Battlefield 2042 Season 1 Zero Hour Hands-on Preview

Battlefield 2042 was released in November 2021, and for the first time since the initial release, a major content drop is arriving in the game. Season 1 was confirmed a long time ago but was delayed as DICE polished the game and prepared it for some of the design changes that the 128-player Battlefield experience would undergo.

Before the new Season was released on June 9, DICE invited a bunch of players to test out the new content while also detailing what the player base can expect going forward. There is a mix of new content, changes in philosophy, and gameplay improvements that certainly hold promise for the latest Battlefield title.

However, Season 1 Zero Hour certainly begs the question of whether this can bring a surge in player counts. In this case, there are mixed signals.

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Gameplay improvements in Battlefield 2042 Season 1 Zero Hour

Lis is the latest Operator in the new season. (Image via Electronic Arts)

One of the most obvious changes when playing Battlefield 2042 Season 1 was the gameplay itself. It's the same game as before, of course, but in the past, bugs plagued the game to an extent where they became a burden on the experience. I can confidently say that I played with nearly no bugs in my own Season 1 experience and my framerate remained steady throughout the session.

My play session lasted for at least a couple of hours, which was enough time to try out the new content, but this could change upon release when more players are added to the mix. It's also important to note that server issues do pop up for an extended time during the game session, but that may not be the case when the update drops officially.

Hitboxes felt great, movement felt fluid, and my copy of the game ran as smooth as butter. In terms of fixes, when compared to earlier builds, the developers do deserve some praise. But Season 1 was about more than just gameplay improvements that have continuously been released in the past six months. Content is key with Zero Hour.

New weapons and content in Battlefield 2042 Season 1

The BSV-M is a brand new DMR along with the crossbow. (Image via Electronic Arts)

Two new weapons are on their way as part of Zero Hour in Battlefield 2042. The first is the BSV-M, a DMR that has two firing modes and can easily dispatch enemies in a few shots. The second is the Ghostmaker R10, a crossbow that is part of the utility section of weapons that were built to cater to unique playstyles. Both weapons are plenty of fun and are welcome additions to the game.

The Ghostmaker can kill with a two-shot to the body, which makes it fairly weak, but headshots are an instakill. Given the weapon's snappy nature and low velocity, it's meant for close-quarters combat. On the other hand, the BSV-M can easily dominate in Battlefield 2042. It was an absolute pleasure to pop one of the scopes to tear through enemies at multiple ranges.

Despite not being classified as a "true weapon," the Smoke Grenade launcher was also added to the update and offered a much better version of smokescreens that already exist. These can be added to your loadout as equipment. Overall, each usable weapon and piece of equipment was a welcome addition in Season 1. The BSV-M will likely be used by virtually everyone on live servers.

Choppers are the new vehicles that have two forms: attack and stealth mode. These choppers can hold two players at a time and can move swiftly to avoid destruction. On top of evasion, there is some serious firepower on offer, but nothing as insane as the initial land boats.

A new Specialist named Lis was also added to the game, and her main feature is locating damaged vehicles for the team. She has a manned rocket launcher, which is perfect for her character's purpose. She likely won't shake up the meta too much, though, and on the test, I found myself going back to previously available options.

New map philosophy in Battlefield 2042 Season 1

Perhaps the best part of the update is the new map called Exposure, which brings players to Canada. On the surface, the area looks beautiful, and it was a reminder of how good the graphic potential of Battlefield 2042 truly is. But the main attraction is the map size.

The idea behind Exposure is chokepoints, close-quarters fights, and fewer sectors. DICE confirmed that future maps in the new Battlefield 2042 season would bring maps designed with smaller engagements in mind while retaining 128 players.

Concurrently, DICE will be going back and reworking the base game maps to fix many of their problems. Some of the areas of focus were overall flow, far more cover to use in open expanses, and raised terrain around the map. More than anything else, this change in philosophy was the most promising aspect of Season 1 Zero Hour, and I can't deny having some hope for that idea.

However, it may not be enough at the moment. Most of the base Battlefield 2042 maps, if not all, will still be the same size, and the overall flow will still be an issue in Battlefield 2042. Exposure is a great introduction to a new philosophy, but one new map won't be enough to hold attention for the time being. Hopefully, subsequent seasons can help with this issue.

Will Season 1 Zero Hour be enough to bring back players to Battlefield 2042?

Exposure takes players to Canada in close-quarters fights. (Image via Electronic Arts)

With the content that we played in the Season 1 playtest, everything was solid. Most importantly, everything was fun and felt great to utilize. There are some great pieces of content in each aspect of the game, and the gameplay feels smoother than ever. At the very least, many of the gameplay hiccups with bugs and graphics have been ironed out over the past six months.

However, this six-month time period, where other games would have completed two or three seasons, could be crucial for the future of the game. This update brought two new weapons, a new map, another Specialist, and a Battle Pass, which are all standard fare for other shooters in the same category.

Simply put, this may not be enough to hold the attention of players. During my time with the update, I found myself quickly switching back to using old equipment or wondering if there was another small map that was playable.

Considering that the Season 1 update is free, existing players should certainly give the new content a try. Exposure is one of the best maps in the game and is full of action. The map feels more like classic Battlefield, and that's a great sign.

That being said, more of this kind of content is required before 2042 becomes a must-play title. There is optimism for the new content for sure, and also hesitance with the scarcity overall.