Hazard Zone is a completely new game mode and is about stealing valuable Data Drives. In the year 2040, there was a global blackout that reduced the number of satellites by 70 percent. Temporary small satellites are used to replace those satellites. Those satellites collect photos, heat maps, ID scans and other valuable information. After the small satellites are also brought down, it’s up to you and your team to collect them.
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You play the game mode in a team of four players. All members must choose another specialist. On the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 you play with 24 players and on the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and PC with 32. All maps from All-out Warfare are also in Hazard Zone. At launch these are Kaleidoscope, Manifast, Orbital (known from the beta), Discarded, Renewal, Hourglas and Breakaway. At random times, a giant tornado rages across the map. There are also deadly Occupying Forces. These two elements make achieving the goal a lot more difficult.
But what exactly is that goal? How many people you take down is totally irrelevant. In Hazard Zone, everything revolves around collecting as many Data Drives as possible. There are two times per pot when players can surrender Drives to escape the Hazard Zone. These moments take place at random times in different locations. Up to two teams can get out of the zone alive. However, it can also happen that no one at all manages to deliver the data.
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The submitted Data Drives have even more value. Every Data Drive you hand in turns into a form of money called Dark Market Credits. These coins can be spent on weapons, gadgets and tactical upgrades for each pot. Fifteen of those upgrades will be available at launch. For example, you can start with an extra twenty percent shield, fifty percent extra credits, or the ability to heal faster.
Each game has five phases. In phase 1, you prepare for battle. You choose your specialist, spend your credits and decide where you want to go. In phase 2 you will be dropped where you wanted to land. From phase 3 it gets really serious. Then you go hunting for the Data Drives. You can find out exactly where they are with a special scanner. New drives also fall from the sky during gameplay. Phase 4 is the first opportunity to hand in the data and to flee the zone. Any spot on the map is designated as an Extraction Zone. If you decide not to go to that zone, you will have one last chance in phase 5. The remaining teams battle for the last chance of escape. Even if only one of the team members manages to flee, everyone gets rewards.
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Battlefield 2042 is out November 19 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, and PC. EA Play and Xbox Gamepass Ultimate members will get early access on November 12.
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