Battlefield 2042 Update 8.3.0 Patch Notes Revealed

Key insights

• Battlefield 2042 Update 8.3.0 introduces vehicle optimizations, armor-piercing changes, and a holiday event.
• The patch focuses on balancing Dozer's ballistic shield with reduced damage from armor piercing ammunition.
• The update improves customization, progression and game flow with improvements to vehicles and weapons.

DICE has released the patch notes for Battlefield 2042 Update 8.3.0. This patch closes out 2024 with a variety of gameplay optimizations, bug fixes and balance changes, along with a special holiday event to add some festive cheer Battlefield 2042.

Battlefield 2042 launched in November 2021 and was criticized for its departure from the traditional Battlefield Formula and significant technical problems with publication. Despite the rocky start, DICE has consistently worked to improve the game through regular updates to meet player expectations. A new update is now on the way and although the exact release date was not specified in the patch notes, it is expected to be released in early December.

Battlefield 2042 Patch 8.3.0 delivers comprehensive updates for vehicles, weapons and game mechanics. Battlefield 2042 Vehicle optimizations include adjusting EMP grenades fired from vehicles to match the behavior of hand-thrown grenades and improving the Pondhawk's collision hazard to prevent accidental hovering. A new HUD feature provides players in pilotless free-falling vehicles with a “reactive cue” that urges them to take control before a crash. Other fixes include addressing issues such as incorrect damage numbers due to armor and the deployment screen icon for the CAV Brawler rotating with the vehicle. The patch also fixes a bug on the M1 Garand where the weapon hold animation was delayed when switching during a sprint.

The patch focuses heavily on balancing Dozer's ballistic shield and addresses long-standing player concerns. The Armor Piercing (AP) ammunition has been reworked to penetrate Dozer's shield with reduced damage, which varies Battlefield 2042 Weapon types. For example, sniper rifles can deal up to 45% damage per bullet, while assault rifles deal 10%. Additionally, AP grenade launchers now damage Dozers when fired at the shield, and the shield's use time has been significantly reduced by 80%. These changes aim to make Dozer encounters more manageable while preserving the Shield's defensive capabilities and encouraging strategic counterplay.

Additional updates improve customization, progression and game flow. The portal now allows admins to change teams via a menu option and adds features like “ammo stations” for more flexible custom game creation. New progression mechanics like Objective Airdrop XP for pilots and Vehicle Recovery XP reward strategic play. Fixes to pinging targets in shutdown mode and improvements to redeployment performance contribute to a smoother gaming experience. The patch also introduces the Holiday Protocol event, which includes both new and returning events Battlefield 2042 Rewards that provide additional incentive for players to engage with these updates.

Battlefield 2042 Update 8.3.0 Patch Notes

Vehicles:

• The Draugr now only appears in the personal category.
• EMP-fired grenades from vehicles are no longer stopped by amplifiers to match the behavior of hand-thrown EMP grenades.
• Adjusted the Pondhawk's collision to prevent players from floating on it.
• Added a reactive alert to the HUD when in a falling unpiloted aircraft to warn and encourage players to take control of the driver's seat. Before you crash, you know?
• Fixed a bug where damage values ​​did not take vehicle armor into account, causing the numbers to appear higher than the actual damage dealt.
• Fixed an issue where the icon on the deployment screen for the CAV Brawler's Spawn On Foot feature would rotate with the vehicle.
• Fixed an issue where equipping a vehicle with amplifiers resulted in collision issues with certain objects such as vegetation. These plants were really coming to get you.

Weapons:

• Fixed an issue where switching to the M1 Garand while sprinting had a delayed weapon hold animation.

Armor piercing ammunition

Over the years at Battlefield 2042, we have consistently seen players raise concerns about Dozer's effectiveness in relation to their offensive capabilities on most of our maps. This update introduces a minor change to armor penetration that now allows these rounds to penetrate Dozer's ballistic shield with reduced damage.

The team continues to evaluate the balance around Dozer and we will continue to evaluate your feedback once this update is released. However, the Penguins are now hoping that Dozer won't be so scary the next time you're running through the corridors at Exposure.

Below are the changes to armor piercing ammunition associated with Dozer's ballistic shield. The damage shown is a percentage. For example, with assault rifles, 10% of bullet damage will pass through Dozer's ballistic shield if you use armor-piercing ammo.

• Sniper 45% damage per bullet vs. penetration vs. shield
• Sniper Anti-Material Ammo 80% damage per bullet
• Railgun Single Shot: 25% damage per bullet
• Railgun full auto/explosion: 10% damage per bullet
• AR 10% damage per bullet
• DMR 25% damage per bullet
• Revolver 25% damage per bullet

Additional Armor Penetration and Dozer Changes:

• AP grenade launchers now deal damage to Dozer when fired at the shield
• Bulldozer shield deployment time reduced by 80%.
• All AP ammo from all primary weapons can now penetrate the shield and deal less damage to Dozer

Characters and Gadgets:

• Fixed a bug where the damage numbers would sometimes not match the actual damage dealt when dealing small damage multiple times.

Portal:

• Added the ability to place ammo stations to custom Conquest, TDM, and FFA experiences.
• Fixed an issue that allowed you to press deploy even when cooldown was active.
• Fixed an issue where a custom scoring goal could cause the scoring calculator to be incorrect.
• Fixed an issue that caused Ascension Points to have no value for non-2042 factions.
• A mutator has been added to the admin portal that allows players on their server to switch teams using the Escape/Pause menu.
  • This is only accessible when the player is not spawned.
  • There is no restriction on how often you can switch or to which team for now, as this is a feature for administrators to allow more freedom on their servers. With great power comes great responsibility.
• Added target airdrop XP to custom game modes.

Progression:

• Objective Airdrop: When a passenger exits an aircraft and reaches a contested destination within a certain time of exiting the vehicle, the pilot receives an Objective Airdrop XP event. This event also features points on the scoreboard.
• Vehicles Boosted: Entering a vehicle that previously belonged to the enemy will give you an XP event.

Modes:

• Fixed a bug that prevented players from being able to ping targets in Shutdown game mode.

Gameplay flow and social networks:

• Small performance improvements for Redeploy and Death flow.
• Fixed an issue that caused the Ferocity headgear for Blasco to appear twice in the headgear customization menu.
• Updated the Huron vehicle description in the deployment screen.