Battlefield 6’s free-to-play experience, Redsec, has officially gone live with Season 1. Redsec represents something fresh for the Battlefield franchise, a new type of platform that exists within the larger BF6 experience.
Redsec is not just a simple battle royale mode, it’s an entirely new section of the game. In this guide, we’re going to go over the key details of Redsec, what you can play within it, and what’s different about this particular BR compared to some of the others.
What is Redsec?
As mentioned, Redsec is an entirely new “game” within Battlefield 6. Redsec is free-to-play, and can be downloaded on PC through Steam, the Epic Games Store, as well as the EA app. It’s also available on the PlayStation and Microsoft/Xbox Stores.
You do not need to own a copy of Battlefield 6 to download or play Redsec, or any of the modes within it. Redsec is live now across all the aforementioned platforms, clocking in at around 40GB, depending on your platform.
What is Redsec battle royale?
This is the standard experience in Redsec, and the one you’re likely to be spending most of your time with. This last-person-standing mode groups 100 players together into the new Fort Lyndon map, which you drop into via helicopter.
The majority of the rules of this battle royale should be familiar to anyone who plays Warzone, Fortnite, Apex Legends, or even classic PUBG. However, there are key differences that set this mode apart from other battle royale modes.
For starters, the ring of fire is deadly. It won’t just damage you when you’re in it, it will kill you instantly. There’s no rotating in the gas (fire) in this one. Thankfully, the game will show a clear warning on your HUD to alert you that you’re getting close, so don’t get caught out.
Destruction and vehicles
This being a Battlefield experience, of course, it means you can expect almost every building you come across to be destructible, and you’re encouraged to create chaos rather than try and play tactically.
Much like core multiplayer, destruction has the potential to create so many unique and fun moments, regardless of how useful they may be to your team at any given moment. Vehicles also play a key role in Redsec BR, which is another thing you’re going to have to get used to.
Some – like helicopters and small land vehicles – can be found scattered around the map. The stronger attack vehicles such as IFVs and tanks can instead be acquired from Vehicle Trailers/Containers, but they require a Vehicle Key Card to access (more on that below).
Class gameplay and Sidearm selection
Before you deploy, you get to pick a Sidearm, which can be a customised one from your own collection. The big choice you need to make, however, is which class you’re going to be dropping as. All classes can use all weapons, but not all classes can do every job.
Each class spawns with two Gadgets, a Signature Trait, and one of the two Training Paths available in multiplayer. Each class also carries over their Signature Weapon Proficiency from multiplayer, meaning the Assault, for instance, is best suited to using Assault Rifles. Within the round itself, you can gain up to four passives that unlock as you earn XP from kills or Missions (shown on the rightside), similar to multiplayer.
Custom Weapons and how to get them
Later in the round, you’ll be able to acquire a Custom Weapon from your arsenal. Note that this isn’t a custom loadout like Warzone, as you’ll only be limited to the weapon itself. In order to ensure the weapons you want end up showing up on the pick screen, make sure to favourite your weapon builds in the Loadout menu before matchmaking. You can have up to eight custom builds and all of them will show up in-game for you to pick from.
Custom Weapons can be acquired through Custom Weapon Drops. Some of these can be earned as rewards, while others will drop for everyone in the match to fight over. You can only pick one weapon from each drop, meaning you can carry two Custom Weapons – assuming you can hit two Custom Weapon Drops in that match.
Missions and Counter Missions
Shortly after the match starts, you’ll be able to undertake Missions, which will require the squad to do a certain task. Missions will pop up when you’re in the vicinity, and they can be accepted from the map screen. This is also where their rewards will be shown. The more challenging the Mission, the bigger the reward.
Completed Missions reward weapons, Call-Ins like airstrikes, Custom Weapon Drops, Vehicle Key Cards and other valuables. One of the more interesting additions to Redsec BR is Counter Missions, which let you counter another nearby squad’s mission, and will almost always get you into a fight.
Respawning after death
Redsec BR, of course, has ways for you to get back in the fight after dying. The simplest way to return to action is to respawn, which is something anyone can do once per game. When you die, you can choose to activate Second Chance, which will then spawn you in the air above a random teammate.
The window for Second Chance doesn’t cover the entire round, meaning it’s going to be unavailable once the match gets closer to the endgame.
There are also Respawn Points available across the world map, which your teammates can use to bring you back. This process takes time, makes a loud noise, and requires squadmates to remain within the capture radius until it’s done. The good news is that it brings back every dead teammate at once, though the Respawn Point itself can only be used a single time.
Redsec BR squad options
As it stands, Redsec BR currently only supports Duos, and Quads in its playlists, meaning no options for Solo or Trios. This makes sense, given the games’ focus on squad and class interplay, but those other options could arrive down the line.
You can, of course, opt to close your squad when matchmaking if you’re comfortable playing with two other players in Quads. If you don’t have enough friends, matchmaking will take care of it for you.
What is Redsec Gauntlet?
Gauntlet is an entirely separate mode within Redsec, also available for free. Think of it as a big multiplayer match played on the same large BR map of Fort Lyndon. It uses your own loadouts from multiplayer, and relies on the same class characteristics, too.
If you don’t own the game, it’s going to take you time to build an arsenal of weapons and create custom loadouts for each class, so keep that in mind.
Gauntlet is a squad-vs-squad, knockout mode where eight four-player squads race to complete a series of missions and challenges as quickly as possible. Each match is made up of four rounds, with one task per round.
After each round, the two squads at the bottom will be eliminated, and the score will change to reflect the new ranking. The final round pits the two remaining squads against each other in a big fight.
Mission types and scoring
As it stands, there are eight mission types, with one arriving later in Season 1. Right now, we have Circuit, Contract, Deadlock, Decryption, Extraction, Heist, Vendetta, and Wreckage – with Rodeo coming later in the season.
Once a mission starts, each squad will earn one point for every kill, and one for every revive. Playing the objective will earn you points, too, so long as you’re doing what each mission asks of you. In a fun twist, the last minute of each mission grants double points to make things more interesting.
What is Redsec Portal?
If you’re familiar with Portal mode from the core game of Battlefield 6, you should know exactly what to expect here. Portal encompasses a suite of tools for anyone to create custom modes, custom maps and a lot more using an SDK of assets.
Creators can also manipulate AI behaviour and various other rules to design experiences you can’t have in the normal game. With the arrival of Redsec, Fort Lyndon and its assets have joined the available list of maps within Portal.
If you do not own a copy of the full game of Battlefield 6, you’ll still have access to Fort Lyndon in Portal. This version of Portal also supports the rulesets for Gauntlet, battle royale, and other Verified Modes designed by Battlefield Studios.