The world – or Southern California, as Battlefield Studios tells me following its extended logo reveal – has changed. What seems like an innocuous disaster originating from Fort Lyndon could be a larger attack by the Pax Armata (aka those other guys you shot during the campaign). Your job is to jump, obtain intel and get out before other teams can stop you.
Is this the most original approach for Battlefield: RedSec, EA’s new free-to-play battle royale mode and the series’ second stab at the genre following the underrated but ultimately underperforming Firestorm? Well, no. But, man, if it doesn’t make for a stunning sight when dozens of helicopters swoop in over the ruined landscape, with military chatter buzzing through your headset. The same goes for the imaginatively-named Circle of Death – a slowly advancing wave of explosions that offers actual fear from instant death if caught inside.
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“The movement and weapon feel carry over from the base game in respectable fashion, and discovering an airstrike and completely demolishing a building, eliminating an opposing team’s high ground, is just the icing on top.”
It further extends to the sheer atmosphere of a zone that’s gradually descending into chaos, punctuated by jets racing overhead as by airstrikes and crumbling architecture. All the core tenets feel like a refreshing entree with that contemporary Battlefield sheen, but does the main course offer anything worth recommending over its competitors? Well, sort of.
If you’ve played a battle royale title before, then RedSec offers a familiar start. Select your Class from the base game’s four options, customize your loadout while waiting alongside a squad, drop in by air, and begin scouring locations for loot. Weapons, armor, grenades, tacticals – anything that can provide an edge. There are 100 players divided into 25 squads of four each – dying allows for redeployment, which scales weapon quality to your training path level, but you also get a second chance if the squad is wiped. Keep track of the ring – sorry, the Circle of Death. Move when appropriate. Survive. Don’t feed.
Custom Weapon Drops offer a chance for better loot, assuming the rest of the map doesn’t gank you in the process. Contracts offer different mission objectives – decrypting beacons, data extraction, etc, each with unique rewards, and I like how each is catered to a different part of outfitting your character (like Weapons Cache for unearthing better armaments). Missions refresh periodically, creating a decent sense of tension as you decide to either hold on to your position or take a risk for a potential power spike. Since some rewards can include keycards for vehicles, including tanks, they’re worth mulling over.
Now combine all this with the destruction mechanics and core gameplay of Battlefield 6, and RedSec is off to the races. The movement and weapon feel carry over from the base game in respectable fashion, and discovering an airstrike and completely demolishing a building, eliminating an opposing team’s high ground, is just the icing on top. Fort Lyndon is also, unlike so many other maps in the game, actually big and sprawling, facilitating vehicular play with its real estate but offering enough avenues for infantry combat to thrive. Massive buildings, warehouses, golf courses – it’s a varied canvas with some unique points of interest, and it all naturally flows together.
“I’m also somewhat iffy on loadouts, since players can essentially bypass some of the core mechanics, like Weapon Upgrade Kits, in favor of obtaining their favorite weapons with the required attachments.”
Until you get shot, that is. Battlefield: RedSec’s shooting feels great, but the time to kill occasionally feels iffy. An enemy outright shreds you, even with armor, but you’re not quite as lucky, mostly due to dodgy hit registration. Neither scenario happens all the time – it’s the inconsistency that adds to the frustration, lowering the incentive to push in fights where you might have the advantage. Considering it’s been an issue in the base game since launch – which DICE is aware of and working on – it will likely be addressed sooner than later. When things feel right, the time to kill is manageable, for the most part.
Alongside Squads, you can roll into Fort Lyndon as Duos. There’s also Gauntlet, a more objective-focused mode where eight teams of four players compete for points in each of its four modes. The squad that fails to secure enough is eliminated, so while kills are key in one mode, playing the objective and supporting your team are mandatory above all else. However, one glaring absence stands out above all else: The lack of a Solos mode.
You can’t queue as a solo player in RedSec. You can separate from your squad and go all lone wolf in a Duos or Squads game, but you are at risk of being taken down by other teams (and also dragging the rest of your squadmates down by default). How this was omitted from RedSec’s launch, especially after months of testing, is completely mind-boggling. Heck, the whole premise of Battle Royale – the movie and the game mode – is to be the last person standing in a playing field where everyone has the same start (more or less). The lack of a dedicated playlist to facilitate this at launch feels like a massive oversight. Again, something to be addressed in the weeks and months to come, but a disappointing oversight all the same.
I’m also somewhat iffy on loadouts, since players can essentially bypass some of the core mechanics, like Weapon Upgrade Kits, in favor of obtaining their favorite weapons with the required attachments. Warzone had a similar practice, to its ultimate detraction, but due to how things play out in RedSec, it doesn’t feel like a huge red flag just yet. Ultimately, time will tell.
Also, as a side note: Why do Battlefield 6 players have to engage with RedSec to complete challenges to progress through the Battle Pass? Why is Battlefield Pro even a thing with the number of benefits it provides (exclusive assignments, for a start), and why does it cost a whopping $25? This is more of a critique of EA than anything else, which probably falls on deaf ears at this point, but both of these are in the game and terrible regardless.
“For now, Battlefield: RedSec earns a single thumbs-up – it won’t change your mind on the genre as a whole, and if you’re a multiplayer fan pining for larger maps, it will doubtless infuriate. Yet for a Battlefield BR, the development team has hit the ground running.”
Despite these core issues and my general disdain for Battlefield 6’s other problems, which carry over – the UI is still awful and needs some serious changes – RedSec is a promising endeavor. Even with my enthusiasm for battle royales evaporating over the years, it captures the thrill of dropping into a map, not knowing what to expect and eager to discover a location’s treasures. Mixed with the controlled chaos and methodical pace of Battlefield, it feels like a unique experience, even if it’s lacking in several areas.
The real test begins now, however. Will something that overperforms in multiplayer get the nerf bat and become less oppressive but totally useless in RedSec? Will the landscape expand with new POIs and Contracts to keep things interesting? How will the meta shake out once players have completely learned the map and can obtain their best loadouts? Can we expect additional areas as the map evolves? Will it even change over time?
Battlefield Studios hasn’t gone into too much detail on all of this, and while it’s once again a long-term concern, it’s a concern all the same, considering how other battle royales have shaken out over the years. For now, Battlefield: RedSec earns a single thumbs-up – it won’t change your mind on the genre as a whole, and if you’re a multiplayer fan pining for larger maps, it will doubtless infuriate. Yet for a Battlefield BR, the development team has hit the ground running.
This game was reviewed on PC.
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