Battlefield 2042 Season 3.1 update: Manifest rework, new vault weapons, more

The Battlefield Season 3.1 update reworks Manifest, adds three new vault weapons, and fixes gameplay and audio issues.

Things are looking up for the Battlefield community. BF2042’s Season 3 update added a new map, specialist, weapons, and vehicle. Spearhead made a great first impression on community members, providing exhilarating close-quart combat.

Running around with the NVP-P125 railgun has also provided a brand-new experience for players. EA kept the good news rolling, confirming Season 5 and hinting at a popular Battlefield 4 map coming back to the series. And finally, BF2042 is returning to its roots with a reworked class-based system in early 2023.

Before fans set their eyes on exciting content coming down the pipeline, let’s look at everything included in the Season 3.1 update.

Contents

• Release date
• Manifest rework
• Three new Vault weapons
• Gameplay responsiveness and audio
• Season 3.1 update patch notes

Electronic Arts

Release date

The Battlefield 2042 Season 3.1 update is set to go live on Wednesday, December 7. EA also announced the next major update is scheduled towards the end of January.

Manifest rework

EA stated, “Our main focus with the rework of Manifest is to ensure it becomes more streamlined and offers up a tighter game space.”

To accomplish that goal, the developers added life to previously underutilized locations. One of the biggest complaints with the original design of BF2042’s maps was too many wide open areas. The 3.1 update adds four new points of interest, and flag spaces to reduce travel lines, making it easier to move between objectives.

Electronic Arts

Three new Vault weapons

As was the case with other mid-season Battlefield 2042 updates, Season 3.1 introduces three new Vault weapons. The M416 was a fan-favorite AR in Battlefield 3, and the well-balanced weapon eviscerates enemies in medium-range combat.

Longtime series veterans will be familiar with the M240B LMG. The powerful monster boasts great bullet velocity and damage output.

Finally, the M93R is a burst pistol that is deadly at close range but suffers from accuracy problems with anything outside of the weapon’s comfort zone.

Improved Gameplay responsiveness and audio

The Season 3.1 update makes wide-sweeping gameplay and audio changes. EA stated, “We have updated several elements of our weapons to improve the overall ‘feel’ of them.” The update reworks reload animations to make them feel “a lot more snappier and responsive.”

Players can now change the zoom radius on the minimap and improvements were made to weapon and solider animations.

On the audio side, the developers made several voice-over improvements and fixed issues with weapons and vehicles.

Season 3.1 update patch notes

Here are the full Season 3.1 Update patch notes.

GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS

• You are now able to dynamically change the zoom radius of the minimap via keybind
• Improved hit registration against soldiers on moving platforms or vehicles
• Resolved an issue where a vault animation could play on top of a reload animation
• Further improvements to improve responsiveness around weapon deploy and undeploy animations, aiming down sight, sprint traversal and reduced the time around enter soldier movement speeds these changes will be particularly felt on animation
• Improved responsiveness on transition into movement from standing still
• Fixed an issue where it was possible to skip the traversal sprint recovery time
• Fixed animation not playing properly when entering vehicles though entrance that is high above the ground
• Resolved an issue where the Character is stuck in downed state after dying during a takedown and then getting revived
• Fix a rare issue that could make the player stuck in a limbo state after dying during a takedown
• Making hit reactions more pronounced to improve the shooting experience
• Fixed an issue where Sundance may have a more bouncy landing via their Wingsuit than anticipated
• Fixed a bug where landing with the wingsuit on a fence shortly after activating could cause lethal fall damage
• Fixed an issue with Blood Splatter not appearing correctly when shooting enemy soldiers
• Fixed an issue causing blood spatter effects to appear in unintended places
• Added blood mist elements to the regular body and head shot impacts on soldiers to better convey that you hit an enemy
• Fixed a bug where you could attach to a rope through thin walls
• Fix for left hand animations breaking after entering a vehicle from traversal sprint
• Fixed a bug when traversal sprinting into water could make the swimming animation break
• Fixed an issue where you could sometimes see floating weapon parts after throwing a smart grenade

MAPS

Renewal

• Adjusted the Capture Zone for Sector A and B to encourage a smoother flow of gameplay as an Attacker.

Kaleidoscope

• Removed C1 and G1 Capture Points on Conquest Large, and merged the subsequent capture area into nearby Capture Points. The win rate was balanced towards one side unfairly with Kaleidoscope, and these changes should hopefully improve and encourage a more natural flow of play throughout

Stranded

• Tweaked ticket count for Conquest to encourage a slightly longer duration of match time
• Adjusted the combat area and out of bounds limits on Breakthrough, for the last sector
• Defender HQ has been moved closer to the flag on Breakthrough, for the last sector
• Adjusted the HQ area and out of bounds limits for the first sector on Rush
• The MCOM for the first sector has been relocated out of the hanger on Rush
• Made improvements to other MCOM positions to improve attacking flow for Rush
• Fixed an instance of flickering terrain when in low flying aircraft around D1
• Fixed the ability to hide in in-world stationary Tanks near the C1 Objective
• Fixed level of detail issue on destroyed showroom screens
• We’ve placed extra lubrication on the crane rails for the Shipping Container grabber inside the ship, this means it shall no longer be jittery in motion and should be much smoother!

Manifest

• Fixed a rare issue that allowed grenades to fall through the ground
• Resolved a visual issue where flying close to the incoming storm on Manifest would result in a black vignette around the screen
• A melee attack to a chair in the office suite will no longer destroy the entire desk, we have yet to invent Adamantium as part of your arsenal loadout
• Fixed audio issue where metal scaffolding throughout the level did not sound correct to its material type
• Improved lighting draw distance scenarios for the Toll Station at distance
• Fixed issue in FFA where players got deployed under the map on small layout
• Fixed issue where enemies could be seen deploying in the same spot
• Fixed issue where the Spawn Beacon could be placed after crawling under containers
• Fixed issue where the lighting poles on the map remained lit after being destroyed.
• Fixed an instance of lighting draw distance inside the Storage Facility

Spearhead

• Further improvements to the initial spawning phase on Rush
• Fixed some debris issues when the Landed Drone’s propeller was destroyed
• Fixed an issue where at certain angles during the downed-state, some water sources could disappear
• Fixed an issue where players were not taking damage from fire around the tire piles
• Fixed issue where several entrances of the cube buildings were very darkly lit
• Sealed the roof of the tunnel so rain no longer appears inside it
• Fixed Printer Boxes issue where the robotic arm was still functional after the printer box got destroyed
• Fixed issue where Deploy Point UI was missing from the Deploy screen on FFA
• Fixed issue where a stack of four yellow tank containers were floating inside the E2 flag
• Fixed issue where killcam transition to deploy screen showed the whole interior of the building when dying inside C2 & E1 buildings
• Fixed some minor tree clipping issues around vents and containers
• Fixed issue with movers where Ammo/Health crates would not get destroyed when a Mover passing over them
• Fixed level of detail issues for base of robot arm after the yellow robots were destroyed
• Fixed issue with unnatural stretched ground texture placed near the tunnel entrance
• Fixed issue where it was possible to destroy the ruin state of Nordvik water tank
• Fixed audio issue where the distant warfare on Spearhead was still present during end of round screen

AI

• Given each AI Soldier a navigation manual that should help them through the road between Sector D and E with more ease on Spearhead
• With this navigation manual, we have also told them to look out for small objects and not to get confused by them on Spearhead
• Fixed an issue where AI could get stuck navigating through the Ventilator Zone on C2 and E1 on Spearhead
• Given driving instructions for AI driving larger vehicles for Rush on Spearhead
• Fixed issues where AIs were unable to climb ladders on Spearhead’s Capture Point E2

WEAPONS

• Toggle Optics should now be listed for the NVK-NXT 2X scope in the Rorsch Mk-4 collection menu
• Fixed an issue that was causing the PKS-07 to clip through the camera when equipped on the A-91
• Fixed an issue that allowed the primary scope on the Rorsch Mk-4 to float slightly above the weapon on PlayStation 4
• Fixed an issue where flashlights or lasers would sometimes be visible on secondary weapons and gadgets
• Fixed an issue where the HUD would sometimes fail to load after switching attachments on weapons
• Fixed an issue that was causing laser beams to be misplaced at different FOV values
• Ensured that the sound effects are aligned with the firing of the 12M Auto
• Subsonic magazine no longer interferes with other magazines ammo capacity on the VCAR
• Subsonic mesh is visible when swapping from other magazines on the VCAR
• Fixed an issue that was causing a broken weapon position to be displayed on the M16A3 while prone and using the M26 underbarrel attachment.
• MP412 Rex now has the intended rate of fire.
• AKS-74u now has the intended rate of fire.
• Fixed an issue where the MP9 shooting animation while ADS would break when exiting a vehicle.
• Added several missing weapon attachments to Portal.
• VCAR magazines now have the intended color.
• Fixed orientation of the TV 2x Sight within the icon on the AK24.
• Minor VFX tweaks to the PF51
• Improvements made to the Rorsch Mk-4 trail FX
• An additional layer of Animation polish has been applied to the M16A3
• Updated textures on the Avancys iron sights while viewing them from view
• We have updated several elements of our weapons to improve the overall ‘feel’ of them. This includes work across our Reload Animations which should make all weapons, across the entire game, feel a lot more snappier and responsive.

VEHICLES

• Call-in audio now plays when calling in the EMKV90-TOR
• Updated the description of the Active Protection System to convey that it does not block close range projectiles
• Fixed an issue where VFX was not displaying correctly when Active Protection Systems were firing
• Fixed an issue where vehicles could have a repeating wet pattern on them
• Fixed an issue that was preventing deployable gadgets such as the Spawn Beacon from being placed closed to either of the EBLC-RAM or EMKV90-TOR while Active Protection Systems were enabled
• Fixed an issue where aiming within a tank could become problematic while looking at smoke
• Parts of aircraft would sometimes animate in the wrong direction, we’ve turned them around so now they’ll be rotating on the correct axis
• Fixed an issue that would allow drivers in the MAV to be able to ADS while in 1P view
• Fixed an issue that was causing overheat circle to wrongly display while using the Howitzer cannon on the EBLC-RAM
• Fixed an issue that was causing vehicles such as the LATV4 and LCAA Hovercraft from receiving too much damage when colliding with various objects around a map
• Overheat and cooldown states are communicated with red in the crosshair HUD circle
• We have lowered the ground pull effect and tweaked the force, may it be with you always
• Fixed an issue when deploying into a vehicle that would cause the camera to briefly go inside the vehicle and look weird
• Calling in a LCAA Hovercraft on top of a tank will propel the tank high in the sky or under the map. Physics are weird sometimes
• The LATV4 has had its swole levels reduced and can no longer ram tanks (Thanks for the intel, Carpo!)
• The “Unassigned” UI is no longer present in 1p view after repeatedly switching the seats on AAV-7A1 AMTRAC
• Smoke Launcher VFX is now more accurately aligned across game clients
• Active Protection Systems no longer block damage from C5 or AT Mines
• Fixed an issue where the spotter seat on the MD540 Nightbird would only update the minimap and not provide the in-world spot
• Improved behavior while flying the MD540 Nightbird with Helicopter control assists disabled
• Improvements made to the VFX on fighter jets
• Animated leading edge flaps on the F-35E Panther and SU-57 FELON
• Updated and overhauled locking ranges and behavior of all locking weapons when laser designated
• Tweaks to the vehicle HUD and crosshair, including updating alpha channels and ensuring decorative HUD elements are less visually impacting to players

SPECIALISTS & GADGETS

• Fixed an issue where weapon meshes could be seen breaking after throwing Sundance’s Smart grenade
• Fixed an issue where the Throwing knife was visible floating on player when being headshot with throwing knife
• Fixed FPS drops when ADSing with the XM370A on Stranded and Hourglass on previous generation systems
• The XM370A now has SFX for when its projectile is traveling in the air 
• Fixed an issue where Ammo was present in empty magazine when reloading the XM370A
• Fixed a bug with Falck Stim Pistol where it could get stuck in self heal animations
• Fixed a bug where players were able to resupply from ammo bags while inside a vehicle
• Fixed an issue where players who were manning the Mounted Vulcan in smokes would have their animations break 
• Added Missing Gadget descriptions for Lis and Zain in Hazard Zone screen
• Fixed issues where Players were able to spot insertion beacons through the wall
• Fixed an issue where Irish shield couldn’t be deployed in tight corridors
• Fixed an issue where the camera would shake when using the Raos’ Cyber Warfare Suite after switching from main weapon
• Fixed an issue with Broken Hit animations when hitting Dozer while he’s using the Ballistic Shield
• Fixed a bug Hacked/EMP icon was missing on enemy gadgets
• Fixed situations where Paik’s EMG-X Scanner overlay does not immediately disappear when entering a vehicle
• Fixed an issue where the Insertion Beacons could be seen through the floor of the building near A2 on Kaleidoscope, Conquest
• Fixed a bug where the Prox Sensor grenade in-world Icon was not displayed on the grenade
• Fixed a bug where Angel’s Loadout Crate were not being fully absorbed by the player and would bounce away (Eyes in the sky, people >:)) 
• Fixed a bug where Dozer’s shield did not protect user against close range attacks
• Fixed abusable behaviors where players could progress on missions by damaging and repairing their own gadget
• Fixed a bug where when you would cancel self-heal with Med-Pen audio keeps playing
• Fixed a bug where the player was unable to pick up Mounted Vulcan after dying/redeploying
• Heal needed UI Icons are now visible for non support characters with the health create, without first having to deploy the health create
• Fixed issues with Grenade throw animations not playing correctly
• Fixed an issue where after fragmentation the grenades would get stuck into the ceilings
• Open and character gadgets can now not be placed on top of bushes 
• Fixed a bug where Rocket Launchers would deal no damage on a user mid vault
• World Log event messages for vehicle repair and Angels’ ammo resupply now informs who is doing the action
• Fixed a bug where after exiting the OV-P Recon Drone, the Enter hint would remain displayed on the screen
• Fixed an issue where Zain’s trait would trigger in vehicles with closed seats

AUDIO

• Fixed an issue where requesting orders from a dead squad leader would default to MacKay
• Several Voice Over improvements have been included around ping reviving and canceling pings
• Airstrike voice over lines have been added
• Added Audio improvements for the XM370A, including new projectile sounds for the Airburst
• Fixed an issue where audio keeps playing when you cancel self-heal with Med-Pen
• Fixed an audio issue when reloading after an empty reload
• Fixed an issue where sound effects were not triggering when reloading the DM7 while running/walking during the first part of the reload
• Added hit reaction camera shake and bullet damage sound polish
• Fixed an issue where no call-in audio is played when calling in the EMKV90-TOR
• Fixed an issue where distant warfare sound effects were still present during EOR screen

PORTAL

• Added the S3 map, Spearhead, as an available map under the Custom Conquest Portal mode.
• Added the S3 Battle Pass Weapon, Rorsch Mk-4, to the InventoryPrimaryWeapons block
• Added the S3 Battle Pass Vehicle, EMKV90-TOR, to the Vehicles block
• Added the S3 specialist, Zain, to the PlayerSoldiers block
• Added Zain’s specialist Gadget, XM370A, to the InventoryCharacterSpecialties block
• Added the S3 Battle Pass Weapon, NVK-P125, to the InventorySecondaryWeapons block
• Added the S3 Battle Pass Throwable, Throwing Knife, to the InventoryThrowables block
• Added the S3 Battle Pass Weapon, NVK-S22, to the InventoryPrimaryWeapons block

PROGRESSION & XP

• Reviving a teammate that has requested it will now reward you with Request Fulfilled XP
• Increased the XP from “Match Reward” in Hazard Zone by 50%
• Increased the XP from successfully destroying an MCOM in Rush from 150 to 300
• Solo & Co-Op XP Changes
•  Enabled all Ribbons, but at 40% XP value.
•  Doubled “Round Actions” XP cap, but each action gives 50% reduced XP. 
• In Rush, the Scoreboard now shows the correct objective icon for Attackers and Defenders
• Fixed an issue with displaying the Player Levels correctly at the End of Round Progression screen
• Fixed an issue where the unlock requirement progress for an already unlocked Player Card item would look like it had been reset
• Fixed an issue where the wrong unlock requirement would be displayed on attachments
• Fixed an issue where an item would show up as new even if you had previously unlocked it in a different way
• Improved scenarios where people look like they are awarded 0 XP at end of the round