In Battlefield 5, you can unlock skins for yourself by playing through the game’s many modes. There is also, additionally, the Conquest mode, which is a very interesting take on the Capture the Flag concept. In this guide, we cover both.

UNLOCKING RARE AND EPIC SKINS

To unlock Rare skins, all you need to do is reach Level 5, which unlocks weapon proficiency challenges. Select these in the Assignment tab, and complete them to unlock Rare skins.

Epic skins (which are also called Gold skins) are a bit different. You need to max out the level of your weapon (that is, take it up to Level 10), and unlock Mastery Challenges. Once you do this, complete them from the Assignments tab, and you will get a Gold piece for the set. There are six pieces, and therefore six to unlock.

CONQUEST MODE STRATEGIES

Conquest Mode is a Capture the Flag mode, but there are definitely some special strategies to keep in mind:

• Scouts can be used to keep an eye out for enemy’s movements. If you are playing as a Scout, make sure to work with your team.
• Vehicles can be very powerful in this mode. If you see any on the map, take control of it immediately.
• Play the damn objective. Do not worry about getting kills, just focus on getting the flags
• Revive fallen team members. Remember, fallen team members can lead to ticket losses, so get on it as soon as you see one.

While Battlefield 5 has multiple progression systems built into it, the most important one is leveling up your classes. There are four classes in Battlefield 5, and each class has its own progression system, which gets you perks and rewards each time you level up, through to the level cap of 20. Rewards include primary weapons, sidebars, grenades, credits, and gadgets. Leveling up can also unlock new combat roles.

LEVELING UP CLASSES

While you can switch classes at will in Battlefield 5, it’s generally advisable to focus on one class at a time. Level one up all the way to Level 20, and then you can move on to the next one (unless, of course, the one you leveled up is the only one that you like playing).

It’s not just about focusing either, however. The Combat Roles system in Battlefield 5 is directly linked to your leveling a class up. Combat Roles are like a “sub-class” for your main class. They are one of two possible focuses or traits that you can select as you level up, and they give you specialized, specific abilities—as an example, the Vehicle Buster Combat Role for the Assault class can help you deal more damage to vehicles on the map. Focusing on leveling one class up at the time, then, can have Combat Role related benefits—you get more specialization and options available to you, which open up a broader range of options as you try to make your way to Level 20, and also generally make you more adept at the game’s mechanics.

Keep these basics in mind, and there are additional tips and tricks you can focus on to try and level up faster than usual in Battlefield 5:

Complete objectives. This is not your usual shooter, and it’s not always about just the K/D ratio. Play the objective, always, and always cooperate with your squad mates.

Play to your class’ strengths. Your class has certain capabilities and strengths that, when played to, give you loads of XP. It’s the easiest way to accrue a lot of it in a single game, so always try to fulfil your role.

Playing the game is enough. Of course, winning gets you more XP (and winning is preferable in that it will level you up faster), but as long as you are doing everything else mentioned above, simply playing the game will be enough, and will get you a good amount of XP in decent time.

Battlefield 5

But in a multiplayer shooter, two things matter more than anything else: you using the best weapons, and you knowing the map, and using that knowledge to your advantage. Prepare yourself, this guide covers both of those things.

BEST WEAPONS

There’s a lot of weapon types in Battlefield 5, and even more weapons. Honestly, the game is really well balanced, and you can find a great use for everything in there. That said, there are definitely and categorically some weapons that are better than others, and those are the ones we take a quick look at here:

• Sniper Rifle: Much like in real life, the Kar 98k is the only sniper rifle you need to bother yourself with if you want the best one
• LMGs: These weapons are pretty useless unless you are playing a support class. In which case, honestly, any of them will do, but don’t rely on them as your primary sidearm otherwise
• Shotgun: The M30 Drilling has only two rounds at a time, but it dishes out massive damage, meaning that in the hands of a player with steady aim, it can be the difference between victory and defeat a lot of times
• SMGs: In general, these appear to be well suited for the choke points this game’s map layouts favor. That said, in our experience, the Suomi KP/-31 Is the best one of these
• Assault Rifle: Assault Rifles are still the staple of low level play in Battlefield 5. The best one, in that it performs well and allows leeway, is the StG 44

That’s not all! The video below will walk you through the best weapons for each class.

MAPS

There are 10 maps in Battlefield 5 at launch. More are due to come afterwards, and they will be entirely free for everyone.

That may seem like a small number, but if the maps are well designed enough, then it can be more than enough for every game you play to be unique. The good news here is, the ten maps in Battlefield 5 meet this requirement, more or less.

Here, we give you some basic tips for each of the maps:

• Fjell 652: The only viable strategy on this map is to gain control of the aerial vehicles. The terrain is rough, and aerial support will literally mean the difference between victory and defeat
• Devastation: This map has a lot of destroyed buildings that you can enter. Do that to sneak across the map. Conversely, do keep in mind that your enemy might be doing the same thing…
• Narvik: An extremely large and varied map, where no one strategy can truly help you out. All I can say for this one is, keep an eye on the changes occurring on the map—the map is as much a factor in victory and defeat here as the players and team compositions can be
• Rotterdam: Get in vehicles, and pilot your way to victory
• Aerodrome: Keep moving, and don’t just focus on the hangar in the middle of this map. We recommend using the canals for quick movement and flanking the opponent
• Arras: The underbrush on this map provides a lot of options for camouflage and hiding to advance on the player. Conversely, if you want to weed out players, using a tank to take on the trees and flora on this map is a great way to catch them
• Twisted Steel: Arguably the iconic map for this game, the only thing you need to know is that the area around the bridge has land mines, so you don’t want to be caught wrong footed there. Literally

Battlefield 5 has a bunch of mechanics other than the actual shooting, piloting, and objectives, that come into play. One is Company Coins, the in game currency that can be used to buy cosmetics. The other is fortification, which involves you building stuff, because after Fortnite, that is something that needs to be in every game.

This guide covers both of these.

FORTIFICATIONS

Fortifications involve you building buildings and structures. They can be made mostly anywhere on the map, and if nothing else, give you some good makeshift cover or vantage points.

The process is mostly automatic—press the button on the D-Pad assigned to building, then select the outline from the ones available to build it on the spot. You can not build anything not available in the outlines—if you don’t see what you like, you need to move to a different spot and try again, because a lot of buildings can only be built on specific terrain.

The actual building process is automatic, but it leaves you exposed and vulnerable while it happens. It is always paramount that you have someone with you as you build, so that they can cover you while the building comes up. Don’t lone wolf this.

A couple of things more—buildings, much like anything else in the game, can be destroyed, but you can repair them if they come down. Secondly, support classes are always quicker at building than assault classes (though all classes can build), so if building is what you want to specialize in, choose your class accordingly (or switch to it mid match if it is just for that one game).

COMPANY COINS

Company Coins are the in game currency that you use to buy cosmetics. You can either buy it with real world money, or earn it in game. Earning it in game is what you want to do, and thankfully, it’s actually easy enough to come by enough of it.

Complete Daily Missions. These net you Company Coins, and there will always be fresh ones every day.

Rank up in game. This always nets you Company Coins, so the easiest thing to do is play a lot and rake in the cash.

Complete Special Assignments. These also net you Company Coins. These are far more difficult and time consuming than Daily Missions, but the payoff is bigger too. You can have up to four active at a time. Think of these as this game’s version of Bounties.

Battlefield 5 is almost here. The newest game in DICE and EA’s long running multiplayer shooter franchise takes upon the excellent foundation laid down by Battlefield 1 in 2016, and then kicks it up a notch further by evolving and iterating on it further. While this is still fundamentally Battlefield, and especially Battlefield 1, which means veterans should find themselves largely at home, there’s also concurrently a lot to unwrap. Let’s get down to some basic tips and tricks that could mean the difference between victory and defeat in the game.

Do daily missions. These get you Company Coins, the in game currency for buying cosmetics.

Be mindful of your sidearms. If you ever run out of ammunition, your sidearm is actually perfectly viable and can keep you alive for as long as it takes for you to find yourself some more.

Everything is destructible. You can use this to your advantage, and to the opponent team’s disadvantage. Use it to create cover, create choke points, obstruct the enemy, and more.

Play the objective. Once more, this is not your usual shooter. Most modes are objective based. Play the objective, don’t just focus on your K/D ratio.

Learn how to pilot the vehicles. Goes without saying after the previous point, but you want to learn to pilot them to be able to help your team out, and better maneuver your way to victory.

Sometimes it’s good to die. In Battlefield 5, once you are “killed”, you’re actually downed. At this point you can be healed by your teammates, but it might not always be a good idea to get a medic to you to revive you. If you’re in hostile territory, just use the Bleed Out button, and take the hit. It’ll be more beneficial for the team in the long run.

Take out enemy vehicles. As mentioned previously, vehicles can be the difference between victory and defeat. If you have the capacity to take out an enemy one, absolutely do it.

Use the turrets. The maps are littered with these, and they can get you some very easy kills, while also making your reasonably unassailable.

Health regeneration takes a good while. If you’re low on health, try to find cover that you can be sure will keep you safe for a bit, because it will be more than just a few seconds.

Adjust the sensitivity settings. The default sensitivity settings in the game may do it for a lot of you, but they can also feel sluggish, which can be catastrophic in multiplayer. Tweak them until they’re at a level you like more.

Don’t use vehicles unless you know how to drive them. They’re hard to come by, and using one properly can mean the difference between victory and defeat. If you don’t know how to actually drive the vehicles, stay out and defer to your team mates who might.

Be a team player! I’m pretty sure the other tips and tricks listred here have made it clear, but teamwork is paramount in Battlefield 5. Don’t lone wolf it, be a team player.