Developer DICE and publisher Electronic Arts officially unveiled Battlefield V, less than a week after Activision and Treyarch similarly revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Both games are kings in the shooter arena but are facing more competition than ever before thanks to the explosion in popularity from battle royale action games Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

So, what did each team showcase for their upcoming games which are going head-to-head in the same week in October 2018, and how do their offerings compare? Who is innovating and responding to feedback?

Screen Rant had the opportunity to participate in the announcement events for both the near-future set Black Ops 4 and WWII themed BFV and to go behind-the-scenes and chat with leads at each development studio. Here’s a summary of key features, details, and differences between what each game plans to offer games compared to previous installments in each respective series and compared to each other.

Single-Player/Story Campaign

On the Call of Duty front, the rumors are true and the developers planned from the beginning of Black Ops 4’s development to do something different than a traditional story campaign. There is no single player story campaign in COD for the first time this year though Treyarch tell us that it’s just something they’ve already done and that wouldn’t meet their own and fan expectations here. They proved they could do in all of their previous games so instead, their focus on upgrade their game tech and making Black Ops 4 more tactical and social resulted in a larger Zombies co-op mode offering at launch and a brand new feature in their ambitious Blackout battle royale mode. There’s no main story in Black Ops 4 or campaign but Zombies mode can be played single-player with bots as allies.

Battlefield V does feature a single player campaign and brings back the War Stories format from Battlefield 1. This mode offers standalone mini campaigns (10 in total) of sorts based on real-life events and scenarios and are character focused (i.e. saving your family instead of the world). BFV’s co-op mode can be played solo as well and randomly generates objectives and narrative pieces for replayability.

Battlefield V & Black Ops 4 Co-op Modes: Combined Arms & Zombies

Co-op is king this year and we couldn’t be more happier. Fans of the Call of Duty Zombies mode are getting more than ever before on this front with three missions available at launch of Black Ops, ranging from Roman gladiatorial combat to fighting on the Titanic. Icebergs aren’t its only weakness…

‘Zombies’ mode offers more options and customization than ever before meaning players can play with all sorts of modifiers and difficulty settings, as well as ally bots instead of other players, to really craft their own experience and make it more replayable.

And on the Battlefield V side, addressing the daunting nature for some players not feeling to comfortable jumping straight into PvP and bringing back something we’ve not seen since Battlefield 3, its new co-op missions system called ‘Combined Arms’ let players build up their “Company” (leveling up and customizing vehicles and soldiers). There are objectives and narrative bits which are randomly generated as well as challenges and rewards associated with this mode where earnings and unlocks are shared between this and regular competitive multiplayer. Players have the choice here to push through to the end, or if you deem it too risky, can extract early.

Both Battlefield V and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s co-op modes support up to four players online. In Zombies, players take on the role of pre-defined characters in its story and in BFV, players use their own soldiers they customize and progress in their ‘Company.’

PvP Multiplayer

Both Battlefield V and Call of duty: Black Ops 4 bring back their key classic modes to competitive multiplayer with some tweaks and changes, mainly around core gameplay. That means TDM, Domination, Search and Destroy, etc. for Black Ops 4 and TDM, Conquest, Rush, etc. for Battlefield V. There are a few all-new ones too like ‘Control’ for Black Ops 4 and ‘Airborne’ for Battlefield 5.

A major change to Call of Duty this year is that Black Ops 4 is doubling down on its Specialists system, taking a page from Overwatch and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, players must each choose a different Specialist for their team and each comes with a unique ability and gear. Competitive multiplayer has also been changed to 5 vs. 5.

On the BFV front, DICE is introducing to key changes like ‘War For Attrition’ meaning that players respawning aren’t already kitted out. Ammo on this front will be limited, and players can no longer simply scan and tag enemies. The environment now reacts to the player and vice versa, meaning crawling through a bush means the leaves and blades of tall grass will move, giving away positions, and running through mud or rough terrain will see the characters move different, even slipping or slamming into a wall to emphasize the weight of a soldier sprinting into cover.

The big question marks, to be answered at E3 and later this year, are around Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode which we know includes assets, characters, and vehicles from all of the Black Ops games. This mode aims to offer a unique spin on the battle royale genre but Treyarch wasn’t ready to talk details last week. As for Battlefield V, we’re dying to learn more about Grand Operations which sees a battle fought across multiple maps and modes as resources and ammo deplete.

Environments/Map Design

The multiplayer maps and design tenants behind them are drastically different and always have been for Call of Duty and Battlefield V, as each aim to offer different shooter experiences. One’s an arcade-esque shooter, the other a large-scale sandbox.

For Black Ops 4, gameplay has shifted back to boots-on-the-ground combat meaning now wallrunning or thrust-jumping. This means the map’s verticality and wall designs are very different. Maps in this game are small and intimate but are built with objective based modes in mind (like the game’s new ‘Control’ mode and returning favorites ‘Hardpoint’ and ‘Domination’).

In Battlefield V, while we can’t reveal map names yet, we can share what locations the game will be in exploring in its efforts to show a different side of World War II that movies and games and other media haven placed much emphasis on, including Norway, Rotterdam, North Africa, and France.

Fight in frozen mountain peaks above the Arctic Circle or face the hostile heat of desert landscapes. You’ll engage in fields and swamps, among bridges and canals, and in the rubble of devastated cities. Wherever you choose to battle, do so in locations that were pivotal, though sometimes forgotten, in the early days of the war.

Given the nature of Conquest mode and the 64-player cap and vehicles, Battlefield V’s maps are way bigger and include destructible and fortifiable positions, along with vehicles which can help move tower defenses.

Gameplay Changes/Innovation

Black Ops 4 is putting more focus on weapon mods and functionality in an attempt to make their guns more detailed and realistic than before in the Call of Duty’s near-future set games. Each weapon has its own set of mods as well. Perks (pick 10 system) and point streaks remain the same. The key change on COD multiplayer is the 5 vs 5 specialist multiplayer, meaning each player has a defined role and this adds a layer of tactics not seen in previous games, especially with the focus on objective-based modes. Again, like Call of Duty: WWII, Black Ops 4 is boots-on-the-ground so gone are the Black Ops 3 double jumps, thrust-jumping, and wallrunning. You can still slide though!

There’s not much newness here on the Call of Duty front when it comes to regular multiplayer, more of a refinement on the formula with tweaks, most notably on the health front. Health no longer regenerates in Black Ops 4 and instead players must opt to heal themselves when they have a moment of downtime. Similarly, the revive system has been completely re-envisioned in Battlefield V. There’s a deliberate action and animation on BFV around reviving a downed teammate and any player in a squad can do this, but only a medic can help restore health to full. Players cannot self-heal to max and while down, players remain in first person and can look 360 degrees around to see if there are medics nearby. When respawning, players can now observe squadmates in third person and choose to spawn on them.

In terms of innovation in design and gameplay, the big nod here goes to Battlefield V which has all sorts of weather and light effects into its maps and the best looking explosions and destruction we’ve ever seen in a shooter (look out for the debris!). They’re really impressing as well in how they’re handling terrain and animation in Battlefield V, meaning soldiers move differently depending on the environment. If the land isn’t flat, soldiers stumble as they run (visible only in third-person, to other players) or if there’s mud they’ll slip. In tall grass, the grass itself - like other bits of the environment - move as the player model touches it. The level of detail here is unprecedented. Even when it comes to helping downed players (there’s no down but not out (DBNO)) state in Black Ops 4 multiplayer) in Battlefield V, any player can revive an ally, engaging in a complete animation - meaning in first-person you see that player’s face (and their customized cosmetics like face paint) as they help you. But, players can also drag a downed ally into cover and heal them there instead. This animation can be broken at any time so players are not stuck and can be initiated from any angle. The goal is to make every moment matter more and every action more deliberate.

Another major change coming to Battlefield V is the toolkits, something every player has to build fortifications. This can also be used to build resupply kits for when players spawn in since they’ll be low on ammo from their pre-death battles. The idea is that players are expending resources during combat and don’t spawn in with everything restocked, so they need to resupply, adding a new gameplay loop and now have a decision of whether they have time to restock or if they’re needed immediately at a nearby engagement by an objective. Of course, players can drop ammo from downed enemies.

The toolkits let players build military fortifications including fox holes with machine guns, sand bags, barb wire, tank stoppers, trenches, etc. This system also lets players reinforce structures that have been destroyed, bringing cover back into the game. Players can even board up windows to remove entry points away from potential attackers. It’s a game-changing system that meshes well with the destructibility.

Battlefield V also adds the ability to use vehicles to tow stationary emplacements. Imagine a Tiger tank hooks up to an anti-air gun and drag it to another spot, and while moving, another player can operate the AA weapon essentially making you a mobile weapon fortress. And with the toolkit, you can setup the weapon emplacement elsewhere, build a resupply station and some fortifications and you have yourself a mobile outpost.

Bipods are easy to deploy in Battlefield V and now LMGs are made specifically to shoot through walls, and players can shoot at anytime the weapon is in front of them, even while crawling, falling on your back, or jumping (though if you do the latter, your aim will be all over the place).

Squad leaders in Battlefield V (squad size not yet revealed) have a new ability and by acquiring points by playing as a squad can use a radio to call in a variety of reinforcements including powerful squad-specific vehicles. Here are the call-ins available at launch:

  • V1 / JB2 Rocket Supply Drop Smoke Screen Barrage Heavy Weapon Battle Picku-ups Churchill Crocodile (British) Sturmtiger (German)

Visuals and Sound

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is promising to come with the best PC support in the franchise, and it was a notable part of the game’s reveal presentation where it was confirmed that developer Beenox is working on its PC version (and that it’s releasing exclusively on Blizzard’s Battle.net service). Black Ops 4 can scale to any modern gaming system and support all sorts of monitor dimensions with high frame rates. With the addition of a Battle Royale mode, it’s more important than ever that Call of Duty makes a real shift from being console-focused to being top tier on PC as well.

Battlefield has always been a best-on-PC game however, and needless to say, if you saw the in-game destruction and lighting and animations, BFV is already in the running to be the best looking game of the year. PC specs haven’t been decided yet but make no mistake, DICE is trying to push boundaries with this one and it shows.

DICE already has the best sound team in the business and an example of how they take this seriously is how they record sound, setting up mics at different distances

Battlefield V and Black Ops 4 Post-Release Content

There’s great news on the post-release content front for both games. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V will not feature season passes or battle passes (no map pack purchases!) in an effort to keep the community together, and to help push these games as live services that will last for years.

Treyarch is hoping for a long-run with its Blackout battle royale mode and Battlefield V is introducing a ‘Tides of War’ live service which includes daily tasks and more challenging special assignments that can be chosen at will. There will be live events tied to this as well with the goal of having the community journey through World War II together.

Players get all new multiplayer maps for free, so expect the game’s to feature a heavy amount of microtransactions on the cosmetic side. DICE made a note of pointing out that gear and unlocks are entirely separate than cosmetic unlocks of which they’re focusing on in a big way (from pieces and add-ons for tanks like branches to 7 customizable spots on weapons to war paints). We suspect a ton of customization will come with Blackout with live events and content added their as time goes by (a must for these games as Fortnite and PUBG have proved).

During DICE’s private presentation with us, they emphasized the idea of a dynamic and ever-changing world, where from a dev standpoint they’re taking a modular approach with much quicker turn-around to address feedback and make improvements. The key here, they hope, is to communicate actively with the community.

Monetization (DLC and Microtransactions)

The good news is that all maps and regular DLC content is coming to Battlefield V and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for free, meaning monetization will come via microtransactions - something each developer is being shady about at the moment.

Our concern on both fronts is whether or not there will be a random crate/loot box system which Call of Duty: WWII shamefully had and that EA forced into Star Wars Battlefront 2 (which among other reasons, helped kill it). The obvious route is selling cosmetic pieces for weapons, vehicles, and characters and we hope they keep the gambling and XP boosts stuff out of it entirely.

Progression and Customization

The unlocks/customization system in Black Ops 4 is the same as before in regular multiplayer but Blackout, the mystery mode, will have its own unique systems for its battle royale gameplay. Treyarch would only tell us that much so expect more at E3 2018.

On Battlefield V, progression and the ‘Company’ system is a massive and complex system tied to the ‘Tides of War’ live service. Read more about that here.

As for customization, in Black Ops 4 the Zombies and multiplayer modes use pre-defined characters/specialists and no details were revealed on weapon skins although that’s obviously been a big part of previous Call of Duty games. We suspect the greatest amount of customization and cosmetics will come from Black Out 4’s Blackout mode which they weren’t ready to reveal last week.

For Battlefield V, DICE dedicated a lot of time to emphasizing how this game has an ‘unseen level of customization." Players will be able to customize the look of their vehicles, weapons, and soldiers. For any given class, players can customize their gender, face, helmet, face paint, their jacket/shirt, and pants. Players can do this for each class they have for both sides of the conflict. And over time, more options will be added. As for the weapons, full skins are being replaced with 5-7 customization options to really make it your own. DICE doesn’t want any player to look the same. Even with tanks, camos, mesh layers, even branches, can be added to its look.

New Large-Scale Game Modes: Blackout vs. Grand Operations

Operations were fan-fave when introduced in Battlefield 1 so they return, changed, in Battlefield V as Grand Operations. This time they’re limited-time events that span up to 4 in-game days. If the match is a draw on day three, this kicks in ‘Final Stand’ mode on day 4 where ever kill matters. There are unique rewards for each Grand Operation and like BF1, there are multiple maps and modes involved in the multi-day battle. It’s here where Battlefield V will introduce all-new game modes and rule sets too. If Battlefield V gets a battle royale type mode in the future, it’s here (and the rumor was that BFV is getting battle royale variant post-launch). If modes turn out to be super popular, DICE can bring them back or even make them permanent.

One new mode here is called ‘Airborne’ and the idea here is that on Day Two your main invasion force is coming and you’re part of a paratrooper unit. You need to get behind enemy lines and destroy the long-range artillery which is hammering your forces, before they arrive. You start on the ground but when your squad respawns, you’re in first-person looking out the door of an airplane and you can choose where to jump/deploy. Each day of combat/objectives has a substantial impact on the other days. The example given is that if your team only takes out one of four of the artillery emplacements, this negatively impacts resources (i.e. amount of vehicles) and respawn tickets your team has on the next day. On the last day, if it’s a draw, a day four ‘Final Stand’ begins where everyone basically has one life, one magazine in your weapon and it’s a battle to the last soldier standing. Oh, and the weather will be extremely terrible to crank up the tension. Playing as an effective squad and having a medic is super essential here. A squad wipe here is permanent.

Unanswered Questions

  • Battlefield V Squad Size Black Ops 4 Blackout Mode player counts and gameplay features/progression How unlocks are purchased in Battlefield V Monetization/microtransactions for both games. Zombies DLC pricing / release structure Vehicle weapon behavior in BFV What vehicles are in BLOPS4 Blackout mode?

Next: How Battlefield V Aims To Explore WWII Differently Than Other Games

 

If you have additional questions we can add or address, let us know in the comments! There’s much still to come.