At long last,  we've got some deets on what Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone is, and we've got to tell you - it's going to be fresh, that's for sure. Ever played Escape From Tarkov? You probably should, but we've got to preface this statement with another: Tarkov's not for everyone.

In fact, though most people should give it a shot to see what a truly punishing, hardcore FPS looks like, Escape From Tarkov is decidedly not a game most gamers would enjoy playing. We'll go into a more substantial bit of detail in the next couple of sections, but the gist of it is that Tarkov is a micromanagement game masquerading as a shooter. From sourcing supplies to gaming the market in your favor, the majority of EFT's gameplay isn't actually that of combat.

Why, then, would Battlefield 2042's upcoming Hazard Zone mode be taking inspiration from Tarkov? Well, it's because there's an incredibly ambitious gameplay loop hiding within, and DICE has got way more resources at their disposal than Tarkov developers do. Could Hazard Zone be the AAA Tarkov game we've been waiting for? Let's find out!

Pre-Order Battlefield 2042 today and meet us in its near-future trenches on launch day!

What is Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone?

First, we need to get back to basics - Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone is - apparently - going to be a special game mode focusing on scavenging/looting and exploration. Each squad of players has its own list of objectives, and it's entirely up to them how they choose to tackle said objectives. Along the way to, say, reaching the batch of intel they need to extract, players may or may not encounter other squads. And even if they do encounter them, there's virtually no reason for them to kill each other outright.

For all intents and purposes, player squads could even join forces to help each other out when AI-controlled enemies pop up. People in the know have already announced the presence of AI vehicles and boss encounters, to boot, and these are bound to feature special loot drops and progression items, among other goodies.

Overall, Hazard Zone is going to be a sandbox-oriented game mode featuring micro-battles and a greater focus on atmosphere. What keeps the stakes particularly high in similar games - EFT and Hunt: The Showdown, most prominently  - is that you lose gear if you die. Let us explain.

Escape from Tarkov - Why is it special?

Escape From Tarkov is hard. No, wait, let us try again. Escape From Tarkov is punishing, and not in a way most people will be comfortable with. The game features a wide array of permanent progression systems that all offer some amount of interplay as you fiddle around with them. There's the combat/exploration, naturally, but there's also the meta-marketplace. Hideout upgrades are a hugely important part of it, too.

The tricky bit, then, is getting into a match and leaving without dying. Because, you see, if you die in Tarkov, you lose about 90% of the loot you carried with you. Guns, armor, ammunition, utility gear... all of it - gone. Quite possibly taken by the person who took you down, too.

So, while you may enter one particular match with a fully kitted-out set of armor and a badass, tricked-out Sig MCX, you may well lose it to a lucky shot from some scrappy Scav's AK that's one round away from falling apart. That's the nature of Tarkov, simple as that. Excessive preparation, map knowledge, and an earnest willingness to risk all your gear are the only way to make progress.

It's this ridiculously hardcore niche that Escape From Tarkov thrives in. Developers have carved out a special Battle Royal/looter-shooter combo, and it's got a huge amount of appeal. The problem with Tarkov, though, is that its development is downright glacial, and the game is plagued by awful netcode inconsistencies from time to time. When you lose everything if you die, that's a big issue.

How would Hazard Zone differ from Tarkov, then?

Now, we're entirely sure that BF2042 Hazard Zone won't be quite as punishing as EFT. As appealing as the idea might be in theory, the casual audience will not take a liking to some lucky bastard taking everything from them every so often. Instead, chances are that DICE will take the central idea behind EFT's core gameplay and polish it up. With a bit of streamlining, of course.

According to sources, there's a number of things players will be able to do in Hazard Zone to ease things up:

• Spotting Duration
• Starting Armor
• Loadout Insurance
• Satellite Info
• Deploy Speed
• Extra Respawn Beacon
• Extra Intel Storage
• Throwable Ammo
• Faster Healing
• Ammo Increase
• Bonus AI Reward
• Bonus Intel Reward

These are all upgrades DICE seems to be working on for Hazard Zone specifically. Our bet would be that player gear may be less of a point of contention than it is in EFT. In Hunt: The Showdown, for example, it's not as big of a deal when you lose your kit, because you're always just a few hours away from building up another character to continue where you left off.

Also notice that there aren't player bonus rewards on the list, which means DICE might avoid pushing players against one another too much. Instead, the focus may be on traversing without being spotted, and dealing with AI in case things go awry.

It's pretty obvious that Hazard Zone will have its own progression system that's probably being kept separate from the general multiplayer pool, too. So, those of us who may wish to avoid losing hard-earned gear will easily avoid it entirely.

Combine all of that with classic Battlefield combat gameplay, and we're in for quite a treat, overall. Hell of a thing to go through with, DICE - we're here for it!

BF2042 Hazard Zone is Looking Good!

Overall, though Hunt: The Showdown reached a similar end-game conclusion as Escape From Tarkov did, they developed alongside one another. One a truly punishing hardcore FPS, the other a more lenient, almost roguelite (character-wise) approach that's easy to build up again after losses. It was only a matter of time before a huge, high-profile game developer with AAA backing elevated the concept.

We're all but entirely sure that Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone will be a more casual, streamlined version of Tarkov. Something that's way more approachable and less granular, where you don't need to load every single bullet into every single magazine. And yes, there is appeal in that, if you're into incredibly granular and high-intensity gameplay. Hazard Zone won't be quite that, but it will translate the core exploration/progression loop into a new sandbox.

Oh, it's going to be punishing, for sure. Just maybe not that punishing. Either way, we cannot wait to see what DICE has got cooking. Not a long way to go, now!

Pre-Order Battlefield 2042 today and meet us in its near-future trenches on launch day!