Zero Hour launches for all players on June 9, but GameSpot got a chance to spend a couple of hours playing with some of its new content additions during a preview event this week. That session put us on Exposure, the new map coming to Battlefield 2042 available to all players. Exposure feels like it sets a different tone from some of BF 2042's other maps, with a host of differing locations and a focus on verticality that goes beyond what we've previously seen in the game.
We played both Breakthrough and Conquest on Exposure, with the former mode using a smaller portion of the map and confining its player count to 64. The smaller Breakthrough approach is reflective of one of BF 2042's biggest changes going forward. DICE is "unshackling" its All-Out Warfare modes from its previous 128-player count, and will instead be focusing on somewhat smaller maps with more cover and density with seasonal releases going forward. You'll still find 128-player modes on original launch maps and Exposure offers 128-player Conquest, but starting in Season 2, new maps will stop supporting 128-player modes and top out at 64 players.
DICE is adding a new specialist character in Season 1: anti-vehicle engineer Lis. The character is especially good at taking down airborn threats, it seems, with Lis sporting a tele-guided missile launcher--which means you control the missile and fly it into your target. Helicopters might sport radar-breaking stealth, but if you're using Lis, you can use her launcher to bypass the need for any smart tracking and do the aiming yourself.
Adding some new variety for the rest of Season 1 are two new weapons and a new gadget to help spice up some loadouts. DICE is adding a new designated marksman rifle called the BSV-M, which is like having a sniper rifle that can also handle close combat. The gun comes with an integrated suppressor, to keep the noise down and make you tougher for enemies to find as you fight, along with single-fire and fully automatic firing modes. Even more fun than the BSV-M, though, is the new Ghostmaker Crossbow. The single-firing bow has a surprisingly long range, keeping it effective at a variety of distances, and it's nearly silent. At closer ranges, it'll generally earn you a one-hit kill--provided you actually hit what you're shooting at. Miss, and you'll suffer through a painfully long reload animation that leaves you extremely open to getting blasted by any faster-firing weapon. But if you land the hit, the crossbow is incredibly satisfying, and can even be effective at longer ranges, even though you'll have to land two or three shots to win a fight.