The Controversial Specialist System
DICE has made it clear that despite some evolution to the system, specialists will not be removed outright from Battlefield 2042. While this may disappoint some core fans hoping for a reversion, the developers maintain that specialists are an integral part of their vision.
Battlefield 2042 made the risky choice to do away with the class system from previous titles and introduce 10 new Specialists with unique traits and abilities. This departure from tradition was controversial from the start and seen by some fans as pandering too much to hero shooter trends.
As Battlefield 2042 struggled with technical issues that drove away players, its peak concurrent player count on Steam dropped from over 100,000 to below 10,000 in the first few months post-launch:
With specialists bearing the brunt of player frustration, DICE has since acknowledged the need for evolution but stands by the core concept. As design director Dennis Brännvall stated, "We want to hear more from you. Specialists are not being removed from Battlefield 2042, but this evolution connecting them to the class system is one we know many of you have asked for."
The recent 3.2 update in late 2022 brought some of that evolution by organizing specialists under the familiar classes of Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon. Angel and Falck now heal and revive as Support. Boris and Irish deploy defenses like Engineers. Sundance and Mackay lead assaults while Espinoza and Vas work recon. This change restricts gadgets and secondaries by class to align closer with franchise tradition.
Early reception among dedicated players on forums and YouTube seems cautiously optimistic, with smooth performance and quality of life fixes also helping. But only time will tell if reworking the specialists under classes is enough, when deeper issues like map design remain untouched. There is hope though that change is coming even this late. As one Reddit user put it:
"This update is a step in the right direction…Gunplay at its core feels very Battlefield to me, but the maps, performance issues and missing legacy features at launch did way more damage. Maybe this class system integration should have been there from the start."
Season 4 in early 2023 will introduce the last Specialist, a Spanish covert ops soldier named Blasco specializing in stealth takedowns. Alongside the new specialist comes a remastered classic map, potential weapon balancing changes, and continued Portal updates that allow community custom modes.
Could a hybrid model leveraging the boundary-pushing freedom of specialists with the structure of classes chart the best path forward for attracting series veterans as well as new players? I believe it shows promise as a concept if executed well over time. Specialists enable flexibility in combat options, while classes foster teamwork by incentivizing support roles.
As someone who grew up on the classics but also enjoys hero shooters, this middle ground appeals to me. The key is getting the specialist designs, lore and abilities right so they feel distinct yet grounded in battlefield authenticity. Balancing classes to be equally fun and viable ensures squads work together organically. There is a bright future ahead if DICE continues polishing the game while guiding the new specialist identities towards their full potential.
With 2 additional seasons for Battlefield 2042 in active development, it is clear that providing ongoing live service support is also crucial, evolving the meta gradually alongside new content. While patience among fans is still understandably thin, I remain cautiously optimistic about what this long term path can bring.
While the game‘s launch troubles cannot be ignored and skepticism still remains, DICE doubling down on specialists while bridging them with the class system points to a commitment to evolving Battlefield 2042 for the long haul rather than discarding what could one day become a staple.
By all insider accounts and developer actions so far, specialists are here to stay. There is a vision that this controversial system which has undeniably wounded a dedicated playerbase, can with time and care maybe one day mend it too. What shape that ultimately takes depends on constructive dialogue between developers and community.
