When DICE announced that Battlefield 2042 would have three distinct modes, they only announced the first mode, the more traditional experience. Then a little while later they announced Portal, a new way to experience the game, but Hazard Zone was named but not detailed, until now. To start, check out the reveal trailer, which should give you an idea what the mode is all about.

Hazard Zone is a new mode where teams of four will drop into a map, in order to extract data drives, with only two chances to get out, but there is slightly more to it. The story of the mode is that in 2040 when a power blackout impacted the planet, 70% of the satellites above the earth fell down, meaning that lots of data collection was taken offline. In order to combat this the United States of America and Russia launched new satellites into the lower atmosphere, the problem is they don’t stay up there and so they crash down to earth, leaving them ripe for collection for either side.

But it isn’t just a mode where you go in and take the drives, there are five important phases for the mode, that each will take time to understand, the first is planning. Before each drop into the hazard zone, you and your three squadmates will be given some intel, which will provide things like estimated location of the fallen data drives, which in turn will let you plan your strategy. One major part of that strategy is which Specialists will go in with you, the only rule is that you can only have one of each, so no two players can be Boris at the same time. It also means that you need to think on who you are going to take, if you want a squad that will hit hard and fast, you may way Mackay and Falck in the mix, but if you want to take things slower Boris and Irish are your best bets.

The other part of the planning stage is the buying of gear, which you can do with Dark Market Credits, the currency you use in the mode and earn by obtaining the disk drives. You can buy new upgrades for your character or weapons, giving you an edge over the other squads, but they can also do the same, so getting the right loadout for your character and personal playstyle is going to be very important. A nice little bonus is that the more successful extractions you get, the more of a discount you can earn on the gear, making things a little cheaper, but if you lose even once, your extraction run will be removed and then you are back to 0.

With your strategy, Specialists and loadout all sorted, it is time to drop in, but this isn’t your average drop, you will be competing against other players all at once. On PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, there will be 32 players competing, which means 8 teams, whereas on last generation consoles, it will be 24 players or six teams. Where you drop in is something you can select, so you will need to consider the player count, as you will not want to appear to close to other squads, but once you have boots on the ground the hunt begins.

The third phase of Hazard Zone is that of Retrieve, where you have to locate the data drives, protect them and then get them out, there are two on the map and while you can get both, the risk goes much higher. The catch will be that in order to discover where they are, you need an Intel Scanner, if your squad deploys without one, then you have no chance at getting them, but that scanner also means that your drive can be scanned by another team, letting them know you have one. While you are looking for the first drop, other satellites may drop down, giving you access to more data drives, but more chances to encounter other teams, which can cause you to lose everything.

The fourth part of the experience is what the team are calling the first extraction, simply holding onto the drive is not enough, you have to get it out of the area and extractions are the only way to do that. The first zone will be provided at a random location and you will have to fight to get there, that is of course, if you choose to extract now. The window will only be open for a limited time, so if you choose to do that, you have to get there before it closes, if you miss out on that, then your only option is the second and final extraction.

The final extract will open up around 10 to 12 minutes after the match starts and all the remaining squads can go for it, but only one squad can claim the seats and get out. If a single member of your squad makes it on board, even if the others are killed, everyone in the squad earns some rewards. But if your squad is one of the many left behind, you lose everything and all your work is for naught and as I said above, you might reset your extraction streak.

Hazard Zone drops the scale of the fights, though they will still take place on the same maps and instead really brings teamwork together, but because of the focus on planning and strategy, it will add more layers to Battlefield than ever before. Of course, the big risk comes in the form of pushing your luck, do you drop in, get one data drive and then make for the extraction point, or do you try to obtain all you can, in order to get the most rewards possible.

Hazard Zone will be included in the game day one, so not long to go for it at all, as the game is set to launch on November 19 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.