Battlefield 2042’s Class System Will Feature Weapon Proficiencies, Not Weapon Restrictions

DICE has officially given fans more details about how Battlefield 2042’s pivot to a class-based system in the game’s upcoming 3.2 update will work, including information about its new Weapon Proficiency system.

DICE began a new blog post outlining the changes by explaining how player feedback proved critical in implementing the return of a class-based system in Battlefield 2042. At launch, DICE stated that many players found the Specialists, unique characters who each had a special ability or gadget, polarizing. It was a shift from a familiar class-based formula for the series, and DICE said that it quickly began putting together a team to analyze what could be changed and started to gather fan feedback.

The result is not that Specialists are going away entirely, but that they will instead be categorized into the four classes Battlefield fans know and love–Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon.

Unlike some previous Battlefield games, where certain classes could only use certain weapon types, Battlefield 2042 will instead introduce Weapon Proficiencies for each class. These serve as an extra incentive for a class to use a particular type weapon, but doesn’t restrict them from using other weapon types.

Assault players, for example, will receive extra ammo magazines when using an assault rifle, while Support players using an SMG will enjoy a faster draw time. The Recon class will naturally want to lean into sniper rifles thanks to a constant, steady scope, and Engineers will benefit from improved dispersion while using light machine guns while crouched or prone.

“The intent of Weapon Proficiencies is not to dictate what you equip yourself with, but rather to encourage and provide a recommendation on what may work best and bring further class identity for those who enjoy that type of gameplay,” DICE writes.

In a match, class icons will now be displayed above the heads of players, which will help identify what class a player is and what gadgets they might be bringing into a firefight. Certain gadgets will be restricted to Specialists within a particular class, such as Engineer Specialists now being the only class with access to rocket launchers. This in turn will make the game more balanced, as the team no longer has to plan around every Specialist having access to every gadget. As a result, loadouts will now be per class, with every Specialist within that role having access to those loadouts. DICE writes that current loadouts will be wiped when update 3.2 arrives and players will need to rebuild them from scratch. The update is slated to arrive later this month.

Battlefield 2042 got off to a rough start when it launched in 2021, resulting in a long delay for the game’s first multiplayer season. Since then, it has steadily improved as DICE has implemented player feedback. Many of the game’s original launch maps have been dramatically reworked to feature more cover and improved paths for infantry, and DICE has continued to add new maps, weapons, and Specialists to the game since launch. Season 4 will introduce Battlefield 2042’s final specialist, who will be a member of the Recon class.