helicopters! These handy aircraft allow squads to reach the outskirts of battle. Make your way to these points and strike lightly-defended capture points.
- The new stealth helicopters are great at staying hidden, but they’re not invincible. To survive longer, stay low and go on sneaky bombing runs.
- Lis isn’t the only excellent Specialist choice for Air Cavalry. [Rao](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/navin-rao) has a Specialty called Trojan Network – a tool that hacks into enemy systems and retrieves vital intel. Killing hacked targets reveals enemies around them, which will make teammates’ AA missiles more effective.





A battle in the skies, with helicopters and airplanes firing at each other, takes place over a mountainous terrain. 

BF2042 Master Air Cavalry Mode

How to Master the new Air Cavalry Mode in Battlefield™ 2042


Learn how to fly and fight with the new stealth helis.

Aerial combat plays a big part in Season 1: Zero Hour. And with the new Season, a special type of aircraft is introduced: stealth helicopters. 

These hi-tech helis can go into Stealth Mode, making them invisible on enemy radar and immune to AA missile lock-ons. Making the most of this feature (and piloting helicopters in general) can be tricky for beginners, but don’t worry – we’ve gathered some facts and tips that will help you master the skies!

**Tips for Attacking**

- The stealth helicopters have two modes: Attack Mode and Stealth Mode. In attack Mode, your weapon loadout is similar to regular helicopters. In Stealth Mode you can only use bombs.
- Use Stealth Mode to stay hidden from enemy radar and close in on unsuspecting infantry to deal devastating damage from close range. Use Attack Mode when enemy aircraft have discovered you and started attacking. 
- A gunner in the second seat can make a huge difference! With a gunner on board, take advantage of its high-velocity HMG to fight off other helicopters. Also, the gunner seat is equipped with a neat EMP Grenade. The gunner can disable the abilities of targeted vehicles using this grenade, whereupon the pilot can use the ATG missile to deal damage.


**Tips for Defending**

- Use your threat indicators to identify incoming threats and what direction they are coming from. When a lock-on missile is on its way and the indicator turns red, use your countermeasures if available. If they’re not, try to get a building, trees, or a hill between yourself and the incoming threat. Always keep moving!
- Damage to your helicopter systems will push you out of Stealth Mode or prevent you from entering it. To counter this, make sure to unlock and equip a Repair System on your stealth helicopter, as this will repair any system damage when used.


**Find the Perfect Controls**

- Tinker with the aircraft settings in the menus to find the controls best suited for you. You can for instance adjust the helicopter control sensitivity to a value that suits your flying. Also, you can set key binds for helicopters and jets independently. Finally, consider setting Helicopter Control Assist to ON. This will help you get your helicopter on an even keel if you get into an awkward situation.





Aircrafts fly over rocky mountainous terrain on the Exposure map, with explosions and smoke in the background. 

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How to Pilot Helicopters in Battlefield™ 2042


Find out how to communicate with your teammates. 

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is now available in Battlefield 2042 – and we’d like to explain how this voice chat works. We will touch on other ways of speaking to your team in-game, too.

Using VoIP in Battlefield 2042 is easy, but there are some details you may want to know about. Firstly, there are two voice chat channels to choose between: Party and Squad. As you might have guessed, Party lets you speak with your Party if you’ve joined one, while Squad limits the talking to your four-man squad. The type of voice chat channel will be set automatically but it can be changed if you wish.

Changes like these are done via the in-game main menu of Battlefield 2042 – at Options/Sound/Voice Chat to be precise. Here, you have a few things to tinker with. You can turn voice chat on/off altogether, choose the aforementioned voice chat channels, adjust volume, or set a threshold for how loud your voice needs to be to be broadcasted.

Different microphone modes can be set, too. On PC, you can choose between the “Off”, “Open Mic”, or “Push to Talk” settings. On console, the options are “Off” and “On”.

Of course, you can always communicate through text chat, too. This can be handy if you for instance want to send a message to your whole team (i.e. “great work” or “PTFO!”) while you’re on voice chat with a smaller group. Here’s how it’s done:

**PlayStation**®: Press Options and then R2 to open the text chat. Press L1/R1 to switch between Team/Squad/Party chat.

**Xbox**: Press Start and then RT to open the text chat. Press LB/RB to switch between Team/Squad/Party chat.

**PC**: Press Enter to open the text chat. Press Tab to switch between Team/Squad/Party chat.


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How to Use VoIP in Battlefield™ 2042


It’s pretty easy to clone any Experience currently running on a Battlefield Portal server, just log into the game and navigate to the “Browser Server” screen. Choose the “More” option to bring up the “Server Options” screen, from there select “Host This Experience”. From this screen you’ll be able to name and describe your server, add a welcome message, password, and so on. Then just click the “Host Server” button and let the combat commence. 


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How to host another player’s Experience


Advanced tips for players who really want to customize their Experience. 

Let’s start by saying this functionality is not for the faint of heart. But for those brave souls who really want to get into the guts of a Battlefield Portal Experience and truly make it their own, we’ll introduce you to the Rules Editor. Some of you may have seen this option in the Builder, taken one look at it and decided it was way too intimidating. For anyone who quickly noped out of the Rules Editor we would recommend perhaps loading a pre-made Custom Experience like Team Deathmatch, then spending some time looking at the individual elements pre-selected and perhaps slightly tweaking them to see what happens.

For example, under “Set Score and Time Limit” you would see the “EnableDefaultGameModeScoring” option, by default it will be set to “True”, but you can change it to “False” and create your own scoring system for the mode. This opens up the ability to change things like the time limit for the mode (shown in seconds) and the target score. 

Note: *even when you’re just making small changes to Custom Experiences, you will still need to name and describe your Experience in order to save it.*

Our advice is to start small – maybe just modifying and re-modifying the elements above until you’re comfortable with the Rules Editor. 


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How to override defaults in Battlefield™ Portal


Everyone needs the right tools for the job, and the same goes for No-Pats. As you might expect, new players will have access to some weapons (as well as different Specialists, vehicles, and gadgets). The starter weapons will give you a good idea what makes the most sense for your playstyle, and at least a general idea what types of weapons you’ll want to unlock first. Just go to the weapons screen on the Collection menu. You’ll be able to see everything you&#39;ve already unlocked, which other weapons you can unlock, and what the requirements are for unlocking them.

Naturally, to get your hands on the really good stuff you’ll need to put in the work. What does that mean? Earning XP and increasing your Player Level. Each new level comes with new rewards, including weapons, gadgets, cosmetics, and more.


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BF2042 Unlocking Weapons

How to unlock weapons in Battlefield™ 2042


This article is intended for players who have already spent some time making modifications in the Rules Editor. If you need a quick refresher on what the feature is and how to use it, see our tips article here.

Once you’re comfortable with making basic changes to the rules you can start to delve into the game logic a little more deeply and really make your Experiences unique. One of the options includes adding custom messages and notifications to players within the game itself. For example, if you wanted to do a countdown message to notify players the start or end of an event you can do so. 


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Messaging game information in Battlefield™ Portal


There are two ways to share your Battlefield Portal Experience:

1. Visit the Builder website and create an Experience. Once you’ve completed making your tweaks and selections, save your Experience with a name and description and you’ll generate a unique URL for it. You can copy and paste this URL wherever you’d like to share it. Note that anyone with an EA Account and this link can open up your Experience and see it – that also means they can then copy it. If you’re concerned about ensuring your Experience remains just that, yours, this is probably not the right sharing option for you.
2. Go to the Experience Browser where you’ll see all of your currently created Experiences. Either from the main page, or within the “Manage Experience” interface, you can simply click on the “Show Code” button. You’ll get a six-character code that you can again copy and paste to share, however, it only shares the playable Experience itself without a look at the inner workings. So players can enjoy the Experience but not easily copy it.


You may be wondering where the latter code is used. Log into the game and choose Battlefield Portal, then choose the “Experience Code” option at the top. Input the code with either your keyboard or controller and click “Confirm”. On the next screen you’ll see a “Host a Server” option, select that and you’re all set.


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How to share an Experience on Battlefield™ Portal


Meet your new best friend – he’ll teach your enemies to roll over and play dead. 

Who’s a good boy? Ranger is! This doggo is your ultimate military canine companion. Completely fearless, obedient, loyal, and just made to put the hurt on your enemies.

Equipped with high-powered weapons, Ranger can be unlocked at Rank 5 and summoned via the call-in system and will follow you around faithfully targeting nearby enemies and taking them out. Want him to protect an area with the tenacity of the meanest junkyard dog? Press the following buttons on your platform to get him to stay and defend:

PC: Press the “Y” key, press a second time to bring him back to your side.

For Xbox: Access the commorose and hit the “X” button to direct Ranger to a location. Double tap “X” to bring him back to your side.

For PlayStation: Access the commorose and hit the “Square” button to direct Ranger to a location. Double tap to bring him back to your side.


An active battle scene of a tank moving through a city, its rear turret firing at a nearby helicopter.

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How to use Ranger in Battlefield™ 2042


Before you take to the not so friendly skies in the world of 2042, we’d like to give you a few tips to make the most of your time in the air.

Whether you’re piloting a helicopter or jet, your head’s up display (or HUD) is your best friend. Not only will it give you a readout on your current altitude, orientation, and speed, but it’ll also tell you the “health” of your vehicle (including any damage and where it’s located), a mini-map giving you an overall view of enemies as well as your location, plus weapons and remaining ammunition.

The controls you’ll need to know are:

On PC – **W/A/S/D keys**

On console – **left stick**

Using “W” or left stick up allows you to accelerate, conversely the “S” key or down on the stick will decelerate, though often you won’t need to do more than stop accelerating to control your speed. The “A” and “D” keys (left and right on the stick) will allow you to turn either left or right. 


Helicopters battle among Kaleidoscope's skyscrapers, with one on fire and a tornado with lightning in the background.

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Piloting tips in Battlefield™ 2042


If you’ve already played a match or two of Hazard Zone you may be wondering if what you’ve accomplished in the mode has any bearing on the rest of the game. Dark Market Credits aren’t usable outside the mode, but any progress you make in Hazard Zone will also grant you XP to help increase your overall Player Level, which in turn helps you unlock weapons, cosmetics, and more.

For a deeper look into progression please see [“Battlefield Briefing: Progression and Cosmetics”](https://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/news/battlefield-briefing-progression-and-cosmetics).


Constantin "Angel" Anghel drives a military vehicle in desert terrain away from a tornado, while a passenger soldier fires weapons.

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Is progression connected in Battlefield™ Hazard Zone?


Everything you need to know to get started in this all-new mode.

There are two main elements to understand first – Battlefield Portal allows you to create and share unique Experiences that you’ve created. You can run these Experiences on a server yourself or share them with others who can host them on their own servers. What this means is that if you just like creating Experiences but don’t really have the audience (or the inclination) to run the game yourself – you can still share your creations with those who do. On the other hand, if you really just want to host these kinds of Experiences without getting into all the tweaking and set-up you can do that too. It’s your sandbox, use it the way that you want.

**Featured Experiences**

If you’re not really in the mood to start creating an entirely new Experience, and would prefer to just jump right into a pre-made one, Featured Experiences are just what you’re looking for. Log into Battlefield™ 2042, choose the Battlefield Portal mode and on the main screen you’ll see several curated Featured Experiences available to choose from. Pick your favorite and click “Play” and you’re ready to go.

**Browse Servers**

Maybe the Featured Experiences aren’t quite what you’re looking for, if so click the button beneath them and you’ll see a list of all the current servers hosting others’ Experiences. You’ll be able to see the names of the Experiences, number of players, etc. right on the list. Want more details about what to expect in the Experience? Just click “More” to bring up the “Server Options” then select the “Experience Info” button and you’ll see the creator’s description text as well as things like the selected maps, modifiers, etc.

If the server you’d like to join is already full, or maybe you’d just like to play a particular Experience in the list yourself with your friends, you can go back to “Server Options” and this time click “Host This Experience”.

**Hosting an Experience**

As we mentioned earlier, you can host Experiences you’ve created yourself, Experiences created by others, or a selection of pre-made Experiences available to everyone. You’ll see what’s available when you log into Battlefield 2042, select Battlefield Portal, and click the “Host” option. Then just choose the Experience you’d like to run on your server and click the “Host” button beneath it. Once you do you’ll be able to add a name and description to let players know what to expect when they join, a welcome message, and even a password if you’d like.

If you’ve seen an Experience code online (or sent to you by a friend) that you’d like to try out, again log in and go to the Battlefield Portal then choose the “Experience Code” option at the top. Input the code with either your keyboard or controller and click “Confirm”. On the next screen you’ll see a “Host a Server&#39;&#39; option, select that and follow the same steps above.

**Creating an Experience**

Visit the Battlefield Portal Builder website on any browser to begin. You can then select “Create Something New” if you want to build your Experience from the ground up. You’ll be able to select game modes, maps (up to 20), etc. and then name your Experience and give it a short description to save it.

What if you already have some Experiences that you’d like to keep working on or modify? Just scroll down the page and you’ll see the “My Experiences” section. Everything you’ve created will appear there and beneath each Experience you’ll see the “Modify” button. Click it to make any changes you want.

Finally, if you click on any of the tabs in the Experiences section you’ll find a variety of pre-made Experiences that you can use as a starting point to create your own. Just click the “Modify” button to begin making your own unique changes. This is a great way to get acquainted with the Builder without having to start from scratch.

**Creating Something New**

Ok, you’ve decided you want to build an entirely new Experience, what do you do? Well, first, you’re going to click that “Create Something New” button, the first screen you’ll come to will be the Game Mode selection. Each mode includes a short description and any necessary warnings. For example, Conquest Large is not available on all platforms, and you’ll see the notification in the upper right corner.

Next click “Map Rotation” and select your maps. You can choose up to 20 if you’d like, but you must select at least one. If you’re building a custom game mode like Team Deathmatch or Free-for-All you’ll see multiple versions of each of the maps, if you look in the upper left corner of the map tile you’ll see the size of the available play area, from smallest to largest. As you select maps they’ll appear in the Map Rotation area, once there you can re-order the maps, or even remove some if you change your mind. You can also add the same map multiple times if you’d like.

Now you can stop here if you choose, click the little gear button and type in a name and description to save your Experience. However, there are more options for those who want to really change things up.

Modifiers allow you to tweak some of the fundamental aspects of the following Battlefield elements: gameplay, soldiers, vehicles, user interface, and AI. For example, if you chose the soldier modifiers you could increase or decrease fall damage with the “Fall Damage Multiplier” and the ability for soldiers to go prone either for team one, team two, or both. Click the little chain icon to the right of each modifier if you want to select specific teams for your modifier. Not sure what the modifiers mean? There are tips for each available right in the Builder.

Looking for even more customization? Restrictions will allow you to control everything from characters to weapons and gadgets in your Experience. What this will allow you to do is to create an Experience where, for example, World War II era soldiers are pitted against modern combatants. Then you can tweak it even further, maybe you want both teams to simply have Recon soldiers available to them. Or maybe you don’t want any tanks or you want to force everyone to fight only with pistols – we’ve given you the tools to make as many changes to the Experience as you want… and remake them whenever you feel like it.


Aircraft fly low over running Ranger robots with a large explosion and smoke in the background.

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Battlefield™ Portal custom games Beginners’ Guide


Master a mode where every bullet, every skirmish, and every decision counts. 

The stakes don’t get any higher than in Battlefield™ Hazard Zone. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know before you put boots on the ground.

**What is Battlefield™ Hazard Zone?**

Inserted as a four-member, No-Pat squad, you must locate and retrieve critical Data Drives scattered throughout the battlefield, while fighting opposing squads with the same objective and Occupying Forces. Succeed by gathering the Data Drives and choosing when to extract before a storm overtakes the area in this high-stakes, one-life experience.

Time is short. Get in, get the intel, and get out in one piece. Easy, right?

On Xbox One and PlayStation®4, you’ll be up against 24 players. For PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation®5 you’ll face up to 32 players. 

There are three main elements to understand:

Strategize and Equip

Insertion and Retrieval

Extraction and Rewards

**Strategize and Equip**

Let’s start at the beginning, you need to think strategically about how you want to approach each match. You’ll be briefed on the map and the area into which you’ll be inserted. With that information in mind, you’ll choose the Specialists you and your squad will take into battle. A balanced squad with the right skills can give you an edge that helps you overcome near impossible odds. There are a lot of elements in Battlefield™ Hazard Zone you can’t control, but this one you can – and should, as thoughtfully as possible. 

Next you’ll select your weapons and equipment, again you need to think about this strategically. What approach will you take when it comes to retrieving those Data Drives? Is your squad going to rely on speed, brute force, adaptability? Have a plan and choose the right tools to help you get the job done.

Tactical Upgrades are also available to those squads who’ve earned enough Dark Market Credits (see Rewards below) to afford them. They can help you maximize your squad’s Loadouts and give you the edge in combat.

**Insertion and Retrieval**

Your squad’s armed and geared up, it’s go-time. You can deploy on all seven of the Battlefield 2042 maps where opposing squads and Occupying Forces will be waiting for you. Again, time is of the essence so you won’t have long to get the lay of the land before the action begins. 

Occupying Forces have one main goal, protect the capsules containing the Data Drives – you can use this to your advantage. Letting other squads take them on first is a viable strategy as long as you have the firepower and skills to get the jump on those squads, of course. And you probably won’t be the only squad to think of this so once you retrieve those Drives you’d better have a solid plan in place for keeping them.

Capsules will continue to fall, scattering new (potentially higher value) Data Drives throughout the map. This both provides new opportunities as well as potential risks – do you go for the new Drives and prolong your time in the Zone or decide you’re satisfied with what you have, play it safe, and take the first option to extract? 

**Extraction and Rewards**

There are two extraction windows available per match at randomized locations. The first one is available about halfway through and the second and final one at the end. There are, of course, positives and negatives to each one. Your odds of survival (and success) are likely higher if you go for the first, and it does leave you with a backup option should you fail to extract successfully. However, you may miss out on valuable Data Drives and all the sweet, sweet Dark Market Credits they can provide. And, again, you’re likely not the only squad who has decided they don’t like their chances in making it to that second extraction. 

The riskier second extraction is your last chance to make it out with the goods, and by extension, it’s all the other remaining squads’ last chance as well. Something else to keep in mind, successful extraction means at least one member of your squad makes it onto the heli – if they don’t...well, we did say it was high-stakes. Miss your window and you lose it all. 

Let’s say you’ve extracted successfully and extracted the data from your collected Drives, you’ll then be rewarded with Dark Market Credits. This currency is only usable in Hazard Zone and will allow you to purchase Tactical Upgrades. Some examples of these Upgrades would be Reinforcement Uplinks that allow you to bring back killed squadmates, Faster Healing, Quickdraw Holsters, and many more.


Specialists in gear examine a device on the ground in the desert of the Renewal map, surrounded by solar panels.

BF2042-Hazard-Zone-Beginners-Guide-Key-Art-16x9

How to play Battlefield™ Hazard Zone


Here is some of the intel you’ll need before you put boots on the ground in Battlefield™ 2042:

1. Understanding your role on the battlefield
2. Who/What are Specialists?
3. Understanding the difference between Conquest and Breakthrough modes
4. How to earn XP and progress in the game
5. How Player Card and Specialist customization works


**Classes**

In Battlefield™ 2042 Specialists are organised under the banner of Classes, they are

**Assault**. Aggressive, frontline combat experts with a focus on high-risk gameplay.

**Engineers**. Fortifiers that can hold a position and force the enemy to go through them. Limited in mobility but able to dig in.

**Support**. Focused on aiding their allies, keeping them alive or sustained in battle.

**Recon**. Focused on information warfare, either using it against their enemies or providing it for their allies.

Your preferred playstyle will dictate which Class makes the most sense for you. Want to be in the thick of all the action all the time? Assault is probably a perfect fit. Prefer to support your squad and team from a safer distance? Recon may work better. Understanding what playstyle best suits you will help you select the right Specialist to take into combat.

**Specialists**

Every Specialist has a focus on a particular playstyle, represented by their unique Specialist Equipment, Specialty, and Trait. These elements combine to form the starting point for your approach to gameplay. Do you want to come to the aid of your allies and keep the war machine churning? Do you want to focus on mobility and ambushing, or dig in and really hold a position? Answering those questions will help you determine which Specialist(s) will work best for you.

In All-Out Warfare mode you can change your Specialist in the deploy screen to try a different approach or to synergise with the selections of your squad. There are no Specialist restrictions in All-Out Warfare. On the other hand, in [Battlefield™ Hazard Zone](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/tips-and-tricks-hub/battlefield-hazard-zone-beginners-guide) your selection is restricted to one instance of a Specialist per squad.

While Specialists offer a different approach to play, your selection of Loadout equipment can supplement that and create new and unique gameplay options. A Loadout contains your primary weapon, secondary weapon, additional open gadget, and a throwable. You can attach any Loadout to any Specialist. This means if you feel that your squad or team need more healing, you could swap over to [Falck](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/maria-falck) in a game of Conquest without having to compromise or reorient your Loadout. Likewise, whenever you unlock a new piece of equipment you can integrate this into your Loadouts and try them out. Experimentation is key.

When you start the game you have access to four preset Loadouts to get you into the more traditional roles of the game, however you can edit these Loadouts through the Customization menu and create your own as you progress to broaden your playstyle.

The combination of your Loadout and Specialist are, of course, complemented by your squad. Bringing a Recoilless M5 may be useful against a tank in medium range, but can be enhanced to lock onto targets (both land and air) when an ally uses a S.O.F.L.A.M. Likewise your highly limited ammunition can be replenished by an ally throwing down an Ammo Crate. Using [Irish](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/kimble-irish-graves) and his ability to set up cover positions dynamically, protected by his APS – Shootdown Sentinel can create a fortifying platform further enhanced by other players. A Boris sentry, some Ammo and Medical Crates can quickly create an outpost.

These different skills are where you can excel and have an even greater impact on the outcome of a match, especially in Hazard Zone, where the cost to failure is so great. Teaming up with a [Boris](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/pyotr-guskovsky) and Irish can help you hold down a position or to cover multiple entry points in a combat zone. But this could leave you vulnerable to an EMP attack from [Casper’s](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/wikus-van-daele) drone, or to a vertical ambush by [Mackay](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/webster-mackay). There will always be counters to the choices you make, and your friends and allies can help plug the gaps and cover for all combat situations. For those looking for a more ally-focused approach, Falck and [Angel](/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/specialists-hub/constantin-anghel) allow you to directly heal and supply your allies, as well as being far more effective at reviving them. You can choose to complement them with a Loadout that provides even more Support equipment, or you could try to cover another base.

**Conquest vs. Breakthrough**

Fan-favorite modes Conquest and Breakthrough are back and bigger than ever in Battlefield™ 2042 – featuring the largest maps ever. How big? Well, on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation®5 we’re talking up to 128 players!

But if you’re new to the series you may be wondering what these two modes are all about, just as veterans are probably curious about what (aside from the size of the maps) has been updated for Battlefield™ 2042 in these two modes.

We’ll start with a quick rundown of each of the modes. Conquest is straightforward, capture and hold as many sectors as you can on the map. The more territory you and your allies can capture (and keep), the faster you bleed the enemy of reinforcements. Breakthrough is a bit more aggressive, it’s all about attacking the enemy and pushing the line forward. It all comes down to securing simultaneous objectives and capturing the enemy sectors. You’ll be able to play Conquest on all 13 maps (the new maps from 2042 , and those maps included in Battlefield™ Portal) and Breakthrough will be available on the maps from 2042.

While the fundamentals may be pretty familiar to some, there are definitely some new elements to both modes. Given the massive size of the maps, Conquest now features something we’re calling “clustering”. That is, the creation of smaller “clusters” of activity and capture areas. These spaces will contain a variety of elements to facilitate multiple gameplay styles in a single area.

For example, close-quarter combat areas and interior spaces combined with large open geography and multiple capture flags for teams to battle over.

Instead of teams battling over control of individual flags like in past versions of Conquest, teams must now seize control of sectors housing multiple flags in one capture area. In order to successfully capture the sector, teams must seize and maintain control over all flags contained within it, otherwise it will be treated as neutral ground. In Breakthrough, you now battle over larger-scale sectors as attackers push towards the final objective. Each sector is designed to house a larger number of players, enabling more strategic choice and more flanking opportunities because you’ll be able to approach the capture areas from multiple locations.

**Progression**

The first thing to understand is how you earn XP:

- Performing in-round actions such as capturing objectives, kills, assists and other actions
- Earning Ribbons in-round
- Completing rounds, winning rounds and earning round bonuses


*Note: there is a substantial XP bonus for playing your first round of the day!*

How do you earn Ribbons? Here’s a few examples:

- **Objective Ribbon** - Play the objective
- **Wingman Ribbon** - Support teammates with revives and various assists
- **Logistics Ribbon** - Heal and resupply others and repair vehicles
- **Intel Ribbon** - Spot and disrupt enemies, such as via EMP’s or destroying drones
- **Combat Ribbon** - Score kills and destroy vehicles


XP feeds into your Player Level, and by leveling up you earn weapons, gear, vehicles and Specialists. But that’s not all, you also earn a variety of cosmetic items available at higher Player Levels.

To unlock attachments for weapons and parts for vehicles, you need to use that specific piece of hardware and progress your mastery with them. For weapons you do by getting kills while vehicles have different criteria based on the vehicle’s role. You also earn cosmetics for hardware and Specialists by progressing their mastery.

**Customization**

You unlock cosmetic options by progressing mastery of weapons, vehicles and Specialists, and (of course) by increasing your Player Level. In Battlefield™ 2042 you’ll also be able to customize your Player Card, a place where you can show off your Player Level, Player Icon and Title, Player Card Art (background) and up to three Badges you’ve earned by mastering your weapons, vehicles, gadgets and Specialists.

Player Card cosmetics are earned by performing various actions in the game, such as exploring different areas in the maps, progressing your mastery on different hardware and Specialists, performing special actions such as melee takedowns. You can view the different Player Card cosmetic options in the Player Card section and the criteria to earn each item will be displayed there.


Three soldiers in tactical gear, armed with weapons, stand alert in a dim outdoor setting, with palm trees in the background.