Battlefield 4 class tweaks, Field Upgrades detailed

DICE has gone into detail about the class changes in Battlefield 4, including tweaks to specializations and the Field Upgrade mechanic.

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Combat roles play a big part in Battlefield multiplayer, and DICE has given more detail on how it will work in Battlefield 4. The studio recently detailed various multiplayer tweaks, a new system for customizing your class, and the "Field Upgrades" system. All in all, the studio says it's going from seven specializations to more than 25.

In a post on the Battlefield Blog, the team showed off the four classes (Assault, Recon, Engineer, and Support), and said it wants to make each of them more specialized and able to customize sub-roles. The Engineer, for example, has been given more options for anti-vehicle weapons, while Support will be able to equip carbines and DMRs, and is the go-to for suppression. Recon has gotten a mobility boost and rebalanced sniping mechanics, and Assault is remaining mostly untouched aside from some more mobility. Gadgets have also been adjusted to let players use them on the go.

You'll pick a path of four upgrades that will unlock through the course of a match while you perform team-friendly actions. The Field Upgrade Progress Bar will slowly fill up, but will take a slight hit if your team is wiped. Each of the four playable classes have four possible field upgrades. Two of them, specializing in offense and defense, are usable by any class. The other two are reserved for specializations tailored to each kit, like "Combat Medic" or "Grenadier" for the Assault class. You'll also be able to swap combat roles mid-match, and keep your current progress on the bar.

DICE is also holding a poll to select from four possible combat roles; the winner will be included as the third universal career path. So far Shadow, a stealthy specialization that can disappear quickly, is running away with it--presumably, without being seen.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    August 16, 2013 2:30 PM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Battlefield 4 class tweaks, Field Upgrades detailed.

    DICE has gone into detail about the class changes in Battlefield 4, including tweaks to specializations and the Field Upgrade mechanic.

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      August 16, 2013 2:36 PM

      Who else played BF3 like me, with one class played for 99% of the time? Mine was Assault with heavy medkit/defib usage, shotgun or rifle split about 50/50.

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        August 16, 2013 4:24 PM

        I play mostly assault with medpack amd shotgun on mostly tight maps. Shotty is king

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        August 16, 2013 4:58 PM

        when i was playing i settled on assault. probably 90% of my time was with it. early on it was recon and engineer, and i still would drop as engineer often but mostly it was assault.

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        August 17, 2013 7:47 AM

        I play all classes roughly evenly. Recon is my least played, mostly because I find sniping boring, but I will play whatever role best benefits the team at the time.

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        August 18, 2013 2:04 PM

        Engineer with an Krinkov (AKS74u) and either an RPG or a Javelin depending on the map and whether there were recon guys painting stuff for me.

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        August 19, 2013 5:43 AM

        I'm a support player, so I'll do what the team needs. I usually go with engineering to fix and/or bust tanks, or heavy support to keep infantry covered. However if everyone's just deathmatching on a mission based map, I'll go with high speed assault and just keep capping points.

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      August 16, 2013 3:43 PM

      "Finally, the Recon players can still utilize the MAV, T-UGS, and Radio Beacon to help out their team."

      I love how that is just tossed in there at the end of the paragraph about recon. They know helping their team is the last thing a recon does :(

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        August 16, 2013 4:02 PM

        [deleted]

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        August 16, 2013 4:17 PM

        Hush your lips. Shotty recon is a legit play style.

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          August 16, 2013 5:18 PM

          This right here. On CQ maps like metro, shotty recons with TUGS could give their team a huge advantage.

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            August 17, 2013 2:02 AM

            if they make another Metro map in Bf4 i will scream.
            Metro has no place in BF and somehow its the most played map. WtF

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              August 17, 2013 2:19 AM

              It's an easy place to rack up a huge number of points. And with everything tied so heavily into points it's always going to be popular.

              And the spam can be fun in a perverse way. Just like the original Dustbowl in TFC.

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        August 16, 2013 4:21 PM

        TUGS is pretty good in TDM

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        August 16, 2013 4:23 PM

        I bet I play recon as a harder assault class than any other. Something about a sniper hip shot followed by a pistol double tap used to wreck so many people.

        Shotty recon was also sex. All that useful radar information to setup corner prefiring.

        I'm ready for BF4.

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        August 16, 2013 4:23 PM

        I miss the ball from bad company 2

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          August 17, 2013 6:06 AM

          Recon in BC 2 was a lot more satisfying. Really dislike it in BF3

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        August 17, 2013 6:42 AM

        I am relieved the MAV is still in. I would say realistically I have at least a 100 hours flying the MAV in BF3.

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      August 16, 2013 4:11 PM

      They should bring back BF2 classes.

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        August 16, 2013 4:21 PM

        BF1942 classes

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        August 17, 2013 7:52 AM

        I was a BF2 Anti-Tank Pro. DAO-12 to wreck fools up close, and you had to learn to be effective with your pistol at medium range. I was baller at killing tanks on foot though. Shuck and jive while popping SMAWs up their tailpipes. So much fun. Just back me up with ammo and health and we can take on the world!

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          August 17, 2013 7:52 AM

          i remember you more in an attack helicopters

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