The Latest Casual Playlist Ignites Intense Discussions Over Bots, XP Rewards, and Queue Times

Recently, the game developers introduced a new game mode titled Relaxed Breakthrough. In essence, this option resembles the standard Breakthrough format but features a few key adjustments:

  • Each team has just 8 real players, with the rest made up of AI-controlled opponents.
  • Activities performed by real players award full XP, while bot actions offer lower rewards.
  • Just a pair of locations can be played: Cairo Siege and Empire State map.
  • Elements like Player tags, achievements, and career stat updates have been turned off.

So essentially, this mode lives up to its title: it's a casual take of Breakthrough. On the surface, you might think there's nothing wrong, since it provides more options for gamers seeking alternative methods to have fun with the title. However, if video games have taught us anything, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, a lot of Battlefield 6 players are mad.

Player Responses: From Fury to Praise

"People want real players. Don't repeat the errors of your rivals," states one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking idea," comments another. At the same time, on the Battlefield subreddit, a player notes, "I have no idea where we are headed with this title," while someone else lists all the issues they believe to be problematic in the game: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, adjust aiming after sprinting, improve hit detection. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."

However, for every complaint, some gamers explaining how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's very fun to practice, human participants prevent it from being a total farmfest but it's very relaxed," reads one Reddit comment. "This subreddit doesn't understand that there are gamers who actually go outside and can't play this title all the time. Allow them to strike a balance," states another. A response on Twitter clarifies that as they're "a battledad with limited time, this is perfect for me," and another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Valid Concerns and Player Input

All that said, players have constructive reasons to criticize the new mode. A few folks have highlighted that it will make wait times even longer for different playlists because of the large amount of playlists currently available. On a similar note, some areas often face mostly bots in the current modes. It also seems somewhat counterintuitive that the mode won't start without a required amount of real players, even though it focuses mostly on combat against bots.

Lastly, a major grievances is that a previous feature was meant to offer complete rewards, including AI matches, but that got canned when they tried to eliminate XP farming from the mode. Thus this new playlist seems like the player base meeting them halfway, according to a Reddit comment. A different user describes this mode as the devs "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?

If Battlefield Studios has proven anything to date with Battlefield 6, it is that they're paying attention and responding to player input. Tasks that were overly hard were adjusted rapidly, just like the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, should analytics shows this recent mode is underperforming to their standards, they will not hesitate to change it again.

Amy Valentine
Amy Valentine

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in slot machine mechanics and gambling strategies.