To be honest, I couldn't figure out why there was no middle ground in the balance of power. Without the wrench-in-the-works jolt of either Battlefield 1's monstrous Behemoth assault vessels or the squad reinforcement call-ins of Battlefield V, both of which could turn the tide of matches by evening the odds for the losing side, this new Breakaway doesn't strike me as very interesting or built to last. Hazard Zone, the single bright-ish spot in this marred package, may be another matter. I say that with a caveat: after clearing a handful of tense rounds (and dying in several more), I wasn't sure how much staying power something this straightforward might have. Nevertheless, there's a genuine engagement to this mode that's absent elsewhere. Unlike the madness of All-Out Warfare, your squad in Hazard Zone is a true lifeline. Thrown onto one of 2042's maps-now the size works in your favor, with a scant 32 players on the ground apart from groups of AI you can stumble into-your orders are to gather as many data drives of intel as possible before rendezvousing with a dropship for extraction at the designated time. Like Escape from Tarkov, the stakes are that you and your squadmates are confined by limited loadouts and a single life each, assuming you don't find any uplink laptops scattered around that can call in vehicles, ammo, or a team redeployment. You have 15 minutes to find as many data drives as you can, and it's always a high-strung gamble whether you'll encounter other teams near a drop point.

The difference produces some thrilling moments.Įveryone's gunning for the same supply of macguffins, and every kill, if you can survive, is significant. (Catching the end-of-round dropship against several other teams is a rare kind of stress-hell rush, if you're into that sort of thing.) No one in a squad can afford to be stupid or foolhardy, and with the round's points depending on drives collected, kills, and extraction-die and you get nothing-the timer between the two available extraction pick-ups ratchets up the pressure while simultaneously forcing you to take an active role. I realize Hazard Zone isn't exactly the most apt concept compared to the normal lunacy of Battlefield, so your mileage may vary. I have reservations about the rewards for surviving a run being limited to currency to buy gear and perks to use in future rounds, as well, considering the mission is always the same. It's too early to know whether or not players stick with this mode or whether DICE will add any additional wrinkles to keep things fresh. That said, this is probably the most fun I had with 2042. Your actions really feel impactful, and that's worth something.

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