Now that we know the full makeup of maps and modes coming in the second weekend of the Battlefield 6 beta that kicks off tomorrow, it’s increasingly clear that Battlefield Studios isn’t taking its “closed weapons” playlists very seriously.
Similar to the first weekend, closed weapons gets the short end of the stick as BF Studios introduces new modes. There’s only one closed weapons playlist running all weekend and, weirdly, it only supports the two modes from last weekend (Conquest and Breakthrough).
That means all the folks excited to try out Rush, the two-bomb attack/defend mode that’s been a series staple since Bad Company, can only do so with open weapons—a bummer if you, like me, tried both formats last weekend and decided closed weapons was the way to go. Here’s the full schedule for the beta running from August 14-17.
Day 1, Thursday 14th
- Conquest
- Rush
- Attack & Defend (Breakthrough, Rush)
- Close Quarters: Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill)
- Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)
Day 2, Friday 15th
- Conquest
- Squad Deathmatch
- Close Quarters: Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill, Squad Deathmatch)
- All-Out Warfare: Epic battles across expansive maps (Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush)
- Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)
Day 3-4, Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th
- Conquest
- Close Quarters: Fast-paced playlist on smaller maps (Domination, King of the Hill, Squad Deathmatch).
- All-Out Warfare: Epic battles across expansive maps (Conquest, Breakthrough, Rush)
- Closed Weapons All-Out Warfare (Conquest, Breakthrough)
Closed weapons, if you’re not familiar, follows the class system setup that all Battlefields used before Battlefield 2042: Your weapon choice is defined by your class, so Recons are the only class with sniper rifles, Supports get exclusive rights to the LMG, etc. Open weapons frees up any gun for any class.
BF Studios was not originally planning to include the closed weapons format in official playlists, but changed its tune after weeks of complaints. It has since made an unexpected commitment to support both rulesets in Battlefield 6 indefinitely—an awkward compromise that’s already showing its limits.
Yes, the Battlefield 6 beta “supports” closed weapons, but so far it’s treating the classic ruleset as a side activity with fewer modes and map options. BF Studios obviously thinks of open weapons as the default Battlefield 6 experience, which has this closed weapons enjoyer feeling like I’ve been thrown a bone to chew on so I’ll stop barking at the table.
That’s a shame, because the closed weapons playlist really is a blast. I’ve noticed more weapon variety, overall fewer Recons auto-spotting everyone they look at, and a greater emphasis on class play.
That last point is most obvious with engineers: Darn near everyone is packing an RPG in the open weapons playlist because there’s simply no downside when you can also use your favorite all-arounder assault rifle. In closed weapons, the unique power of the RPG and anti-tank mine is checked by the engineer’s SMG range disadvantage on larger maps.
At this rate, I’m worried the full version of Battlefield 6 will also treat closed weapons as an afterthought, or even phase it out of official playlists when BF Studios decides it’s too confusing to promote both at the same time. If that happens, I’ll have to hope that Portal server browser is as useful as devs say it will be.