Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1
Active since 06-21-2016
The Battlefield 1 ARG - an ARG that began with headphones and Morse Code.
Type	[[List_of_Investigations#Official|Official]]
Creator	EA Dice
Discovered	06-21-2016

Main Page > List of Investigations > Battlefield 1

This wiki page documents the Marconi Easter Egg that is hidden in Battlefield 1. The Google doc used to populate this wiki page can be found here. Currently, the primary solving hub for this ARG is the Battlefield Easter Egg community, who have a Wiki here and also a YouTube channel as well. A full video explanation of the Easter egg can be found here.

Headphones and Morse

1 pair of headphones is hidden on each map. The headphones are indestructible and can be located on every server, as long as they have not already been picked up. It appears that there are 5 spawn locations per map, although some of them undiscovered. The headphones can be picked up by any player by walking over them. Upon approaching a hidden MCOM station after having retrieved a pair of headphones, the player will hear some Morse code being tapped out. A player can carry only one pair of headphones at a time, and only the player wearing the headphones will be able to hear the Morse code when near enough to a hidden MCOM.

Headphone Locations

Here is is a series of images, made by RenegadeX5, which display headphone and MCOM locations on each map. In order to hear the Morse code, you need to pick up the headphones from one of the 5 locations on each map (you might need to check all 5 before finding them!) and bring them to the MCOM station.

(Note: you can click each image to get a larger version.)

• 

  Amiens

• 

  Argonne Forest

• 

  Ballroom Blitz

• 

  Empire's Edge

• 

  Fao Fortress

• 

  Monte Grappa

• 

  Sinai Desert

• 

  St-Quentin-Scar

• 

  Suez Canal

When the headphones and MCOM stations were first discovered, the Morse code was meaningless gibberish. However, the contents of the Morse code changed in future patches.

November 15, 2016

On November 15th, Battlefield 1 received an update which changed the Morse code heard on all maps' hidden MCOM stations to the following:

.--. .-. . ...- .. --- ..- ... | -- . ... ... .- --. . | -.-. --- .-. .-. ..- .--. - . -..
.- .-- .- .. - | ..-. ..- .-. - .... . .-. | .. -. ... - .-. ..- -.-. - .. --- -. ...

PREVIOUS MESSAGE CORRUPTED
AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

Additionally, the patch changed the following things:

• Ballroom Blitz has had an MCOM station and headphones added to it, whereas pre-patch it was the only map with neither
• The spawn locations of many headphones on most maps has changed
• The above Morse message plays on loop until the MCOM station eventually explodes, although this appears to be buggy and thus the station will not always behave in this way
• Once the MCOM station explodes, headphones stop spawning on the map
• Dying after having retrieved a headphone will no longer cause a new headphone to spawn at the initial spawn location of the one the dead player was carrying
• Only one pair of headphones will spawn upon the initiation of a round on each map

February 14, 2017

On February 14, the Morse code changed again, to the following message:

GO STRAIGHT TO <location_name>.  OLD METHODS COMPROMISED.  MUST ACQUIRE NEW KEY.  WILL MISS DROPOFF IF DELAY OR INCORRECT LOCATION.

Each user hears a different location name. It is currently unknown which factors determine who hears which location, or if locations are simply randomly assigned to players. Additionally, APREMONT must be swapped with VARENNES due to an error on the developer's part. There are 27 locations total: 3 locations on each of the 9 maps. In order to advance through the Easter egg, you need to know which location you are assigned; here is a tutorial (courtesy of Dunem) to help you read your Morse code. Here is the list of locations, along with their respective maps, in alphabetical order:

• ABBEY MAP APREMONT: Ballroom Blitz (Swap APREMONT with VARENNES, which is near Ballroom Blitz)
• APREMONT RITZ BED: Ballroom Blitz
• AMIENS NEUF FURNITURE: Amiens
• BUCKET MARSHLANDS FAW: FAO Fortress (Al-Faw is translated to "Fao" from Arabic)
• CANAL KANTARA VASES: Suez Canal
• CASTELLO ISLE ADRIATIC: Empire Edge (Empire Edge is on the Adriatic Coast)
• CHURCH RUINS AMIENS: Amiens
• COASTAL FORTRESS ADRIATIC: Empire Edge
• CRATE JABAL JIFAR: Sinai Desert (El-Jifar is close to Sinai Desert)
• CRATE SEREN VENETIAN: Monte Grappa (Monte Grappa is in Venice)
• CRATE TRENCH CANAL: Suez Canal
• FERRO FIRE VENETIAN: Monte Grappa
• HILL BARN ADRIATIC: Empire Edge
• HILL TOWER CANAL: Suez Canal
• HOTEL CHECK PERONNE: St. Quentin Scar (Peronne is close to SQ Scar)
• LONGUEVILLE STATUE AMIENS: Amiens
• LUGGAGE BASEMENT VARENNES: Argonne Forest (Swap VARENNES with APREMONT, which is near Argonne Forest)
• OUTPOST BARREL FAW: FAO Fortress
• PANEL WATER VARENNES: Argonne Forest
• PILLAR OUTSKIRTS JIFAR: Sinai Desert
• PILLOW MAZAR JIFAR: Sinai Desert
• RUIN VENTURE PERONNE: St. Quentin Scar
• STATUES GARDEN APREMONT: Ballroom Blitz
• STOVE TURRET VENETIAN: Monte Grappa
• TRAVECY ATTIC PERONNE: St. Quentin Scar
• TREE FORTRESS FAW: FAO Fortress
• TREE TRAIN VARENNES: Argonne Forest

The message will repeat until you move away from the MCOM station, at which point the MCOM will explode. Each of the locations mentioned above seems to have the same symbol near it.

Symbols

The first symbols discovered at each location are difficult to find; they are small double arrows pointing to the left and right, and only appear when the player comes within 0.4 meters. A player will typically need to crouch or go prone in order to be able to see their symbol. Additionally, players can only see the symbol at the location they've been "assigned" to. When examining a symbol up close, a distinct sound is played (video). Here are the symbol locations that have been discovered thus far:

• 

  ABBEY MAP APREMONT
  Near wall of ballroom in Ballroom Blitz

• 

  AMIENS NEUF FURNITURE
  In alley near train tracks on Amiens

• 

  APREMONT RITZ BED /
  VARENNES SERVANT BED
  On windowsill on Ballroom Blitz

• 

  BUCKET MARSHLANDS FAW
  Rock near bucket on FAO Fortress

• 

  CANAL KANTARA VASES
  Near vases on B point of Suez Canal

• 

  CASTELLO ISLE ADRIATIC
  On small island by E on Empire's Edge (on this rock)

• 

  CHURCH RUINS AMIENS
  Keep left from German spawn on Amiens (go prone)

• 

  COASTAL FORTRESS ADRIATIC
  On the second floor at railing beside ladder on Empire's Edge

• 

  CRATE JABAL JIFAR
  On rock behind crate on Sinai Desert

• 

  CRATE SEREN VENETIAN
  On wall by crates on Monte Grappa

• 

  CRATE TRENCH CANAL
  On wall by crates in trench on Suez Canal

• 

  FERRO FIRE VENETIAN
  On inside corner of tank on Monte Grappa

• 

  HILL BARN ADRIATIC
  Barn on a hill by F flag on Empire's Edge

• 

  HILL TOWER CANAL
  On a rock by ropes at Suez Canal

• 

  HOTEL CHECK PERONNE
  By stairs in hotel on SQ Scar

• 

  LONGUEVILLE STATUE AMIENS
  Under bushes near statue in Amiens

• 

  LUGGAGE BASEMENT APREMONT
  On pillar in E basement on Argonne

• 

  OUTPOST BARREL FAW
  On rocks near floating barrel on FAO Fortress

• 

  PANEL WATER APREMONT
  Conquest Flag B on Argonne, coming up the stairs from A inside the bunker

• 

  PILLAR OUTSKIRTS JIFAR
  Pillar on Sinai Desert

• 

  PILLOW MAZAR JIFAR
  Between C and D, next to the blown up tanks on Sinai

• 

  RUIN VENTURE PERONNE
  In corner of ____ on SQ Scar

• 

  STATUES GARDEN VARENNES
  Wall of garden on Ballroom Blitz

• 

  STOVE TURRET VENETIAN
  On wall near stove on Monte Grappa

• 

  TRAVECY ATTIC PERONNE
  On the roof of B on SQ Scar

• 

  TREE FORTRESS FAW
  Above the F flag on FAO Fortress

• 

  TREE TRAIN VARENNES
  In building by train tracks on Argonne - video

Second Message

A triangle symbol discovered at the VARENNES SERVANT BED location

After a player discovers their symbol, returning to an MCOM station with headphones yields another message in Morse code. Additionally, the MCOM's lights glow yellow instead of their usual white when broadcasting this message. The message starts with one of the above location names, but reversed:

<reversed_location_name> REMEMBER FIRST RULE. IF COMPROMISED. L PILL.

An L. PILL is short for lethal pill, a pill intended to be taken by soldiers to commit suicide rather than be tortured. Visiting the specified reversed location, the second location, yields a triangle symbol in place of the normal double-arrow symbol. The second symbol appears in the exact same spot that the first symbol may appear for other players.

Third Message

The third symbol that can be discovered (credit to Noizex)

After a player discovers the triangle symbol at their second location, returning to an MCOM station with headphones yields another message. This time, the MCOM lights glow purple. Here's the text of the message:

<atbash_cipher> SECOND RULE. SIGHTING. REPORT AND WAIT. INVESTIGATING ALONE COULD LEAD TO DEATH

Solving the Atbash cipher in the message yields another location from the list above. Visiting the third location leads to an arrow symbol pointing right.

Fourth Message

The fourth symbol (credit to Noizex)

Returning to an MCOM station after discovering the third symbol yields yet another message. This time, the MCOM lights glow green (previously, they glowed white, yellow, and purple for the first, second, and third messages respectively). Here's the text of the message:

<rot_cipher> THIRD RULE. IF TAKEN BY THE OTHERS DISCOVER MEANS TO COMMUNICATE TO HOUSE

Solving the ROT cipher with a key of 7 (N = 19) yields another location from the list of locations, leading to a fourth symbol, which is shown on the right.

Fifth Message

The fifth symbol (credit to Dexx)

After finding the fourth symbol, the MCOM's light colour turns transparent. This message begins with an location from the list of locations, reversed and encoded with the Railfence cipher, with 5 rails, and 0 offset. Note that the previous symbol, the fourth symbol, is in the shape of a fence, which could have been a hint. Here's the format of the message:

<rail_fence> FOURTH RULE. KILL ALL ON SAME TRAIL. REMOVE DOG TAGS AND REPORT TO HOUSE

The fifth symbol is a pattern of broken and unbroken dashes. No meaning has been derived from this symbol as of yet.

Note: the cipher on this stage can also be solved as an anagram.

Sixth Message

The sixth symbol, "Edward" (credit to Noizex)

After finding the fifth symbol, the MCOM's lights turn to an orange colour. Here's the content of the sixth message:

<double_cipher> MORSE MESSAGES BEING INTERCEPTED. BEGINNING FULL ENCRYPTION SOON

The "double_cipher" is comprised only of single dots and single dashes: E's and T's in Morse code. The cipher can be solved by converting the transmission into A's and B's, where A is a dot and B is a dash. Then decode the ciphertext (AABBABABBAA etc) using a Baconian cipher, then decode the output of the Baconian cipher with an Atbash cipher to obtain another location from the list.

Visiting the sixth location yields the sixth symbol: a series of horizontal and vertical lines with the name "EDWARD" prominently featured between them.

Seventh Message

The seventh symbol, "George" (credit to Noizex)

After finding the sixth symbol, the MCOM's lights turn to a pink colour. Here's an example seventh message, which is a Vigenere cipher:

PXCGRJIEWSVPIQPVRUIQJEJDPOEEJFEQXETOSWDEUDWHJEDLIVANVPMHOCRQFHYLFWLHZAJDPOEEJDPZWOJXWHED

This transmission is encoded via Vigenere Cipher with the key "Edward". It decodes to:

LUGGAGEBASEMENTVARENNESALLIESCANBECLOTHEDASENEMIESENEMIESCANBECLOTHEDASALLIESALWAOSUSEID
LUGGAGE BASEMENT VARENNES ALLIES CAN BE CLOTHED AS ENEMIES. ENEMIES CAN BE CLOTHED AS ALLIES. ALWAYS USE ID

In the example above, LUGGAGE BASEMENT VARENNES may be replaced with any of the locations from the complete list. Going to the specified location reveals the seventh symbol, which prominently displays the word "George" above a crude drawing.

Eighth Message

The eighth symbol (credit to Noizex)

After finding the seventh symbol, the MCOM's lights turn to a lime colour. Here's an example eighth message, which is an Autokey cipher:

ONADIFZWMPTJSHJGXROUUEKUWFHGJHNWUYMESYQYXXFAWAUGQNMESY

This message decodes to the following, by using an Autokey cipher with passphrase of "George" and alphabet key of ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY:

HILLBARNADRIATICFINALBELIEVEEVERYTHINGREPORTEVERYTHING
HILL BARN ADRIATIC FINAL BELIEVE EVERYTHING REPORT EVERYTHING

In the example above, HILL BARN ADRIATIC may be replaced with any of the locations from the complete list. The eighth symbol, which is just the word "LONDON", will be at the specified location.

Final Message

After discovering the eighth "LONDON" symbol, the MCOM's lights turn cyan. The Morse code beeps out an encoded message that has yet to be deciphered. In a deviation from the normal structure of the Morse code, this cipher seems to be identical for everyone:

ZQBRIPPQOHBFIUPEYLAZAMARZIOZDSYJB

After a long search, it was finally discovered that reversing the above ciphertext and using the reverse as input for an autokey cipher with key "london" and custom alphabet ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY yields:

PUKOOLYNOCLABLLIMDNIWWODAHSSTNAIG

If you reverse this output, it reads:

GIANTSSHADOWWINDMILLBALCONYLOOKUP

GIANTS SHADOW WINDMILL BALCONY LOOK UP

A Beginning

An image showing the dogtags which become available after the player gets their courier pigeon, following the final Morse code step.

The final Morse code, once deciphered, directs the player to the balcony of a windmill on the map Giants Shadow, specifically the windmill nearest the German spawn point. Standing on the balcony of the windmill and looking outward/slightly upwards (video) while waiting for exactly 2:00 o'clock will trigger a courier pigeon to swoop past the player. The same dramatic sound effect heard throughout the EE so far will play, and it is a this point that new dogtags, pictured right, become available to the player. The tags read "A Beginning" & "You've found something that does not belong to you".

In addition to the dogtags, the players MCOM light will change again to a red color, and another Morse code message plays, but this time at a lower pitch than before and accompanied by eerie background noise and apparent screaming. However, the message decodes to:

MASTER MAN

The code repeats indefinitely.

Additional Resources

All the MCOM station light colours:

• 

  Stage 1 (white lights)

• 

  Stage 2 (yellow lights)

• 

  Stage 3 (purple lights)

• 

  Stage 4 (green lights)

• 

  Stage 5 (clear lights)

• 

  Stage 6 (orange lights)

• 

  Stage 7 (pink lights)

• 

  Stage 8 (lime lights)

• 

  Stage 9 (cyan lights)

The following image was datamined after the release of the February 14, 2017 patch:

Between its colour channels, this image contains all of the symbols mentioned above.

This investigation is still developing, and this page will be updated accordingly as new leads emerge.