Battlefield V screenshot
Screenshot from gameplay by Stodeh

E3 and EA Play are currently happening and the first gameplay videos of Battlefield start to surface on YouTube.

From what I can tell so far it looks a bit more like Battlefield Bad Company 2. I never played it, but from what I’ve heard, everybody loved that game. So that’s a good thing I guess.

As with every new Battlefield game I’m mostly interested in sniping gameplay and how the game changes for the Recon/Scout class.

Obviously I haven’t played the game yet and it is generally still very early in the development phase (Pre-Alpha). But I have seen about 20 minutes of sniping gameplay by Stodeh. Based on this video and all the information I’ve gathered so far, I have a few thoughts which I’ll now share with you.

  • The Pre-Alpha build of Battlefield V which runs at EA Play has no suppression. I can’t tell you how much I love this change and I pray to DICE and EA that they’ll keep it like that. Where you aim is where you shoot. Learn to control recoil, focus on your target and you will be able to stand your ground even in difficult situations. Overall that’s a nice buff for Snipers.
  • A huge change to the previous Battlefield titles is that there is almost no 3D spotting in the game. That means you can’t and don’t need to spam Q to spot enemies. I think that’s primarily a nerf to Snipers, because now you have to actually spot enemies with your own eyes and can’t just let the game take care of that for you. But it can also be seen as a slight buff because you as a sniper are harder to see as well. There is still scope glint in the game, but no 3d spotting might actually help you to pull off some long range sniping.
  • The minimap also got a huge change and doesn’t show as many enemies. So that hurts my gameplay, because I’ve learned to use the minimap heavily to my advantage. But I welcome that change together with the 3d spotting change. It will make the game harder to play. I like that.
  • The above changes in turn make dedicated spotting devices even more useful than they have already been. They were nice and helpful before, but spamming Q was already doing a good job for you. But now these device get you a real advantage.
  • I’m not sure which gadgets will be in the game, but I’ve seen at least the flare gun already. From what I’ve heard it will not 3d spot enemies, but show them on the minimap. There is also something going on with having to actually shoot them in the air instead of just putting them on the ground, but I’m not exactly sure how the flare gun will change compared to Battlefield 1.
  • A huge change in general is the introduction of the so called “Attrition”. Among other things that means you carry less ammo and won’t regenerate to full health after taking damage, which in turn means more people will run around with less than 100 health. As a sniper you will mostly try to shoot for the head because it’s a one shot kill, but this change will definitely result in more one hit body shot kills. It can be especially helpful when playing aggressively as a sniper and getting into close quarters encounters where you have to rely on quick shots and drag shots and don’t have the time to perfectly aim for the head.
  • I think I have seen C4 in the inventory of the recon class, but I’m not sure yet. I really hope it’s true, I loved to have C4 as a sniper in previous Battlefield titles.
  • Same goes for the Spawn Beacon. I think I’ve seen it and I really hope it makes a return in Battlefield V. It’s really helpful to get yourself and your squad into advantageous positions.

Battlefield V is still a long time away, but I’m already hyped and really looking forward to getting my hands on it as soon as possible.