Battlefield 1's mysterious morse code has players puzzled

You might be distracted by all the fun and whirling blimp-nados, but there's a puzzle hidden on Battlefield 1's multiplayer maps that players are racing to solve. Headphones discovered on each map lead to radios that broadcast special morse code messages that players are working to decipher, leaving the community to wonder if this could be the beginning of another of Battlefield's incredibly convoluted easter eggs.

First discovered on the map Amiens by Reddit user RHabib, the headphones immediately piqued the interest of the community who began searching frantically for more pairs. Gradually, others were found on different maps, though the community was clueless as to what they actually did. Each pair of headphones can only be retrieved by one player in a multiplayer match, and it appears that their location tends to change from game to game. In order to concentrate efforts, the community is working together to mark down headphone locations and verify or debunk certain theories.

Gradually, it was discovered that those who had retrieved headphones could interact with certain military communication stations hidden on each map. If you retrieve the headphones, the stations begin emitting what sounds like morse code. But players are at a loss when it comes to deciphering it into anything meaningful. The stations beeps and boops translate to utter gibberish. For example, one player's attempt to translate the code gave them "gkstbdioruzxe1seterrmnnsn." In the comments, RaconBang used an anagram solver to show that the code contains words like "Donnersbergkreis," a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. That, like many other theories, hasn't led to anything conclusive, leaving the community still searching in the dark.

Speculation over what the codes could mean is driving the community to scrutinize everything. In the Google document containing all of the latest information, players are translating Latin inscriptions on statues, puzzling over mysterious symbols found in the corner of paintings, and researching potential ciphers.

Already the Google document has 44 pages of information, and it only seems to be growing. If you're unfamiliar with Battlefield players and their history with easter eggs, this all might seem like a bit much. But Battlefield contains some of the most elaborate easter eggs in modern games. In Battlefield 4, developer-only camouflage led players on a hunt that involved solving morse code in Belarusian, flipping hidden switches, solving obtuse logic puzzles, engineering audio files to find hidden messages, and even more morse code for good measure. Then there's Battlefield 4's famous Megalodon, rumors of which existed for months before anyone managed to find the damn thing.

If Battlefield 1's easter eggs follow the same path, players can probably expect to solve an equally maddening series of puzzles. It's likely that the reward—probably a cosmetic item—won't be nearly as exciting as the journey. But that's also not the point. Battlefield's love of riddles has a really unique way of bringing the community together, and I love seeing the great efforts they go to in order to solve them. While I enjoy a good mystery as much as the next person, there's something special about people translating Latin inscriptions on in-game statues just because it might reveal a clue. That's dedication.

If you want to help, the group has set up a Discord channel to help organize findings, and YouTuber RadGamerDan has a video showing all of the morse codes here if you just so happen to possess that particular set of skills. Whether you decide to help or not, I have my fingers crossed that DICE has something special in store.

With over 7 years of experience with in-depth feature reporting, Steven's mission is to chronicle the fascinating ways that games intersect our lives. Whether it's colossal in-game wars in an MMO, or long-haul truckers who turn to games to protect them from the loneliness of the open road, Steven tries to unearth PC gaming's greatest untold stories. His love of PC gaming started extremely early. Without money to spend, he spent an entire day watching the progress bar on a 25mb download of the Heroes of Might and Magic 2 demo that he then played for at least a hundred hours. It was a good demo.