Battlefield 6 Naval Warfare: Boats, Tsuru Reef, Wake Island, Carriers
What changed on the water in Season 4
Naval Warfare arrived in Battlefield 6 on July 21, 2026, with Season 4 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It is not a standalone mode. It is a set of Season 4 features: combat boats, dynamic waves, the huge Tsuru Reef map and the return of Wake Island.
The season ran in phases. Phase 2 Top Gun brought Wake Island back on August 18, and the final Phase 3 Tidal Strike began on September 15. This guide is current as of October 17, 2026, and all of the naval content is already live.
The key idea is simple: the coastline is no longer the edge of the map. Fighting happens on the shore and on the water, and waves and underwater explosions change the usual rules of shooting. Two boats, one huge map and a mode with destructible carriers are enough to get started.
The boats: RHIB and RCB-90
There are two boats in the naval lineup, and their jobs are different. One carries people, the other fights like a tank on water.
The 7.7m NSW RHIB is a high-speed light transport boat with four seats and a mounted machine gun. It carried over from REDSEC and suits fast rotations, beach landings and approaching an objective from an unexpected angle.
The RCB-90 is an armored patrol boat with two seats. The driver fires a 30mm autocannon and missiles, while the gunner launches 120mm mortar shells. The exact effects depend on customization. EA calls it a "tank on water," and in practice it suppresses the shoreline, hunts other vehicles and covers landings.
Feature | 7.7m NSW RHIB | RCB-90 |
|---|---|---|
Class | Light transport boat | Armored patrol boat |
Seats | 4 | 2 |
Weapons | Mounted machine gun | 30mm autocannon and missiles (driver), 120mm mortar (gunner) |
Role | Squad transport, fast approach | Fire support, fighting vehicles |
If you want to unlock vehicle modifications faster, vehicles level boosting can speed it up.
Dynamic waves and fighting on the water
The ocean now generates waves, and boats leave wakes behind them. Waves affect vehicle movement, lines of fire and visibility, so aiming at a target on rolling water is harder than hitting a tank on a road.
Water also works as a weapon: buoyant gadgets and underwater explosions are viable tactics. Bullets penetrate the surface depending on caliber, so diving away from fire does not always save you. Dragging and reviving work in the water as well.
Account for the waves. Waves affect lines of fire, so hitting a moving target from the water is harder than from solid ground.
Keep moving. A stationary boat on open water is an easy target for aircraft and shore-based tanks.
Bring water gadgets. Underwater explosions and buoyant items give you extra options in a fight near the shore.
To get comfortable with the new mechanics faster, you can take coaching from an experienced player or rent a booster for a few matches.
Tsuru Reef: the season's main map
Tsuru Reef is a Pacific island chain and the largest Battlefield 6 map to date, bigger even than Railway to Golmud. It launched on July 21, and that is where the naval vehicles became available first.
The map supports all-out warfare and tactical modes. Infantry, ground vehicles, boats and aircraft fight over the same territory, and each layer offers its own options.
On land, infantry and armor fight over objectives. At sea, boats carry squads between islands and engage the enemy. In the air, aircraft cover both the islands and the water around them.
Because of the map's size, decide in advance who rides the boat and who stays on land. A confident RHIB driver saves the squad minutes of running across beaches and open ground.
Wake Island and Top Gun
Wake Island returned with Phase 2 Top Gun on August 18, 2026. It was rebuilt for the modern engine, so the familiar island looks and plays differently now.
Besides the map, Top Gun brought two modes to Season 4. Apart from Carrier Strike in the main game, REDSEC got Top Gun: Fighter Sweep, a jet-only mode. If you prefer the sky to the sea, that is your mode.
If wins in Fighter Sweep and other REDSEC modes are coming slowly, RedSec wins can cover that.
Carrier Strike and aircraft carriers
Aircraft carriers in Battlefield 6 are not scenery. They are destructible objectives. In Top Gun: Carrier Strike, 32 vs 32 players fight on Tsuru Reef, and a match lasts 30 minutes.
There are two ways to win: take the enemy carrier's health to zero or destroy both of its M-COM stations. If time runs out, the team whose carrier has more health wins.
Ship defense. Each carrier has five SSM batteries that fire missiles every 15 seconds.
What damages it. Jet bombs, explosives, tank rounds and launchers all hurt the carrier.
Critical phase. At 50% health the carrier goes critical, and its interior M-COM rooms become reachable from the water.
Air launch. Jets take off straight from the flight deck.
EA's roadmap also mentions a Tsuru Reef expansion with playable carriers; details have not been revealed yet.
Playing as a squad at sea
Naval combat works best when everyone knows their job. A few setups for a four-player squad:
RCB-90 crew. The driver and gunner suppress the shore while the players on an RHIB land from the flank.
Carrier hunt. While jets bomb the ship, tanks and launcher crews hit it from the shore and the water.
Critical phase. Once a carrier drops to 50%, send a boat with Engineers to the M-COM rooms by water.
Anti-vehicle kits make sense against boats, so prepare your gear ahead of time. Weapon attachments unlock fills the gaps in your builds, and a higher account level unlocks more equipment.
A stationary boat is easy to hit, so after dropping the squad, leave the kill zone at once.
Which boat suits you
It depends on how you play and with whom. A solo player or someone in a random squad will find the RHIB easiest: it is fast, seats four and does not need two people working in sync. The mounted machine gun is enough to fend off infantry on the shore.
The RCB-90 shines only as a pair. The driver with the autocannon and missiles works on vehicles and fortifications, while the gunner with the 120mm mortar adds indirect fire on positions behind cover. If your partner is silent in voice chat, switch to an RHIB right away.
Before a match on Tsuru Reef, check your anti-vehicle loadout: launchers and explosives help against the armored RCB-90, while the light RHIB can be handled with ordinary weapons.
What to remember
Naval Warfare gave Battlefield 6 two boats with different roles, waves that change visibility and shooting, the giant Tsuru Reef and destructible carriers in Carrier Strike. Wake Island came back in Top Gun, rebuilt for the modern engine.
If you play solo, take the RHIB and ferry infantry. If you have a squad, the RCB-90 offers the strongest fire support. The main rule of the season: water opens the way, but infantry still takes the objective.