Battlefield 6's Relaxed Game Mode Ignites Intense Discussions Over AI Players, XP Rewards, and Queue Times
Recently, Battlefield Studios introduced a fresh game mode titled Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this mode mirrors the standard Breakthrough setup but includes a few key adjustments:
- Each team includes only eight real players, with the rest made up of AI-controlled opponents.
- Actions performed by human gamers grant complete experience points, while bot actions offer reduced XP.
- Just a pair of maps can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
- Features like Player tags, accolades, and career stat updates have been turned off.
In short, the playlist delivers on its title: it offers a casual take of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume there's nothing wrong, since it gives additional choices for players seeking different ways to have fun with the title. However, if video games has shown one thing, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many BF6 fans are upset.
Player Reactions: From Fury to Support
"People want real players. Don't repeat the mistakes of your rivals," states one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking concept," comments a different user. At the same time, on the Battlefield subreddit, a player notes, "It's unclear where we are going with this game," and another details all the issues they believe to be broken in the game: "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, there are players explaining how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's very fun to practice, real players keep it from being a complete grind but it's quite laid-back," says a forum post. "The community fails to see that there are gamers who actually go outside and can't play this game 24/7. Let them find a middle ground," states another. A response on Twitter explains that as they're "a parent gamer with limited time, this is perfect for me," while someone else applauds the mode for "avoiding intense competition."
Valid Criticisms and Community Feedback
All that said, there are valid points to complain about Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have pointed out that it could increase wait times more extended for different playlists due to the large amount of options in the game already. On a similar note, some areas already encounter AI-filled matches in the existing playlists. It also seems a little backwards that the mode won't start without a minimum number of human gamers, despite it focuses mostly on fighting AI opponents.
Lastly, one of the biggest complaints is that Battlefield Portal was meant to provide full XP, including AI matches, but that was removed when they attempted to eliminate XP farming from the system. Thus Casual Breakthrough seems like the community meeting them in the middle, according to forum feedback. Another describes this addition as the devs "making a mistake significantly, I had great enjoyment in the initial release, why did they feel the need to adjust it?"
Future Prospects: Will Changes Be Made?
If Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something to date with the latest installment, it's that they're paying attention and responding to player input. Assignments being too difficult got fixed rapidly, as did the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode isn't performing to their expectations, they won't be shy to change it again.