The Latest Relaxed Game Mode Ignites Heated Discussions Over Bots, XP Rewards, and Wait Times
Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a fresh playlist called Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this option resembles the regular Breakthrough format but includes several notable adjustments:
- Each team includes just eight human participants, with the remaining filled by 32 bots.
- Activities performed by real players grant complete experience points, while bot actions provide reduced XP.
- Just a pair of locations are available: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
- Elements like Dogtags, accolades, and stat tracking have been turned off.
So essentially, the playlist delivers on its name: it offers a casual version of Breakthrough. At face value, you might think it's a good idea, since it gives more options for players looking for different methods to enjoy the title. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it's that not everyone will be happy. In other words, many Battlefield 6 fans are mad.
Player Reactions: Anger to Support
"People want real players. Avoid making the errors of your competitors," states a response to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking idea," says a different user. At the same time, on the Battlefield subreddit, a player notes, "I have no idea where we are going with this title," while someone else lists everything they believe to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, fix drone glitch, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We don't need this AI-heavy playlist."
However, amid the criticism, there are players sharing how much they're liking the recent addition. "It's very fun to warm up, human participants keep it from being a total farmfest but it's very relaxed," says a forum post. "The community doesn't understand that there are players who actually go outside and don't play this title all the time. Let them find a middle ground," states a different comment. One reply via social media clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with limited time, this is great for me," and someone else praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."
Valid Concerns and Player Feedback
All that said, there are constructive reasons to complain about Casual Breakthrough. Some users have pointed out that it could increase queue times even longer for different playlists due to the large amount of options in the game already. Similarly, certain regions already encounter AI-filled matches in the current modes. It also seems somewhat counterintuitive that the mode does not begin without a required amount of real players, despite it primarily centers on combat against bots.
Lastly, a major complaints is that Battlefield Portal was meant to offer full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they tried to remove XP farming from the mode. Thus this new playlist feels like the player base meeting them in the middle, according to forum feedback. Another describes this mode as the developers "dropping the ball significantly, I had so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"
Looking Ahead: Adjustments Be Made?
Should the development team has demonstrated something to date with the latest installment, it is that they're paying attention and responding to feedback. Assignments being too difficult got fixed rapidly, as did the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode is underperforming to their standards, they won't be shy to make further modifications.