Battlefield 1: Complete Guide

A guide to Battlefield 1 multiplayer as it plays in 2026. It covers the classes and Elite kits, Operations and Conquest, Behemoths, vehicles, weapon picks, settings, and how to find good servers years after launch. The War Stories campaign gets a short section too.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Battlefield 1's final content state (the Apocalypse expansion and the 2018 final updates); no new content is coming. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status note: Battlefield 1 (2016) finished its content roadmap in 2018 with Apocalypse, the last of four expansions. The Steam version is the Revolution edition, which includes all four expansions (They Shall Not Pass, In the Name of the Tsar, Turning Tides, Apocalypse) and the hero packs. Official servers are still online. EA's current Battlefield is Battlefield 6 (launched October 10, 2025), and EA's Steam feed for BF1 now mostly carries BF6 news. BF1 PC has had cheater problems over the years, so admin-run community servers are usually the best experience.

Quick Start

1. Play Operations or Conquest. These modes have the best populations, and Operations is BF1's signature mode.
2. Pick a class kit you'll level. Class rank unlocks weapons through War Bonds. Most weapons are bought with War Bonds, not unlocked by level.
3. Medics win games. Only Medics can revive. Carry the Syringe and revive constantly.
4. Spot everything. Tap the Spot key (Q by default) on enemies. Spotted targets show for your whole team.
5. Use the squad. Spawn on squadmates and play the objective your Squad Leader orders. Following orders earns bonus points and builds toward squad call-ins.
6. Bayonet charge (default: F while sprinting with a rifle) is a one-hit kill that also gives a burst of damage reduction.
7. Gas masks save lives. When gas grenades or gas shells hit, press your gas mask key (T by default). You can't aim down sights with it on.
8. Suppression matters. Heavy suppression throws off enemy accuracy, which is why the Support LMGs are team tools.
9. Pick the right weapon variant. Each gun has variants like Factory, Storm, Trench, Optical, Sniper, Marksman, Infantry. Their stats differ a lot.

Classes

Infantry classes

Vehicle classes

Tanker and Pilot kits are given automatically when you spawn into a tank or plane. Cavalry gives you a sword, a Russian 1895 (cavalry variant), ammo and health pouches.

Elite classes (map pickups)

The Trench Raider appears on They Shall Not Pass maps and the Infiltrator on Turning Tides maps. Elite kits spawn at marked locations or in crates. Grab them and push objectives. Don't camp with them.

Game Modes

Behemoths spawn for the losing team: the Airship (Zeppelin L 30), the Armored Train, the Dreadnought, and the Char 2C super-heavy tank. They give a comeback chance, not an auto-win. Focus AT fire on them with teammates, and use planes or Tank Hunters.

Maps Worth Knowing

• Base game: Amiens, Argonne Forest, Ballroom Blitz, Empire's Edge, Fao Fortress, Giant's Shadow, Monte Grappa, Sinai Desert, St. Quentin Scar, Suez (plus the free Prise de Tahure and Nivelle Nights maps).
• They Shall Not Pass: Fort de Vaux, Verdun Heights, Soissons, Rupture.
• In the Name of the Tsar: Tsaritsyn, Volga River, Galicia, Albion, Łupków Pass, Brusilov Keep.
• Turning Tides: Cape Helles, Achi Baba, Zeebrugge, Heligoland Bight.
• Apocalypse: Passchendaele, River Somme, Caporetto, and two air-only Air Assault maps (London Calling, Razor's Edge).

Infantry favourites: Argonne Forest and Fort de Vaux are the classic "meat grinder" maps. Vehicle favourites: Sinai Desert, Tsaritsyn and Volga River.

Weapons: Reliable Picks by Class

These picks have been community standards for years and haven't changed since the final balance patches.

• Assault: Automatico M1918 Trench (very high fire rate at close range), Hellriegel 1915 Defensive, MP 18 Trench. For anti-tank, AT Rocket Gun plus AT Grenades.
• Medic: Selbstlader M1916 Marksman, Autoloading 8 .35 Extended, Cei-Rigotti Optical, Mondragon Sniper. Syringe is always one gadget slot.
• Support: BAR M1918 Storm, Madsen MG Trench, Lewis Gun Optical, MG15 n.A. Suppressive. Take the Ammo Crate and either Repair Tool or Mortar HE.
• Scout: SMLE MKIII Infantry or Russian 1895 Infantry for aggressive play, and Gewehr 98 or M1903 Sniper for long range. Learn each rifle's sweet spot: every bolt rifle has a distance band where a chest shot kills in one hit.
• Sidearm: the shared pistols (for example the M1911 or P08 Pistol) are dependable. Each class also has class-specific sidearms worth trying once you've unlocked them.

Sniper sweet spots (concept)

Scout rifles have an optimal range, shown by the variant (Infantry ≈ close to mid, Marksman ≈ mid, Sniper ≈ long). If you hit the chest inside that band, it's a one-shot kill. Pick the variant that fits the map, and stay inside the sweet spot rather than always going for headshots.

Vehicles and Behemoths

• Tanks: Landship (Mark V), A7V heavy tank, St. Chamond, Light tank (FT-17), Artillery Truck, Armored car. Choose the vehicle package on the deploy screen before you spawn, because each tank has several packages with different main guns and utilities.
• Planes: Fighter, Attack Plane, Bomber. Fighters counter planes, Attack planes hit vehicles, and Bombers hit objectives and infantry.
• Stationary AA and artillery guns on most maps are a strong counter to planes and Behemoths.
• Repair from inside the vehicle (Tanker kit) or have a Support with the Repair Tool behind you.
• Behemoths: as the losing team, spawn into Behemoth seats (it's shown on the deploy screen). The Airship and Dreadnought are strong on objectives, so man every gun.

War Stories (Campaign)

A prologue (Storm of Steel) plus six short anthology stories: Through Mud and Blood, Friends in High Places, Avanti Savoia, The Runner, Nothing is Written, and The Last Tiger. There are Field Manuals (codex collectibles) to find in each. The campaign takes roughly 6–8 hours and has multiple difficulties. It still launches through the EA app and account link.

Settings for PC

• Uniform Soldier Aiming: On, so zoom sensitivity matches across scopes.
• Field of View: 80–90 vertical (the game uses vertical FOV). Higher FOV helps spotting but shrinks targets.
• Disable Motion Blur, Weapon DOF, and Chromatic Aberration.
• Future Frame Rendering: Off lowers input lag if your CPU can handle it. Turn it On if you stutter.
• DX11 is usually more stable than DX12 in BF1 on modern PCs.
• Network settings: use Server Browser and filter by ping. The Quick Match queue often throws you into bad servers.

Finding Good Servers in 2026

• Use the Server Browser. Look for community servers with active admins, clear rules, and ping under ~80 ms.
• Operations and Conquest community servers fill up in the evenings (EU/NA prime time). Weekends are best.
• Expansion modes such as Supply Drop, Air Assault, and Frontlines on DLC maps rarely fill now.
• If a server has an obvious cheater, report them through the in-game/EA report tools and move to an admin-run server.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Scouting from spawn all game. Scouts who never play the objective lose Operations. Use the flare gun near flags.
• Medics not reviving. Your revive is worth more than your kill.
• Supports not dropping ammo. Place the ammo crate near your squad, especially for Assault anti-tank spam.
• Ignoring the gas mask. Gas does steady damage and blinds you.
• Wasting Behemoths. Park the Airship over a live flag. Don't let it drift out of the fight.
• Solo tanking in Operations. Tanks without infantry support die to Assault players and Tank Hunters.
• Charging across open ground. Use trenches, smoke (rifle grenade or Trench Raider), and bombardment timing.

Advanced Tips

• Bayonet charge also gives temporary damage reduction. It's a real way to break a stalemate on a flag.
• Flare Gun Spot reveals everyone in its radius to your team for several seconds. One good flare wins a flag fight.
• K Bullets (Scout) do real damage to light vehicles and armoured cars.
• Limpet Charge (Support) and Dynamite (Assault) combo-kill tanks quickly from behind.
• Mortar HE is strong in Operations against defenders in fixed positions.
• Horses are underrated. Cavalry roll up flags quickly, and the sword one-shots infantry.
• Learn the Operations flow. Attackers have a limited number of battalions (ticket pools). Losing one ends that push, and a struggling side is often handed a Behemoth. Watch the ticket counter and time your pushes around it.
• Build good habits: tap Q constantly, give squad orders on objectives when you're squad leader, and request health or ammo from the commo rose.

FAQ

Are Battlefield 1 servers still up in 2026? Yes, official and community servers are online. The core modes (Conquest, Operations) fill up best at peak times.

Is Battlefield 1 still worth buying? Yes, if you want WWI Battlefield and the Operations mode. Buy the Revolution edition, which includes all four expansions.

How do I unlock weapons? Reach the required class rank, then spend War Bonds to buy the weapon. Some weapons come from Codex or Assignments (for example, weapons unlocked through expansion assignments).

What's the best class for new players? Medic. Reviving earns huge points and the semi-auto rifles are forgiving.

Does BF1 need the EA app on Steam? Yes. It runs through EA's services and needs an EA account link.

What replaced BF1? EA's current game is Battlefield 6 (October 2025). BF1 remains playable but gets no new content.

Sources

• Battlefield 1 – Wikipedia
• Battlefield 1 Steam store page (Revolution edition)
• Battlefield 6 Live Now – EA announcement on the BF1 Steam feed, Oct 2025
• Battlefield 6 | REDSEC Season 3 – EA announcement on the BF1 Steam feed, May 2026