Battlefield 2042 Season 3 brings more future tech and much-needed changes

The third season of Battlefield 2042's live service updates will be kicking off next week, and DICE is touting a major content drop at the beginning of Season 3: Escalation as well as sweeping changes for later months. Releasing on November 22, the massive update carries a new map, Specialist, futuristic weapons, a railgun-equipped tank, and more.

Starting with the new map, Spearhead comes in as the first Sweden-set arena that has appeared in the franchise. Described as similar in size to Season 2's Stranded, the new map contains two high-tech weapons manufacturing plants for tight, indoor firefights. For more open-ended land and air battles, surrounding the two large facilities are stretches of rock formations with plenty of cover and wilderness areas.

To quickly travel across this untamed landscape and deliver much-needed firepower arrives the brand-new tank EMKV90-TOR. This railgun-equipped futuristic vehicle features two modes of function. Siege Mode cuts down on mobility drastically but allows players to fire its destructive cannon at a higher pace. Mobility mode, meanwhile, transfers most of its power to speed, allowing for quick entrances and getaways. When inside the tank, the HUD will also display the source of incoming attacks in a short radius around it.

Hailing for Egypt, the new Assault orientated Specialist, Rasheed Zain, is built especially for aggressive players. Whenever Rasheed takes out an opponent, his health will regenerate automatically at a much higher pace than other characters, giving him the opportunity to keep pushing forward through firefights. He is also equipped with an XM370A Airburst Rifle. Akin to Battlefield 4's variant, this launcher lets the Specialist takeout enemies behind cover quickly and easily.

A hand-held battery-powered railgun with multiple fire modes, the Rorsch MK-4, a sleek semi-auto double-barreled shotgun, the NVK-S22, a high-precision long-range sidearm, the NVK-P125, as well as throwing knives are included as new weapons in the update. Fans of previous Battlefield games will be happy to know the A-91 and XM8 LMG weapons from Battlefield Portal are incoming to standard modes too, all via Assignments.

Later in Season 3, DICE aims to push out significant reworks of Manifest and Breakaway, two launch maps facing issues with long stretches of cover-less landscapes. The studio will be improving the combat flow and offering more tactical opportunities for infantry with its sweeping changes to the layout, alongside the removal of redundant playspaces.

The previously announced Specialist rework that returns the series' classic four class system will begin its gradual implementation near to the end of Season 3 as well.

In addition to all the free content coming to players with Season 3: Escalation, a 100-tier premium battle pass costing $10 will also be offered with cosmetic item unlocks for specialists, weapons, and vehicles.

Following Battlefield 2042's mixed reception at launch, it is encouraging to see DICE's push to revitalize the experience. Season 4 of Battlefield 2042 will arrive in 2023 while a second year of content for the title has also been confirmed.

Keep in mind the title is also hitting EA Play as well as Xbox and PC Game Pass subscription services at the start of Season 3. In addition, DICE is kicking off several free play events during December across all platforms to attract even more players.