EA and DICE revealed Hazard Zone in a lengthy post to the Battlefield website today. In the mode, teams of four enter a match, attempt to collect valuable Data Drives scattered around the map, and then try to extract successfully, earning in-game money for the Data Drives they make off with. As they’re collecting Data Drives and attempting to extract, teams will have to contend with other groups of players, AI-based Occupying Forces, and a storm that grows more intense and covers more of the map as time goes on.
Some of those things, like the competition between teams of players and the nature of the storm, make it sound like Hazard Zone is Battlefield 2042‘s battle royale, but there are some significant differences between this mode and a traditional battle royale mode. For starters, the mode supports only 32 players (8 teams of four) at a time on PC and current-gen consoles. On previous-generation consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it’ll only support 24 players (6 teams of four).
There are 15 Tactical Upgrades available at launch, and here’s a quick glimpse at some of them:
- Extra Throwable - Carry +1 of your selected throwable Gadget.
- Insider Information - Show the landing position of crashing capsules 30 seconds before they arrive.
- Loadout Insurance - Reimburse 25% of upgrades and Loadout cost if you die.
- Negotiated Bounty - +50% Dark Market Credits bounty when killing Opposing Forces
- Quickdraw Holster - Swap between weapons 15% faster
As for the others, you’ll have to discover them for yourself when you play Hazard Zone.
What’s the difference between last-gen and next-gen versions of Hazard Zone?
Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation® 5 and PC users will be able to play with up to 32 players in a massive playspace, while Xbox One and PlayStation® 4 players will be able to play a version scaled for up to 24 players.
What happens when I die?
You’ll be able to spectate your squad from the sidelines, hoping they can bring you back by finding a Redeploy Uplink in case no Squad Redeploy Call-in was bought before insertion.
Is it possible to redeploy multiple times in a Hazard Zone match?
If your entire squad bites the dust, the mission’s a failure and you lose the match. But should one member still be alive and manage to trigger a Redeploy Call-in (found in the world or purchased with DMC before a match starts), they can bring the entire team back to life.
