Battlefield 4 soldier kits, combat specialisation detailed

Over on the Battlefield blog, DICE has posted up some information on the various soldier classes for the upcoming Battlefield 4, as well as revealing the combat kits of the three playable factions: China, Russia, and US.

The familiar standard classes return: Support, Engineer, Recon, and Assault. However, DICE promises more variety in weapon and kit options so that each main class might specialise in a particular area of expertise depending on how the player wishes to gear their soldier.

For example, the Engineer will have more anti-vehicle weapons to choose from. Vehicle disabling and guided weapon systems have been revamped to offer a broader range of tactics.

The Support class will have more offensive and suppression weapon options while retaining favourites such as C4, claymores, and remote mortars.

Recon will get some new weapon mobility options, and for those who prefer classic tactics, the sniper rifles, scopes, and accessories have been overhauled. For example, snipers will be able to “zero” their sights, setting an aiming distance from which to gauge their shots.

The Assault class will retain its medical supplies and defib units, but also gets a single-use medi-pack and a new flash bang grenade type.

Gadgets have been given a dose of mobility, with new single-soldier ammo and health recharges to complement the traditional stationary resupply drops.

A laser designator can be used to assign SOFLAM targets while on the run, with the trade-off being that the SOFLAM will no longer automatically select and attack targets.

Suppressing fire will return with some tweaks. Light machine guns (exclusive to Support class) will have a boosted suppression effect (relative to Battlefield 3). Suppression at close range will be scaled down to make for more skill-based battles.

Field Upgrade paths

An interesting new feature is squad-related specialisations that affect a player’s solider for the entirety of a round. There are two universal upgrade paths – offensive and defensive – and two paths unique to each class.

These upgrades are unlocked by performing actions useful to your squad, such as repairing vehicles, dropping ammo, etc. The specialisations include faster health regen, less fall damage, more ammo, etc.

The affects last for a round of battle, and switching between squads or specialisation path choice won’t erase overall progress for that round.

Below is a summary of the specialisations. Note these are names used for the current Alpha stage of development and things may change by launch.

SPEC	IN-GAME EFFECT
SPRINT	Increases maximum sprint speed
AMMO	Increases maximum inventory of bullets
C4 EXPLOSIVES	Increases maximum inventory of C4 explosives
COVER	Decreases amount of incoming suppression
SUPPRESSION	Increases the amount of outgoing suppression
FLAK	Decreases explosion damage
GRENADES	Increases maximum inventory of hand grenades
(NEW) ROCKETS	Increases maximum inventory of AT (anti-tank) and AA (anti-air) ammo
(NEW) MINES	Increases maximum inventory of AT Mines or M2 SLAM
(NEW) STEALTH	Player is undetected by Motion Sensors except when sprinting
(NEW) HOLD BREATH	Increases time you can Steady your scope
(NEW) FAST REPAIR	Increases speed and sabotage of Repairs
(NEW) DEFIB UPGRADE	Increases charge up speed of the defibrillators
(NEW) 40mm GRENADES	Increases maximum inventory of 40mm grenades
(NEW) ADVANCED SPOT	Increases time your targets are Spotted
(NEW) MEDKITS UPGRADE	Increases maximum deployed medic bags and packs
(NEW) MOTION SENSORS UPGRADE	Increases the maximum inventory of Motion Sensors. Increases the range of T-UGS and MAV
(NEW) MORE DEPLOYED EXPLOSIVES	Increases maximum deployed Explosives
(NEW) AMMO BAG UPGRADE	Increases maximum deployed ammo boxes and packs
(NEW) ARMOR	Reduces incoming damage to the chest
(NEW) QUICK UNSPOT	Reduces time you are spotted
(NEW) MEDICAL UNIT	Occupied vehicles will slowly heal nearby soldiers
(NEW) SUPPLY UNIT	Occupied vehicles will slowly resupply nearby soldiers
(NEW) REPAIR UNIT	Occupied vehicles will slowly repair nearby vehicles
(NEW) REDUCED FALL	Increases height you can fall without damage
(NEW) QUICK REGEN	Decreases time before out of combat heal
(NEW) MP-APS UPGRADE	Longer uptime on MP APS
(NEW) INDIRECT FIRE UPGRADE	Increases maximum M224 ammo. Increases maximum XM25 magazines
(NEW) CLAYMORES	Increases the maxium inventory of claymores