For several years, gamers have compared Call of Duty to Battlefield and debated over which franchise is superior. Usually, it comes down to personal preference, with fans of small scale action and arcade shooting preferring Call of Duty and those that love vehicles and large scale warfare preferring Battlefield. However, with the introduction of Call of Duty’s large scale modes like Ground War, the lines have started to get blurred. While the debate rages on, one area where most feel Call of Duty has a clear edge is progression.
Though the core gameplay is ultimately king in multiplayer shooters, and the Battlefield franchise’s destruction ensures that each match feels a bit different from the last, many of the games suffer from a lack of things to unlock. Whether it be challenges, weapon camo grinds, or reaching max prestige, Call of Duty players have clear goals to strive for. While some gamers do not care about this and only play casually, those that do want something to work toward could get tired of Battlefield games rather quickly. As such, DICE should strive to offer some stronger progression going forward.
Call of Duty’s Progression Should Be a Lesson For Battlefield
First and foremost, Call of Duty’s leveling systems have been leaps and bounds better than Battlefield’s approach to ranking up. Not only is the original prestige system beloved, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s approach to leveling gives players a manageable number of new levels to grind through every few months. Only Battlefield 3 had a standout leveling system, as hitting Colonel 100 meant players had to put in a few dozen days’ worth of play time. As a result, max level players had something to show off and a reason to be feared. If DICE does not want to bring this format back, then embracing Call of Duty’s prestiges would make sense. The S-Levels in 2042 are hardly satisfying, as it is better to have a proper end goal that takes a long time to achieve as opposed to a system that feels endless.
Aside from bringing back the Colonel 100 journeys, or adopting something like prestiging, DICE should offer a far better camo grind that can compare with Call of Duty’s system. Having dozens of different weapon skins to earn through unique challenges not only pushes players to try new things, but provides them with a way to express themselves through their weapon. Though Battlefield has made steps toward better gun customization and weapon skins, the means of unlocking them and the overall camo count has been lacking compared to the competition.
There is also something to be said for challenges in general, as players who want even more to do in Call of Duty can try to complete all the calling card challenges so that they can get the moving mastery cards. Though less players engage with this nameplate hunt than the camo grind, having it there is yet another way to keep gamers busy and allow them to earn cosmetic rewards. Once again, these challenges encourage different playstyles, and having a usable reward is far more exciting than getting another ribbon or medal. Letting players unlock dozens of different dog tag designs through bonus challenges would be a solid way to expand Battlefield's progression system.
Infinity Ward made the odd decision to remove Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Operator levels in Modern Warfare 2, and DICE could capitalize on this mistake with its next title. Filling the void of Operator progression, the next Battlefield game’s Specialists could come with their own leveling system. Through this format, players could acquire a few alternate skins, voice lines, and more, rewarding them for sticking by their favorite character and adding a whole new grind to the game.
Though Battlefield 2042’s battle pass has provided some content to unlock by playing regularly, a battle pass is not nearly enough to keep gamers hooked. After all, once they complete all the tiers, they are back to waiting for a new season to begin. It takes one look at the discourse around Overwatch 2 to realize that a battle pass alone is not enough progression for most players, and the next Battlefield has to avoid a similar fate. Hopefully, by looking at Call of Duty’s systems, DICE can provide players with several reasons to keep coming back.