Battlefield 2042 is Moving From Classes to New Specialists
When it launches later this year, Battlefield 2042 won’t offer players the exact same Class options which long-term fans will be familiar with. While there will still be four Classes, players will instead pick from a roster of named unique characters, known as Specialists.
Battlefield 2042’s New Specialist System
It’s currently unknown whether players will have the option of playing generic soldiers, rather than Specialists. However, it does seem to be the case at present that Specialists are the new format for Battlefield 2042. The system is reminiscent of Call of Duty’s Operators, although the Specialists do offer unique personal abilities.
Thus far, DICE have revealed only four Specialists. Six more slots are currently greyed out on the Battlefield 2042 website, implying that the game will launch with a total of ten. Each Specialist is a member of the four traditional classes (Assault, Engineer, Recon and Support), but also comes with a couple of tricks all their own; each has a unique personal ability, as well as a unique piece of wargear. According to DICE, these abilities will be the only part of their loadout which isn’t customisable.
Battlefield 2042: The First Four Specialists
- Maria Falck: A member of the Support class, Falck is a medic in search of her missing son among the Non-Patriated. Her first ability, Combat Surgeon, lets her revive downed allies to full health, rather than only partial recovery. Her Syrette Pistol is a special sidearm which heals allies and damages enemies.
- Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky: A Russian Engineer, Borus is a weapons expert out for himself in the growing conflict. His first ability, Sentry Operator, causes his sentry turret to automatically ‘spot’ enemies once the gun locks on to them. His unique piece of wargear is the SG-36 Sentry System, a deployable auto-turret which automatically detects and fires upon enemies who come within range.
- Webster Mackay: Mackay is a Canadian ex-military survivalist, and a member of the Assault class. His first ability, Nimble, simply lets players move faster while aiming down sights. His second ability, however, is Grappling Hook. This allows him to fire a hook and pull himself to wherever it strikes.
- Wikus “Casper” van Daele: The final Specialist revealed so far is the Recon soldier, Wikus. His ability is Movement Sensor, which alerts him to the presence of nearby enemies. His wargear is the OV-P Recon Drone. He can use this to scout, designate targets for lock-on weapons, and disorient enemies with its EMP.