Battlefield V Review: 7 Ups & 4 Downs

7. Attrition Changes The Game Completely

As mentioned, the biggest change Battlefield V makes to the core experience is the idea of attrition. Unlike in previous games, players now spawn with a limited amount of ammo (two-to-three mags max, usually) and health that doesn't automatically regenerate.

Combined with an increased time-to-kill, which makes the lack of ammunition tolerable, the sequel is deadlier than ever, requiring more thoughtful approaches to combat than simply rushing objectives and firing blindly at enemies.

Though this system was a little rocky in the beta, it's fortunately fully-formed in the final release, and one of V's biggest strengths. It makes firefights more demanding, but it's also increased the skill ceiling. The simple act of knowing when to shoot or when to let that enemy in the distance scamper off adds an extra element of tactical thinking that's always been present in Battlefield, but which has been brought to the forefront here.

Aside from making each match more intense, though, it also puts the importance back on individual classes. The lack of regenerating health makes a medic's bandage spam welcome, while support a support class's ammo pouch can mean the difference between life or death.