The 3 Best & 3 Worst Things About the Battlefield V Closed-Alpha
The great conflicts of WWII beckon once more in Battlefield V. I was fortunate enough to go hands-on with the shooter at E3 2018 and thoroughly enjoyed it. As an avid fan of the franchise, I was rather eager to revisit it this past week during the closed-alpha. Thankfully, I had ample time to fight across the frosty plains of Norway and precisely analyze a taste of what the game’s bringing to the battlefield this October. While I’m thrilled for the majority of it, the alpha build wasn’t without its flaws, naturally. Here are the 3 best and 3 worst things about the Battlefield V closed-alpha.
The Best
1. Major Gameplay Changes
On the surface, these tweaks to gameplay may seem modest, but they make a significant impact in the grand scheme of things. First and foremost, health no longer regenerates fully after you’ve taken a lick of damage. Instead, it typically restores about 60-75% depending on how severely you’re wounded. In turn, it places a greater emphasis on medics as they have more reason to supply med packs to their squad and team overall. Speaking of health, you can now revive any downed member of your squad. Imagine your support member, Jerry, has taken a flurry of .50 cal rounds to the legs and is bleeding out on the side of a bridge, screeching for help. If you possess the courage to do so, you can crawl your way under hellfire to revive Jerry, medic or not. While the medic’s revive animation is much quicker, it’s nice to lend a hand to your squad regardless of class. Furthermore, you spawn with much less ammo than in previous titles. While there are both medic stations and ammo resupply crates spread minimally across the field, the lack of ammo places a greater emphasis on support players as well. I believe it also discourages players from camping in one area for too long, especially snipers who prefer to recline in the distance. While that all may sound frustrating on paper, in my experience I’ve had a blast rethinking my strategy depending on the class I’ve chosen.
2. Frostbite’s Finest
To no one’s surprise, Battlefield V looks ravishing, even in its alpha state. From how light reflects off glistening snow to the ways the snow itself reacts to footprints, explosions, and vehicles, the Frostbite engine continues to wildly impress. Character, weapon, and vehicle models near photorealism, and it’s all complemented by unparalleled sound design. As we’re all aware, audio plays a profound role in immersion, and DICE continues to prove they’re some of the very best at marrying top-notch visuals with incredible sound. Some physics and animations are experiencing a bit of alpha jank, but based on DICE’s track record, most hiccups will be polished out by release.
3. Destroy Everything
Who doesn’t relish in laying waste to all that surrounds them? Battlefield V features the return of harsh destruction to architecture and the field itself. There’s nothing quite like having the roof blown off of the building you’re taking cover in during the heat of a firefight. I delight in driving a tank directly through a series of houses as well. I’ve adored Battlefield’s level of destruction since Bad Company but have been a little disappointed by its reduction in recent iterations. I’m happy to see it return to form in Battlefield V.
