New Battlefield 6 update changes maps to fix team imbalance, and adds a winter event where you can freeze to death

A new Battlefield 6 update kicks off its winter event with the arrival of a time-limited, winter-shrouded variant of Empire State where you can catch hypothermia, but there's plenty more to dig through in the full patch notes. Among the key changes here are a number of adjusted map layouts to address an imbalance between attacking and defending teams, a battle pass with a new melee weapon, and improved hit registration designed to make "bullet impacts more predictable and damage feedback easier to read in the moment."

The new Battlefield 6 patch notes 1.1.3.0 begin with the Winter Offensive update, but that's just the start. The seasonal addition offers Domination, Conquest, and Gauntlet on the Ice Lock variant of Empire State, which puts a chilling twist on one of the year's best FPS games. As the streets of Brooklyn fall below freezing, you'll need to make sure to stay near sources of heat to stop yourself from succumbing to the cold. The map is available for use in Portal, and there's also an accompanying 11-tier battle pass with event cosmetics, XP boosters, and a new melee weapon, the Ice Climbing Axe.

Beyond that, however, comes a much more substantial list of fixes and improvements that should benefit us for the long term. Multiple Breakthrough and Rush maps have had their layouts slightly redesigned based on player feedback, with the core goals being to "improve attacker flow, reduce defender oversaturation, and tighten clarity around objectives." Battlefield Studios says it wants to tackle the existing win/loss imbalance between the sides "without undermining strong defensive play."

For Rush, you'll see new M-COM locations on both Manhattan Bridge and Liberation Peak. In Breakthrough, the primary changes are to capture volumes and vehicle availability. Typically, defender tank and IFV counts have been reduced or removed, while attacker supplies are increased. Capture zones have also been "reshaped or clarified so players understand more clearly where to contest or defend."

Battlefield Studios has quite a few improvements to the overall responsiveness of combat, as well. Better hit registration should improve your experience "across situations that previously felt unreliable, including quick aim adjustments, firing before a zoom completes, and close-quarters fights with many players." Weapon handling has also been refined to "feel more stable and predictable during firefights."

Both visuals and audio have been tweaked to improve general readability. You'll notice stronger character highlights in close-range encounters and altered prone animations that will make enemy soldiers stand out more in low-contrast and busy areas. Footsteps and other movement cues should sound clearer and make them easier to pinpoint. Gadgets such as the portable mortar, supply pouch, smoke cover, and traversal tools have been worked on "to ensure they behave consistently."

AI bots have been improved, and are now capable of responding to requests for ammo, healing, and pickup. They should be faster and smarter about performing revives and repairing friendly vehicles, and get stuck less often when trying to take cover. There are also a heap more bug fixes and smaller-scale tweaks that you can look through in the full patch notes courtesy of EA and Battlefield Studios, such as for "a rare issue where a Second Chance respawn could place players over 1,000 meters in the air." Ouch.

Battlefield 6 patch 1.1.3.0 and the Winter Offensive update launch Tuesday November 9. Make sure to wrap up warm before you head out, or you might find your match comes to a sudden, frosty conclusion.