Season 3 of Battlefield 2042 is on its way and after Zero Hour and Master at Arms, events are kicking up a gear, as the title for the new season is Escalation. I was lucky to have both Kit Eklof, the Multiplayer Map Producer and Ali Kaporchali, the Class and Gadget Producer walk me through what was coming in Season 3.

First up we already know that Battlefield 2042 is set to launch into Game Pass and EA Play Ultimate on November 22nd, the same day that Season 3 begins. But for those without either of those memberships, the game will also go free for a limited time on each platform, throughout the month of December, here are the dates for each platform. All times are in AEST

Xbox: Dec 1st 7pm – 4th 6:59pm
PC: Dec 2nd 5am – 6th 5am
PlayStation: Dec 17th 3am – 24th 3am

This is not a demo, or a watered-down experience, it will offer everything. That means more than 15 maps, over 70 weapons and over 40 vehicles. Plus if that wasn’t enough, all 13 Specialists, including the ones from the first two seasons will be included.

The team have done a lot of work to fix and improve the game since it launched a year ago and that doesn’t take into consideration the amount of content that they have had to create for the seasons. With Escalation, it seems that the developers are taking things further, with even more new content, while still delivering fixes and improvements that players are looking for, let us check out the new content first.

Part of the new season, as expected, will be a new map. Called Spearhead this map, which is set within Sweden, the home country of the developers. The size of the map can be compared to Stranded and features two automated manufacturing facilities, which contain high tech equipment. These twin buildings are not on a smooth open field, no they are surrounded by rocks, extreme elevation changes in the terrain and a river that winds between the two of them.

In order to fit in with the futuristic factories nearby, players will find a new tank added in the season, the EMKV90-TOR, which comes equipped with a rail gun cannon. The tank also features two distinct modes for getting around, the first is Manoeuvrability mode, which as the name implies lets you dash around the map much faster than normal. For those seeking to deal out some serious damage the Siege mode is an option, it slows down the tank a lot, but increases the firing rate.

Of course, there are new weapons to enjoy, they are:

Rorsch MK-4 – This weapon uses rail-gun tech to shoot projectiles, you just have to manage the battery
NVK-S22 – a smart dual barrel shotgun delivers devasting damage upon hitting its target
NVK-P125 – a long barrelled sidearm, it offers long range potential and high precision

For those who want classic weapons the XM8 and A-9I can be earned via assignments.

Players who enjoy swapping between all the different Specialists will soon have another choice, with the addition of Rasheed Zain, who makes use of a XM370A. Zain is an Eygptian born assault specialist and served in the countries military, but sadly an accident occurred that required a double amputation of his legs. Fitted out with two high-tech legs, Zain has joined the No-Pat movement. One of his big skills is his health regen rate, which is near instant upon you taking down an enemy.

It isn’t all about new content in Season 3, Manifest and Breakaway will get their overhaul treatment as part of the season. Manifest is the first map up and will feature some big changes, all driven by player feedback. One such change is that the flags will now be closer together, which will allow you to get into the action much sooner. Cover has also been improved across the map, there is a lot more destruction with containers spilling out into the streets, along with more safer routes for those looking to get closer to the action. For those that love the radar station, get ready to be let down as its been blown up, but with additional cover options there, encounters should be much more chaotic. For the dock workers among the player base, the amount of cranes has been reduced, giving you less to worry about in terms of sightline obstructions. It also means that when you see people up high, the fight to dislodge them could be far trickier, with less potential paths up.

For those who prefer Breakaway there is a massive change for the map as its not just an updated layout or cover additions, the entire map has been relocated geographically. The oil rig has been moved much closer to the main landmass and features more ways to get onto it, giving you more chances to battle it out upon its structure. The town has seen shifts in the flag placement, but there have been big changes to the glacier as well, with new paths and new flags to discover. The snow shader has also been updated, giving the map a more natural look, but the wait for this one will take a bit longer as it’s a late season 3 addition.

There are also updates coming to Battlefield Portal, two new tiers of Battle Pass and a whole lot of unlocks in each, so Season 3 is really escalating the action of Battlefield 2042.