Battlefield Studios has revealed its plans for how it will test the upcoming second season of Battlefield 6 in a community post. The developers have confirmed that one of the first major subjects of playtests—happening through Battlefield Labs—will be the new map Contaminated. Throughout the playtests, there will be evaluations on various gameplay aspects, like how land and aerial vehicles interact with infantry combat, as well as the placement of cover and other assets.
Contaminated is also set to have a unique new gameplay mechanic that will also require extensive playtests, along with the tools for players that can be used to interact with these mechanics. While not too many details about this mechanic have been revealed, the teaser trailer for Season 2 featured a soldier wearing a gas mask, which might tie into the name of the map as well.
Alongside the map, the next Battlefield Labs sessions will also focus on gameplay elements, like the addition of the AH-6 Little Bird helicopter, which is among the planned content for Season 2.
“Looking further ahead, we’ll be running more exploratory tests across aircraft and vehicle combat systems. This includes initial testing of Aircraft Radar, an important part of the aircraft gameplay experience and a system we’re actively evaluating as part of future air combat improvements,” wrote the developers.
These playtests will also evaluate the changes that are being made to how some of the core gameplay elements of Battlefield 6 functions, such as hit registration and overall combat consistency. Lead producer David Sirland has noted that these kinds of issues don’t tend to stem from a single source.
“These issues are rarely tied to a single change, but instead require careful iteration across multiple systems, extensive testing, and time to validate results at scale,” he said.
Among the other new maps slated for Season 2 of Battlefield 6 is a returning fan-favourite—the Golmud Railway map from Battlefield 4. Battlefield Studios has noted that this map will also go through testing via Battlefield Labs before it gets pushed into the game. The map will be more than just a port, noted the developers. Rather, it will be a complete remake, with changes being made so that it better supports combined arms gameplay, and the various gameplay systems of Battlefield 6.
As for Battlefield: RedSec, the battle royale mode is also getting updates, with the developers trying to figure out how well Solo play can fit in with the squad-based gameplay. While not too many details about these updates have been revealed, the developers have said that testing will largely revolve around learning and validation.
Battlefield Studios had released a teaser video for the second season of Battlefield 6 earlier this month. At the time, the developers also confirmed that the launch of Season 2 is getting pushed back to February 17 from its earlier-planned January 20 release date. This delay, noted the developers, was because they essentially needed more time to develop gameplay while also taking player feedback into account.
Battlefield 6 and Battlefield: RedSec are available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our thoughts on why the multiplayer shooter’s player base has been falling.
