Massive Battlefield 5 Firestorm datamine reveals helicopters, dynamic objectives, reinforcements and more
As we approach the release of Battlefield 5's Firestorm battle royale mode, players have begun finding references to the mode in the game's files.
As you've no doubt previously seen with Fortnite, and Apex Legends, players who know what they're doing like to dig through game files to find unannounced details, or leak upcoming content.
Battlefield 5 has seen very little of that since its launch, but this changes now that Firestorm is close. Everyone is naturally very curious about the first battle royale mode in a Battlefield game. Though DICE has yet to officially reveal a launch date, we do know it's part of the next Tides of War chapter, which kicks off this month.
In a detailed post on the Battlefield 5 subreddit, user Temporyal uncovered a bunch of unannounced details about Firestorm that could give us an insight into how it's going to play.
Before we dig in, it's worth keeping in mind that not everything found in the game's files necessarily means it'll be in Firestorm. These references could simply be for cancelled features, or some that are coming down the line.
First, the files do feature code for solo, and duo variants. DICE previously said Firestorm is designed for four-player squads, and this could still be the case at launch, but we can at least see that other options are being explored. The maximum player count is, as previously confirmed, still 64.
One of the most interesting details they picked up is that classes do make a return in the mode, and it does appear that players players will be able to select one of them pre-match. This could be similar to Apex Legends, which also offers players the choice of class at the start of a game.
Keeping up with the more interesting findings; the Firestorm map appears to have safes that players can open. We're not sure what's the significance of that at this time, but it's big enough that the game keeps track of how many safes players have opened.
In the initial reveal, DICE said Firestorm will feature Conquest-style objectives randomly spawning around the map to encourage teamwork. This is once again present in the datamined files, and it appears some of them will award players with vehicles, or other supplies.
Vehicles have two variants, either transport or attack. Then there's air vehicles, which do make an appearance. There's even a reference to a helicopter of all things. It's possible these are tied to reinforcements players may be able to call in, as there does appear to be code indicating such a feature exists.
Many traditional battle royale elements will obviously be present in Firestorm. Players will para-drop into the map, and they'll have to scavenge for weapons, armour, and healing items. Firestorm appears to feature item rarity tiers, and a traditional inventory system. Defeated players will be knocked out, and can be revived by teammates.
There's also a body armour system with three tiers, though they couldn't find references to an armour repair feature. Different weapon types will spawn as world loot, right alongside attachments like sights, bayonets, bipods, extended magazines etc. The files also make mention of incendiary bullets, fast bullets, and "heavy load" among them.
Generally speaking, attachments appear to be based on existing weapon Specializations in multiplayer, so they may end up functioning like perks rather than physical items players pick up. As for ammo types, it appears Firestorm will consolidate the traditional calibres into the different weapon archetypes; so AR ammo, LMG ammo and so on.
There's more in Temporyal's post at the link above. Though none of it has obviously been confirmed, their findings at least allude to an interesting battle royale mode, if nothing else.