Battlefield 6 Season 3 is right around the corner, and we’ve known for some time that it’ll feature a completely revitalized iteration of BF4’s Golmud Railway. As the largest BF4 map at the 2013 FPS game’s launch, it’s only right that it’s set to become BF6’s biggest map yet. In a new dev blog, level designer Luka Grepl-Malmgren takes us on a whistlestop tour of what we can expect when the “tribute to the veteran Battlefield community” leaves the Battlefield Labs, and hits live in a couple of weeks’ time.
The reborn Golmud Railway takes one of BF4’s big missed opportunities, and translates it into one of Battlefield 6’s most impressive maps yet. As Grepl-Malmgren notes, this is only possible because “we have better technology than we did 13 years ago,” as well as the fact that two of Golmud’s original level artists still work at DICE. So, with the dream trio locked and loaded, the devs set to work on finding things that they could improve from the BF4 version.
Golmud Railway is conceptually really slick. Here, you’re vying over control of a moving train, which heads towards the enemy HQ once captured and serves as a strategic point for your team to rally around. In the BF4 version of Golmud, the train would move towards the HQ of the team that captured it, but as Grepl-Malmgren says, this made it more difficult to retrieve, so it “did not get any gameplay.”
While BF4’s Golmud was stationed in China, BF6’s Tajikistani setting merited a geographical rethink. It’s unsurprising that this revamped iteration looks considerably better than its predecessor, nor am I shocked that Battlefield Studios has made it even bigger. What really let the OG down, lack of trading train control aside, was how empty it felt and a devoidancy of detail. These issues look to have been rectified and then some.
With all the extra space, my big concern is traversal – especially if you haven’t got a nearby vehicle to whip around in. Battlefield Studios says there is “an emphasis on making it easier for infantry traversal without losing space for vehicles,” so hopefully there’s a solid balance. Boasting tons of aerial combat potential, including dogfighting in mountain peaks, mountains, and glaciers, jet enthusiasts should feel right at home. With increased verticality, the “no-mans lands” present between major objectives only become more dangerous. The good news, if you’re on foot, is that BF6’s Golmud now sports plenty of cover spots you can use, making the journey from point to point less treacherous.
In striking this balance, Golmud’s terrain necessitated a shift around. Battlefield Studios says that the mountain range has been moved, elevated HQ positions are gone, and roughly 100 meters of the combined North and South boundaries have been pushed in “for the sake of balance.” So, while your internal compass might need some recalibration if you’re a series vet, it hopefully shouldn’t take too long to adjust.
Elsewhere in the rundown, the devs take us through the main POIs and offer up some handy tips on how to play the upcoming BF6 map when it arrives with Season 3 – a launch date has yet to be cemented, but it’s currently expected to be Tuesday, May 12. You can check out the rest of Grepl-Malmgren’s musings here. Though I’m not part of BF Labs, I can already tell the devs have cooked with Golmud, and I can’t wait to revel in my share of nostalgia.
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