Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone Details Released

Hazard Zone has been an unknown game mode of the upcoming Battlefield game since the game’s announcement and details of the mode itself were limited at best.  However, EA has released an informative post about the mode and while we still lack many details, it clears up a lot of what the mode will include.

This mode is coming as part of the Battlefield Portal experience that includes all sorts of older game assets and matchmaking options to allow players to create all kinds of custom games and lobbies.  The core concept of the mode is collecting intel from drop pods within a map full of NPCs, opposing players, and raging storms.  And no, it does not appear that the new mode can use older Battlefield maps at this point.

The mode has a heavy focus on teamwork as it includes a pre-game lobby of sorts that allows the team to explain the map and equip items for the mission.  The maps will be broken down into regions that contain the Data Drives you are searching for, but also other interactive elements (like Uplinks that allow you to request Call-ins).  While it is not confirmed, images on the article suggest teams of 4 will be used and we have no idea if you must matchmake for 4 total players, or if solo and small teams can go in as-is.

The mode seems focused around Dark Market Credits (DMC) that are earned in-game and allow players to purchase gear for the mission.  It sounds like gear needs to be purchased per game, but that is not something we could confirm per the article as there are also character upgrades and other unlocks.  DMC cannot be purchased with real money, but we do not know if any other microtransactions exist within the mode.

Specialists are in the mode and come with a basic starter weapon (which is why we believe upgrades are purchased per game) and we have no idea if they will have abilities, and such without purchasing them.  The mode will also reward players/teams for completing harder objectives in the map and offers streak bonuses for completing multiple maps successfully. 

Matches are estimated to be from 5 to 20 minutes long as players can choose when to extract and what goals to focus on and will feature up to 32 other players (24 on older-gen consoles).  Inserting seems standard with most modern battle royale games and teams can revive downed players using features on the map.  NPC numbers are listed as “varies” so they may be randomly set during each game or simply based on the map.

Source: https://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/news/battlefield-briefing-exploring-battlefield-hazard-zone
Image: EA