- The optimism surrounding Battlefield 6 has declined during the second Open Beta weekend, with fans taking issue with the game's map sizes.
- In response to the complaints, the game's producer confirmed that "large maps exist and the tempo scales accordingly."
- The latest Empire State map did little to reassure players since its packed with dense alleys and claustrophobic corridors.
After a positive start, sentiment surrounding Battlefield 6 seems to have nosedived during the second Open Beta weekend. The ongoing public playtest saw the introduction of a new game mode in Rush, alongside the Empire State map. Both new additions have caught plenty of flak online, prompting Battlefield devs to offer reassurances to the community. More specifically, the game’s producer, David Sirland, has been pretty transparent with the rationale behind the beta’s map selection.
Communicating with fans via X, Sirland stated, “Speed is a factor of map size. We picked these maps to make sure we hit the full-octane version of Battlefield on the head – and made everyone see we can handle that too.” Going by these comments, the BF6 Beta‘s map selection appears to have prioritized a fast-paced experience. The approach certainly makes sense if the objective is to test how servers hold up under duress. But not including a single big map is a dubious decision, especially since large-scale battles are the franchise’s identity.
Nevertheless, Sirland made sure to alleviate player concerns by saying, “Large maps exist, and the tempo scales accordingly. You’ll be able to see soon enough!” So far, we’ve seen four of the nine maps available at launch. Hopefully, a majority of the remaining ones will provide the all-out warfare experience the community is clamoring for.
Before Empire State’s arrival, fans were convinced that it was the big map everyone had been waiting for. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn-based map is frankly a mess. According to many players online and my own experience in the alleys of war-ravaged New York City, the map is lacking a solid flow. You’re constantly getting blasted from every direction, running into enemies where you’d least expect to be, and wandering aimlessly due to its puzzling layout.
Empire State’s claustrophobic nature makes it a poor fit for Conquest, which obviously doesn’t sit well with the fanbase. With all that being said, the core of Battlefield 6 is still pretty impressive. Combat is crunchy, the destruction is satisfying, and the color palette is largely sublime. I’m really hoping that EA sticks the landing come October, but of course, we’ll have to wait and see how things work out.
