The Battlefield 6 beta returns with yet another close-quarters map and two iconic modes for a four-day Weekend 2 trial, so I know what I'll be playing
Having dominated my weekend, I've already played well over ten hours of Battlefield 6 since the start of the open beta, so seeing access ripped away from me this week has been painful. What am I supposed to do instead, EA? Thankfully, there's still one more chance to play Battlefield 6 before it fully launches at the start of October, and it brings new content with it that I'll be grinding all weekend.
BF6 Open Beta Weekend 2, as it's officially called, begins on Thursday, August 14 at 1am PDT / 4am EDT / 9am BST, and continues until the same time on Sunday, August 17.
To sweeten the deal, the second phase of the beta partly refreshes what's on offer. Alongside the Weekend 1 content, which included Conquest, Breakthrough, Domination, and Kill of the Hill on the Iberian Offensive, Liberation Peak, and Siege of Cairo maps, we'll also be seeing:
- The brand-new Empire State map
- Rush and Squad Deathmatch game modes
- Closed weapon playlists for both Conquest and Breakthrough
- New beta challenges:
- War Machine vehicle skin: Capture 42 flags in Conquest, Domination or King of the Hill
- Bat Company dog tag: Get 200 kills or assists
- Dominion weapon package: Capture ten sectors in Breakthrough or Rush
Ever since Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3, I've been a long-time Rush fan, but its implementation in recent entries has been incredibly disappointing. With BF6 going all-in on nostalgia for this prime Rush era, I'm looking forward to testing this mode out in the beta.
For most players, though, I imagine the new map, Empire State, is the much more exciting addition to the beta, as it was one of the coolest parts of the reveal trailer. Annoyingly, Empire State is another of Battlefield 6's small/medium-sized maps, similar to Siege of Cairo and Iberian Offensive. It's also infantry-only, which is sure to rub some the wrong way.
DICE's lead Battlefield producer, David Sirland, actually spoke on the topic: "We picked these maps to make sure we hit the full-octane version of Battlefield on the head—and made everyone see we can handle that too," Sirland said. "Large maps exist, and the tempo scales accordingly, you'll be able to see soon enough!"
While the beta is a great opportunity to showcase faster, tighter gameplay than we're used to, it's also left many to think that it's all that Battlefield 6 is concerned with—and I don't think Empire State's Brooklyn brawls are going to help change that. As much as I enjoy this more frantic pace, it would be good to see how larger, more traditional Battlefield maps play in this iteration. I can't help but think it's a missed opportunity not to have thrown in one of the three large maps we're promised for launch, like Kundara Valley or New Sobek City, or even the Operation Firestorm remake.
Nevertheless, we've still got new content to try out and fresh beta challenges to complete for exclusive rewards. Plus, if you haven't finished all the challenges from the first weekend, you'll have another chance, as you don't want something like the Rising Star and Seeker skins or Striking Distance weapon packages to slip you by.