Battlefield 2042's Aiming System Undergoes Major Changes In Next Update

DICE has announced a major change coming to Battlefield 2042 pertaining to aiming as part of a tweak that the developer believes will benefit players and the game in the long run. With the next update, the default setting for Uniform Soldier Aiming will be On as opposed to Off. This will cover both controller and keyboard-and-mouse settings.

But what is Uniform Solider Aiming? According to DICE, this is a behind-the-scenes system that calculates how much input is required to move your gun reticle across the screen no matter how the field of view changes. "It will always take the same amount of pixel distance on screen for a given physical movement of the mouse. This creates more consistency between non-zoom and zoom, as long as individual zoom aim sensitivity (e.g. 1.00x or 1.25x) has not been changed from the default," DICE said.

DICE explained that it had Uniform Soldier Aiming set to "Off" in Battlefield 2042 because past Battlefield games had a slower aim rate while zoomed to help new players learn the ropes. But DICE's data shows that this isn't working in practice.

"We have since observed that for both new and experienced players this variance does not promote good muscle memory build up. As this is an essential part of aiming, we're now turning Uniform Soldier Aiming to On by default," DICE said.

People playing Battlefield 2024 on a controller have already experienced changes to aiming due to Aim Assist. The changes to Uniform Soldier Aiming are meant to cut down on "unnecessary aiming variance" for players on controller, too, so they can learn better aiming skills. "It should also help you aim while using higher magnification scopes to better track fast moving targets," DICE said.

The same principles should apply for Battlefield 2042 players using a keyboard and mouse setup. "Over time, it helps you build muscle memory and improves your aiming skills through more consistent aim rates, regardless of magnification levels," DICE said.

While Uniform Soldier Aiming will be turned On by default with the next Battlefield 2042 update, players can turn it off in the settings menu.

"We are looking forward to getting this change in your hands as we believe it will be a benefit to your long-term gameplay," DICE said.

2021's Battlefield 2042 didn't land the way EA and DICE might have wanted, and management previously discussed the range of issues that led to this. The series remains a juggernaut, though, as 2042 was one of the best-selling games in the US in 2021.

More Battlefield games are now in development, including a single-player campaign from a Halo veteran. One Battlefield game that is not going forward is Battlefield Mobile, which has been canceled.