The upcoming Battlefield 5 is changing and updating a lot of the series’ multiplayer experience. Chief among the changes are the Battlefield 5 progression system and economy. DICE recently detailed the systems, and how they’ve changed from other titles in the series.
Battlefield 5 Progression System and Economy — The Company and Multiplayer Progression Works
Battlefield 5 has a multitude of different ranks and levels for players to work through, and adds several layers on top of systems that were already in place. The overarching system is called the Company, and within that are five separate ranks that each level separately. The Battlefield 5 ranks are career, class, weapon, vehicle, and chapter.
Career is an overall rank that will increase as other ranks go up. DICE has built the career rank using a military ranking structure, meaning players will rise through the ranks from a private all the way to general. Increasing your career rank earns you Company Coin, the in-game currency of Battlefield 5.
Class Rank increases as you spend time playing as each of the game’s four classes. The Medic, Recon, Assault, and Support classes return from Battlefield 1, and bring combat roles with them. Gaining class rank unlocks different combat roles, which give players different perks and traits to specialize their classes more. Weapons, gadgets, and grenades are also unlocked alongside class rank increases.
Weapon Rank is related to each individual weapon, and increases as you use the weapon in-game. New weapon specializations are unlocked as you gain weapon ranks, and give weapons different perks and stats. You can purchase weapon specializations to outfit your armory exactly how you like it.
Vehicle Rank works similar to the weapon rank, except for vehicles. Battlefield 5 vehicle rank lets you specialize tanks, planes, and other vehicles to better suit your play style. Company Coin can be used to purchase vehicle specializations after unlocking them through gameplay.
The last component of the Battlefield 5 progression system is Chapter Rank. Chapter Rank ties into Battlefield 5‘s Tides of War system. Tides of War segments the service model of Battlefield 5 into chapters that will introduce new rewards, maps, modes, weapons, and vehicles. You gain chapter ranks as you play the game during a Tides of War Chapter, and can earn extra bonuses for completing specific missions.
Battlefield 5 Progression System and Economy — How Does the Economy Work in Battlefield 5
The Battlefield 5 economy is built with two currencies in mind. The in-game Company Coin, and the real-world Battlefield Currency. As if to assuage concerns over pay-to-win complaints, their official blog says, “our belief is that real-world money should not enable pay-to-win or pay-for-power.”
Company Coin is the main currency in Battlefield 5 and is earned through career progress, missions, and assignments. You can purchase weapon and vehicle specializations, cosmetic items, and extra weapons.
Battlefield Currency, as it is currently known, will be used to acquire cosmetic items in the Company. DICE has said the premium, real-world currency won’t be available at launch.
The EA/DICE blog post can be found here.