The Latest Relaxed Playlist Sparks Intense Discussions Over Bots, XP Rewards, and Wait Times
Recently, Battlefield Studios introduced a new playlist called Casual Breakthrough. To put it simply, this mode resembles the regular Breakthrough setup but features a few notable changes:
- Each team includes just eight real players, with the remaining made up of 32 bots.
- Actions done by real players grant complete experience points, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
- Only two locations are available: Siege of Cairo and Empire State map.
- Features like Player tags, achievements, and career stat updates are disabled.
In short, this mode delivers on its title: it offers a casual version of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume it's a good idea, as it provides more options for players looking for different ways to enjoy the title. But, gaming history have taught us anything, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many Battlefield 6 fans are upset.
Player Reactions: Anger to Support
"People want real players. Avoid making the errors of your competitors," reads a response to the official announcement. "Truly disappointing concept," comments a different user. Meanwhile, on the Battlefield subreddit, a player notes, "I have no idea where we are going with this title," while someone else details all the issues they believe to be broken in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We don't need this AI-heavy playlist."
However, amid the criticism, some gamers explaining how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's very fun to practice, real players keep it from being a total farmfest but it's quite laid-back," reads a forum post. "This subreddit doesn't understand that there are gamers who actually go outside and can't play this game all the time. Let them find a middle ground," states another. One reply on Twitter clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with limited time, this is great for me," and another praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."
Constructive Criticisms and Community Input
All that said, there are valid points to criticize Casual Breakthrough. Some users have pointed out that it will make queue times even longer for other modes because of the large amount of options currently available. Similarly, certain regions already encounter AI-filled matches in the current modes. It also seems a little backwards that the mode won't start without a required amount of real players, even though it primarily centers on fighting AI opponents.
Lastly, a major grievances is that a previous feature was promised to provide full XP, including AI matches, but that got canned when they attempted to eliminate XP farming from the system. Thus this new playlist seems like the player base compromising in the middle, as per a Reddit comment. Another describes this addition as the developers "making a mistake so hard, I experienced so much fun in the first couple of days, what prompted them to adjust it?"
Future Prospects: Adjustments Occur?
Should the development team has proven anything to date with the latest installment, it is that they're paying attention and responding to player input. Tasks being too difficult got fixed rapidly, just like the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode is underperforming to their expectations, they won't be shy to change it again.