A Hardcore playlist has been something of a staple for the Battlefield series, but seems to be missing from Battlefield 2042, though this doesn’t mean there isn’t one on the horizon. BF2042 has just recently launched into early access (with the official release on November 19), and has a litany of bugs and known issues. The game has already had a fair share of criticism lobbied against it, but the lack of an official Hardcore mode may turn a subsection of dedicated Battlefield players away from 2042 entirely.

The “traditional” Battlefield experience lies in 2042‘s All-Out Warfare section, which is one of three overarching game modes alongside Hazard Zone and Portal. Unfortunately, All-Out Warfare only consists of Conquest and Breakthrough playlists, neither of which have the signature features of hardcore mode. Hardcore typically lowers the time to kill, removes almost every HUD element, and enables friendly fire. Right now, the only way to play a Hardcore mode would be to find a Hardcore server in Portal.

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Many like Hardcore mode as a step above regular Battlefield in terms of realism. It’s still not exceptionally realistic, and doesn’t compare to military simulation games, but has the benefit of not stunting the signature sandbox chaos of Battlefield. Portal makes Battlefield 2042 the series’ most customizable entry, so there will likely be a number of player-created hardcore servers as well as some that bring a unique twist on the game mode as well. It’s not inconceivable that DICE would add a Hardcore mode at some point in the future, but there’s been no indication that an official Hardcore playlist is coming any time soon.

Hardcore Mode Wouldn’t Work In Battlefield 2042

As a result of Battlefield 2042‘s design, it might actually be quite difficult to successfully introduce a Hardcore mode. The HUD getting nixed in Hardcore includes the markers that distinguish friend from foe, and 2042‘s Specialists complicate this. Since both teams choose from the same pool of Specialists, there’s essentially no way to identify teammates in Battlefield 2042, and the enabled friendly fire would turn this into a disaster. DICE would first have to make distinguishing aesthetics for the Specialists fighting for the US, and those fighting for Russia, which doesn’t appear to be a part of the developer’s post-launch plans.

Battlefield 2042 is attempting to take the FPS franchise in a new direction on multiple fronts, and the lack of hardcore mode further solidifies Portal as the destination for those looking to enjoy a classic Battlefield experience. DICE also has official Portal playlists, so it’s possible that there will be a hardcore 1942, Bad Company 2, or Battlefield 3 game mode at some point, but these are likely to be impermanent. Since the classic Battlefield games in Portal retain the original character models, this is likely the only place to find hardcore mode in 2042, unless DICE decides on a massive overhaul to the game. So far Battlefield 2042 has shaken out to be a bit of a mess, and the lack of a hardcore mode is just another complaint many may add to their list of grievances.

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About The Author


Kyle Gratton
(881 Articles Published)

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A passion for video games was instilled at a young age when Kyle Gratton and his older brother were gifted a Nintendo 64 with Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart. Graduating from the University of Kansas as an English and History major, with a minor in Film, Kyle enjoys discussing literature, movies, television, and especially video games. He currently writes features and reviews for Screen Rant’s games section, and dabbles in short fiction occasionally. He can be found on Twitter @KyleGratton.

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