Battlefield 2042 is not in good shape. On top of the existing technical bugs, graphical glitches, and gameplay issues that have plagued the game since launch, a new bug has made its way to the shooter, causing players to spawn on the wrong side of multiplayer maps and killing them automatically.
Videos shared on the Battlefield 2042 subreddit show the bug in action. In one clip, a squad of US soldiers is deployed at the start of a match, but is dropped directly into the Russian spawn area. Before they can pick off any enemy soldiers or make a run for it, a warning screen tells the squad it’s outside of the designated combat area, automatically killing them a few seconds later.
Another video shows a similar scenario, in which a squad of players is dropped into enemy territory and given no options but to automatically die after waiting a few seconds. They’re deployed so deep into the enemy spawn, they can't escape into the main combat area before the game forcibly respawns them.
us_spawn_on_ru_side_at_start_of_game from r/battlefield2042
While such an overt bug would be irritating in any competitive multiplayer shooter, it’s particularly aggravating to Battlefield 2042 players who have had to grapple with persistent glitches and quality-of-life issues since the game launched late last year.
As the slew of Reddit comments indicate, this spawn-switching glitch has sparked particular ire among fans because it hasn’t occurred before. That means players are having to deal with new bugs on top of the game’s many existing problems. You don’t have to dig too deep in the comments to find players admonishing the game for getting worse, rather than better.
anybody_else_spawning_at_the_wrong_side_of_the_map from r/battlefield2042
For many, that’s simply not worth the trouble. Battlefield 2042’s playerbase has fallen dramatically over the last few months, even dipping below that of its nine-year-old predecessor Battlefield 4. Back in February, 200,000 people signed a petition demanding the game be refunded across all platforms, capturing the state of player frustration.
Analysis: no end in sight
If there’s one thing that Battlefield 2042 doesn’t need more of - bugs. DICE previously delayed the game’s first season of DLC to later this year, on the basis of using the intervening months to fix the game’s glaring issues and improve its performance across the board. While some of those fixes have materialized, bugs like this glitch show there’s a long way to go.
A recent update has reworked the game’s scoreboard, introducing many of the fixes fans have been asking for since launch, but other much-requested features are yet to come. Squad voice chat, weapon rebalances, and tweaks to the infantry attachment system are expected to drop in April, while a larger overhaul to the game’s map size is coming sometime down the line.
Regardless of how many quality-of-life improvements DICE introduces to the game, they’re unlikely to count for much in the eyes of aggravated players if the game's most egregious bugs remain. With Battlefield 2042 firmly on the rocks, future updates are now a matter of damage limitation rather than additional features.
