Two Key Elements: Immersion and Squad Play

A lot of ground will be covered in this post, but it will all center around two common denominators of the Battlefield V gameplay philosophy: immersion and squad play.

Now, immersion can mean many things. For Battlefield V, it spans visuals and sounds, your soldier’s movement, combat situations, how you will shape the environment and vice versa, and how players will act and react more naturally than before.

Let’s start with how you, as an infantry soldier deploying into battle, will maneuver through the battlefield.

IMMERSION

Improving Soldier Movement

Our revamped soldier move set will affect both how Battlefield V will play and look. As you may have seen in the reveal trailer, you’ll be able to backpedal when lying down, jump through windows, and throw back grenades. Sprinting while crouching will be possible – and so will rolling, diving, and firing from positions you haven’t been able to fire from before.

You will react to the world, but the world will also react to you. Move through tall grass, and the vegetation will move around you. This kind of thing is not just a neat effect – it will also affect gameplay; you may, for instance, notice a hidden sniper thanks to this. If that newly discovered Scout gets killed, you’ll see our heavier and more physical ragdoll system kick in. A body tumbling down a hill will kick up dirt and if it lands in a puddle, mud will splash.

You’ll also see a lot more variation in the third-person movements of other soldiers. Previously, when running towards a Conquest flag with your teammates, you saw a group of people sprinting with the same basic move set. In Battlefield V, you might see one soldier stumbling when running up a hill or slipping if running through mud.

Gun Play and Removing Random Bullet Deviation

Where you aim is where you’ll shoot. This will always be true in Battlefield V. Disregarding bullet drop over longer distances, the bullet will go where you have your sights. There will be no RBD (random bullet deviation).

Weapon handling has been given a huge overhaul in general, all designed to crank up the immersion. For LMGs, for instance, you’ll find it easier to go in and out of the bipod positioning.

We’re also bringing back bullet penetration in a big way. So, if you’re wielding an LMG, a stationary weapon, or similar and see an enemy dashing to cover – just rip it. Keep firing and tear that wall or fence down. This will give an extra utility to the Support class who, as you may know, is the class that gets to wield LMGs.

Ramping up the Destruction

Developing Battlefield V, we’ve put a lot of effort into crafting the destruction – a true staple for the franchise – and it will be more dynamic than ever. As the battle rages on and structures collapse, you won’t see pre-determined animations – but dynamic sequences based on physics, materials, and the hardware being used. If you shoot a projectile that blows up inside a house, the walls will crack from the inside, making debris fly outwards.

Drive a tank into a building, and the debris will instead move inwards. No matter how a building is destroyed, different parts of it will crack, move, and then crumble in a more time-extended way than in previous titles, where the fun of destruction ended quicker. Each match in Battlefield V should and will be different, and destruction is no exception.

By the way, this will all sound spectacular. Trust us.

Use Fortifications to Shape the Battlefield

Going hand-in-hand with destruction, the new Fortifications system is up next. This is something we’re particularly excited about, and having had the system in place for a while, it’s hard to imagine Battlefield without it. You can build various types of military assets thanks to Fortifications: foxholes, sandbags, barbed wire, tank stoppers, and more. You can reinforce buildings that have been destroyed. Remember playing Operations as an attacker, seeing the map being leveled throughout the match, leaving no cover left? That can now be countered thanks to Fortifications.

This will all lead to much more dynamic gameplay. If you want to hold a flag, you can use Fortifications to close entrances to control points and funnel enemies towards you. This adds a tactical layer and more choice on the battlefield.

In Battlefield V, everyone is equipped with a toolbox and everyone can use Fortifications – although the Support is the best at it. Play as this class, and you’ll also be able to build and repair stationary weapons.