DICE outlines next steps for Battlefield 2042, starting with Portal XP changes

With the new year now in full swing and development resumed on Battlefield 2042, DICE has detailed the first set of updates heading to its beleaguered shooter over the coming weeks, promising the likes of Portal XP changes and a Scoreboard UI overhaul.

DICE detailed its plans in a series of tweets on the Battlefield Direct Communication feed, noting the first of its updates will arrive tomorrow, 20th January. Update 3.2, as it's known, will offer smaller fixes and improvements focussed on stability, plus adjustments to XP in Portal mode that will "enable more servers and game types to progress on Mastery and Weekly Missions".

More specifically, the per minute XP cap across all Portal modes will, from tomorrow, increase to 300 - "Obtaining XP usually comes in bursts, and our intent for this change is to reduce the frequency of XP bursts being capped during gameplay", DICE notes - while items available to earn in Mastery and Weekly missions will now be determined by modifiers used, and whether the Rules Editor, Damage/Health modifiers, or AI are enabled.

After that is Update 3.3, currently expected to arrive some time between the middle and end of February, introducing a refreshed Scoreboard UI and a number of other changes implemented since Battlefield 2042's development resumed following the festive period.

DICE says it plans to keep iterating on its scoreboard UI over time based on player feedback, but its initial round of tweaks will add a new panel showcasing "how players are stacking up across the server", as seen in the work-in-progress screenshot below.

More is coming beyond those initial two updates, and DICE touched upon some of the other work it's doing to improve Battlefield 2042, including game performance. "Our teams continue to analyse the data available to us," it explained, "and develop further optimisations that enable the game to make best use of your hardware. In every update, we'll be delivering changes big and small that aim to tackle the issues and improve your experience."

As for issues concerning matchmaking preferences in All-Out Warfare and All Platform VOIP, the developer merely said both were "still on our radar" although it has nothing more to announce at present. "We wanted to reassure you all that these are still front of mind," it added, "and we'll have more to show and share on these topics further down the line."

It has, of course, been a bumpy few months for Battlefield 2042, with the shooter launching in a state that quickly saw it become one of Steam's worst-reviewed games of all time. Eurogamer's Martin Robinson went as far as to call its launch "a disaster", writing, "Since Battlefield 2042 went live on Friday, I've endured hard crashes, server problems and whole nights where the whole thing is simply unplayable...This is another Battlefield that's launching in a sorry state, and it's up there with Battlefield 4's infamously sorry start."

DICE has continued to massage the experience with a succession of updates released since then, but it's still managed to draw ire for other questionable choices made post-launch, including its decision to remove the fan-favourite Rush mode from Portal's featured playlist earlier this year - a move it quickly reversed after a significant backlash.

Away from the game's smaller updates, players are still awaiting word on when they might finally be able to experience Battlefield 2042's first season of post-launch content - particularly given complaints around its currently limited roster of activities - with dataminers suggesting it isn't likely to begin until March.

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