The second Battlefield 5 closed alpha recently concluded, and EA is now preparing for the start of the game’s open beta. In a recent online update, the studio explained what they had learned from the second alpha event, and how they were improving the game as a result.

What EA Learned From the Second Battlefield 5 Closed Alpha

EA ran two separate closed alpha events during August; one which was originally scheduled, and one more impromptu event shortly after. According to EA, the second alpha has been a great help in improving Battlefield 5; “We learned a great deal from the first Closed Alpha for Battlefield 5,” states EA; “and it helped us improve game aspects such as combat, spawning, revives, progression, and various under-the-hood details. Armed with this valuable info based on tests and your feedback, we launched a second Closed Alpha in the middle of August to implement changes and learn how they work in the real world, with real players.”

The first area EA is focusing on is the fine-tuning of Battlefield 5’s gameplay; in this context, specifically TTK and TTD (time-to-kill and time-to-die). Balancing these two factors are essential for building a multiplayer game like Battlefield 5 to be enjoyable. According to EA, players complained that they were dying too quickly, while the players praised the combat in general. So, while the TTK seems to be about right, it is perhaps not balanced properly with the TTD; “This puts us in an awkward spot,” explains EA; “as these things are often tightly integrated; changing one side risks messing up the other… Overall, a lot of the gameplay elements in the first Closed Alpha were preferred by the community compared to the second. However, going in to the Open Beta, we believe we have a system that will outshine them both.”

EA also states that the Beta will feature more improvements to squad connections, as well as progression changes. Visibility will also be changed, though they did not go into specifics for what those changes will be.