Battlefield 6 is kicking off its second season, and we’ve already had a chance to try out the first new map. It’s good, but the shooter is still in trouble.
Battlefield 6 kicks off its second season on February 17, 2026. Finally, one might say, after the release, originally planned for January, was postponed. I’ve already had the chance to test the first new map for two hours and am now really looking forward to the release. However, I’m still worried about Battlefield 6, because even if the quality is right this time, Season 2 is simply too small.
How good is the new map?
After only two hours on Contaminated, I can’t draw any final conclusions about the map, of course. So far, I’ve only been able to try out Escalation and Conquest, but both modes left a very good impression on me.
First things first: Contaminated gives me space! The map isn’t huge, especially compared to previous games, but it’s big enough for snipers, tanks, and flanking maneuvers. I’m fighting for a total of 6 capture points:
- A: A small village
- B: An underground bunker in the mountains
- C: A passable tunnel with several side passages
- D: The ruins of a larger building
- E: Another bunker
- F: An aircraft hangar
Contaminated offers plenty of variety: there are areas where only infantry fight each other and capture points where tanks and aircraft give a clear advantage. Every class and every play style has its place.
Snipers can position themselves in the hills and cover a good part of the map, but they are not nearly as difficult to reach and take out as they are on Liberation Peak, for example, or as annoying as they are on New Sobek. After all, there are three capture points that snipers can hardly see at all.
So the balance is pretty good on Contaminated. As an infantryman, trees, rocks, and trenches provide me with enough cover between capture points to escape tanks or snipers. However, if I’m a tank driver and my enemies coordinate an attack, I won’t survive long without a horde of engineers constantly repairing my vehicle. But this doesn’t just apply to the new map in Battlefield 6.
Helicopter pilots definitely have it easier than on the mediocre Season 1 map Blackwell. They can temporarily take cover behind mountains and forests when guided missiles are making life difficult for them.
In my opinion, Contaminated could be one of the best maps in Battlefield 6 so far. However, I can’t yet judge how it will fare in game modes such as Rush or Breakthrough. The map is also a treat for the many fans who want more large maps with vehicles. Only jet pilots are left out, as Contaminated is not big enough for them.
Much ado about nothing?
As a new time-limited mechanic, Battlefield 6 also introduces gas clouds covering parts of the map in the first part of the season. On Contimated, two capture points are completely fogged in. As an infantryman, I should put on a gas mask (which is always part of my equipment) when entering the cloud, otherwise I will start to hallucinate. The mask only lasts for a short time and restricts my vision, so I prefer to keep my stay in the gas short.
However, the hallucinations are easily recognizable distractions:
Obviously false enemy markings on the minimap and shadowy figures are unlikely to fool you any more than they fool me.
The gas has a greater effect on vehicles, although the occupants are protected from its effects. However, the cloud makes visibility so poor that enemy infantry can easily hide or sneak up on my vehicle.
Overall, the gas is a nice change from everyday Battlefield life. It’s just a shame that, unlike in Battlefield 1, it’s not being introduced as a fully-fledged mechanic, but only as a gimmick that will remain for a few weeks.
Battlefield 6 will be kept alive
Let’s move on to the big problem with Season 2. Although the new Contaminated map is a great addition to Battlefield 6, the developers are not delivering enough new content, just like in Season 1. Once again, there are only two maps – despite the delay, the season will not be any bigger. On top of that, only a pure infantry map will be released in March, while many fans would have liked to see more battles with tanks and aircraft.
What’s in Season 2
2 maps
- Contamination: A large map (for Battlefield 6) with tanks and helicopters. We fight for a military base in the Bavarian Alps.
- Hagental Base: An infantry-only map in the same location. Here, the fighting takes place in the dark corridors of a large bunker.
5 weapons + 1 melee weapon
February 17:
- GRT-CPS (DMR): Semi-automatic rifle for long-range combat. Low damage, but large magazine and comparatively high rate of fire.
- VCR-2 (Assault Rifle): Fully automatic, especially powerful in close combat: High rate of fire, average damage.
- M121 A2 (Light Machine Gun): A weapon with a low rate of fire but high damage. 50-round magazine in the standard version.
March 17:
- CZA31 (submachine gun): A submachine gun with a high rate of fire.
- VZ. 61 (side arm): Actually a submachine gun, you equip the VZ. 61 as your first fully automatic side arm.
April 14:
- Ripper Machete (melee weapon): A nasty-looking bladed weapon
3 Vehicles
- AH-6 Little Bird (February 17): The light combat helicopter with four seats, already familiar from Battlefield 3 and 4.
- M1030-1 (March 17): A fast and agile motorcycle with two seats. You may recognize a similar model from Battlefield 4.
- LTV (April 14): There is no detailed information about this vehicle yet, but it resembles the transport vehicle released in Season 1. The image in the roadmap shows several antennas and devices, so the LTV may be intended for reconnaissance of enemies.
2 Gadgets
February 17:
- 9K38 Igla: Anti-aircraft missile launcher whose projectile automatically tracks enemy jets and helicopters, but only if you continue to aim at the enemy with the crosshairs.
- HTI-MK2: Can jam enemy gadgets and destroy missiles.
Various limited-time game modes/events
- VL7 Strike (starting February 17): In both multiplayer and Redsec, parts of the map are shrouded in poison gas clouds. You can protect yourself for a while with gas masks (which you always have with you); without a mask, you will start to hallucinate.
- Nightfall (starting March 17): The new Hagental Base map will be shrouded in complete darkness in multiplayer and Gauntlet. All players will receive night vision goggles, or alternatively, flashlights or thermal imaging sights will also help.
- Operation Augur (starting April 14): A mode inspired by the operations in Battlefield 1. The attackers must first capture all sections of Contamination and then advance to the Hagental Base map. The defenders must hold off the attackers for as long as possible. The mode is similar to a larger version of Breakthrough.
Season 2 is already causing concern and disappointment among the community. Despite grandiose promises before the release and three studios working on Battlefield, the shooter series has once again failed to implement the season model convincingly.
The comparison to Battlefield 3 and 4 is sometimes flawed. But no one can blame the fans for thinking back fondly to the days when an entire map pack was released in one fell swoop.
The situation would be less alarming if there were no other problems besides the map drought. But the extremely clumsy handling of community-created servers and maps alone could fill several pages. Battlefield 6 also has problems with netcode, audio, weapon and vehicle balance, confusing menus, the design of some maps, and slow progress.
Some of these, including faulty audio tracks, weapon balance, and slow leveling in the Battle Pass, are to be addressed in the February 17 update. However, it remains to be seen how successful the solutions will be. I really hope that at least the bug fixes and improvements will be convincing, because Battlefield 6 is slowly running out of time and fans are running out of patience.
Editor’s conclusion
Even months after its release, I keep coming back to Battlefield 6. Why? Because I enjoy the shooter despite all its flaws and because there is simply no alternative: So far, I haven’t found a comparable, modern multiplayer shooter with tanks and planes that I can play casually with friends from time to time.
But one thing is also clear: the world of multiplayer shooters is highly competitive, and for many players, there are alternatives to Battlefield 6. With what Dice has delivered in terms of post-launch content so far, it won’t be possible to win any battles in the long run. And even if the shooter has enough maps and no major problems by the end of its life cycle, it will simply be too late.
In my opinion, there is only one way out: Dice must now start delivering new maps on a large scale. A third map in the third phase of the season would already help a lot. Developers should spend less time planning new events and modes that are then met with little enthusiasm.
Will that happen? After the reveal of Season 2, I have little hope. But I still have a spark of hope until Season 3.
