Battlefield 2042 – This Is How The New Specialist Class System Works

Battlefield Cover Art
This is the Battlefield 2042 cover art – very reminiscent of Battlefield 4. | © EA

We're getting new Battlefield 2042 information every day. We recently learned about 'Specialists' - a development on the previous Battlefield class system. This is a complete rundown of how the new specialist class system works.

This has been a wild week for Battlefield fans. Finally, the reveal trailer was released, and alongside it news on the maps we're getting, and even a release date! But we also learned about how the new class system works. It tries to incorporate hero–shooter elements, clearly, the popularity of hero–shooters in recent years hasn't been missed by EA. Here's exactly how it works.

Update: Tune in on July 22 for the EA Play Live event, where we expect a lot more Battlefield 2042 news, including news on the specialist system.

Everything We Know About the Battlefield 2042 Class System

How Does The Normal Battlefield Class System Work?

Normally in Battlefield, you chose to play as Recon, Support, Assault, or Medic. These classes have their own abilities and their own selection of weapons to chose a loadout from.

How Will Battlefield 2042's Specialist Class System Work?

In Battlefield 2042 you still pick Recon, Support, Assault, or Medic, but within those classes, there are specialists to choose from. Each specialist has their own ability like a hero might in a hero–shooter, and they also each have a trait, like Call of Duty's perks. So far we know that there are ten specialists releasing on launch and that more will be released with each season of the Battlepass.

We really want to know how the community feels towards these changes as we approach the launch of Battlefield, so please do get in touch on Facebook or Twitter.

Who Are These Battlefield 2042 Specialists?

We've been shown four so far, one for each class - Wikus “Casper” Van Daele, Webster Mackay, Maria Falck, and Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky. Here they are:

Assault - Webster Mackay

  • Specialty: Grappling Hook
  • Trait: Nimble
  • Verdict: This is going to have a huge appeal to many fans who want the quick-paced shooter experience. The grappling hook is a really nice touch - that just sounds fun, and faster ADS for a run–and–gun player? This will likely be the most popular.
Assault
A classic run–and–gun role, one for the Call of Duty immigrants... | © EA

Recon - Wikus ‘Casper’ Van Daele

  • Specialty: OV-P Recon Drone
  • Trait: Movement Sensor
  • Verdict: An intel gathering, hopefully, sniper–wielding, badass. Frankly, the movement sensor perk sounds like a godsend to a sniper, this could be very strong.
Recon
What a badass, I'm sorry but I'll be levelling this guy purely for the ghillie. | © EA

Support - Maria Falck

  • Specialty: S21 Syrette Pistol
  • Trait: Combat Surgeon
  • Verdict: The change of name from medic to support is interesting, probably sounds more inviting to a lot of players. She can revive from a safe distance and to full health. Well, we know what the medic does, probably the most powerful role for a team to fill honestly, but for many, they just won't play a healer.
Support
They've renamed medic as support, but it does what you expect from a medic. | © EA

Engineer - Pyotr ‘Boris’ Guskovsky

  • Specialty: SG-36 Sentry Gun
  • Trait: Sentry Operator
  • Verdict: The sentry system is automated, so that's an amazing advantage - fire and forget abilities are always preferable. The turret tags people it spots too, again, how amazing is that. We can see Boris having a cult following in no time.
Engineer
Engineers are all about the vehicles – surely a popular class. | © EA

There you have it folks, the new Battlefield specialist system. Personally, I'm a fan. It's not going full hero–shooter, but it's opening up some more customization, and it should make the Battle Pass worthwhile. Whether the weapons will be class restricted is yet to be seen, but we'll keep you posted.

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Jon Ramuz

Jon has a BA and an MA in English Literature, and as Content Lead for EarlyGame has written over 1,500 articles. He focuses on shooters, but also writes about entertainment and gaming in general....