Battlefield 1: DICE Reveals New Game and Weapon Mechanics

The developers behind Battlefield 1 have made a big announcement regarding how weapons and equipment will work in the upcoming game.

Here are all the new details:

 

 

If you can’t watch the video:

So, first of all, we know there are going to be six categories of weapons. Each of these appear to be designed around different engagement distances. For close range, There are shotguns and submachine guns. At medium range, light machine guns and semi-automatics are king. For long engagements, there is, of course, the sniper rifle. DICE also mentioned sidearms are also their own category. Having a wide variety of weapons to choose from is great news, especially since DICE confirmed Battlefield 1 will have some of the biggest and smallest maps in franchise history.

As for customization, DICE has now confirmed weapon customization is more “focused.” It’s not clear exactly what they mean by this, but Battlefield 1 reportedly offers up to three pre-set loadouts for each weapon. While you’re still going to be able to customize weapons, different loadouts will affect the gun’s behavior. For example, you can trade stability for accuracy, or add more punch at the expense of some other aspect (since a DICE weapon designer confirmed armor-piercing rounds). For longtime Battlefield snipers, DICE reports scopes and reticles are also customizable. Hopefully we’ll know more about how this mechanic works after EA Play and E3.

Players planning on picking up Battlefield 1 should also expect a faster time to kill. DICE says they increased bullet velocity for the upcoming game. This reportedly speeds up the gunplay and makes it feel more authentic. Tactical positioning and flanking will probably be more important than ever in a Battlefield game. Additionally, drag and gravity has been added to the bullets themselves – which should provide a more realistic experience. Given that there will probably be more use of bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles in game, this is welcome news. DICE also upped its audio game, especially for weapons – you will actually be able to tell when you’re running out of ammo, because the sound will change.

Melee gameplay is getting an overhaul, too. With the inclusion of the bayonet charge mechanic, players will be able to dispatch enemies over longer distances. It’s rumored that bayonets have to be fixed to the weapon first, and attaching them will impact the weapon’s behavior as a trade-off. Based on the most recent teaser, it looks like we may be able to do the same charge with our equipped melee weapon.

And there are multiple types of melee weapons. DICE stressed there are a lot of options to choose from in Battlefield 1. Some of these options double as tools, and can reportedly cut barbed wire, destroy barricades, or damage vehicles. So, I’d expect to see wirecutters and wrenches.

I also believe this is the first time DICE has said players would be able to interact with barbed wire. It’s still not clear if this is also a deployable device as a player, but at least we now know it has a counter. Players like myself who like to think of themselves as engineers will probably have a field day finding ways to set-up killzones and create breakthroughs.

To help exploit these breakthroughs, players will also be able to choose from a variety of grenades. Confirmed thus far are frag, gas, and incendiary grenades, with more yet-unannounced options.

More information on Battlefield 1 is expected in the coming days. We’ll have all the new details from the upcoming EA Play event and E3 games expo.