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

San Diego Comic-Con Draws a Line: No AI Art Allowed at 2026 Event

The long-running fan convention is banning AI-created works from its popular art show.

Like Sarah Connor in The Terminator, San Diego Comic-Con is fighting back against AI. The prestigious, long-running pop culture convention has banned all artwork created by artificial intelligence from the 2026 Comic-Con art show. Rules posted on the Comic-Con website now state that AI-generated art won’t be shown in any form.

«Material created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability,» the website reads.

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A representative for San Diego Comic-Con did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the past, the convention allowed participants to display AI artwork, provided it was clearly marked as such and wasn’t sold. But now, those artists can’t even bring it through the door. The rule change is a response to artist-led pushback, according to a 404 Media report. San Diego Comic-Con is one of the world’s most famous pop culture conventions, uniting comics, movies, television, gaming, cosplay and collectibles.

Jim Zub, writer for the Conan the Barbarian and Dungeons and Dragons comic book series, told CNET he supports Comic-Con’s decision and hopes other conventions will follow their lead.

«Hundreds of thousands of people attend San Diego Comic-Con each year, and the excitement that generates isn’t because they’re eager to meet a computer spitting out homogenized slop,» Zub said.

Zub, who’s also an artist, is scheduled to appear at Comic-Con in 2026.

Entertaining AI

The use of generative AI in comic book and pop culture art has generated controversy in recent years as AI programs have become more skilled at imitating creators.

A central focus of the 2023 actor’s strike involved backlash against the use of AI in movies and television. The issue has continued to roil Hollywood, as actors, special effects designers, and other film workers see the technology as a threat, while some movie studios view AI as a way to reduce production costs.

Netflix has already begun using AI-generated imagery in at least one series, Argentine sci-fi show El Eternauta. CEO Ted Sarandos praised the technology during a 2025 earnings call.

«We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,» Sarandos said at the time.

AI is also an issue in the video game industry, with publishers facing swift backlash whenever fans discover AI was used in a game. The Indie Game Awards rescinded two awards for the hit RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, after they found out that AI-made placeholder assets were included when the game launched. The game developer quickly patched the assets out.

While the movie and video game industries appear to have mixed views on using AI, Comic-Con has taken a firm stance, at least for now.

«Artists, writers, actors and other creatives gather and celebrate the popular arts in person because the people part of the equation is what matters most,» Zub said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Jan. 24

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 24.

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? It’s a long one, as per usual on Saturday. 1-Down made me awfully hungry! Read on. 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: Snow day vehicle
Answer: PLOW

5A clue: Steam room alternative
Answer: SAUNA

6A clue: Show on which Jon Hamm had his breakout role
Answer: MADMEN

7A clue: Subject of negotiations with a 3-year-old
Answer: BEDTIME

8A clue: Respected veteran, in slang
Answer: OLDHEAD

9A clue: Gain back, as trust
Answer: REEARN

10A clue: Spooky
Answer: EERIE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Noodle dish garnished with lime wedges and crushed peanuts
Answer: PADTHAI

2D clue: Singing candlestick in «Beauty and the Beast»
Answer: LUMIERE

3D clue: ___ band
Answer: ONEMAN

4D clue: Decreased in size, as the moon
Answer: WANED

5D clue: More blue
Answer: SADDER

6D clue: Chaotic fight
Answer: MELEE

7D clue: Total snoozefest
Answer: BORE

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Technologies

iPhone 17 Pro Max Specs vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: The Best Top-Tier Phones, Compared

The top premium phones from Apple and Samsung have the best specs, cameras, battery life and more among their lineups.

Apple’s full iPhone 17 lineup offers great phones that meet different needs, but one that rises above the rest for specs and sheer size: the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The company’s priciest top-tier iOS handset goes toe-to-toe with the top Android phones, and at the top of that list is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, that company’s highest-end conventional phone.

Both phones live up to their names, with nearly 7-inch screens, advanced cameras and the most powerful specs to date. While they have a lot in common, they follow slightly different approaches for assembling the most premium phone on the market.

Here’s how the iPhone 17 Pro Max specs match up to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Looking to order the iPhone 17 Pro Max? Check out our deals guide to learn if you can get it free and other great offers.

Want to buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra? Find out which carriers and retailers have the best deals on Samsung’s slim phone.

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iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra price comparison

iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB of storage): $1,199
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (256GB of storage): $1,299

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is $100 cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has been the same price gap between these phones in prior years. Samsung’s phone does have a notable hardware extra with its S Pen stylus (stored within the handset), but it’s also far more likely to go on sale than Apple’s big handset, assuming prior years’ trends continue.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra design and displays

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Heat-dispersing focus. This year’s Pro Max reverts to an aluminum frame and introduces a vapor chamber to better vent heat.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Best screen yet. The display’s new anti-reflective coating on the Ultra may be its best feature.

These are the biggest and densest phones beyond foldables, so they stack up pretty well, at least on the outside.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch OLED display, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 6.8-inch screen (both have 1-120Hz variable refresh rates). In Jan. 2025, when the Ultra was released, CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland called it «the best I’ve seen» on a phone, thanks to its new antireflective coating that makes the phone more usable under direct light, along with 2,600-nit top brightness. For its part, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is easier to see in daylight with its 3,000-nit maximum brightness (up from 2,000 nits in last year’s iPhones).

Thanks to its titanium frame, Samsung’s phone is slightly lighter at 218 grams and potentially more durable than the aluminum frame on Apple’s premium phone (which is heavier at 233 grams).

But interestingly enough, it seems Apple reverted from the titanium frame on the iPhone 16 Pro Max back to aluminum in its new top-tier phone in favor of better thermal regulation. To handle heat even better, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a vapor chamber filled with deionized water sitting over the CPU and other chips to disperse heat away from the silicon. The S25 Ultra has its own vapor chamber (40% larger than its predecessor’s, Samsung said).

The S25 Ultra also has the advantage of its own stylus that tucks into a dedicated slot on the phone’s underside. Unfortunately, it’s not as smart as the S Pen of previous S-series Ultra models. Samsung removed the remote Bluetooth controls, which the company said were only used by barely 1% of Ultra owners, but it’s still disappointing to see tech revert.

Like all iPhones since last year’s models, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a Camera Control button on its right side. This button launches the Camera app, allows you to take photos and tweaks settings while shooting. The button can also activate Visual Intelligence, which lets you do a Google image search or prompt ChatGPT using what the camera is pointed at.

Comparing iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Nearly all cameras are now sharper. Everything but the main camera got a megapixel upgrade.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Better ultrawide camera. The 50-megapixel ultrawide captures more light and detail.

From the outside, not much looks different with either phone’s array of cameras compared to their predecessors, though the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s rear camera bump has been extended across the width of the phone. But the big changes are packed inside that «plateau,» as Apple calls it, with improvements to nearly all of its cameras.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 48-megapixel main and ultrawide cameras are largely untouched, but the telephoto camera is now also 48 megapixels (up from 12 megapixels in last year’s Pro Max). All three are «dual fusion» cameras that can zoom in twice at 12-megapixel resolution using sensor cropping. This effectively means the telephoto can go to the equivalent of 8x optical zoom, or up to 40x digital (up from 25x).

There’s the big upgrade for selfie lovers: The front-facing camera is now 18 megapixels (up from 12 megapixels in last year’s model), which is nice but less important than the larger sensor behind the lens. It’s square in shape, which allows users to switch between taking selfies in either horizontal or vertical orientation without rotating their phone. It also enables Center Stage, the video chat feature that first debuted on iPad Pro and Mac devices, which keeps the focus on the user even if they move around and can adjust the orientation if more people enter the frame.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra retains its four rear camera setup, fronted by an impressive 200-megapixel main shooter. But it’s the 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (up from 12 megapixels in the S24 Ultra) that delighted CNET reviewer Holland, who felt the larger sensor afforded crisper shots with more light in both very wide and close-up macro shots. The phone also has a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom paired with a 50-megapixel 5x optical zoom for different levels of telephoto shots, topping out at 100x «Space Zoom.»

Both phones have dueling AI-assisted tools for video. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the Audio Mix feature introduced in its predecessor that isolates desired audio sources (like subjects talking) and cancels other ambient noise. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has its own tool, Audio Eraser, which trims away wind, music, street noise or other disturbances. As a last difference, the Galaxy S25 Ultra can shoot footage in 8K while the iPhone 17 Pro Max tops out at 4K video.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs compared

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Better specs, bigger battery. The Pro Max gets a new chip, better performance and longer battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Great performance. The S25 Ultra boasts better performance than any other phone we’d tested.

Both phones are at the absolute top of their lineups and are in the running for the most powerful phone on the market anywhere in the world. Unsurprisingly, they’re pretty competitive in terms of specs and performance, with each edging out the other in specific ways.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max packs a new A19 Pro chip that, combined with the improved heat management, results in 40% better sustained performance compared to last year’s Pro Max, Apple said during the new phone’s launch presentation. Apple has continued not to state how much RAM the phone packs (conventional wisdom suggests at least 8GB to run AI features).

The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with configuration tiers for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and the new 2TB option. That max storage pushes the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s overall price to around $2,000. Apple also doesn’t release exact battery capacity, but did suggest the Pro Max has an even bigger one this year.

In CNET’s battery tests, the iPhone 17 Pro Max scored better than any phone we’ve tested, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It has a top wired charging speed of 40 watts or wireless at 30 watts, and built-in MagSafe magnetic attachment capability.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a Samsung-customized Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 12GB of RAM, both of which enable more on-device AI that runs smoother than the hybrid and cloud AI tools used in prior Galaxy Ultra models. In benchmark tests, the Galaxy S25 Ultra outperformed other leading smartphones, including the OnePlus 13 and last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, but we’ll have to wait for our tests on the iPhone 17 Pro Max to truly compare both. Samsung’s premium phone has 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage options.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 5,000-mAh battery, 45-watt maximum wired charging and Qi2 wireless charging up to 15 watts, though it doesn’t support magnetic attachments (unless you get a case with built-in magnets).

Of course, both phones have their own suites of generative AI technology. Apple didn’t introduce any new features this year, relying on the Apple Intelligence suite of assistive tech that debuted with last year’s iPhone 16 series. Samsung’s phone has its own suite of Galaxy AI features, like answering requests with info from apps and Google’s Circle to Search feature that can now recognize audio in videos and social media posts (or even tunes you hum yourself, supposedly).

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

	Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness	6.9-inch OLED; 2,868×1,320 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Pixel density	460ppi	501ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.43 x 3.07 x 0.34 in	6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)	163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm	162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm
Weight	233g (8.22 ounces)	218g (7.69 ounces)
Mobile software	iOS 26	Android 15
Camera	48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (4x, 8x telephoto)	200-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)
Front-facing camera	18-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	4K	8K
Processor	Apple A19 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM/storage	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	None	None
Battery	Up to 39 hours video playback; up to 35 hours video playback (streamed).	5,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	None (Face ID)	Under display
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None
Special features	Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. ProRes Raw video recording. Genlock video support. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range. IP68 resistance. Colors: silver, cosmic orange, deep blue. Fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger.	Titanium frame, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cover glass; ultrawideband
US price off-contract	$1,199 (256GB)	$1,300 (256GB)
UK price	£1,199 (256GB)	£1,249 (256GB)
Australia price	AU$2,199 (256GB)	AU$2,149 (256GB)