Following the lackluster reception of Battlefield 2042, which I described in my original review as “full of almost as many bugs as bad pilots,” you might be surprised to learn Battlefield 6 seems primed for success. However, if you’re paying attention to online chatter or are involved in various multiplayer communities, you’ll sense a rising fervor for Electronic Arts’ upcoming shooter. The recent open beta garnered over 521,000 concurrent players on Steam, beating Call of Duty’s all-time peak at 491,670 simultaneous users, according to SteamDB.
Multiple factors, including the public’s poor reception of Black Ops 7’s early marketing push, are responsible for the noticeable uptick in interest in Battlefield 6; the most significant element behind this surge appears to be that Battlefield 6 is shaping up to be a high-quality, class-based multiplayer shooter. However, as a long-time fan of the series’ large-scale vehicular combat, I’ve felt left in the lurch by the new entry’s focus on smaller, infantry-only maps in the public beta.
Luckily, my hesitations have begun to fade after attending an invite-only event hosted by Battlefield Studios, where I went hands-on with two of the largest maps available in Battlefield 6: Mirak Valley and Operation Firestorm. The latter is a fan-favorite level first introduced in 2011’s Battlefield 3, while the former is a new map designed to showcase every vehicle type available at launch. Mirak Valley resides within a series of foothills in Tajikistan, a beautiful mountainous country in Central Asia, where rustic farmhouse textures contrast the treadmarks left by industrial equipment at a nearby construction site. Operation Firestorm’s familiar pipelines provide ample opportunities to ambush enemy vehicles or pin down unprepared infantry with sniper fire.
Both maps facilitate large-scale battles with up to 64 players, wherein every role and vehicle matter. Playing as a medic, I used my defibrillator to prevent teammates from burning through the precious, limited lives we shared while simultaneously providing suppressing fire with my LMG’s large magazines and vying for control of Mirak Valley’s construction site, which is prominently placed in the center of the level, making it a difficult but important point to hold due to its proximity to other points of interest in the area. Meanwhile, in Operation Firestorm, I often assumed the role of engineer, maintaining the vital functions of my team’s battle tanks, infantry vehicles, and anti-air equipment when under fire from jets and attack helicopters above. I also fulfilled a sniper role in both theaters of war, keeping an eagle eye for flanking enemies or unsuspecting helicopter pilots idling above prominent places while peppering the valley’s skies with their mounted machine guns.
With roughly a dozen hours under my belt across its various game modes and maps, I’m impressed by Battlefield 6’s offerings thus far and am eager to play again during its launch window. Electronic Arts is making a big play with Battlefield 6, employing an army of developers from across its multiple studios. Despite my initial wariness, the team may be able to successfully appease its long-time fans like me while attracting a new audience with differentiating tastes. I’m certainly rooting for it.