Summary
- Starting Friday, November 12, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with EA Play can join and play Battlefield 2042 with Early Access, a 10-hour trial filled with iconic Battlefield gameplay moments. This leads up to the global launch on November 19, allowing you to experience All-Out Warfare, Hazard Zone, and community-driven Battlefield Portal game modes.
- For a smoother entry into the new Hazard Zone game mode, check out these tips.
- Battlefield 2042 releases worldwide on November 19 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with EA Play can jump into Battlefield 2042 with Early Access starting Friday, November 12. This includes a 10-hour trial packed with iconic Battlefield gameplay moments, leading up to the global launch on November 19. During this early access period, you can engage in All-Out Warfare, Hazard Zone, and the Battlefield Portal modes driven by the community.
Hazard Zone, a brand-new mode introduced with Battlefield 2042, puts you in a four-person squad tasked with locating and retrieving data drives from crashed satellites scattered across the battlefield. The challenge is heightened as you compete against enemy squads with the same objective.
It’s not just about being the first team to retrieve the data drives; you also need to navigate to the extraction point with your collection before a massive storm infiltrates the area, wiping out everyone (unless an enemy squad does it first). For a detailed overview of Hazard Zone, check out our First-Look Preview here on Xbox Wire.
After diving into this new game type, we discovered that Hazard Zone offers significant depth, with the key to survival lying in the selection of the right mix of specialists, weapons, gadgets, and tactical upgrades. So, here are some helpful tips to help you and your squad hit the ground running when Early Access for Battlefield 2042 begins on Friday, November 12.
Hazard Zone Tips
Not Everyone Needs a Data Drive Scanner
One of the most crucial (and free) devices in Hazard Zone is the Data Drive Scanner, used to scan the field and locate a data drive. Coordinate with your team in the loadout screen before the game to determine who is responsible for this task, as not everyone needs a Data Drive Scanner. Try to create the most balanced squad to succeed in Hazard Zone. Assigning the data drive scanning role allows the rest of your team to free up their equipment slot for another useful technology.
It’s Okay to Retreat
Chances are you’ll encounter other teams fighting for the same Data Drive collection, either player squads or AI-controlled crew teams. While it may be tempting to engage in combat with an enemy team and wrest control of a data drive from them, there are plenty of other locations on the map to choose from. If the fights get too intense, there’s no shame in retreating to a different, less hostile location. Remember: Your goal here is the data drives, not your kill streak, and you receive a greater net reward for successfully extracting them.
Get to the Final Extraction Point Early
There are two extractions during the game, but if your team decides to hold out for the last extraction with your abundance of data drives, it can create a hellishly hectic (and fun!) experience as everyone tries to board the final CV-38 Condor and fly to safety. From our experience, it’s best to have learned the location of the final extraction point, prioritize getting there, and establish a solid defensive position to ward off other squads. And don’t think you’re in the clear once you’re in the Condor. Keep fighting until that timer reaches 00:00, lay down fire to keep those enemy squads at bay, and thwart their last desperate attempt to get to safety. Bonus: If you repel those squads and there’s still time, try to seize their abandoned data drives to add to your collection.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members with EA Play can join and play Hazard Zone along with other modes like All-Out Warfare and Battlefield Portal when Early Access for Battlefield 2042 begins on November 12. You can also pre-order Battlefield 2042 Ultimate Edition and Battlefield 2042 Gold Edition to start with Early Access. Stay tuned here on Xbox Wire for more coverage leading up to the global launch of Battlefield 2042 next week.
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