Battlefield 2042: How to fly helicopters
Stop crashing and become a competent pilot with our detailed guide.
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Out of the fullBattlefield 2042 vehicle list, helicopters are arguably the most effective. Not only can they provide close air support with miniguns, rockets, and grenade launchers, but they can also rapidly transport soldiers around the map for strategic deployment. With some good helicopter pilots on their side, any team will have a strong advantage, and the fact that flying helicopters is so rewarding is part of what makes Battlefield games some of thebest Xbox shootersavailable.
However, piloting helicopters has never been easy in Battlefield, and that hasn’t changed inBattlefield 2042. Thankfully, we’ve been practicing in theBattlefield 2042 betaand have managed to master the controls. If you’re struggling to fly helicopters effectively, here’s a detailed guide on everything you need to know about flying helicopters, including controls, maneuvers, and general tips and tricks for being an effective pilot.
Battlefield goes back to the future
Battlefield 2042 debuts Electronic Arts' next-generation vision for the military shooter, supporting up to 128 players, the largest-ever maps, devastatingly destructive weather systems, and more.
Battlefield 2042 helicopter controls
It’s important to review Battlefield 2042’s helicopter controls before attempting to use one in battle. Here’s the full list of controls for helicopters:
Battlefield 2042 helicopters: Taking off and hovering
First, let’s go over how to take off and hover in place. Use W on PC or move the left stick up on console to fly directly upwards, which is also known as throttling up, to take off from the ground. You can continue throttling up to go higher, or you can press S on PC or move the left stick down on console to go down.
To hover in the air, the blades of your helicopter need to be level with the ground. By default, your blades will be level when you spawn, but if you need to adjust, you can do so by moving your mouse or right stick to the left and right (more on these controls later). Note that when flying helicopters in first-person mode, the visible line on the HUD will indicate the angle of your blades.
Battlefield 2042 helicopters: Moving forwards and backwards
Now that you know how to take off and hover, the next step is moving forwards and backwards by pitching your helicopter. To do this, move your mouse up on PC or your right stick up on console to go forwards, and move your mouse or right stick down to go backwards. The farther you move up or down, the faster your helicopter will move.
However, moving forwards to backwardstoosharply can result in your helicopter flipping upside down, which will likely result in you losing control of the aircraft and crashing. Make sure you’re careful.
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Battlefield 2042 helicopters: Turning
Yawing (top) and rolling (bottom).
You’ve mastered taking off, hovering, and moving forwards and backwards, so now it’s time to learn how to turn. Using A and D on PC or moving the left stick left and right on console will turn your helicopter left and right, respectively. This process is known as yawing.
Yawing is an important part of making turns while flying, but on its own, yawing is slow and doesn’t help you evade enemy fire. For truly effective flying, you’ll also need to incorporate rolling into your turns. By moving your mouse or your right stick to the left and right, you can roll the helicopter When you roll in the same direction you’re yawing, you perform a banking turn. This maneuver allows you to make sharp turns, and it also makes your helicopter much harder to hit.
Battlefield 2042 helicopters: Landing
If you want to safely land your helicopter to get out of the aircraft or pick up troops to transport, you can do so by flying to where you want to land, leveling your aircraft with the ground by using the rolling controls, and throttling down until you touch down. Don’t throttle down too fast since you’ll likely crash if you hit the ground at high speeds, so touch the helicopter down gently. Also, you need to make sure you land the aircraft on a flat surface.
Battlefield 2042 helicopters: General tips
Now that you’ve learned how to fly helicopters, here are some general tips, tricks, and pieces of information that will help you be more effective in combat.
Battlefield goes back to the future
Battlefield 2042 debuts Electronic Arts' next-generation vision for the military shooter, supporting up to 128 players, the largest-ever maps, devastatingly destructive weather systems, and more.
Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).
