Battlefield REDSEC
The Battlefield 6 Battle Royale game mode, known officially as Battlefield REDSEC, was released today at 15;00 on all platforms. REDSEC, which is short for “Redacted Sector,” offers an interesting take on the Battle Royale genre, blending familiar elements from games such as Fortnight and Warzone, while maintaining those unique aspects of Battlefield. Hence, you will find missions, loot crates and an ever decreasing environment, as well as the squad class dynamics and the destructible environment. The map offers both urban areas as well as open countryside thus supporting multiple play styles. Furthermore, REDSEC includes two additional modes. Gauntlet and Portal. Although it has launched alongside the first season of Battlefield 6 (which comes with an optional season pass), REDSEC is available to download as a standalone mode and is free-to-play.
The Battlefield 6 Battle Royale game mode, known officially as Battlefield REDSEC, was released today at 15;00 on all platforms. REDSEC, which is short for “Redacted Sector,” offers an interesting take on the Battle Royale genre, blending familiar elements from games such as Fortnight and Warzone, while maintaining those unique aspects of Battlefield. Hence, you will find missions, loot crates and an ever decreasing environment, as well as the squad class dynamics and the destructible environment. The map offers both urban areas as well as open countryside thus supporting multiple play styles. Furthermore, REDSEC includes two additional modes. Gauntlet and Portal. Although it has launched alongside the first season of Battlefield 6 (which comes with an optional season pass), REDSEC is available to download as a standalone mode and is free-to-play.
REDSEC Battle Royale FAQ:
REDSEC is set in Fort Lyndon, California.
The map includes beachside suburbia, a golf course and a military blacksite.
It’s the largest map in Battlefield history.
Instead of an enclosing circle of gas, there is a ring of fire which kills instantly.
The game mode supports 100 players, or 25 squads of 50 duos, battling it out.
Each class can unlock new gear through training paths. IE RPGs can be upgraded to guided missiles and drones can be upgraded to carry ordinance.
Armoured vehicles are present in the game. M1 Abrams tanks and M3 Bradley armoured personnel carriers are located in locked Vehicle Trailers.
There are Redeployment Stations around the map, although respawning is not as ubiquitous in this Battle Royale.
Players can favourite up to 8 weapons loadouts, which can be accessed in-game via Custom Weapon Drops.
There are crates offering random weapons and gear. There are also safes which the Engineer class can open with his tool.
Players can equip two personal armour plates.
There are multiple ziplines around the map.
Gauntlet Mode:
Gauntlet is a separate mode that is a relatively short, elimination-driven gameplay experience. 32 players (eight squads of four players) are dispersed across Fort Lyndon and must fight through various round-based missions. Players have five minutes to complete the objective for each round. The missions and locations change for each round. Gauntlet is focused upon teamwork and coordination.
Portal Mode:
Portal allows Battlefield 6 players to create their own game modes and bespoke maps. REDSEC Portal brings these tools to the Fort Lyndon map. Two official Portal maps are currently available with more set to follow in the weeks to come.
Battle Pass:
Coinciding with the launch of REDSEC, is Season 1 for Battlefield 6 and an accompanying battle pass system. This shares unlockable rewards and XP progress between both the base game and its Battle Royale REDSEC counterpart. EA have stated that they have no plans for there to be any exclusive REDSEC unlocks. However, not all skins from Battlefield 6 will be available. There is also an in-game store selling cosmetic items but so far, these remain within an military idiom.
Initial Thoughts:
I logged into REDSEC this afternoon and as I had bought the Phantom Edition of Battlefield 6, I had a free season pass with the first 25 levels unlocked. I then spent some time playing Battle Royale mode and then went online to watch some livestreams. At first glance, anyone coming from another major BR game will find a lot of familiar mechanics. You drop into the map with a squad and collect gear and perks from crates along the way. You can then pursue missions to gain XP and upgrades to your weapons and gear, while eliminating other players. You can access your own loadouts and use vehicles to traverse the map, although heavy armour is not so easily accessible. The main difference is to succeed you need to lean into the game’s squad dynamics and utilise their respective skills.
Healing your team is important, so Support classes are advantageous with their ability to revive players quickly. That being said, all players can drag a downed teammate to cover and heal them but it takes longer. Engineers improve vehicles by their presence and can repair on the fly. The tactical ladder that accompanies the Assault class is invaluable, affording access to vantage points that aren’t accessible from the ground. The Recon class has the advantage of drones and the ability to drop bombs on targets. However, the biggest game changer in this Battle Royale is the destructible environment. You can create your own access into a building with C4 or a sledgehammer. Similarly, if an enemy squad is entrenched in a fortified position, you can demolish it with sufficient fire power. Plus, there is no ultraquick omnimovement in this game. Speedy gunfights may work in some scenarios but not all.
So far, I think that Battlefield REDSEC is sufficiently different from its competitors. Due to the franchise’s game mechanics, there is greater appeal to casual and new players because they will be able to find a role if gunplay is not their forte. No doubt REDSEC will attract “sweaty tryhards” but they may not find things to their liking and their standard strategy will not work so well in this environment. There won’t be any gas play clutches, as in Warzone and last moment heroics driven by omnimovement and hipfire may be far less commonplace. It may even be the case that vehicles prove to be the key to winning. Also, Javelin, a custom kernel-level anti-cheat system, may also be a major factor in keeping REDSEC an equitable gaming experience because it appears to work. Time will tell. In the meantime I believe the correct assessment of today’s release is “so far, so good”.
Screenshots from Jackfrags livestream.
