Battlefield: Redsec, the new free-to-play Battle Royale launches today

Redsec is Battlefield’s first-ever free-to-play Battle Royale game, and it’s launching today. But it’s not just Battle Royale – this experience includes Gauntlet, a round-based elimination mode that samples from the franchise’s rich Multiplayer history, as well as Redsec’s Portal Community Creations, an ever-evolving sandbox from our community developers.

However, your first steps into Redsec will more than likely come in the form of the Battle Royale Initiation playlist:

Battle Royale initiation

In BR Duos, eliminate hostels, track intel, and dodge the chemical ring on a condensed map.

Battle Royale Initiation is built for new players as a low-stakes learning environment. In this variant, you and a squadmate can drop into a match with the following key differences:

• This version of Fort Lyndon is significantly smaller than its full version. 
• Players who can access this mode are limited to newer players.
• A 48-player maximum, inclusive of Bots.

Your path towards victory will involve the following:

Dropping in

Choose your class

• Assault – The ultimate frontline fighter, skilled at punching through enemy defenses. Dominate close to mid-range encounters and limit the enemy’s ability to fight.
• Engineer – The battlefield’s leading vehicle and equipment technician. Execute repairs to keep allies combat effective, or strike hostile armor with force to break their attack.
• Support – The backbone of any combat unit for defense and sustained fighting. Heal and resupply friendly forces, while fortifying defensive positions to keep them protected.
• Recon – The perfect intelligence and counterintelligence operative. Neutralize targets from a distance, or infiltrate, gathering intel and disrupting hostile forces.

You also get to choose a Sidearm, a small personal defense weapon that is great in a pinch, but is not meant to carry you through an entire match. 

Next, get ready to parachute into Fort Lyndon. Either you or your duo will be labelled as the Squad Leader; when the Squad Leader calls for a jump, both of you will leap out of the infiltration plane.

At any point, the non-Leader can break away from the formation and continue dropping on their own. However, we highly recommend that new players stay in formation. Your parachute will automatically deploy when you get close to the ground. Alternatively, you can manually deploy the parachute to delay landing in favor of a more intentional landing spot.

Securing better weapons, ammo, and armor

Scavenging for weapons, ammo, and armor become the tools for survival.

These are all available through a variety of crates found in the map; look for giant rectangular boxes that are green (Common), red-and-black (Rare), or red with Class symbols (Class Chests). Look for vehicles that can be opened to contain more items, as well as locked vaults.

Crates can also contain ammo, which is shared between all weapons in a given weapon category. While there are other ways to gain more ammo, like picking it off eliminated enemies or getting an Ammo Resupply Call-In, the easiest way to restock is to use the Support Class’ Supply Box.

Completing Contracts

Your primary mission in Battle Royale is to eliminate all enemies. Second are Contracts, objectives that can be accepted on your full map screen and reward powerful items. Whenever a Contract becomes available to choose, you will receive a prompt below the compass on your HUD.

Avoiding the Circle of Death, respawning, and achieving victory

The Circle of Death. One step into this area will near instantly down and eliminate you. Mind the red-shaded areas on your mini-map or heed the warnings on your HUD when it shows a red skull icon and a distance.

In Battle Royale, death is not always finite. In the first few minutes of every match, you automatically get a Second Chance, redeploying immediately from the sky. If you don’t use your Second Chance, you get a sizable chunk of XP, which is great for ranking up and unlocking more Loadout items.

Alternatively, Battle Royale includes Respawn Points where squad members can revive their allies. After activating a Respawn Point, stay within its radius for a short period of time to respawn all dead allies. If you are spectating from beyond, you are able to request a respawn.

The last remaining Battle Royale squad wins the match. 

Tips for Battle Royal survival and victory

At the end of your Initiation journey, you should be ready to drop into Battle Royale.

1. Stick to your initiation zones. Learning the backstreets, rooftops, and corridors can give you an advantage over other new players who may be unaware of the surroundings.
2. Know your class. Remember to use everything your Class offers and ask a battle buddy with more experience to walk you through its basics.
3. Work with your team. Battle Royale is about surviving as a squad; don’t stray too far from squadmates, be sure to share enemy locations and precious high-value items, and remember to revive them whenever it is clear to do so.

Gauntlet – round-based elimination multiplayer

In Gauntlet, eight squads of four players each go head-to-head in a series of special operations that push every squad to their limit. If you like traditional Multiplayer FPS experiences, then you’ll love Gauntlet.

Gauntlet involves creating a custom loadout and pits squads against each other in a series of high-octane missions. Every mode includes a helpful in-game description and demonstration of how to play, including what actions score points for your squad. Failure to secure enough points results in elimination, while winning four modes in a Gauntlet match means victory.

Here are three quick tips to get started in this pick-up-and-play experience:

1. Watch the briefing. The small sequence before each operation gives a short demonstration of how it is played, as well as the points earned for each action. 
2. Play the objective. Using what you learned in the briefing, focus on the actions that will score your team the most points.
3. Communication is key. Use the ping system, voice chat and text chat to effectively plan and execute coordinated efforts, otherwise be prepared to be reassigned or get sent back to the start of the Gauntlet.

See you in Fort Lyndon!