How to spot enemies in Battlefield 2042

Spotting has been a core mechanic in nearly every Battlefield game, and Battlefield 2042 is no exception. Whether you’re chasing a battle pass mission or just want to master the art of spotting in Battlefield 2042, we’ve got you covered.

Spotting has always been a controversial feature in Battlefield titles, often criticized for discouraging flanks and removing the element of surprise from gunfights. Don’t confuse it with Battlefield 2042’s ping system: pings only mark locations, objects, or points of interest, and they’re visible solely to your squad. Spotting, on the other hand, specifically tags enemies in 3D. Once marked with a red dot above their head, a spotted enemy becomes visible to you and your entire team on both the map and minimap.

Here’s everything you need to know to spot enemies like a pro in Battlefield 2042.

Spotting in Battlefield 2042, explained

To spot an enemy in Battlefield 2042, you need to press the Q key once on the keyboard if you’re on PC. For Xbox, it’s the RB button. For PlayStation, it’s the R1 button. The enemy must be in your line of sight, and you can spot only one enemy at a time. Pressing the button twice sends out a danger ping, not a spot.

Upon spotting an enemy, a red dot will appear above their head and another on the minimap to mark their location. These markers are also visible to your teammates, but the enemy won’t be notified that they’ve been spotted. Each successful spot also rewards you with a bit of XP, so it doesn’t just offer a tactical advantage. You may stack multiple spots in a match to earn quite a bit of XP. Keep in mind that repeated pressing of the spot button without the system locating any targets will place you on a short cooldown: You won’t be able to spot enemies for a few seconds.

Besides manual spotting, you can also use specialist abilities to spot enemies in Battlefield 2042.

All specialist abilities to spot enemies in Battlefield 2042

There are multiple specialists in Battlefield 2042 equipped with a range of enemy-spotting abilities. 

Casper’s DV-P Recon Drone

All you need to do is point the drone’s crosshair at an enemy within 100 metres to spot them for yourself and your entire team. The enemy marker lingers for about eight seconds, which is quite long. You can’t use the drone to spot enemies outside of its line of sight (say, through walls).

Boris’ SG-36 Sentry Gun

Boris comes equipped with an SG-36 Sentry Gun that can spot enemies in its line of sight. The enemy needs to be within 50 metres of the Sentry Gun to be spotted. If they move out of the range or the turret’s line of sight, the spot marker on them disappears almost instantly.

Paik’s EMG-X Scanner

Using this scanner sends out pulses, spotting enemies in the range of 25 metres regardless of whether they’re in Paik’s line of sight or not. Marked enemies are highlighted and spotted, but only Paik can see the highlight, while her team can only make use of the spot benefit. 

Besides the scanner, her passive ability lets her automatically spot any enemy she deals damage to.

Rao’s Cyberwarfare Suite

This is probably the most powerful spotting ability in Battlefield 2042 so far. With this device, Rao can send out location-revealing pulses at a range of 60 metres. If an enemy is hit by the pulse, they get spotted briefly for Rao only. But that’s not it. Rao can also choose to hack an enemy marked by the pulse, which spots them for Rao’s entire team and disrupts their HUD. In addition, any of the enemy’s teammates within range gets marked for Rao and his team.

Besides this, Rao’s passive ability lets him automatically spot enemies who deal damage to him.

Gadgets to spot enemies in Battlefield 2042

There are two gadgets that can spot enemies in Battlefield 2042:

1. Prox Sensor: Throw this sensor in a busy area to spot enemies moving around it.
2. Soflam: Use it like a binocular to mark enemies, gadgets, and vehicles for destruction. It can operate at a range of up to 450 metres.

You may hear a sound while trying to spot some enemies, making it appear like the action failed. That’s likely because the enemy team has a Blasco who can deploy an X6-Infiltration Device that blocks spotting and other recon or targeting abilities. The good news is, you can destroy this device using your weapons, grenades, or Casper’s drone.