While shooters are generalized as “$60 map packs” by people that don’t play them, the changes from game to game in multiplayer shooters are about more than “new maps”. In the case of Battlefield 4, there is an overhauled progression system and “Levelution”, DICE’s new dynamic environment shifting mechanic. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 had a retro map pack, bringing classic maps into the modern franchise entry, as did Battlefield 3. Here are the maps that most need to be brought to the newest installment in the series.
3. White Pass
The first time you kill someone by dropping a building on them is a memorable moment. For me, that moment was forever etched into my memory on White Pass. Nostalgia aside, White Pass was one of those maps that played well in both Rush and Conquest modes. I preferred Squad Deathmatch on this Battlefield: Bad Company 2 map, but felt the other two modes had a distinct balance to them that made them enjoyable to a variety of people. For a challenge, snipers also had the opportunity to snipe parachuting enemies out of the sky. These was also an objective point in Rush that could be brought down by demolishing the building. It always felt like more of an important point to protect, but thankfully DICE didn’t overuse that mechanic.
2. Seine Crossing
Battlefield 3 had a Conquest map that delighted me every time it appeared in rotation. Seine Crossing was an urban map with alleyways and buildings to fight through, and flags positioned relatively close to one another. This offered a very quick-paced match, and some of the choke points were a blast to fight through for the team being held back. This goes against my general playstyle, but my absolute favorite memory in Battlefield 3 was trolling this map. I was a dominant troll, netting 23 kills without dying while camping in an apartment over an objective, and then killing a few people with C4 while hiding back in a garage. Admittingly, I felt like an ass, but I still had a laugh.
Seine Crossing was simply one of the best maps DICE designed with such a small amount of real estate.
1. Arica Harbor
My first experience with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was the early beta and the Arica Harbor map on Rush. I spent 20 hours in the beta, and still loved this map well into my hundred or so hours with the retail game. That’s a lot of time on one map, and I never tired of it. On Rush, the map had potential to be one hell of a long game. From the onset, Arica Harbor balances gameplay with such perfection that it has become the map I consider the gold standard for Battlefield maps. DICE designed this map in such a way that no matter what type of player you were, there was fun to be had. Whether I wanted to snipe, play in vehicles, play a supporting role, or just rush in guns ablazing, Arica Harbor satisfied all of my needs. Each leg held the same sense of open availability, too. In a lot of maps on Rush, it felt like DICE wanted to the change the pacing up a bit, which is fine, but when there is an optimal balance already, changes spoil the experience. My buddies and I rarely had a bad time on Arica, and I recall some very tense back and forth matches. If I was having a bad night, this map cheered me up.
Some maps felt better on Rush or Conquest, but Arica Harbor was so special, it retained its balanced structure in both styles. The town section had a perfect box to play in, and the perfection made each leg of rush feel wonderfully even. I longed for an Arica Harbor remake for Battlefield 3 and never got it. My fingers are crossed for Battlefield 4.
Dishonorable Mention: Anything but Operation Metro
Don’t get me wrong, I love Operation Metro. Well, loved. It has a great layout, which is one of the reasons everyone and their mother plays this map. Checking the server list at any given time will pull up dozens of Operation Metro rooms. There were tons of Operation Metro-only rooms, and with a normal amount of tickets on Conquest, that would be fine. But everyone ruined it by making most of these rooms max tickets. No thanks, guys.
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