DICE is committed to constantly improving Battlefield 4 to make your multiplayer experience as entertaining, intuitive, and reliable as possible. Based on great feedback from the community, the Winter Update is now here – filled with various improvements to Battlefield 4. Let’s dive right into the tweaks we’ve made.

Get the Complete Patch Notes (PDF)

Netcode Improvements
Major improvements have been made to the Battlefield 4 network layer. Making the “Netcode” better allows for a more exact multiplayer experience for all participants, and this has been done in various ways. For instance, we’ve done long range network updates by adding a cone to the High Frequency Update (30hz), illustrated in the image below.

Other Netcode improvements we’ve done:

• Network prioritization and filtering has been improved. This now prioritizes health/damage, enemy players and vehicles above all.
• Vehicles now use a larger (front) hemi-sphere shape for collision improvements
• Aiming down sights, or zooming in sitting in a vehicle or on foot, utilizes an even longer range cone for better target acquisition at a distance

Required bandwidth close to cut in half: Players with less stellar network connections should get a significant improvement, now able to use the High Frequency Update.

Squad Obliteration game mode
We’re adding a new competitive game mode called Squad Obliteration with the Winter Patch. In this mode the fast paced, objective based gameplay of the original Obliteration is scaled down to 5 vs 5 size – balanced and perfected for competitive play. Here are the major differences from the original Obliteration mode:

Squad Obliteration/Obliteration differences

• No vehicles, no parachute spawns
• Secondary base spawns are made available
• First team to destroy two out of three bases wins the round
• Bomb carrier position is only known to the enemy team if spotted

Quickmatch Changes

We want it to be a smooth and intelligent affair to jump straight into a Battlefield 4 match using Quickmatch. That’s why we’ve added new presets and servers to enable you to play it your way. Here’s what we’ve added to Quickmatch.

• New player gating: New players can now matchmake into special servers until reaching rank 10, giving them a chance to learn playing Battlefield 4 against other new players.
• Ranked Preset support: Players now have the added option to Quickmatch into Ranked servers as an addition to the Official preset available in the past.
• Premium Playlists: Three new playlists are added catering to various play styles and including maps from all expansions and base game combined.

We believe these updates and changes will make Battlefield 4 even more enjoyable in multiplayer, and we’d like to thank you once again for suggesting these tweaks to us. Keep the feedback coming, whether it’s for these updates or anything else, and thanks for reading.

Available starting March 17, Battlefield Hardline will definitely be a new and unique chapter in the long history of Battlefield games. Naturally, we’re thrilled about those who will make Battlefield Hardline their first Battlefield game. But we also feel we want to give you Battlefield veterans out there something special.

To show our appreciation to all you vets out there, we’ve prepared an exclusive “Veteran’s Pack” to any owners of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3, or Battlefield 4 who decide to buy Battlefield Hardline.

The Veteran’s Pack includes:

• One in-game Veteran’s Patch
• One 200% Objective Boost (active for 30 minutes once activated)
• One 200% Teamplay Boost (active for 30 minutes once activated)

Redeeming is a cinch: if you own any of the three aforementioned games on any platform and have an Origin account, the Veteran’s Pack will be available automatically the first time you login to Battlefield Hardline. Should you register Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3, or Battlefield 4 after Battlefield Hardline, you’ll also get the Veteran’s Pack – simply log in to Battlefield Hardline again and it’ll be there.

Hats off to you veterans – and enjoy your Veteran’s Pack!

Pre-order Battlefield Hardline

Note: Find full details of this offer below.

THIS OFFER IS BEING ISSUED TO YOU FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CREDIT, CHARGE, DEBIT OR GIFT CARD. OFFER EXPIRES DECEMBER 31, 2015. GOOD ONLY FOR NEW PURCHASES OF BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE  (“PRODUCT”) FROM THE ORIGIN STORE AT www.origin.com, THE ORIGIN CLIENT SOFTWARE (www.origin.com/about) AND PARTICIPATING RETAILERS. REQUIRES AN ORIGIN ACCOUNT AND REGISTRATION OF BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2, BATTLEFIELD 3 OR BATTLEFIELD 4. VETERAN’S PACK WILL BE ENTITLED UPON LOGIN TO PRODUCT. VALID WHEREVER PRODUCT IS SOLD. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER PROMOTIONAL OR DISCOUNT OFFER, UNLESS EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED BY EA; MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY PREPAID CARD REDEEMABLE FOR THE APPLICABLE CONTENT. RETAILERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND EMPLOYEES OF ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND THEIR AGENCIES/AFFILIATES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER PERSON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. SEE APPLICABLE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS AND DISCLOSURES ON http://www.ea.com/1/product-eulas.

After a magnitude of action-packed seasons in 2014, ESL can now announce that even more Oceanic and American Battlefield 4 is coming in 2015. What to expect? Elite gameplay, juicy prize pools and intense Domination matches – with some of the best Battlefield 4 players in the world.

America Continues the Fight

ESL One Battlefield 4 America will feature a total of three seasons in 2015, each with $6,500 of prize money per season – that means nearly $20,000 paid out during the year. At the end of each season, one team will rise from the destruction and claim a place in the Global Finals in Cologne, Germany. Here they will compete for a piece of €35,000 – not to mention the title of ESL One Battlefield 4 World Champions.

America Schedule (Domination Game mode):

• America Spring Season Cup 1 – March 1^st 2015
• America Spring Season Cup 2 – March 8^th 2015
• America Spring Season Cup 3 – March 15^th 2015
• America Spring Season Cup 4 – March 22^nd 2015
• America Spring Season Group Stage – March 28^th 2015
• America Spring Season Finals – March 29^th 2015

Oceania Takes on the World

Last year Oceania was involved in two of four ESL One Battlefield 4 seasons and we’re thrilled to see the region being represented in 2015.

For Oceania, the ESL One Battlefield 4 2015 Spring Season campaign will commence in the third week of February where a team will be crowned champions over the course of five weeks. They will then fly to Germany to compete against seven of the world’s best teams at the ESL One finals. Including travel support for the seasonal winners, a massive $54,000 AUD will be paid out in 2015.

All in all, it’s going to be a great year for competitive Battlefield 4 gaming. For more details on the tournaments and what to expect, hit the link below.

Oceania Schedule (Domination Game mode):

• Oceania Spring Season Cup 1 – March 1^st 2015
• Oceania Spring Season Cup 2 – March 8^th 2015
• Oceania Spring Season Group Stage – March 10^th to March 24^th 2015
• Oceania Spring Season Finals – March 28^th and March 29^th

Learn more about the ESL 2015 Tournaments. The ESL One tournaments are organized and sponsored by Turtle Entertainment GmbH. Information on tournament rules and setup can be found on Battlefield.ESL.eu and ESL-one.com/Battlefield.

A while back, we talked about the road ahead for Battlefield 4™ and how we will continue to support the game with more content. We were pretty vague. Now however, the time is right for shedding some more light on what you can expect going forward.

We plan to release new content in a slightly different way, always with our ear to the ground and enhancing the game based on your feedback. Expect game updates and tweaks, and things like a weapon pack – but also one or two bigger content drops.

Create the Community Map with Us

Ok. This is something we’ve never done before. There’s a piece of content coming in 2015 that we’re really excited about. We will build a Battlefield 4 map together with you – the community. Together with our development team, you will get to shape a playable map based on your input and expertise on what makes a fun multiplayer level. This map will then be tested and tweaked in the CTE (Community Test Environment), available for Battlefield 4 Premium members.

As part of this CTE testing you will be providing feedback* on the map, and creating the final thing together with us. During this process we’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes details of what the development process for making a multiplayer map looks like.

As a thank you to the Battlefield community for sticking to your Battlefield 4 guns and giving excellent feedback to improve the game, we want to show our appreciation by releasing the “Community Map” as a free download, available to players on all platforms.

Give Community Map feedback on the Battlefield 4 CTE forum

Winter Patch Arriving in March

In March, we’ll deploy what we call the Winter Patch, polishing things like netcode and soldier collision. This update will also tweak one of our competitive game modes, Squad Obliteration. Fast-paced and hugely focused on team work, this will become the lead competitive game mode for Battlefield 4.

In case you haven’t had the chance to try it yourself yet, Squad Obliteration features two five-player teams fighting for possession of a bomb on the map. Your goal is to destroy two out of three enemy bases with these bombs to win. Our ambition with Squad Obliteration is to create something fast and challenging for the players and an entertaining experience for those who watch the matches.

More to Come

Stay tuned for more news on Battlefield 4 updates including the Community Map and more. It should be a fun ride since you’ll be helping perfect the experience together with us.

Thomas Andersson
Creative Director, Battlefield 4 | DICE LA

* Respect the rights of others. Provide only content (1) that is not defamatory, obscene, offensive or indecent, (2) that is not confidential or proprietary and (3) that does not violate or infringe any third party rights. By providing, you grant EA all licenses needed to enable EA’s use of the content for any purpose. EA’s Terms of Service apply.

So here we are – millions of heists, hotwires and captured control points later. The Battlefield Hardline Open Beta is over. It’s been a blast. We’d like to thank all of you who participated, for all the hours you put in, and for being such an invaluable resource.

Just by being there on the streets (and our servers) you’re helping us add the final polish to Battlefield Hardline. And to those of you who’ve sent in feedback on the Battlelog forums, our social channels, or wherever – you should know that your input is priceless.

We will continue to listen. Soon, we’ll share in detail how your suggestions will be implemented to the final game. Thanks again for being the best community out there.

If you want to continue to provide us feedback here on Battlelog, just head over to the forums.