Battlefield 6 season 4's Tsuru Reef makes naval warfare worth the wait

Battlefield 6 Season 4 is bringing naval warfare back in a big way. I spent some time with the season's first phase, Pacific Front, at a recent hands-on preview event, and one thing became clear almost immediately: Tsuru Reef, the map anchoring the season’s return to the water, is gigantic. I’d wager that when Battlefield 6 Season 4 launches on July 21, it’ll be the best, most feature-complete version of the game to date, and while the game probably should have been like this closer to launch, fans won’t complain.

For context, the Battlefield 6 hands-on preview event only covered Phase 1 of the upcoming July 21 update, which means Tsuru Reef, a fresh arsenal of weapons, and the two new boats leading the naval charge. It also gave me a look at the systems layer underpinning all of it, along with a roadmap of what is still coming during the rest of the season. In terms of impressions, the short version is that the water was worth the wait, even if a few of the new toys run hotter than others.

Tsuru Reef Is Battlefield 6’s Biggest Map Yet

The flashiest new addition coming in Battlefield 6 Season 4’s first phase is Tsuru Reef, a map that houses a sprawling island chain, dense with bungalows, tropical vegetation, jagged cliff edges, and a resort in the center that pays very neat homage to Battlefield 4’s Hainan Resort. Naval combat cuts from open ocean to thread through the waterways between islands, while land and air vehicles slam into solid ground. It is a huge map, but that scale is a very finely tipped point.

Across both Conquest and Escalation, the new map felt great to move through—but for once, I can say I actually had more fun on Escalation than Conquest, and that surprised me. Given the map's size, especially compared to recent maps like Railway to Golmud, the Conquest kept making back-capping feel essential, and chasing empty flags across that much terrain is my least favorite way to spend a match. Escalation trades that for tenser fights over fewer points, and it works beautifully when the arena is already this enormous.

Season 4's New Arsenal Runs Hot and Cold

The season's opening weapon trio was also available for use in the preview, and though each is very cool, the results were certainly a mixed bag. Phase 1 adds the VSSM, the BROD 3, and the EF88, each occupying a very different niche. Two of them left me lukewarm, and one has already become a favorite; here is how each shook out over my few hours with them.

VSSM

The VSSM is an integrally suppressed DMR that borrows the AS-Val's silhouette while offering a full-auto option. It hits like a truck compared to its midrange DMR peers, especially on headshots, but the bullet velocity is so sluggish that landing anything at distance becomes a real chore. It clearly wants to be run full-auto, yet that attachment is so expensive point-wise that I couldn't fit more than a 20-round mag alongside it and a scope.

BROD 3

The BROD 3 is a fast-firing carbine that plays like an SMG, though not an especially good one. Its high rate of fire and easy mobility slot it into the Assault class as a pseudo-SMG, but it never quite competes with the best of any lane it borrows from. Be it another Carbine, SMG, or AR, there is almost always something I would rather be holding, unfortunately.

EF88

The EF88—a bullpup that visually nods to the AUG and shoots like a laser beam—is easily my favorite new weapon of the season. Its slow, steady fire rate and manageable recoil put it in conversation with reliable mid-range rifles like the L85A3, which is something I instantly clocked as a fan of BF4's rendition of the weapon, the L85A2. That sweet spot lands somewhere around 20 to 75 meters, and it felt very much like a simple, plug-and-play Assault Rifle offering, which I’m all about.

Naval Combat Finally Returns To Battlefield

The two new boats are the stars of the naval push coming in Season 4, starting with the returning RHIB, which is as reliable a troop taxi as it has ever been, and the heavier RCB-90 armored patrol boat, which splits duties between a driver working a 30mm auto-cannon and missiles and a gunner lobbing 120mm mortar shells. Driving the latter felt great, though the passenger mortars clearly demand practice, because I never fully understood how to place them in the hours I had. The systems that are layer-wrapped around the water vehicles are what really make them shine, though.

With BF6’s new water mechanics, boats will kick up wakes, gadgets have different buoyancies, and bullets punch only as far beneath the surface as their caliber allows. Additionally, squads can also drag and revive teammates in the water, which is a neat consideration that proved critical during one of my early Conquest matches. Popping shots off while waist-deep in the ocean off the coast of a capture point, then swimming back to revive a buddy who got sniped during the landing, felt like exactly the kind of moment this seasonal expansion was built to create.

What's Still Over the Horizon

While previewing Phase 1 of the upcoming season was certainly enjoyable, I can’t help but feel a greater sense of anticipation for what comes next, because the roadmap beyond it is stacked, starting with Phase 2's Top Gun crossover in August. That update brings with it a reimagined Wake Island, alongside two offshore aircraft carriers that feed directly into the phase's marquee mode: Carrier Strike. A reworked version of BF4’s Carrier Assault, it’s marketed as a mode that forces land, naval, and air squads to coordinate and punch through a line to topple the enemy carrier.

Phase 2 will also introduce the Interdictor, billed as the longest-range sniper in the game, alongside a batch of attachments and several changes to the game's overarching systems. Battlefield Portal is a great example, as it’s getting Custom Lobbies and a Spectator Mode for multiplayer and REDSEC experiences. Phase 3, Tidal Strike, is timed to Battlefield 6's first anniversary, and though the specifics remain unclear right now, it’s stated to be headlined by Portal updates and two sizable REDSEC additions: Proximity Chat and a Phantom Program challenge built around “reconstructing an access code to exploit Fort Lyndon's security.”

The Most Complete Version of Battlefield 6 Yet

Beyond what’s coming down the pipe, I left the preview event stunned at how much Tsuru Reef packs into one map, especially after Season 3. I am glad naval warfare finally showed up, and I cannot wait to see the reef stretched out under Carrier Strike later on. The new weapons all have character too, even if the EF88 wears the crown without much competition.

Taken as a whole, Season 4 looks poised to leave Battlefield 6 in the strongest shape it has been in since launch, right out of the gate. That is a real milestone for a live-service game that spent much of its first year finding its footing. If you have been waiting for the most complete version of Battlefield 6 to exist, this is the moment to climb aboard.