Battlefield 6's Casual Game Mode Sparks Intense Discussions Regarding Bots, Experience Points, and Wait Times
Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a fresh game mode titled Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this mode mirrors the standard Breakthrough setup but includes several key changes:
- Every squad has just 8 human participants, with the rest made up of AI-controlled opponents.
- Activities done by real players grant full XP, while bot actions provide reduced XP.
- Only two maps can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State map.
- Features like Dogtags, accolades, and stat tracking are disabled.
So essentially, the playlist lives up to its title: it's a laid-back take of Breakthrough. On the surface, you might think it's a good idea, as it provides additional choices for gamers seeking different ways to enjoy the title. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it's that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, a lot of Battlefield 6 players are upset.
Player Responses: From Fury to Support
"Gamers prefer real players. Don't repeat the errors of your rivals," reads one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking idea," says another. At the same time, in community forums, a player remarks, "I have no idea where we are headed with this game," while someone else details everything they consider to be problematic in the game: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."
However, for every complaint, some gamers sharing how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's enjoyable to warm up, real players prevent it from being a total farmfest but it's quite laid-back," reads a forum post. "The community fails to see that there are players who actually go outside and don't play this title 24/7. Allow them to strike a balance," adds a different comment. A response via social media clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is perfect for me," while another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."
Constructive Criticisms and Community Feedback
Despite the support, players have valid points to criticize the new mode. Some users have highlighted that it could increase queue times even longer for other modes due to the large amount of playlists currently available. Similarly, certain regions often face AI-filled matches in the current modes. It also seems somewhat counterintuitive that the mode won't start without a minimum number of real players, despite it focuses mostly on combat against bots.
Finally, one of the biggest complaints is that Battlefield Portal was promised to offer complete rewards, including AI matches, but that got canned when they tried to remove bot farms from the system. So this new playlist seems like the community compromising halfway, as per forum feedback. A different user labels this addition as the developers "making a mistake significantly, I had great enjoyment in the initial release, why did they feel the need to change it?"
Looking Ahead: Adjustments Be Made?
Should the development team has proven anything to date with the latest installment, it's that they're listening and responding to feedback. Assignments that were overly hard were adjusted very quickly, just like the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data indicates this new playlist is underperforming to their expectations, they won't be shy to change it again.