DICE is removing Battlefield 2042's 128-player Breakthrough playlist, says 64 players is 'more tactical'
After the next Battlefield 2042 update drops on Thursday morning, players will no longer be able to queue for 128-player Breakthrough matches. There'll still be a 128-player Conquest playlist (the 'main' Battlefield mode, in that it's the original), but developer DICE has decided that Breakthrough is more fun without Battlefield 2042's doubled player count.
The chaos of 128-player maps was one of many criticisms players leveled at Battlefield 2042 when it launched. DICE says that, after giving it some thought, it agrees that the importance of individual squads and players is «reduced due to the increased intensity and chaos of the combat» in 128-player Breakthrough.
Breakthrough is an attack-and-defend mode in which one team must capture a series of sectors in order, creating a somewhat defined frontline. Conquest, on the other hand, puts all of a map's capture points up for grabs at the same time, and is characterized by many independent skirmishes going on at once.
«When reviewing Breakthrough, we noted that the 64 player version represented a more tactical experience,» wrote DICE. «Reducing our player count here helps to remove some of the chaos from the experience, and in combination with the reductions that we have made to the number of available combat vehicles, it means players are better able to hold frontlines more effectively. Players will also find more space to work together and fulfill their individual roles.»
The decision was likely also motivated by difficulties filling 128-player Breakthrough matches in the first place. I sat on a 'waiting for players to join' screen for over eight minutes just now before giving up. I was able to join a full 128-player Conquest server without any wait, however.
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