Battlefield 6 is just days away from launch, though the online discourse has once again heated up between the ideas of Open vs Closed Weapons, with one developer stepping in to provide some context. Although there is plenty of excitement from fans over Battlefield 6‘s launch, the closed vs. open weapons debate has seemingly heated up, with both sides exhibiting strong feelings towards their preferred method of gameplay.
The debate spawned out of EA’s recent Battlefield 6 Community Update, which revealed all sorts of new data, changes being made, as well as a short tease of the huge day one patch. For the franchise, Battlefield has always tried to maintain a strong class identity, with each of the 4 having clear roles. Outside defined abilities, Battlefield has traditionally used a closed weapon system in the past, giving specific classes access to weapon types, like the Medic getting LMGs or the Recon favoring sniper rifles. Debate over this system continues to rage on, with some feeling like DICE purposely hid specific closed weapon playlists during the summer tests.
Battlefield 6 Seemingly Ends the Open vs CLosed Weapon Debate Using Data
The Closed vs Open Weapons debate in Battlefield 6 has only gotten stronger in recent weeks. Part of this is due to Battlefield 2042 really blurring the lines, moving to an open system that allowed players to use any weapon, regardless of class. Some traditionalists were hopeful that Battlefield 6 would be a true return to form, though it seems there are those who were unhappy with DICE over what appeared to be the decision to seemingly bury closed weapon playlists, making open ones easier to find and participate in.
The recent community update confirmed that player data pointed to a preference for playlists using Open Weapons after trying both types. In fact, the overall time players spent on both playlists was identical, with many eventually going back to the open style. Still, the update did acknowledge those who prefer closed weapons, and promised official playlists at launch.
Responding to those accusing the devs of burying closed weapon playlists in the menus, Battlefield 6 lead producer David Sirland countered the argument by indicating that the team purposely moved the playlists around to test how placement impacts certain decisions. During the Battlefield 6 beta tests, the dev team rotated and moved various playlists around to collect data on things like how placement impacted pick rates or how a single vs multiple mode playlist compared.
For now, it seems like the large majority of players prefer the open weapon system, though Battlefield 6 is making sure to cater to both sides. While the experience promises to have official CLosed Weapon playlists at launch, the community update also highlighted Battlefield 6‘s powerful Portal mode, which will have mutators and modifiers as part of the toolset to make a custom experience that satisfies whatever the player is looking for.