Battlefield 2042 Third MP Mode Revealed by EA and DICE

Written by Brandon Hofer on October 14, 2021

News: A new multiplayer mode was just revealed where you need to work together to retrieve Data Drives and then successfully extract it.

Electronic Arts and DICE today premiered the official trailer for the third distinct multiplayer experience launching with Battlefield 2042 on November 19 - Hazard Zone. Available at launch alongside All-Out Warfare and Battlefield Portal, Hazard Zone is an all-new, high-stakes, squad-based game-type for the franchise that combines edge-of-your-seat gameplay with the best of the Battlefield sandbox that players have experienced for nearly two decades.

In the year 2040, a worldwide blackout event reduces the total number of satellites in orbit by 70 percent. Tensions rise between the U.S. and Russia. In the wake of this event, temporary low-orbit satellites became the new method of gathering intel across both sides through the collection of radiation-hardened Data Drives.

Playable on all seven Battlefield 2042 All-Out Warfare maps, Hazard Zone is an extraction-based four-player game mode, in which players will build a squad based on playstyle. Each Specialist brings a new asset and characteristic to the squad. Players looking to create an offensive squad may consider Webster Mackay and Maria Falck, who bring mobility and healing on the move to the party. Those looking for a more defensive approach should focus on Kimble “Irish” Graves or Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky, whose Fortification System and SG-36 Sentry Gun will help your squad lock down an area of the map. When the remaining Specialists for launch are revealed, players will see more ways to adapt their squad for their playstyle in the Hazard Zone.

Players will want to create squads that are the best at achieving their objective of retrieving Data Drives scattered throughout the battlefield. This task must be completed while fighting off opposing squads with the same goal, as well as environmental challenges such as an unyielding Tornado striking at unforeseen times, and deadly Occupying Forces that will drain resources and alert nearby enemies.

A Hazard Zone match consists of five main phases - Strategize & Equip, where players confirm their insertion point, choose their Specialist and select their loadout and Tactical Upgrades; Insert, deploying to the predetermined insertion points; Retrieve, where squads will deploy their Intel Scanner and face off against enemy squads, Occupying Forces and the world itself; First Extraction, the first of two options for ensuring survival; Last Extraction, where the remaining squads must fight over who will escape and who will die trying. The choices players make will greatly impact team success; choosing the right mix of Specialists, weapons, gadgets, and Tactical Upgrades is the key to survival. Players will experience quick 15-20 minute, 32-player games with Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC or 24-player matches with Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Teams who successfully extract from Hazard Zone will receive a base reward, plus additional rewards based on the amount of Data Drives they escaped with. Players in Hazard Zone are rewarded in two ways: XP granted to their overall level progression/Battle Pass progress, as well as Dark Market Credits (DMC) -- the currency players will use to select weapons, equipment, and Tactical Upgrades at the beginning of every Hazard Zone match, giving them an edge in battle. These upgrades range from ammo increases, faster reload times, and additional storage all the way to resurrections for fallen squadmates. The more Intel players gather, the more XP they gain and the more DMC they receive.

Check out the trailer below to see Hazard Zone in action and then tell us what you think. Will you be picking up Battlefield 2042 next month?