Has Battlefield 2042 Gotten Better in 2024?

To put it plainly: yes, Battlefield 2042 has come a long way since its disastrous launch state and is now finally starting to resemble a proper Battlefield game. It still has a way to go before full redemption, but DICE has absolutely put in the work to address the major issues holding 2042 back.

Improvements have come on all fronts, from technical performance to gameplay balancing and overall polish. Perhaps most importantly, new content updates are giving BF veterans reasons to dip back in and check out how far 2042 has come since they last played.

As a longtime Battlefield fan though, I‘ll admit it stings to see 2042 still lagging so far behind older titles in terms of player engagement. But the core of a great modern Battlefield experience is taking shape if DICE stays committed.

Let‘s analyze the key areas DICE has turned around since launch…

Core Gameplay and Technical Improvements

Easily the most crucial piece was getting Battlefield 2042‘s core gameplay up to standard. And over the past year plus of updates, the game‘s feel has improved dramatically:

Hit registration, spread, and netcode

• Once totally busted, now performing reliably match-to-match

Vehicle balancing

• Aircraft and tanks appropriately reigned in
• Overall much less chaotic and spammy

Movement system

• Clunky animations fixed
• Traversal now smooth and responsive

Time-to-kill (TTK)

• Shortened for better risk vs. reward calculus
• Rewards accuracy and skill

Bug fixes and client performance

• Vast majority of distracting visual bugs resolved
• Framerate far more stable on mid-high end machines
• Crashing and stability massively improved

These changes have resolved the disastrous launch state issues that severely hampered enjoyment and teamplay potential. Weapon handling now has that signature Battlefield "oomph" and "flow" when piecing kills together and traversing the maps.

It‘s not perfect yet, but now absolutely playable and often fun in the classic sandbox Battlefield style.

The Return of Classes and Teamwork

DICE‘s failed Specialist experiment is now dead and gone. The traditional four Battlefield classes have returned in full force, with Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon.

This alone has done wonders to improve squad dynamics and complementary loadout building. Paired with the improved TTK and netcode, you finally feel like you‘re actively helping your squad by performing your class role.

Redditors seem to universally praise the class reversion:

"It‘s wild how much simply bringing back the class system has improved teamplay. I can finally run engineer and know I‘m filling a niche with repairing/anti-vehicle etc." – r/Battlefield2042 user

Teamplay incentivization

• Classes encourage specialists and squad interdependency once again
• New exposure-based ribbons reward healing and resupplying

Air/ground balance

• Stinger and AA missile buffs give soldiers more anti-air capabilities
• Teamwork required to take down aircraft – as it should be

This area still needs work regarding squad spawning and objective cooperation opportunities. But now the foundation is there.

Content Cadence Has Accelerated

While still lacking compared to older titles, Battlefield 2042‘s post-launch content flow has stepped up into a fairly steady seasonal rhythm:

The new maps provide some much needed environmental variety like snowy peaks, tropical islands, and war-torn cities. The added weapons – while not fully balancing the meta – expand your loadout options with ARs, SMGs and sniper rifles. Vehicles like the stealthy drone tank mix up vehicular combat.

The content drops feel quite "copy-paste" in terms of assets, locations, and mechanics rather than bold new additions. Personally though, I‘ve had fun dropping back in to grind through each seasonal battle pass and check out the new gear.

Veteran Battlefield 1 & V streamer jackfrags perhaps sums up the content situation best:

"Is it amazing, high effort content that blows your mind? No. But it‘s kept me playing longer than I expected to give DICE credit. I feel sufficiently rewarded for the 7 bucks on the battle pass each season."

So while not to the franchise‘s former bar for expansions, these updates have retained at least a segment of the playerbase.

Player Sentiment: Frustrations Remain But Outlook Improving

One barometer for gauging how much Battlefield 2042 has bounced back is player sentiment across social channels and forums.

Reddit communities like r/Battlefield2042 r/Battlefield, and r/gaming reflect sentiments from series veterans to general shooter fans. While still containing some understandable bitterness towards EA and DICE, the tone has lightened over 2023.

Recent subreddit sentiment

• Less venom towards developers
• Acceptance around aiming for basics rather than ambitious expectations
• Appreciation for continued support
• Cautious optimism about going F2P

The consensus seems to be that players realize Battlefield 2042 is a project still in repair, but want to enjoy the game if it gets content and polish closer to franchise expectations.

Cynicism still very much flares up with each patch that doesn‘t quite hit the mark or announcement that feels tone deaf. But flashes of positivity poke through with cool gameplay moments worth sharing now.

If DICE keeps delivering updates that smooth 2042‘s rough edges, redemption awaits. But they need to walk the tightrope of repairing trust while managing player expectations around what‘s feasible.

The Road to Recovery Still Long

While definitely in far better shape across the board, Battlefield 2042 has not yet achieved redemption and brought back lapsed players en masse.

A quick glance at Battlefield 2042‘s Steamcharts player count shows an oscillating state since launch:

For context, at Battlefield V and Battlefield 1‘s respective 1 year anniversaries, each had player figures about 5-10x higher and held far stronger.

Clearly showing major player retention struggles. But Season 1 and 3 content drops earned short term boosts – proving quality content brings some fans back. A small but meaningful victory.

Cracking 10-15,000 concurrent players seems a feasible milestone if DICE stays laser focused on polish and meta-changing content. From there, transitioning the game to a F2P model presents a fresh opportunity to drive population growth throughout 2023.

Free-to-Play Transition: High Risk But High Reward

In announcing Battlefield 2042 will go free-to-play, EA and DICE are essentially admitting this is an unpredictabile salvage op. One seemingly patterned after Evolve, Hunt Showdown and other titles that badly needed population CPR.

But as industry examples like Apex Legends and Destiny 2 have shown, the business model shift opens new avenues for attracting players through word of mouth. Battlefield 2042 will focus on optional in-game cosmetic purchases rather than paid expansions or season passes.

If done right, this change could win over disappointed but intrigued players unwilling to pay full retail price. And ideally allow the player base to hit critical mass for properly full matches.

But DICE faces seriously scrutiny to ensure the transition doesn‘t upset series veterans further with aggressive monetization. Striking the balance around unlocks and battle pass progressing is critical.

Still this feels like 2042‘s "third launch" – a fresh chance to regain fans on the gameplay merits now that so many issues are (mostly) resolved.

When this F2P drop occurs later in 2024 is anyone‘s guess. But it can‘t come until DICE achieves stability in server infrastructure can withstand an influx of new users stress testing 2042‘s vastly improved systems.

Battlefield 2042 has come a tremendous way since its calamitous launch state over a year ago. Core systems now operate closer to hitting that refined Battlefield feel. New content continues dropping to expand the experience. And while cynical sentiments still hound public perception, there does seem to be a hopeful undercurrent in wanting DICE to get 2042 fully on track.

As a fan invested in this series for nearly 20 years, I want to see 2042 eventually deliver on its ambitions too. The "next generation playground warfare" canvas still presents so much potential if filled out further.

It‘s easy for us gamers to shout "Dead game!" and lose patience when shiny new rival shooters grab our eye. But developers and players alike should remember fantastic comebacks like No Man‘s Sky. With DICE‘s continual support combined with inevitable next gen console adoption, don‘t count Battlefield 2042 out yet.

The path has switched from writing 2042‘s obituary to seeing if DICE‘s long march of updates can rescue a dwindling but passionate community. It took over a year of post-launch support, but 2042 has stepped back from brink of disaster. The road to redemption remains long, but more navigable and brighter than ever thanks to course correcting actions cementing the franchise fundamentals back into place.