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Battlefield 2042 has made a surprising comeback since its initial rocky launch and is still one of the better first-person shooters set in modern times (or slightly futuristic times in this case with annoying robot dogs and the like). If players can get over the odd robot or wing-suited player zipping around above them, however, it's still quite a realistic shooter.
One of the main threats for infantry in Battlefield 2042 is the onslaught of tanks and dealing with them can be a frustrating and tricky task. Every player at some point will have been unceremoniously blown away by a well-placed tank as they approached an objective.
Acting as an AT soldier can be quite rewarding, especially if the player blows up something like a MAV transport vehicle with all 5 seats occupied. The problem is the anti-tank rockets and weapons seem massively under-powered for the job at hand and players invariably fire off all their rockets, find the tank is still not dead and definitely knows where they are now, then it's not long before the player is turned into kebab meat.
There is a way to take out a heavy tank in one 'hit' and with the right combination of equipment in the loadout, the whole process of destroying tanks in BF2042 can be made a lot cleaner and safer for the soldier taking them on. But which weapons fare better than others and which method is ultimately the best? It may not be quite what people were expecting.
NTW-50 | 50 Cal Sniper Rifle With High Power Rounds
The NTW-50 is a seriously effective weapon against vehicles or infantry players. It will kill a player in one shot to the chest and can even be used up close with holographic or iron sights. Players can hit anything with this including choppers and even jets.
It can accurately hit targets 300 meters away, meaning it can be used to harass tanks and other vehicles while they are still making their way out of the spawn points. Of course, each round will only do a fraction of the damage of a single rocket (around a quarter), but with the 50 cal players can rick rounds off a lot faster without giving away their position too obviously. 30 rounds total with the weapon which is used as primary so no need to switch back and forth, just shoot anything that moves.
The problem is there will not normally be 10 or 12 firing opportunities on the tank that would be required so not a particularly reliable option for dealing with armor at full health. If a player tries to pop off multiple rounds from close up at a tank they are eventually going to be blown up. However, it can be used quite effectively to finish off damaged vehicles where nobody else can reach them, contribute to the damage overall, or cause choppers to crash even if not fully destroying them. If Level 4 Mastery is reached at 120 kills then the High Power rounds can be unlocked, which makes a slight difference to the damage done but it's nothing to write home about.
G-84TGM Guided Missile Used By Specialist Lis
It was unfortunate that this specialist equipment that comes with the new tank killing Lis was not more effective really, as it was a good idea to include this in the game - yet the results seem somewhat gimmicky.
At first, it is quite novel and interesting to be able to manually guide one's rockets onto the target, viewed from an onboard camera on the missile itself, until the player actually hits the target successfully and notices the woeful damage it has done and how exposed they have been during that time, stood out like a lemon completely stationary and most likely about to be hit or run over by a tank.
One advantage is that the ammo automatically reloads itself over time without the need to take a separate ammo box in the loadout. Still, the player can fire both rounds into the tank, wait for the thing to reload, and hit it again and there's a good chance it will be still standing. It is actually quite effective against attack choppers and Condors hanging low. With a bit of skill and luck, players can quite reliably guide the G-84 TGM missiles into the path of choppers that are lumbering around in the air, dropping soldiers off, or looking for targets on the ground.
Recoilless M5 - Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher
It may be expected that the dedicated anti-tank rocket launcher in BF2042 would be higher up the list than fourth when it comes to the best anti-tank weapons. However, the only reason it is not lower is the fact that it can be paired with the SOFLAMdesignator from another player in the squad to turn it into a homing missile.
The main issue with the tank-busting Recoilless M5 rocket launcher is its distinct inability to kill tanks, owing to the fact that it has roughly the same damage per second as a pea shooter or a ten-year-old wielding a slingshot. Three rockets are supplied, which is handy, but players can often find they can shoot all three into the sides and back of a tank and it will be still standing, and particularly aware of the player standing behind them with a massive smoke trail marking out their position.
Apart from the lack of damage, it's a reasonably easy-to-use weapon and can be effective against light vehicles like the LATV Recon. Not too slow on the reload for a weapon of this type and quite straight firing over long distances with minimal drop-off to account for.
Anti-Tank Mines
When placed correctly the anti-tank mines in Battlefield 2042 can represent almost a guaranteed kill (or 2-5 depending on the occupancy of the vehicle). Slightly different from the other options, they require a bit of patience and planning. If players try to chase tanks by throwing mines at them they will tend to leave disappointed and mostly spread out in small pieces across the map, leaving them wondering what was the point.
The best method with the anti-tank mine is to trap an area where it is expected enemies and their vehicles will go to. For example, on capture points in games like Conquest and especially Breakthrough. If Objective B has been taken by the player's forces then there's a good chance the enemy vehicles will end up there, trying to take it back. Using choke points, for example, where a single road winds its way up a mountain, players can place the mines where it is almost definite that a vehicle will arrive.
The advantage with mines is they will stay placed on the map even after the player has been killed and respawned. So they really can be left and forgotten about, getting kills several minutes later at times. With 3 mines in the loadout, it is best to place all 3 across the road or choke point, spread out to cover any approach on either side of the road. For best results place them out of sight, in craters, dips in the road, or where the terrain rises then levels out. Very difficult for tank drivers to spot them anyway but with the correct placement they can be completely out of the line of sight until the tank is basically on top of them.
40mm AP Grenade | Armor Piercing Round On SFAR-GL Grenade Launcher
Regular Battlefield 2042 players may be surprised to see this more or less unheard-of anti-tank option turn up so high in the rankings. The reasons for this are simple - players get 3 of them and they do the same damage as the RPG launcher or M5 recoilless rifle! Players can fire them off faster than the rocket launcher and unlike with the rockets, are able to equip the ammo box or extra explosives in the right-hand slot.
The weapon is attached as an underslung grenade launcher on the SFAR-GL assault rifle. The grenade launcher with frag rounds comes as standard but players need to progress through the ranks to unlock the incendiary rounds, then later the AP or armor-piercing grenades. They are capable of destroying tanks relatively easily, especially since the player can continually fill their ammo back, with that equipment slot being free.
C5 Explosives
As with previous titles in the Battlefield series, the surprise favorite is once again the old C4 plastic explosive (although it's called C5 now). Regular Battlefield players may turn away in disgust at the suggestion that C5 is the best way to destroy a tank when it seems like the most dangerous option and can only be thrown 15 feet in front of you.
However, C5 is the one surefire way to take out a tank in one single hit and get away clean. It also makes use of the tank's main disadvantage or weakness, which is facing infantry players up close in tight areas, especially in the blind spots underneath the main cannon where the tank simply cannot fire.
What about tanks that are 200 meters away though? Either ignore them as they aren't going to cause a problem at that range anyway, or close the gap and work a way around out of sight to lay the C5 up close.
How To Destroy A Tank In One Hit On BF2042 Using C5
- Two main methods of using C5 explosives - laying traps with C5 on the road, waiting for a vehicle to drive over then detonating from underneath, keeping watch from a concealed position; or in this case, the second and possibly more effective method using the sticky bomb technique and physically sticking all 3 of the C5 explosive on the surface of the tank's armor.
- The trick is to approach the tank out of sight, from either the side or rear where the enemy player is usually paying little attention. Look where the tank's main gun is pointing and try to approach from the opposite side. This may mean taking cover through buildings, debris, low walls, etc, and working a way around in a big circle if necessary.
- Avoid getting the C5 explosives out too early as there's a good chance an infantry player will pop out on the way so keep the main weapon ready initially.
- Predict the path of the tank and set up an ambush point. Is it driving down the road near a building you can pop out from? Or is it mostly stationary firing at targets? Ideally AT soldiers want to be exiting cover at the very last second.
- If the tank gets wise to the plan and spins the main gun round to fire, the best option is to keep going and close the distance as fast as possible. Once level with the side of the tank, it can no longer hit anyone at that range as they will be in the blind spot, below where the gun can point and shoot.
- On the final dash, players want to quickly select the C5 from the inventory slot, then use the left trigger to slap all three of the sticky explosives onto the side or back of the tank.
- Normally when a tank driver on BF2042 sees an infantry soldier run up next to the vehicle, they will instinctively reverse back to get a shot. This should actually help in this situation as it will mean the infantry player is clear of the explosives when they are detonated.
- Most of the time the tank will remain completely unaware up until it is destroyed. Once the charges are set, run a few feet away from the tank to get clear, then quickly detonate all 3 explosives using RT before something bad happens.
Battlefield 2042 is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.