Technologies

Battlefield 6 Starter Tips: Surviving Multiplayer, Solo Campaign Secrets and More

These multiplayer and campaign strategies will help boost your game.

Battlefield 6 is a fast-paced modern military shooter with a single-player story that casts you as a NATO soldier fighting the terror group Pax Armata. You’ll step into the boots of several characters as you travel the globe trying to save the day. After players finish that, there are endless hours of combat to enjoy in the game’s multiplayer modes.

But like any competitive shooter, there’s a lot of complexity and mechanics to understand if you want to survive — and thrive. From playing different classes in multiplayer to finding secrets in the single-player campaign, there’s a lot to learn. Here is a collection of tips for the various multiplayer modes and the campaign to help you step up your game and emerge victorious.

Tips for Battlefield 6 multiplayer

Move with your squad

Battlefield 6’s quick time-to-kill means you can get mowed down in a second, or even less if you run into multiple enemies. Counter this by sticking with groups of teammates, who can focus fire on enemies and split their attention so they aren’t all fixated on you. Better still, a nearby ally can (and should) revive you if you’re downed, since any class can bring a player back from death (a mechanic introduced in Battlefield 5).

Time your reloads well

Battlefield 6’s extremely quick time-to-kill goes hand in hand with firing speed — it’s really easy to see an enemy and, in the heat of the moment, spray-and-pray until you empty your magazine. That leaves you in an agonizing two- to three-second window of being unable to return fire. In our review period playing ahead of release, this reloading window proved to be a significant period of vulnerability — even if you downed one enemy, another might come around to finish you off while you can’t shoot back.

To counter this, don’t stay in the open — find cover or go prone to make yourself less of a target. You can also pull out your secondary weapon until you find cover, as sometimes just shooting back at enemies will pause their barrage, as will tossing a grenade their way. As you use your weapons more and level them up, you’ll get access to magazines with more capacity or that can reload faster, so opt for those. Lastly, some class gadgets can give you a breather to reload, like Support’s deployable cover, so remember your options.

Be a good teammate and revive, revive, revive

In Battlefield 6, every class can revive downed teammates — just approach them and then press-and-hold the button that pops up (by default, it’s «E» on PC). It takes under two seconds to revive (or shorter with the Support class), though you can drag your teammate backward to get out of fields of fire.

Reviving teammates has a tactical advantage, bringing more of your team’s guns back into the fight. It’s also good etiquette, and you’ll effectively be doling out morale boosts to strangers online, who are likely to return the favor if and when you get downed. The Support class revives fastest, though they also have a defibrillator gadget that can instantly bring teammates back, arguably their best contribution to a match. Their second-best is dropping a supply bag to heal and refill teammates’ ammo — and since revived players come back with half their health (in most modes), it’s good practice to drop a bag after bringing someone back.

Someone has to switch to Engineer — it might as well be you

Three of the four classes scatter when enemy tanks roll in, as their kits are nearly useless against vehicle armor. That’s where the Engineer comes in. By default, they pack a pair of gadgets that can effectively neutralize anything with treads or wheels with anti-vehicle missiles or anti-tank mines. The former is far more user-friendly — just aim and fire — while the mines take some planning to lay in the path of an incoming tank, though you can try to bait them into driving down a pathway you’ve riddled with the explosives.

The trouble with any shooter with classes that counter specific threats is that players assumes other players will switch. Don’t wait for someone else, as every moment hostile tanks have on the battlefield is another opportunity to mow down teammates and clear out zones for enemy infantry. More Engineer playtime is beneficial anyway, as you’ll eventually unlock other, better anti-vehicle gadgets. (Anything is better than the basic mines, honestly.)

No, don’t just switch to Support and go to the frontline

Thanks to EA DICE’s decision to allow any class to use any weapon in default playlists (there are Closed Weapon modes if you want to play old-school Battlefield rules), it’s tempting to choose the Support class for its ammo-replenishing supply bag and pick an assault rifle to go tearing into the enemy’s frontline. But there are several reasons to pick a class and stick to its strengths — notably, gadgets.

The Assault class does tend to run out of ammo quickly and rely on nearby Support to drop ammo bags, but it also unlocks some of the best gadgets — the explosive launchers — to clear out groups of enemies and wreck structures. Support lacks any sort of detonating gadget, with its more defense-oriented kit. And Assault also grants more attack-oriented bonuses in its skill path over the course of a match (as well as its class item). In short, using Support with an Assault weapon isn’t the great game hack you think it is.

Understand your loadout, from gun attachments to vehicle setups

There’s a lot you can tinker with in your loadouts (which makes it baffling for Battlefield 6 to not let you tweak them while queuing between matches, but I digress). Each class has a primary weapon and pistol, two gadgets, a grenade, a melee weapon and a skill path. While you don’t have much to choose from at the start, as you keep progressing, leveling up weapons and completing challenges, you’ll get access to more of your kit.

Using weapons levels them up, so if you like one, keep using it — the attachments can drastically change how they function, from scopes that zoom in further to magazines that pack in more rounds. Keep in mind that some attachments — and even guns — unlock from completing specific class-based challenges, so take a thorough look at each to see if you can make progress beyond just getting experience points to advance your player level.

Lastly, you can switch out the kit of any vehicle you enter, too — it’s on the far right side of the loadout screen. From switching the type of round (anti-personnel or anti-vehicle) fired by a vehicle’s gun to its special abilities, these also have options that unlock over time. You can check out all their options to tweak vehicles to your play style, but it’s a good idea to read up on them to understand the differences between the handful of similar-looking vehicles in the game.

Tips for Battlefield 6’s single player campaign

Stealth takedowns

You can eliminate enemies without breaking stealth by sneaking up (crouch with Circle) and pressing R3. Several missions allow you to choose whether to go loud or quiet. If at any point you’re tired of the slow, stealth approach, pressing L1 will command your team to engage and the firefight is on.

Targeting enemies

That engage enemies button (L1) tells your team to open fire and highlights nearby enemies. It doesn’t work for your entire area, though; the opponents must be close. The enemies button is extra helpful if your vision is obscured due to a lack of light or smoke. Pressing L1 will highlight the enemies with a red target icon so you can still pinpoint them without actually seeing them.

Challenges

You can tackle several bonus objectives in the campaign that the game doesn’t point out to you. In the pause menu, hit R1 to move to the Challenges panel. Here you’ll see several different tasks you can perform for various unlockables, such as weapon skins or player titles.

Some of these will be as simple as finishing the current level you’re on. Others, specifically in the Challenge Expert row, will require you to play differently. These can include tasks such as completing a mission without needing to be revived, not using guns (only melee and grenades), etc. If you’re looking for some additional objectives to work toward, you can find them here.

Dinosaur toy

In the very first level, as soon as you’ve gained control of your character for the first time, make sure to explore instead of exiting the structure. Right behind you is a dinosaur toy that you can interact with. Doing so will earn you a trophy.

With these tips and game secrets, you should have a better understanding of some of the Battlefield’s less-explained mechanics. We hope these tips help you get a leg up on the competition and make Battlefield 6 even more enjoyable. And be sure to check out our review if you want a deeper look at how Battlefield 6 stacks up on gameplay, graphics and overall fun.

Battlefield 6 is out now on Xbox Series, PS5 and PC.

Technologies

Judge Blocks Texas App Store Age-Check Law

A preliminary injunction found the Texas law, set to begin Jan. 1, is «more likely than not unconstitutional.»

A new Texas state law set to take effect on Jan. 1 would have required app stores to implement age verification processes. But the law has been put on hold, at least temporarily, by a federal court judge.

As reported by the Texas Tribune, Senate Bill 2420, also known as the Texas App Store Accountability Act, is the subject of a temporary injunction issued by US District Judge Robert Pitman.

Pitman said in his decision that the law as written is broad, vague and «more likely than not unconstitutional.» However, he also wrote the court «recognizes the importance of ongoing efforts to better safeguard children when they are on their devices.»

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The Texas law, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in May, requires app store operators — including Apple, Google, Nintendo, Steam and more — to build age verification processes for the storefronts and to only allow downloads to minors who obtain parental consent. The injunction is a ruling in an October lawsuit filed by the Computer & Communication Industry Association.

CCIA senior vice president Stephanie Joyce said in a statement, «This Order stops the Texas App Store Accountability Act from taking effect in order to preserve the First Amendment rights of app stores, app developers, parents, and younger internet users. It also protects parents’ inviolate right to use their own judgment in safeguarding their children online using the myriad tools our members provide.»

Other individuals and the advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas also filed suits over the law, the Texas Tribune reported.

App Store Accountability Act

The bill author, State Senator Angela Paxton, said the bill was meant to give parents «common sense tools to protect their kids and to survive court challenges by those who may have lesser priorities.»

The language of Texas Senate Bill 2420 does not only include mobile app stores from Apple or Google, but any «website, software application, or other electronic service that distributes software applications from the owner or developer of a software application to the user of a mobile device.»

By that definition, websites with links to browser games or mobile game consoles with download options would fall under the Texas law as written. The law also defines mobile devices as including phones and tablets, as well as any other handheld device capable of transmitting or storing information wirelessly.

The parental consent aspect of the law requires those under 18 to have an app store account affiliated with a parent or guardian to purchase or download applications.

Age verification elsewhere

In an effort to keep adult materials out of reach of minors and to protect children from potentially harmful content and interactions, tech companies have been compelled by law or through legal action to verify the age of users.

Roblox, which has a huge audience of minors, began rolling out stricter age verification after investigations and lawsuits hurt its reputation as a safe gaming space. Australia is perhaps the most large-scale example of a government restricting access to online content. In December, Australia began restricting social media access to those 16 and older. Reddit recently challenged that law.

In the US, age verification laws have primarily targeted adult sites. Texas already has a law on the books that requires adult sites to age-block their content. The Supreme Court upheld that law in a June ruling. The UK has also enacted age restriction rules for adult sites as have other US states.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Dec. 25

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 25.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Of course, there’s a very Christmassy clue involved. And once you solve the entire puzzle, look at the letters used in all the answers and see what they have in common. (5-Across will tell you!) Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: ___ King Cole, singer with the album «The Magic of Christmas»
Answer: NAT

4A clue: Body drawings, informally
Answer: TATS

5A clue: Letters to ___ (what this Mini was made with)
Answer: SANTA

6A clue: Huge fan, in slang
Answer: STAN

7A clue: «Illmatic» rapper
Answer: NAS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Grandmothers, by another name
Answer: NANAS

2D clue: Abbr. before a name on a memo
Answer: ATTN

3D clue: Org. with long lines around the holidays
Answer: TSA

4D clue: «See ya later!»
Answer: TATA

5D clue: Govt.-issued ID
Answer: SSN

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Technologies

Don’t Let a Border Agent Ruin Your Holiday Trip. Travel With a Burner Phone

Yes, you should leave your main phone at home and take a cheap burner this winter.

Prepare for a whole new level of border-crossing anxiety this holiday season: the high-probability of a phone search. New figures from US Customs and Border Protection say agents aren’t just glancing at your lock screen anymore — they are aggressively ramping up device inspections, even for citizens coming home. We aren’t just talking about a quick scroll through your photos, either. Agents are increasingly using forensic tools to clone and analyze everything on your device.

The stats are genuinely alarming. In just a three-month window this year, nearly 15,000 devices were flagged for searches, with over a thousand subjected to deep-dive data copying. If you’re traveling with your primary phone, you are essentially carrying your entire digital existence into a legal gray zone where privacy is optional.

The smartest defensive play is remarkably low-tech: the burner phone. By traveling with a secondary, stripped-down device, you ensure your private data stays safe at home while you stay connected abroad. But privacy isn’t the only perk. Moving to a «dumb» phone is the ultimate digital detox, helping you escape the notification trap that usually ruins a vacation.

Even figures like Conan O’Brien have ditched the smartphone to cut through the noise. Whether you’re dodging invasive border searches or just trying to enjoy your trip without being glued to a screen, a burner might be the best travel investment you make this year.

Read more: Best Prepaid Phone of 2025

Although carriers have offered prepaid phones since the ’90s, «burner phones» or «burners» became popular in the 2000s following the celebrated HBO series The Wire, where they helped characters avoid getting caught by the police. Although often portrayed in that light, burners aren’t only used by criminals; they’re also used anyone concerned with surveillance or privacy infringement.

What is a burner phone, and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know about burners and how to get one.

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What is a burner phone?

A burner phone is a cheap prepaid phone with no commitments. It comes with a set number of prepaid call minutes, text messages or data, and it’s designed to be disposed of after use.

Burner phones are typically used when you need a phone quickly, without intentions of long-term use. They’re contract-free, and you can grab them off the counter. They’re called burner phones because you can «burn» them (trash them) after use, and the phone can’t be traced back to you, which makes them appealing to criminals. Of course, those committed to illicit activities often do more than just throw these phones in the trash, and often completely obliterate the SIM cards and other materials by smashing them with a hammer or melting them away.

Burners are different from getting a regular, contract-bound cellphone plan that requires your information to be on file.

Why should you use a burner phone?

Burner phones are an easy way to avoid cellphone contracts or spam that you get on your primary phone number. Burners aren’t linked to your identity, so you can avoid being tracked down or contacted.

You don’t have to dispose of a burner phone after use. You can add more minutes and continue using it. Burner phones can still function as regular phones, minus the hassle of a contract.

You can also get a burner phone as a secondary phone for a specific purpose, like having a spare phone number for two-factor authentication texts, for business or to avoid roaming charges while traveling. Burner phones are often used by anyone concerned with privacy.

Burner phones, prepaid phones, smartphones and burner SIMs: What’s the difference?

Burner phones are cheap phones with simple designs that lack the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Because they’re designed to be disposable, you only get the essentials, as seen by the most common version, the flip phone.

All burner phones are prepaid phones, but not all prepaid phones are burners. What sets a burner apart is that you won’t have to give away any personal information to get one, and it won’t be traceable back to you. Again, a burner phone is cheap enough to be destroyed after use.

Prepaid smartphones are generally low-end models. You can use any unlocked smartphone with prepaid SIM cards, essentially making it a prepaid phone.

If you want a burner, you don’t necessarily have to buy a new phone. You can get a burner SIM and use it with an existing phone. Burner SIMs are prepaid SIMs you can get without a contract or giving away personal information.

Where can you buy a burner phone?

Burner phones are available at all major retail outlets, including Best Buy, Target and Walmart. They’re also often available at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, local supermarkets, gas stations and retail phone outlets like Cricket and Metro.

You can get a burner phone with cash, and it should cost between $10 and $50, although it may cost more if you get more minutes and data. If you’re getting a burner phone specifically to avoid having the phone traced back to you, it makes sense to pay with cash instead of a credit card.

If you just want a prepaid secondary phone, you can use a credit card. Just keep in mind that credit cards leave a trail that leads back to you.

There are also many apps that let you get secondary phone numbers, including Google Fi and the Burner app. However, these aren’t burners necessarily because the providers typically have at least some of your personal information. Additionally, apps like Google Talk require a phone number that’s already in use for you to choose a number with the service.

If you’re just looking to get a solid prepaid phone without anonymity, check out our full guide for the best prepaid phone plans available. We also have a guide for the best cheap phone plans.