Battlefield™ 6 News

[p]Hello everyone,
[/p][p]Welcome to our latest Community Update for Battlefield 6! With Update 1.1.2.0 settling in, we are taking a moment to share a deeper look at ongoing and upcoming work across the Battlefield Studios as we prepare for the Season 1 Winter Offensive update.
[/p][h2]Latest Improvements[/h2][p]Here is a recap of recent adjustments before we dive into the upcoming changes.[/p]

• [p]Escalation - On November 18, we increased the time required to capture objectives and territory in Escalation by roughly 20%. This keeps the mode’s high-energy pace while giving players more room for tactical decisions, better reactions, and smoother, more strategic matches. Your feedback has been positive about your experience in Escalation after the changes, and we will continue monitoring both internal data and community feedback.[/p]
• [p]Challenges - On November 19, alongside the 1.1.2.0 Update, we made several changes and fixes to the Challenges system. While this has alleviated several issues with progression and reward tracking, we’re still seeing reports from players that not all challenges properly unlock their rewards after finishing them. The team is investigating, and we’ll provide an update as we get more traction on this. [/p]
• [p]Anticheat - On November 28, our Anticheat team provided an update on the current state of anticheat, how the Match Infection Rate is trending, how we use it to help measure game quality, and what’s next for them.[/p]
• [p]Portal - ICYMI, Downtown, Marina, Sandbox maps are now available in Portal, through REDSEC, and we’re excited to see what experiences you’ll create in these new areas.[/p]

[h2]Winter Offensive[/h2][p]Update 1.1.3.0, Winter Offensive will be arriving on December 9, and the Update Notes are incoming over the next few days. Below you’ll find some of the highlights.[/p][p]Audio Improvements With this update, we have made a broad set of audio improvements, including better prioritization of important combat and vehicle sounds, and a comprehensive pass on footsteps to improve clarity, distance definition, and positional awareness across the game. We have also continued to work on performance and memory issues that could cause sounds, such as vehicles or footsteps, to sometimes not play as intended, which has been particularly noticeable on larger Battle Royale maps.[/p][p]Mode Adjustments Across Rush and Breakthrough, we’re making major updates focused on improving attacker flow, reducing defender oversaturation, and tightening clarity around objectives. Our goal is to make each push feel more readable, fair, and momentum-based without undermining strong defensive play.[/p][p]In Breakthrough, capture volumes and vehicle availability have been updated across several maps. These changes are guided by your feedback and internal data to help bring win rates closer together for both teams. As one example, Siege of Cairo now features an additional attacker tank in Sectors 1 and 3, along with an updated capture area on B to give attackers a clearer foothold.[/p][p]In Rush, M-COM locations on Manhattan Bridge and Liberation Peak have been adjusted to give attackers more reliable access and to smooth out the flow between sectors.[/p][p]Across both modes, multiple capture zones have been reshaped or clarified so players understand more clearly where to contest or defend. Vehicle spawns have also been rebalanced on several maps to better support attackers where pushes tended to stall and to reduce setups where defenders held overwhelming vehicle advantages. These updates are intended to reduce bottlenecks, remove frustration points, and create more consistent and engaging fights around objectives.[/p][p]Beyond these highlights, we have also made a range of quality-of-life improvements across UI clarity, minimap behavior, controller aiming responsiveness, and more, which you will see detailed in the full notes.[/p][p]Lastly, beyond the Winter Offensive update, we are also looking into recent performance issues reported by some players and are reviewing data to understand where improvements are needed.[/p][h2]Combat Systems[/h2][p]In this update we have also made broad improvements across our combat systems to help deliver more consistent, predictable, and responsive gameplay.[/p][p]Hit Registration and Netcode We are continuing to build on our work to make hit registration feel consistent, reliable, and predictable during every engagement. With this update, we have improved how bullet trajectories are aligned in fast-paced situations, including cases where shots were fired while transitioning into a zoom. These improvements correct inconsistencies that could affect hit registration and the readability of where your shots were landing. We have also made updates to better handle high-density combat scenarios to ensure bullets register more reliably when multiple players are fighting in close proximity.[/p][p]In parallel, we have tightened the clarity of damage feedback so that health UI changes and damage cues feel more immediate and easier to understand during combat. While this is separate from Netcode itself, improving how damage is presented plays a key role in making hit registration feel responsive and intuitive.[/p][p]Lastly, we have resolved an issue where clients could briefly display certain pieces of geometry as intact even though they had already been destroyed on the server. Fixing this eliminates cases where incoming damage could appear to pass through walls.[/p][p]Soldier visibility[/p][p]Development is also ongoing to further enhance soldier visibility and to make combat readability feel sharp and intuitive across all environments. In this update, we have refined how visibility effects activate at close range so that soldiers stand out more clearly in darker or low-contrast areas. We have also updated prone animations to include more subtle movement, improving the ability to spot soldiers using low-profile positions.[/p][p]We are already looking ahead at broader improvements to lighting and exposure, especially in indoor vs. outdoor transitions, and how characters read against complex environments. This work continues to be a major focus for us, and we are approaching it with the goal of improving clarity without compromising the intended Battlefield visual style.[/p][p]Weapon adjustments[/p][p]Weapon feel and reliability are always top priorities for the team. This update includes wide-ranging improvements to weapon handling, including fixes to first-shot accuracy, attachment behavior, and tuning across various recoil patterns and weapon categories. These changes aim to deliver more predictable and consistent weapon performance in active combat. We will continue to refine weapon behaviour based on live data and player feedback, with additional adjustments already in development for future updates.[/p][p]Ongoing work and future improvements[/p][p]We are actively exploring several areas aimed at improving clarity, responsiveness, and fairness in combat. This includes further work on edge cases related to hit registration, investigating rare desync scenarios with destructible objects, and gathering deeper data on situations where players feel they were eliminated after reaching cover. These areas remain key priorities, and the findings from our ongoing investigations will inform updates planned for the new year.[/p][p]On the weapons front, we will continue monitoring the effects of the dispersion changes introduced in California Resistance. The early trends show a healthy distribution of weapon usage across categories, and we will keep tracking performance to identify outliers as the meta evolves.[/p][p][/p][h2]REDSEC[/h2]

• [p]Armor in REDSEC: We have seen discussions in the community about how armor works in REDSEC, how it interacts with weapon damage, and where behaviour may differ from what players expect. We have sat down with the team to review the system in detail and have a dedicated blog on this topic rolling out in the first week of December.[/p]
• [p]Tank Availability: We have seen your discussions around tanks feeling too strong in some cases, and we are making a first pass on this. We are lowering the frequency of tank missions availability as a first change to the system. We will keep an eye on internal data and how you engage around the change, combined with your feedback, for additional changes with an upcoming update.[/p]

[h2]Community Highlights[/h2][p]Portal experiences you should give a try[/p][p]Our team continues to be amazed by the incredibly talented, creative, wonderful, funny, and entertaining experiences our players put together in Portal. We will highlight more cool experiences going forward, and thought that the two below would be a good start to check out player-created Portal experiences if you haven’t done that so far. 
[/p][p]Snipers VS. Runners[/p][p]Experience code: YT6XX[/p]

• [p]As a sniper: Don’t let the runners reach the end of the obstacle course. [/p]
• [p]As a runner: Don’t lose your head. ;)[/p]

[p]KING OF THE RING[/p][p]Experience code: Z3JN4[/p]

• [p]Players race around a ring and try to reach the end without falling off or being blown up by the rocket launcher-wielding player in the middle of the ring. Will you make it to the finish line or get blown to pieces?
  [/p]

[p]Battlefield REDSEC Elite Series[/p][p]In case you missed it, we’re launching the Battlefield REDSEC Elite Series, and you can become part of those adrenaline-filled moments when your squad pushes their limits and gets the W. [/p][p]Thank you for your ongoing support, feedback, and PTFOing! [/p][p]We’ll see you on the Battlefield.[/p][p]//The Battlefield Team[/p][p]
This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.[/p]

Battlefield Studios is seemingly trying something different with Battlefield 6’s next patch, which everyone assumed would be a standard, mid-season update not intended to change the game significantly.

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[p]Hello everyone,
[/p][p]Tomorrow, we’re bringing Battlefield Labs back online. Earlier phases of Battlefield Labs helped us gather fast, focused feedback on new ideas before they reached our live game. We’re now evolving and building on that foundation on how we test together as a part of our commitment to deliver the biggest and most exciting Battlefield live service in franchise history.
[/p][h3]Up Next[/h3][p]Our next Battlefield Labs session marks the return of the program, with an early opportunity to experience some of the changes and content arriving in the December 9 game update.
[/p][p]Combat improvements under testing[/p][p]This session focuses on improvements across core gameplay, including clarity, responsiveness, and overall combat feel. These changes will be tested on Eastwood and Operation Firestorm in the All-Out Warfare playlist (Conquest and Escalation) and include:[/p]

• [p]Audio footstep updates that improve distance perception, surface definition, and enemy audibility.[/p]
• [p]Networking and hit registration refinements aimed at more consistent interactions and better responsiveness during close-quarters and high-intensity combat.[/p]
• [p]Broader adjustments across key combat systems that influence all experiences, evaluated through focused Labs testing.[/p]

[p]This play session will be PC-only on the EA app, and through Steam, at the following times:[/p]

• [p]APAC: Tuesday, December 2 from 8-10 PM JST[/p]
• [p]EU: Tuesday, December 2 from 7-9 PM CET[/p]
• [p]NA: Tuesday, December 2 from 4-6 PM PST[/p]

[p]As a reminder, participation within Battlefield Labs continues to be subject to an NDA.
[/p][p]Before the session begins we’ll confirm timing as a separate note to invited participants. Be sure to keep an eye on your email inbox for which you signed-up to Battlefield Labs.
[/p][h3]Evolving Battlefield Labs[/h3][p]As Battlefield Labs continues to grow, we are expanding how we test new gameplay throughout our development phases to gather clearer insights, involve more players, and validate upcoming experiences more effectively. Looking ahead, we'll host two main types of play opportunities for Battlefield Labs:[/p]

• [p]Planned Play Sessions - these are either experimental, or future focused and recurring sessions around specific features or content that we want to validate ahead of release, giving players the chance to experience upcoming updates early and help shape their final form.[/p]
• [p]Quick, short-notice sessions - these sessions are put together on short notice and allow us to gather rapid insights on focused gameplay changes that benefit from immediate community feedback.[/p]

[p]Lastly, we are investigating new and smoother ways to make future Labs sessions accessible for more players. We’ll share more information as details evolve.
[/p][h3]Looking Ahead[/h3][p]In the months ahead, we’ll use Battlefield Labs to look at a broader range of early concepts and experimental scenarios that benefit from real player insight. Beyond that, we are preparing future Labs sessions that explore changes to map layouts, pacing, and alternative team compositions such as smaller player counts or vehicle-focused setups.

As we continue to grow Battlefield Labs, it will continue to be a reliable space for testing early ideas, gathering focused feedback, and involving a wider range of players in shaping what comes next for Battlefield across areas such as:[/p]

• [p]New maps and experiences[/p]
• [p]New modes and experimental rulesets[/p]
• [p]Prototype mechanics and systems[/p]
• [p]Environmental changes[/p]
• [p]Future seasonal beats before they fully solidify[/p]
• [p]Stability and performance[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Get Involved[/h3][p]We’re excited for the return of Battlefield Lab and to resume our playtesting efforts to build the future of Battlefield alongside you. 
[/p][p]Learn more about Battlefield Labs and sign up to EA Playtesting on our website today, and join the Battlefield Discord to join the discussion and stay updated on the latest information.[/p][p]
We’ll see you in Labs![/p][p]
//The Battlefield Team[/p][p][/p][p]This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.[/p]

[p]Battlefield 6 is officially live — and what a launch it’s been! Over the record-breaking Launch and its initial weeks, players around the world dove in for millions of matches and a lot of conversation about our battle against cheaters.[/p][p]In a past Javelin blog, we’ve talked about measuring cheating through what we call Match Infection Rate (MIR) — our measure of confidence that at least one cheater impacted any particular match. You can interpret this as the chance that you as a player would encounter a cheater in your matches. We prefer using this to know whether we are being successful or not as opposed to just volumes of enforcement such bans because even though we’ve been busy blocking, kicking, suspending and banning cheaters, it doesn’t mean much if we haven’t protected your play experience. This helps make sure we focus not just on catching cheaters after they have already cheated and ruined your match, but that we are effectively keeping them from ever producing an impact to begin with.[/p][p]We’re proud to share that ~98% of all matches were fair and free of cheater impacts during the week following launch — meaning our average Match Infection Rate (MIR) was ~2%. That means almost every player who jumped into the Battlefield enjoyed a level playing field.[/p][p]A Quick Look Back: What We Learned in the Open Beta
[/p][p][/p][p]The Open Beta was invaluable for tuning our detection systems, operations workflows, and compatibility processes. We took those learnings and enhanced them for launch, directly contributing to the stability and strength you’ve all experienced so far.[/p][p]Throughout Open Beta, we had the opportunity to put our anti-cheat technology and operations teams to the test:[/p]

• [p]Over 1.2 million cheat attempts were blocked — we removed tens of thousands of cheaters. We even banned some over-confident cheaters who were live-streaming their cheats in real time.[/p]
• [p]We drove a significant increase in fair matches — from 93.1% at the start to nearly 98% by the end of the final day.[/p]
• [p]Secure Boot adoption jumped from 62.5% to 92.5% — we wanted to thank you for getting this enabled so quickly and share that this enabled us to leverage it in various ways at launch with confidence. You should have seen a tank decal in your inbox in-game as a thank you if you were part of those players enabling the feature.[/p]

[p]Since Launch: Results & Impact Month 1[/p][p]
[/p][p]Over the launch weekend, EA Javelin Anticheat prevented more than 367,000 cheat attempts — less than during comparable Open Beta weekends but in line with the current number of cheat developers we are tracking. This has grown to 2.39 million cheat attempts blocked to date.[/p][p]Across all of our PC players so far, we are down to 1.5% of people not being able to activate Secure Boot on PC —  thanks to your feedback, efforts by our Fan Care team, and involvement of some key community contributors and will continue to sort through remaining edge cases. Secure Boot isn’t a silver bullet to stop all cheating; but it is a barrier in of itself and enables other barriers. It helps enhance our detections to make each one just that extra bit harder for cheat developers. It can be circumvented, everything can, but sometimes even experts forget that those circumventions also light up lots of indicators; just getting around a barrier doesn’t mean we didn’t watch them the whole time as they dripped paint back to their nest for us to hammer drop their whole community.[/p][p]We are presently aware of, and have multiple detections for, 190 cheat related programs, hardware, vendors, and resellers and their communities. Since launch 183 of them (96.3%) have announced feature failures, detection notices, downtime, and/or taken their cheats offline entirely. While there are still clips circulating of cheaters claiming to be undetected, it’s far more likely than not that when you see gameplay of someone claiming to cheat undetected, they are already banned or have a hammer incoming. This successful disruption of the cheater community is encouraging. But, we know that bad actors will keep testing our defenses, trying new ways to break through. We are constantly monitoring these new threats and are ready to respond, but these early results show that our layered defense strategy is delivering the fair experience players deserve.[/p][p]What’s Next[/p][p]In the war against cheating, we’re just getting started.  Here’s what’s coming next:[/p]

• [p]Explore Additional OS Security Features.[/p]
  • [p]You may have noticed security features beyond Secure Boot like TPM 2.0, HVCI and VBS are part of the Battlefield 6 system requirements. It’s important to note that these are operating system security features, and in general are good security posture to have enabled for your machine and will help avoid any disruptions in playing BF6 when enforcing that requirement becomes necessary.[/p]
• [p]Enforce against Cheating Hardware.[/p]
  • [p]Some of you might have seen various articles and screenshots of EA communications about users being banned because of use of cheating hardware. While most of these are humorous fan creations and not official, there is a shred of truth to them. Cheating, regardless of the how, is prohibited and using known cheating hardware is no exception.[/p]
  • [p]We are also working to enhance this with not only our own methods of detection, but through collaboration with our platform partners to ensure these devices do not impact our playerbases anywhere, regardless of platform.[/p]
  • [p]For players that have previously relied on such devices for accessibility, we recommend using first party official peripherals like the Xbox Adaptive Controller | Xbox and Access controller from PlayStation (US).[/p]
• [p]Improving reporting flows.[/p]
  • [p]We’ve heard feedback from players that depending on the mode, have trouble effectively reporting violations or suspected cheating in-game. We are working on new flows and updates to the reporting UI to make this more seamless and allow users to provide more context to the team so we can act on accurate reports faster and with better context.[/p]
• [p]Improving internal operations tools.[/p]
  • [p]Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal tools enables our analysts to work faster and with greater accuracy in validating detections, investigating your cheat reports, and keeping tabs on what cheaters are doing. Our tooling is how we can react so quickly to the plethora of new cheat developers and ensure we have ways to detect them and keep them from impacting your matches. [/p]
• [p]Classified.[/p]
  • [p]We have multiple teams working on various new anti-cheat features and detections across our multi-layered suite of tools across Javelin, the game client, server, and beyond coming online as fast as we can get them ready. As soon as any of these new ways of delivering ban hammers are fully tested and ready we’ll share more but for now we don’t want to tip our hand to any bad-actors looking to ruin your game experience.[/p]

[p]The Road Ahead[/p][p]Cheat developers never stop evolving, and neither will we. Fortunately, fair play is something that we’re passionate about both as developers and gamers so we’ve been preparing for a long time already. That said, you can help us by making sure you report players that you suspect are cheating through our in-game cheat reporting - those reports snap up additional telemetry and highlight accounts for us to zero in on when investigating possible cheats and cheaters, and also help us accurately measure how much cheating is impacting your player experience.[/p][p]Keep it fair out there - we’ll see you on the Battlefield.[/p][p]
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