5 Things to Know About the July Battlefield 1 Update

DICE is rolling out a brand new summer Battlefield 1 patch ahead of the Battlefield 5 release this fall. The July update isn’t as big as the June patch, but it delivers essential bug fixes for ongoing issues plaguing the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and the Windows PC.

June marked the end of monthly patches for Battlefield 1, but DICE’s cooked up yet another update for release on all three platforms.

Server downtime is over and the July Battlefield 1 update is now available for Xbox One’s, PlayStation 4’s, and Windows PCs around the world.

The developer’s June patch, also known as the Shock Operations update, delivered a new mode along with bug fixes, tweaks, and enhancements. The July patch doesn’t come with a new game mode, but it does come with one substantial change for Xbox One X users.

In this guide we’ll take you through all of the changes and everything else we know about the July Battlefield 1 update. Let’s start with the release date.

July Battlefield 1 Update Size

When you fire up Battlefield 1 up today you’re going to encounter DICE’s summer update. It’s a mandatory patch for anyone still wanting to play Battlefield 1 online.

If you’re playing Battlefield 1 on the Windows PC and you’re running the most up-to-date version of the game, you’re looking at a 4.2GB download.

If you’re playing Battlefield 1 on the PlayStation 4 and you’ll all caught up with patches, you’ll be forced to download a 5.1GB update.

Live Stream

If you’re interested in hearing about the changes directly from EA DICE, you can tune into a live stream on July 31st/August 1st. The stream will dive into the summer update’s changes.

The live stream kicks off 1PM Pacific on July 31st and lasts an hour. You can find the stream on Battlefield’s Twitch channel.

Xbox One X Battlefield 1 Update

DICE’s summer update for the Xbox One X comes with one notable change.

This month’s patch finally delivers Xbox One X 4K resolution rendering which means Xbox One X owners can now utilize 4K resolution with high-dynamic range (HDR) colors.

That’s a big deal for those who’ve adopted Microsoft’s new console and it’s a good reason to jump back onto the battlefields of Battlefield 1.

Tweaks

The July update is comprised of two types of changes: Bug fixes and tweaks. The tweaks include some changes to the Options menu, changes to sectors on Lupkow Pass and Zeebrugge, and some additional changes.

Łupków Pass:

• The goal is to make the first sector a little easier and to reduce the impact of the behemoth.

Changes:

• The first sector boundary has been adjusted to:
  • Prevent defenders from using the rocks on the edges of the boundary to snipe attackers.
  • Prevent defenders from using the slope at the edge of the boundary to harass attackers.
• Removed 1 defender plane from Sectors 2 and 3 to prevent air superiority for defenders during tough attacker sectors.
• Removed the single defender cavalry unit from Sector 1 to prevent cavalry runs out of bounds to harass attackers.
• Removed the blimp behemoth from Sectors 2, 3 and 4. The behemoth remains for the first sector, but between defender planes, AA guns, Burton LMGs and AA rocket guns, this behemoth shouldn’t be so consistently dominant.
• Elite kits have been offered as a comeback assist in Sectors 2, 3, and 4, repurposing some of the existing kits to be used as comeback kits for attackers.

Zeebrugge:

• The goal here is to help the attackers during the first sector as much as possible. The remaining sectors look pretty good from a sector loss perspective, so I think that making the first sector easier should help attackers build some momentum.

Changes:

• Sector 1 has had it’s bounds adjusted to prevent defender access to the lighthouse; the attacker HQ now includes the lighthouse and part of the mole.
• The attacker elite infiltrator kit has been moved into the lighthouse base. A flamethrower has been added there as well, to allow for attackers to more aggressively push and hold flags in the first sector.
• The A flag capture area has been slightly adjusted to make swimming captures a little more viable.
• Defender planes now respawn a bit slower than the attacker planes.
• Defenders now only get their second plane when the attackers reach sector 3, as opposed to sector 2.
• Defenders can no longer use boats in Sector 4 to harass attackers.

Prise de Tahure:

Changes:

• It was found that Attackers on the final sector could steal Defender kits and Defenders could steal Attacker “comeback” kits, so that has also been addressed.

Options Menu:

Video:

• Added options for adjusting the screen safe area width and height on PC (Xbox One and PS4 already have those).

Gameplay:

• Added options for adjusting the size and visibility of the kill log panel.
• Added options for adjusting the size and visibility of the scoring panel and the misc HUD elements (like weapon/vehicle/reload hints, commo rose, interactions, warnings, awards, etc.)
• Added options for adjusting the size and visibility of the chat log panel.
• Added options for adjusting the visibility of the receiving damage HUD panel.
• Added options for adjusting the visibility of the 3D objective and soldier names.
• Added options for adjusting the crosshair size and hit indicator size.
• Added options for adjusting size and visibility of the game mode info panel.
• Added options for adjusting color and visibility of the lens sight reticle.
• Added options for adjusting size and visibility of the following HUD elements:
  • Squad list panel
  • Vehicle seat layout
  • Vehicle passenger list panel
  • Player info panel
• Adjusted the world icon customization gameplay options to work in spectator mode

Bug Fixes

The July patch also delivers bug fixes for some of the game’s ongoing bugs and issues. These include:

• Fixed an issue where vehicle laid AT Mines would have difficulty detecting vehicles.
• Fixed instances where players could grief teammates using shell type weaponry such as mortars and AA guns.
• Adjusted the reload time of the C96 pistol when loading single bullets to better match its animation.
• Moved the objective world icon names from below the world icons to above those to reduce UI clutter and obstruction of the player view over soldiers near the objectives
• Fixed issue with squad boost sometimes counting down during pre-round phase.
• Fixed issue where damage that resulted in score < 0.5 to be rounded up granting at least 1 point of score
• Fixed an issue where players in a queue were blocked behind a player that was waiting for a space to open on a specific team (as a result of join on party or friend).
• Fix issue with the incorrect attack/defense movie playing when transitioning from one operation to the next.
• Fixed the issue when in the secondary firing mode of the BAR M1918A, pressing the primary weapon key would switch to its primary firing mode.

It also sounds like the July update includes a fix for an EOR (End of Round) black screen and loading issue. The fix wasn’t included in the CTE’s change log, but it should be present in the final build.

Now that the July update is out, there’s no telling how long we’ll have to wait for the next one. We expect support for Battlefield 1 to continue, but you can expect updates to be far more sporadic as the company shifts its resources to Battlefield 5.

As for the next version of Battlefield, DICE is planning to launch an open Battlefield 5 beta in September ahead of the game’s release this fall. It also plans to showcase a new Battlefield 5 build at Gamescom in late August.

Battlefield 5 launches in October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC.

Buy If You Want a Game to Play for the Next Year

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