K/D ratios are back on display in the new Battlefield 2042 scoreboard

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They did the thing everyone asked for, but not everyone is satisfied with the change.

(Image credit: DICE)

I was reluctant to embrace change, but I eventually accepted that Battlefield 2042 was trying something new with its scoreboard, putting the focus on squad effectiveness rather than individual kill-death ratios. Well, now I have to un-embrace that change: Today's Battlefield 2042 patch replaces its original scoreboard with a more typical spreadsheet of stats.

This old-style scoreboard was one of a number of features players on Reddit and Twitter cried out for when Battlefield 2042 released last year, and I've seen a mix of good cheer and cynicism among Battlefield fans today. One one hand, DICE has started to deliver on its promise to respond to criticism with specific changes and additions. On the other hand, there's still nitpicking to be done. The new scoring system doesn't factor in everything a player can do, such as heal allies, repair vehicles, or shoot enemies from very far away for a distance bonus. Instead, it only counts kills, assists, revives, and flag captures, which is disappointing to some players. It's also slightly confusing that kills are skulls and deaths are 'X's.

DICE says it isn't done tweaking the scoreboard, and if it was willing to scrap the original one, I think it's probably willing to tweak the new one. One specific change announced is that it will appear at the ends of rounds after a future update. Right now, the scoreboard can only be viewed during a match. 

Changes to the way numbers are presented are far from the only work DICE has in progress. In response to complaints about Battlefield 2042 (and somewhat disappointing sales, apparently), DICE delayed its first season—which will add a new specialist, map, and the first battle pass—to early summer so it can focus on improving the foundation. Voice chat will be added soon, and there are plans to make changes to maps based on criticism that they're too sparse. Changes to specialists are also on the table, but specific plans for that haven't been announced. DICE has also said that it's working on improving technical performance.

On top of the scoreboard change, today's patch fixes a few bugs and throws some cosmetic gifts at owners of the Year 1 Pass as an apology for the Season 1 delay. You can read more about the changes and what's ahead on the Battlefield 2042 blog. 

Tyler Wilde
Tyler Wilde
Editor-in-Chief, US

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.