Battlefield 2042 Season 1 leak reveals first new Specialist since launch

Battlefield 2042’s long-delayed first season of content will add a new playable Specialist to the multiplayer shooter – the first since it launched late last year.

Rummaging around Battlefield 2042’s backend, dataminer Temporyl has found several new features expected to launch with Season 1 next month, and shared their findings on Twitter (opens in new tab). Among them are details of Ewelina Lis, a new Polish Specialist. She’ll come equipped with a guided rocket launcher, although her unique trait is unknown. Lis will be the first new Specialist introduced to Battlefield 2042 since it launched in November last year, increasing the roster of playable characters to 11.

According to Temporyl’s datamine, two new stealth helicopters will also be introduced to the game, and the new map is called Exposure. It’ll be available to play through a dedicated Conquest playlist, or through a Mayhem game mode that accelerates gameplay by upping spawn times, movement speed, and projectile velocity.

Elsewhere, the backed includes further suggestions that microtransactions will be added to the game. Dice had confirmed a premium battle pass will roll out alongside a free progression system before Battlefield 2042 even launched, and grant exclusive cosmetic rewards for those who cough up the entry cost. Temporyl’s datamine suggests the premium battle pass will instantly grant entrants four exclusive rewards. They can also pay extra to immediately advance 20 tiers.

While Dice has previously confirmed (opens in new tab) Season 1 will introduce a new Specialist and a single new map (opens in new tab), it’s yet to unveil any details. Temporyl, however, has a positive track record in Battlefield 2042 datamines, previously confirming several weekly challenge cosmetic rewards (opens in new tab) ahead of their official reveal, and the expected mid-June launch of Season 1. 

Bated breath

Besides Temporyl’s leaks, Dice has given us a few tidbits of information about the upcoming season. Senior producer Ryan McArthur previously suggested Exposure will be set in Canada, and had been designed to spotlight Battlefield 2042’s unique features. 

“For me, this map is different from the other seven we created at launch,” McArthur said. “It’s got a ton of verticality, it’s got good space for vehicle play, but it’s also got those things that make a Battlefield map great.”

The developer is yet to officially reveal Ewelina Lis, however, or give any details of how the character will play. In its last development update, it clarified that it wouldn’t be abandoning the Specialist system – that replaced Battlefield’s typical class-based system to the disappointment of some fans – but would refine it to better balance gameplay.

Similarly, EA CEO Andrew Wilson recently said the publisher would be “rethinking [the game’s] development process from the ground”, and a take a “long view” to developing Battlefield 2042. That suggests many more updates, and possibly more substantial changes, will be coming in the future