Battlefield 6 Season 4: naval combat, Tsuru Reef and new weapons
Naval Warfare: what the fourth season brought
Season 4 of Battlefield 6 launched on July 21, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as a free update for owners. Its headline theme is Naval Warfare: fighting on the water, boats, an island chain and what was then the biggest map in the game. The season ran in three phases, and the final one, Tidal Strike, landed on September 15.
Beyond the sea, the season added four new weapons, a Top Gun collaboration with jets, changes to REDSEC Ranked Battle Royale and strict TPM 2.0 enforcement on PC. Below is what shipped, when, and what still matters to a player today. Data is current as of October 17, 2026.
The practical takeaway is simple: map scale and water change familiar rotations. A squad now needs to decide in advance who takes the boat, who goes by land and who covers from the air, or the team falls apart into lone players scattered across the islands.
How the season rolled out
Content did not arrive in one package. Naval Warfare, the new map and the battle pass were there at launch, and the rest came through updates.
Date | Milestone | What arrived |
|---|---|---|
July 21 | Season launch | Naval Warfare, Tsuru Reef, boats, the battle pass, three new weapons |
August 4 | Patch 1.4.1.5 | Ranked Point changes in REDSEC Ranked |
August 18 | Phase 2, Top Gun | Top Gun collaboration with jets, Wake Island, the Interdictor sniper rifle event |
August 28 | Strict TPM 2.0 requirement | The PC game stopped launching without TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot |
September 15 | Phase 3, Tidal Strike | Final phase of the season, Proximity Chat in update 1.4.3.0 |
Season 3 ended on the day Season 4 started, July 21. If you are coming back after a break, use this timeline as your guide: most of the new content is already live.
Maps and vehicles on the water
Tsuru Reef is the main new map of the season. According to EA it is built for scale, even larger than Railway to Golmud, and it is set on a Pacific island chain. For infantry that means long trips, so boats and other transport matter to almost every squad.
Wake Island returned in Phase 2 on August 18, per most reports. It is a remake of a map familiar from earlier games in the series, and player descriptions say teams start from aircraft carriers. The fight runs on land, on water and in the air at the same time, so holding the whole island does not guarantee the round.
Two boats joined the roster: the RCB-90 Patrol Boat (CB90) and the 7.7m NSW RHIB. Phase 2 added jets inspired by Top Gun. To skip the grind of unlocking vehicle upgrades, try Vehicles Level boosting.
New maps always take a few matches to learn, and boats and jets add even more routes. For rotations, strong positions and vehicle play, coaching sessions with an experienced player help.
On big maps with water, the winner is whoever keeps the squad connected. A boat without passengers landing on the beach is useless, and infantry without fast transport lose minutes running between points.
Weapons and the battle pass
Season 4 added four new guns, and three of them unlock on the free track.
EF88 - an assault rifle, free, Tier 11 of the Benthic Tomb track.
BROD 3 - a carbine, free, Tier 11 of the Night Parade track. The name is also written as BREN3 or B-Rod 3.
VSSM - a marksman rifle, free, Tier 5 of the Recruit track.
Interdictor - a sniper rifle, which came later with the limited-time event in Phase 2.
The Premium Battle Pass cost 1,100 Battlefield Coins and held more than 100 tiers. You have to finish the Recruit track first, and only then do themed tracks like Benthic Tomb and Night Parade open. Plan the order in advance if the weapon you want sits deep in a track.
The free weapons do not require buying the pass, so you do not have to pay just to try the new guns. Premium and Pro speed up progress and add rewards, but the tracks still unlock in order.
Battlefield Pro added six instant unlocks, 25 tier skips and an exclusive Bonus Path. New guns need weapon attachments, and to raise your level across the whole profile there is account leveling.
REDSEC Ranked without heavy vehicles
The main change to Ranked Battle Royale in REDSEC: Vehicle Keycards, Main Battle Tanks (MBT) and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) were removed from it. Fights became more infantry-driven.
Ranks were partially reset when the season started. Diamond and Master began at Gold I, and Gold at Silver I. EA also tightened leave penalties and said similar resets are expected in future seasons. EA has scheduled a rank tier rework for Season 5.
Third-party breakdowns of the August 4 patch 1.4.1.5 say assists now earn as many points as kills, the full-points cap went from four to eight, and placement rewards widened from the top 14 to the top 22 squads. EA itself only says Ranked Point earn rates were readjusted, so check exact numbers in game.
Without tanks and fighting vehicles, ranked rewards cover, smoke and squad play: position decides more fights than armor. If you play in a trio or quad, agree on the landing spot and the first rally point before you jump.
If ranked matches eat too much of your time, you can close out seasonal wins with the RedSec Wins service.
Custom Lobbies, Spectator Mode and Proximity Chat
Community features arrived after launch. EA planned Custom Lobbies and Spectator Mode for Phase 2 on August 18 through Battlefield Labs, with initial support for Battle Royale Quads and Conquest. They are meant for practice matches, tournaments and broadcasts: you can build a match your own way and watch it from outside without interfering. If you plan a tournament, check in the client which modes are supported right now.
Proximity Chat, voice chat with nearby players, shipped on September 15 in update 1.4.3.0. It started in Battle Royale, so do not count on it in Conquest.
The Server Browser did not make Season 4. EA says it will launch during Season 5.
TPM 2.0 on PC
When Season 4 started, players with a non-compliant setup only saw a warning. EA estimated it would affect about 1% of active players. Strict TPM 2.0 enforcement began on August 28: since then, playing without the right setup has not been possible, and roughly 1.24% of players were out of compliance.
Besides TPM 2.0, Secure Boot must be on. You can check TPM status with the tpm.msc command in Windows (Win+R). If the module exists but is disabled, enable it in BIOS; sometimes the BIOS itself needs an update first.
What to do now
If you are back after a break, go through this list.
On PC, check TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, or you will not get into the game.
Finish the Recruit track in the pass: it unlocks VSSM and the other tracks.
In REDSEC Ranked, expect infantry fights without tanks and mind the new leave penalties.
Learn Tsuru Reef with small vehicles: a boat or a jet saves a lot of time.
The next big items, the Server Browser and the rank rework, are slated by EA for Season 5.