After some hands-on time with Battlefield 6 Season 2, it seems pretty clear that it’ll start with a solid lead over the previous season. That’s thanks in large part to Contaminated, the title's newest map, and the suite of new additions that complement it. When compared to Blackwell Fields, Season 1’s first map, Season 2’s first map offering goes above and beyond by almost every metric. In fact, it might be one of the best maps in Battlefield 6.
That’s a tough call, too, as Battlefield 6’s map pool is pretty great. Mirak Valley is a tank wonderland, Siege of Cairo an infantry playground, but Contaminated stands out even among those maps because of its excellently implemented environmental hazards (especially compared to the oil fires in Blackwell Fields). Even more importantly, though, it beats out Blackwell Fields because it’s a well-rounded map in general, hitting all the right notes in terms of layout, flow, fun, and aesthetics.
Contaminated and Battlefield 6 Season 2’s Stronger Seasonal Identity
Battlefield 6 Season 2 is built around maps with unique gameplay mechanics, and Contaminated introduces the structure of VL-7 hallucinogenic gas clouds across various points and objective zones. Though this gas will also be a new grenade type, Contaminated’s objective zones will periodically be filled with it on their own. Every player now carries gas masks with limited filters, and the tension this system creates is meaningful.
The mask/gas system is meaningful because failing to equip it or running your filter to empty means seeing spectral enemies that aren't really there, or worse — mistaking allies for enemies amid the orange and unnatural fog. On top of a well-built, well-designed map, this system is a great compliment, and it’s made even more exciting by the prospect of Season 2 Phase 2’s introduction of night-vision reliant zones in Hagental Base, the second map of the season that’ll release on March 17.
Contaminated’s Rock Solid Structure
Contaminated is an interesting map layout-wise because its highest point and lowest point are actually around the same area, or flag in modes like Conquest. The flag in the middle of the map is within a tunnel that cuts through the mountain and leads to either end of the map, but players can reach the mountain above the flag from either side or from access tunnels within. This central point and the terrain obstacle it presents on either side of the map define the playspace and the airspace above it.
The airspace is generally worth contesting on Contaminated, too, thanks to the re-implementation of the AH-6 Littlebird to Battlefield 6 in Season 2.
The two sides of the mountain that lead from one end to another also vary significantly in height - one lower, fortified by bunkers and the surrounding forest, and the other higher, with an access road lined with multiple industrial buildings. It maintains a decent balance because most of the higher road is densely packed, while the lower end has more space and armaments, such as an anti-aircraft cannon. Other than the hallucinogenic gas that can take over individual points along these paths, the resulting engagements will be pleasantly familiar: snipers tend to stick to one end, SMGs, LMGs, and assault rifle loadouts might favor the other.
Finding the Flow
The mountain and its surrounding jagged terrain guide the flow of the fighting like a boulder in a stream, and in-game, it feels similarly fluid. The mid-map tunnel will be contested, offer a constant source of action, and is also the quickest way to any other point on the map. One tunnel exit opens onto the military base and the trench-style battlefield in front of it, and the other onto the town and hillside that serves as another spawn, but the smaller tunnels and facilities within that mountain mean infiltration and escape are always possible.
Compared to Blackwell Fields from Battlefield 6 Season 1, a natural flow like this is very much a breath of fresh air. Blackwell Fields was almost entirely open space, and though it sounds counterintuitive, the pacing of that map was quite stunted by that, considering just how easy it was for players to be sniped into a respawn by an errant operator or tank shell from across the map. And while the gas hazard of Contaminated is not as visually striking as the burning streaks of oil that cut through Blackwell Fields, it definitely feels less irritating.
Taking Combat to the Mountaintops
Though aesthetics alone do little to carry the weight of a truly great map, Contaminated is all the better for its picturesque depiction of an active airbase deep in the German mountains. It’s beautifully saturated with color, though the color of a very different kind compared to Blackwell Fields, which, despite its gameplay irks, was striking due to the “world on fire” look it had with the burning oil and sunset. The trees dotting the map in Contaminated are verdant and plentiful, which serves as a way to meaningfully conceal oneself from the sniper fire on the mountain.
Liberation Peak’s Cooler Older Brother
Contaminated might be better described on paper as an improvement to the design philosophy on display on Liberation Peak. That map was controversial and a bit notorious early on, especially in Battlefield 6’s beta, for the snipers that took advantage of the high ground on the central mountain. Contaminated instead provides a far healthier balance of open and closed space, and as a much more robust map, and the layout doesn’t feel as one-sided or jagged either.
Battlefield 6 Season 2 Starts Strong
Ultimately, Battlefield 6 Season 2 seems to have a lot to offer, and Contaminated definitely puts its best foot forward compared to Blackwell Fields in Season 1. The second map, Hagental Base, is still a mystery, but what’s been showcased already is certainly promising. If Battlefield 6 Season 2 commits to its new mechanics and continues to improve them alongside all the new weapons, equipment, and vehicles on the way, it’ll likely be a quality offering when it drops February 17.
Battlefield 6
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- October 10, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-App Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Battlefield Studios
- Publisher(s)
- EA
