Battlefield

Battlefield 2042 Season 2 patch notes: Master of Arms release date, Specialist, Stranded map, more

Liam Mackay
Battlefield 2042 season 2 specialists

The next major Battlefield 2042 update is Season 2, so here’s everything we know about the next content drop including its release date, new map, Specialist, weapons, patch notes and more.

Battlefield 2042 launched in a state that neither long-time fans nor EA were happy with, and DICE have been hard at work putting things to rights ever since, dropping several major updates since launch.

The final update of Battlefield 2042 Season 1 went live on August 2 with Update 1.2, but DICE have now revealed what to expect in Season 2. Here’s everything we know including the release date, Stranded map, Charlie Crawford Specialist, and the brand-new weapons.

Battlefield 2042 Stranded map

Battlefield 2042 Season 2 release date

Battlefield 2042 Season 2 goes live on August 30, 2022, just under two months since the Season 1 update.

The update brings a new map, Specialist, weapons, vehicles, and more. Read on for everything we know about these new additions.

Stranded map arrives in Battlefield 2042 Season 2

Battlefield 2042’s headline addition is the brand-new Stranded map. Stranded is an infantry-focused map set in the “desert lake drained of water” in Panama where players will “fight around and inside a beached container ship housing an illicit arms trading center.”

The areas around the ship will host mid-range firefights where there will be plenty of vehicles around. Those who prefer tight-knit infantry combat can head inside the cargo ship.

New Battlefield 2042 Season 2 Specialist – Charlie Crawford

Players will get a new Specialist to master as Charlie Crawford joins the roster with Battlefield 2042’s Season 2 update.

Hailing from the UK, Crawford falls under the Support Class, carrying the Mounted Stationary Minigun and having the Cache Point Trait. The Minigun is exactly what you’d expect, outputting “immense firepower” which makes it “extremely effective against light vehicles and infantry.”

Crawford uses the Cache Point Trait to automatically resupply teammates with extra gadget ammo whenever he revives them.

Crawford in Battlefield 2042

New weapons in Battlefield 2042 Season 2

Battlefield 2042 Season 2 introduces three brand-new weapons and “Vault weapons” — classic weapons from Portal that have been moved to All Out Warfare.

The new season will bring the AM40 which “hits the sweet spot between assault rifle and submachine gun,” the high-tech Avancys LMG, and the PF51 sidearm. Plus, the Concussion Grenade arrives as the latest gadget.

That’s not all though, as Battlefield 2042 players can unlock Vault Weapons through Assignments. Starting with the M60E4 and M16A3, Assignments allow players to unlock Portal weapons, Specialists, and other gameplay-related items they might have missed.

More Portal weapons will be added throughout Season 2 and beyond.

New Battlefield 2042 vehicles in Season 2

It wouldn’t be Battlefield without vehicles, and 2042’s Season 2 update introduces the four-seater EBLC-RAM and the Polaris RZR buggy, which is an in-world vehicle found throughout the map.

The devs clarified that the Polaris won’t arrive at launch, but will be introduced with the “first season update.”

Renewal map update in Battlefield 2042 Season 2

Battlefield 2042 Season 1’s Update 1.2 overhauled Kaleidoscope, giving it a more war-torn feel, adding new areas, and breaking sightlines with a ton more cover, and Renewal is up next.

Renewal provides a completely different aesthetic depending on which side of the map you’re on, with one side a barren desert and the other a lush farmland. However, players feel that the map doesn’t prove nearly enough cover, and players are too spread out.

Battlefield 2042 renewal new map design

To combat this, the E flag has been removed, plenty more cover has been added to the Solar Station POI, and the barren terrain connecting it to the rest of the map has been ” raised and modified to provide better cover for players.”

DICE confirmed ahead of Season 1 that their “work on Renewal is also progressing well,” and the changes are “scheduled to release some time after Season 1.”

Battlefield 2042 Season 2 patch notes

New Map: Stranded

Head to Panama and a desert lake drained of water. Fight around and inside a beached container ship housing an illicit arms trading center.

We’ve built Stranded from the ground up to be a smaller level with a dedicated CQC space. It’s split into three spaces; North and South spaces are more open, while the central space is where you can expect the CQC chaos to take place.

On the South side, there is a tall tower which lets you move across the level while avoiding combat. There is also a path below the ship which connects the North and South spaces, this lets you traverse across without having to go inside the ship.

We made the decision not to put any flags on top of the ship as we want the main focus for Stranded to be on CQC and infantry play, which take place inside the ship. This infantry focus also means that Stranded will feature no vehicles while playing Breakthrough. Of course, Conquest will still have our full array of vehicles available for play.

The team is extremely excited to get Stranded into your hands. Especially the interior of the ship has given us that close quarters meat grinder feeling during Playtests that we’ve seen you enjoy in for example Metro, and Locker. We’re keen to hear your feedback about how it plays!

New Battle Pass

The Season 2 Battle Pass brings 100 new tiers of Hardware, Cosmetics and Player Card items to earn. All-new gameplay content such as the new Specialist, Weapons and Vehicles are all available as part of the Free Tiers, while The Premium Tiers give access to further cosmetic rewards.

New Specialist: Charlie Crawford

Deploy as new Specialist Charlie Crawford and use his Mounted Vulcan to support your team and lay down solid defense.

Specialty – Mounted Vulcan – The Mounted Vulcan is a stationary minigun that lays down immense firepower and is particularly effective against infantry and light vehicles.

Trait – Cache Point – Replenish Gadget ammo for friends that you revive.

New Vehicle: EBLC-RAM

A fast and highly maneuverable armored reconnaissance and attack vehicle designed for hit-and-run strikes on the enemy. It also comes with the ability to place a Spawn Beacon on the Battlefield on which any member of the friendly team can deploy. It is also equipped with an Active Protection System to intercept incoming anti-vehicle weaponry. This makes the EBLC-RAM perfectly suited to lead flanking attacks on the enemy. But be careful when venturing behind enemy lines, an enemy Tank lurking around the corner is one of your direct counters.

New Weapons: AM40, Avancys, PF51

A new Assault Rifle, LMG and Secondary Weapon become available for play.

AM40
Intended for close quarters combat, this ambidextrous weapon delivers an Assault Rifle in an SMG-like package. It’s a versatile and controllable weapon that shines with strong performance in short range combat, while having an increased damage falloff versus other Assault Rifles.

Avancys
Heavy usage of polymers and 3D Printing allow the Avancys to be 20% lighter than the competing Machine Guns while providing unprecedented firepower and adaptability. It’s a versatile weapon skilled at sustained fire.

PF51
Equipped with a P90 magazine, this originally semi-automatic weapon has the ability to fire in full-auto to maximize its personal defense capabilities while sacrificing ammo efficiency. It’s lightweight and perfect for combat over minimal distances.

New Gadget: Concussion Grenade

Upon detonation, this grenade temporarilydisorients any enemies caught in its blast radius. Useful for flushing out hostiles that have dug into defensive positions.

New Feature: Assignments

Assignments are missions that allow you to unlock new hardware such as weapons, or the gameplay content from a previous Season. You can browse the Assignment for all unlockables via the Collection screen to see which criteria you need to complete. They are permanently available, so you can work towards unlocking them at your own pace.

New Vault Weapons: M16A3, M60E4

Two Battlefield Portal iconic weapons from the Battlefield 3 era are now available in the All-Out Warfare arsenal. You’ll unlock these Vault Weapons at your own pace via the new Assignment system.

M16A3
This Assault Rifle comes with an upgraded rail interface system and is capable of Automatic and Semi-Automatic fire. Chambered for 5.56mm and has a 30 round magazine.

M60E4
This LMG E4 variant has a shortened barrel, reduced weight and reliability improvements. It has a deployable bipod for more accuracy at greater distances.

New Battlefield Portal Hardware

New iconic weapons from our Classic Eras are available to unlock in Battlefield Portal. These weapons are also unlocked via the new Assignments feature and will be accessible when playing across Battlefield Portal.

M2 Carbine – 1942
Building on the success of the M1, the M2 variant allows select fire. Fully-automatic and semi-automatic modes are now fed by a 30 round magazine.

Bren LMG – 1942
This full-auto British assault rifle runs the same cartridge as the BAR 1918 and features a top mounted magazine.

M95 – – Bad Company 2
This .50 caliber, bolt-action, magazine fed, anti-material sniper rifle is a beast. Its long range and power make it a must for enhanced stand-off effectiveness.

M249 SAW – Bad Company 2 / Battlefield 3
The Squad Automatic Weapon is a belt-fed suppressive fire, light machine gun. It chambers the NATO 5.56 round with a 200 round capacity.

AEK-971 – Battlefield 3
Fully-automatic fire, 30 round capacity with a low spread and decent recoil. Optics are suggested for staying on target with those longer bursts.

These new weapons also come with new Scopes to give you even more customization options to fit your gameplay style.

Lastly, the M18 Smoke Grenade is back in Battlefield Portal and can be selected as a Throwable in your Loadout for all Classic eras.

Improved Home Menu

You told us that only having three game modes available via the Home Menu at one time felt limited. We heard you, and made changes so you now have a single overview of all available game modes.

Browse through Conquest, Breakthrough, Portal and Hazard Zone via a single menu to see which Playlists are available. But there’s more. We’re excited to bring back Rush as a permanent available game mode. You asked for it, and it’s here to stay.

Lastly, Once Season 2 goes live we’ll feature 24/7 Playlists on both Conquest and Breakthrough so you’ll be able to jump straight into our new map, Stranded.

General

  • You told us that you want to experience Breakthrough and Rush as both an Attacker and Defender while playing. We have made a change where after EoR you now automatically switch teams and play the same map on the opposing side before switching maps
  • Improved text readability in the Breakthrough gamemode widget, and added text icons to help explain objectives, such as “Capture”
  • Fixed a bug when preview a rank locked weapon, Locked by Battlepass is displayed
  • New Player Card Backgrounds are available for Crawford, AM-40,Avancys, PF51, EBLC-Ram and Stranded
  • New Player Card Tags are now available to earn unlock and earn
  • New Assignments are available to unlock 2 Battlefield Portal Weapons in All-Out Warfare, to gain access to Season 1 content in case you missed it, and new weapons for use in Battlefield Portal
  • Enemy Disrupted event XP has been reduced from 20 -> 5
  • In a future update we’re looking to split categories for disrupts between soldiers and vehicles, which allows us to further tweak the XP  

Battlefield Portal

  • All 1942 weapons now have optic attachment options
  • All Portal soldiers now have access to Smoke Grenades via Loadout -> Throwable
  • Custom Conquest has been added to the Battlefield Portal Builder as a new Conquest game mode with added customizable options for capture points and extra logic options for Battlefield Portal’s Rules Editor
  • Multiple improvements have been made across Classic Era maps, such as removing and moving props, and resolving collision and terrain issues
  • Players were sometimes unable to spawn on spawn beacons. It’s fixed now
  • Voice lines have been updated for 1942 British army non-squad soldiers, German army non-squad soldiers and US army non-squad soldiers
  • Visuals of weapon scopes within Portal have been improved by removing lens dirt on several scopes, and added edge tint to most lenses

Rules Editor

  • Added EnableCapturePointDeploying block to Rules Editor
  • Added GetPlayersAtPoint block to Rules Editor
  • Added Lis, Mackay, and Paik to the Player Soldiers block in Rules Editor
  • Added Season 1 vehicles to Vehicle block in Rules Editor

Gadgets

  • Fixed an issue where the Motion Sensor changed teams, but not Icon, when thrown back by an enemy
  • Fixed issues with Ammo Bags on top of vehicle wrecks not despawning after a wreck disappears
  • Incendiary fire can now damage both your own and enemy deployables
  • Smoke Grenades can now put out incendiary grenades

CG Recoilless M5

  • Fixed clipping issues when reloading with the CG Recoilless M5
  • Fixed issues with CG Recoilless M5 status screen flickering

Smoke Grenade Launcher

  • Fixed a bug where the Smoke Grenade Launcher did not drop on death in Hazard Zone

Maps

  • Fixed an issue where interaction with the Metal doors around the Oil Rig would sometimes not trigger and were slow overall
  • Fixed an issue were players could trigger clipping through skyscraper on the Hourglass rooftops
  • Fixed an issue with an invisible wall near a ledge close to the B1 sector on Breakaway.
  • Fixed an issue where you encounter difficulties when traversing the last step of the stairs while prone on Exposure
  • Fixed an issue on Exposure where you would be deployed onto a different objective than what was selected
  • Fixed broken smoke VFX on Orbital
  • Fixed and issue where the thunder VFX on Manifest was too intense

Soldier

Soldier “incidental” animations are now visible during gameplay. This for example means you’ll notice soldiers slip when running on snow or mud, sprint with high knees going through water, or they will put their hand up against the wall if they walk into it. We heard you when you asked for these animations to be developed for 2042, and we hope they’ll add to your immersion during gameplay.

  • Fixed an issue that could make the hints for deploying parachute or Wingsuit remain stuck on screen
  • Fixed an issue with the animation being broken during tactical sprint with the Commando Knife
  • Soldier animations have been improved for upper body rotations
  • Camera positions have been improved for some soldier positions which should result in less camera jitter
  • Hitboxes have been improved for soldiers in prone position
  • Resolved instances where soldier models weren’t aligned during a Takedown inside moving elevators
  • Resolved several occurrences where soldiers could remain frozen after death
  • Fixed an issue where soldier hands would not stay planted on the ground while crawling
  • Fixed several animation issues related to transition between stances
  • The stance transitions between stand and crouch are now faster and have a more responsive camera curve
  • Resolved an issue where third person sprint animation transition sometimes wouldn’t look smooth
  • Fixed a rare issue where repeatedly tapping sprint to open a door could cause animations to stop working

AI Soldiers

  • AI Soldier vehicles will now be able to use lock on weapons when they are equipped
  • AI Soldier vehicles will now switch between different weapons depending on the available weapons available target type
  • AI Soldiers are now better at navigating their way around all maps
  • General improvements are made to AI Soldiers driving land vehicles. You should notice less instances of them getting stuck against objects, or getting stuck in traffic jams
  • General improvements are made to collision avoidance for AI Soldiers piloting air vehicles
  • Players can now assign squad objective orders to their AI squad mates
  • Players can now ping AI squad mates in vehicle to request pickup
  • Players can now request a pickup from AI Soldiers
  • Players can now request Ammo from AI Soldiers
  • Players can now request Health from AI Soldiers

Specialists

Angel

  • Angel’s Ammo Pouch is now easier to throw towards friendlies that needs ammo
  • Angel’s Supply Crate should no longer intersect with other deployed objects
  • C5, AT Mines and the Spawn Beacon that were already spawned by a player will now be despawned if the player changes their Loadout through Angel’s Loadout Crate
  • Fixed issues with weathering effects not being consistent on Angel’s Loadout Crate

Casper

  • Fixed a bug where takedown prompts could be shown while controlling the OV-P Recon Drone
  • Fixed a bug where the OV-P Recon Drone wouldn’t crash and explode when its owner died
  • Tweaked collision of the OV-P Recon Drone to not see through some walls

Dozer

  • Fixed an issue where bullets ricochet via the SOB-8 Ballistic Shield did not damage the enemy players
  • Fixed an issue where shield bashing a fence wasn’t consistently breaking it
  • Fixed an issue with Dozers’ SOB-8 Ballistic Shield not blocking bullets
  • Increased visibility through Dozer’s SOB-8 Ballistic Shield when in 1P view. We also added missing rain effects on the shield’s glass

Irish

  • Fixed an issue with 60mm Mortar Pod not being destroyed by APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel
  • Fixed an issue with Air-to-Ground missiles were not being destroyed by the APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel

Lis

  • Fixed and issue with the G-84 TGM Missile not dealing damage to soldiers behind Deployable Covers or vehicles
  • Improved the explosion response time when Lis’s G-84 TGM goes into water or runs out of fuel

Mackay

  • Fixed issues with glitchy transition from Grappling to Vaulting

Paik

  • If Paik damages a soldier in an open vehicle seat, her Threat Perception will also spot the vehicle itself

Rao

  • Hacking through see-through materials such glass, grid fences, vegetation has been smoothened

Sundance

  • Fixed a bug where Deploy Wingsuit prompts remained stuck on the screen
  • Tweaked the Wingsuit entry and exit camera timings

Vehicles

  • Fixed an issue that could result in silent vehicle engines
  • Fixed an issue that was stopping Aircraft from being spotted while in the spotter seat of a ground vehicle
  • Fixed an issue that would allow Aircraft Control Sensitivity to surpass the maximum allowed value
  • Fixed an issue where game mode icons were overlapping with the compass in vehicles.
  • Fixed an issue where the Spotter seat within the MAV had a different graphical overlay to other vehicles
  • Holding fire no longer stops replenishing single fire Vehicle weapons
  • Improved free look camera so it no longer clips vehicles while driving at high speed
  • Removed conflicting visual effects for vehicle weapon stations, spotters and drones
  • The MAV now has a working handbrake
  • Visuals for Tank cook-offs have been added

EBAA Wildcat

  • Fixed an issue where you could sometimes see through the EBAA Wildcat while in 3rd person view
  • Tank Shell penetration damage has been increased against the EBAA Wildcat. It now takes 3 hits to be destroyed
  • Updated the range on the EBAA Wildcat ATG missiles from 400 -> 200. We’re making this change to ensure the main focus of the Wildcat remains on Anti Air

RAH-68 Huron and YG-99 Hannibal

  • The 30mm cannon blast damage has been reduced from 24 ->16
    • This change helps further reduce the pressure on infantry
  • Fixed an issue that was causing the Repair System to heal the Stealth Helicopters too much
    • This change brings their repair mechanic in line with other vehicles as it was unintentionally too strong
  • Armor of the Stealth Helicopters has been reduced to ensure it remains in line with their overall agility
    • This makes them less survivable overall by for example only needing one hit with Lis’s G-84 TGM missile to destroy them

MD540 Nightbird

  • Fixed an issue where the MD540 Nightbird minigun wind up sound kept playing when switching to missiles while holding the fire input
  • Fixed an issue with the MD540 Nightbird where the drivers right hand was not holding the flightstick correctly

MV38-Condor and Mi-240 Super Hind

  • A new damage zone has been added to the cockpit of the Condor and Hind. This new zone is the most vulnerable part of these vehicles and exactly where you want to aim if you want to take them out
  • Fixed an issue which would cause players to be placed back inside the MV-38 Condor upon exiting the vehicle
  • Fixed an issue that would sometimes prevent the FXM-33 AA Missile from locking onto a MV-38 Condor

Weapons

  • Headshot Multiplier on Assault Rifles has been increased from 2x -> 2.15x
    • This change reflects that we want Assault Rifles to feel rewarding for increased accuracy
  • Headshot Multiplier on Submachine Guns has been decreased from 2 -> 1.25x
    • We feel this change reflects the role of SMG’s; they are not weapons that should reward accuracy versus other weapon types
  • A weapons reload animation is now present when continuously triggering the bipod while firing the weapon
  • Aim Down Sight scaling has been added for scopes with up to 4x zoom
  • Fixed an issue where the lines on the SDB 10x reticle were too thin while having the Rough Ruby skin equipped
  • Fixed an issue where the Low ammo indicator would sometimes appear at the wrong time
  • Fixed an issue where the Plus Menu could sometimes appear empty after exiting a vehicle seat
  • Fixed an issue which would sometimes cause the wrong crosshair to be displayed when using various Shotgun underbarrels
  • Fixed the weapon fire mode HUD indicator showing up for gadgets if the primary weapon has an underbarrel weapon attachment equipped
  • Overall responsiveness of the crosshair has been improved, and resolved scenarios where dispersion would be incorrectly represented when zooming out
  • The player no longer gets spotted while shooting with either Ghostmaker R10 or BSV-M
  • The PSO scope no longer incorrectly has x10 zoom while equipping a certain skin

AK-24

  • The rate of fire of the Masterkey attachment is now unaffected by the AK-24’s magazine attachments

BSV-M

  • The BSV-M recoil modifier during Full-Auto mode has been increased from 0.9x -> 1.15x
    • Full-Auto capabilities of the BSV-M should be viable when transitioning into a close quarters situation, but should not outperform its Semi-Auto capabilities
  • BSV-M’s High Power and Close Combat ammo now have tracers

G57

  • Increased the Extended and Drum magazines capacity on G57 by 5 bullets
    • We’re increasing the impact of unlocking Extended and Drum attachments by further increasing the gap between the amount of bullets they unlock

Ghostmaker R10

  • Fixed an issue where the color of the Ghostmaker R10 crosshair would not update when changed

M44

  • Fixed an issue where audio would cut short when using the M44 while prone
  • The M44 Revolver 2-shot range has been increased to 100m

PKP-BP

  • A minor improvement has been made to the PKP-BP’s recoil behavior

VCAR

  • The VCAR Drum Magazine’s description now matches the fire mode of the weapon

If Call of Duty is more your cup of tea, you can check out all of the changes in the Warzone Season 5 update as well as how to play Modern Warfare 2’s beta.

Image Credit: DICE / EA

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