Hold up, Battlefield 6’s new Eastwood map in California Resistance is actually awesome — but it shares one big issue with all the rest

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Battlefield 6, the latest first-person shooter from Electronic Arts (EA), has quickly become a huge hit this year. It launched in early October to great reviews and impressive sales, moving over 7 million copies in just three days and immediately becoming a top seller on Steam.

The game’s popularity has continued to grow, boosted by the release of Battlefield 6 Season 1 and Battlefield REDSEC. These updates included a free-to-play battle royale mode, new features like the four-player APC vehicle, and the Blackwell Fields map, which proved to be somewhat divisive among players.

Honestly, when Season 1 dropped, I was really disappointed with Blackwell Fields. Almost everyone I’ve talked to feels the same way! It’s just… cramped. There’s barely any room to move, and good cover is super hard to find, whether you’re on foot or in a plane. It’s all just long, open areas with a few hills, which means snipers and tanks completely rule the map. If you’re not *playing* as one of those, you’re pretty much stuck because there’s no way to sneak around them and actually have a chance.

The latest update to Season 1, released early Tuesday morning, introduced a new map called Eastwood. It’s set at a beautiful golf resort in Southern California. I was initially concerned it might be as underwhelming as the Blackwell Fields map, but after playing a few complete matches, I was happily proven wrong.

What many players dislike about Blackwell Fields is actually what makes Eastwood so good. The map is large, giving players plenty of room to move around enemies using both foot soldiers and vehicles. It’s full of beautiful California-style homes, clubhouses, and plants, which offer great hiding spots for infantry. However, it also has long, open streets and areas where vehicles can really excel, creating a good balance for all playstyles.

The map’s main lodge is a really interesting point of focus. Players can use the Assault Ladder to climb onto its roof, and tanks can even break through the walls and partially enter the building.

What many players dislike about Blackwell Fields is exactly what makes Eastwood’s game so good.

Battles on this map are fast-paced and intense. The destructible environments, a classic Battlefield feature, really let you gain an advantage over your opponents. It’s easily one of my favorite parts of Battlefield 6, and it’s where you’ll usually see Eastwood at his best.

The map’s bright and colorful art style is really refreshing. With lush green landscapes, a clear blue sky, and beautifully designed buildings, it stands out from many other battlefields that often look gray and worn. I appreciate a realistic, gritty look for war games, but this map offers a welcome change of pace with its vibrant and radiant design.

Overall, this is a fantastic map, and it’s easily one of the best in the game. However, like most maps (except the updated Operation Firestorm), it still doesn’t quite feel as expansive as a truly large-scale Conquest or Escalation map should, even though it *is* bigger than many others.

You’ll quickly realize this issue when flying transports or attack helicopters on the Eastwood map. As soon as you lift off from your base, you’re immediately within range of enemy defenses like anti-air missile launchers and mobile anti-air tanks. Pilots have no safe space and are forced to constantly circle their base’s missile defense system, trying to launch rockets from a distance. A single set of flares won’t give you enough time to escape if you try to move too far away.

I think this map is fantastic – honestly, it’s one of the best in the game. However, even though it’s great, it still doesn’t *quite* feel as expansive as a really large Conquest or Escalation map should. It feels a little limited in scope, even for its quality.

While not as obvious when playing on foot, the maps in Battlefield 6 often force you into constant combat, leaving little room to plan or strategize. This is a significant flaw across all the maps, and unfortunately, Eastwood suffers from the same problem.

This is definitely a great improvement, and I’m really happy to see it. Hopefully, the Battlefield team will listen to all the positive comments about the Eastwood map – it’s getting a lot of love on the Battlefield subreddit right now – and keep creating the large, high-quality maps that players are hoping for.

Battlefield 6 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC (through Steam, Epic Games, and the EA app), and PlayStation 5 for $69.99. You can find it for a slightly lower price – $65.99 – on Xbox at Loaded thanks to a current discount.

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2025-11-19 01:44