It has been nearly two weeks since Battlefield 2042's beta ended and players now know what were the most popular areas on the massive Orbital map. The beta for DICE's upcoming FPS was live over the course of one weekend earlier this month and provided the developer with a lot of information that will impact the final stretch of development before the title launches on November 19. Those who purchase either of the game's Gold or Ultimate editions will be granted early access to play Battlefield 2042 starting on November 12.
To date, the beta has been the most extensive look DICE has given fans for the upcoming FPS, and players took advantage of the opportunity. Fighting on Battlefield 2042's Orbital map saw players fighting around a rocket ready to launch in Conquest gameplay mode. Recently the development team shared a long list of the many things it learned through the data from the beta including a unique map of Orbital that illustrates the most heavily trafficked areas.
Battlefield 2042 showed off a heat map of the beta battleground that shows an "overview of Vehicle vs. Infantry hotspots" across the whole map. Much of the fighting appears focused on the key landmarks placed around the massive Battlefield 2042 map Orbital, particularly on the fringes of the battlefield. There did not, however, appear to be much going on towards the center of the map, which makes up the majority of Orbital.
The data appears to support the criticism that Battlefield 2042's Orbital map is too large. While size is a selling point for the upcoming FPS, it appears the space DICE is providing for its players is far from being fully utilized. It is worth noting that no specific data was supplied when referencing key hotspots, making it unclear just how much more the highly trafficked areas were used for combat.
With less than a month to go before release, DICE still has a lot of work ahead to get the next installment in the franchise ready for launch. Battlefield 2042's beta was full of bugs that have some players concerned about the state the game is in so close to release. Hopefully, DICE can get everything fixed on time and avoid the 'unfinished upon release' designation from the fanbase, especially with rival series Call of Duty releasing its next installment a few weeks earlier.
Battlefield 2042 releases on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC on November 19, 2021.
Source: Battlefield 2042