Battlefield 6's Casual Playlist Sparks Intense Discussions Over Bots, Experience Points, and Queue Times
Over the weekend, the game developers introduced a new playlist titled Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this mode resembles the regular Breakthrough setup but features a few key changes:
- Each team has just eight human participants, with the rest made up of AI-controlled opponents.
- Actions performed by real players grant full XP, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
- Just a pair of locations can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State map.
- Elements like Dogtags, achievements, and career stat updates are disabled.
In short, this mode delivers on its name: it's a laid-back version of Breakthrough. At face value, you might think it's a good idea, as it provides more options for players looking for alternative ways to enjoy the game. However, if video games have taught us anything, it's that not everyone will be happy. Which is to say, a lot of Battlefield 6 players are upset.
Community Reactions: Anger to Praise
"People want human opponents. Avoid making the mistakes of your rivals," states one reply to the official announcement. "Absolutely shocking idea," comments a different user. Meanwhile, in community forums, a player remarks, "It's unclear where we are going with this title," while another details everything they believe to be broken in the game: "Resolve glitches, address drone issues, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We do not require this bot mode."
However, amid the criticism, there are players sharing how much they're liking the new mode. "It's enjoyable to warm up, real players prevent it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," says a forum post. "The community fails to see that there are gamers who actually go outside and can't play this title all the time. Allow them to strike a balance," adds another. A response via social media explains that as they're "a battledad with busy schedules, this is perfect for me," and someone else praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."
Valid Concerns and Community Feedback
All that said, players have constructive reasons to criticize Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have pointed out that it will make queue times even longer for different playlists because of the sheer number of options currently available. Similarly, some areas often face mostly bots in the current modes. It also seems a little backwards that the mode does not begin without a minimum number of human gamers, even though it focuses mostly on combat against bots.
Finally, one of the biggest complaints is that a previous feature was promised to offer full XP, including AI matches, but that got canned when they attempted to eliminate bot farms from the mode. So this new playlist feels like the player base compromising in the middle, as per forum feedback. Another labels this addition as the devs "dropping the ball so hard, I had so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"
Looking Ahead: Will Changes Occur?
If Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something to date with the latest installment, it's that they're paying attention and responding to feedback. Tasks being too difficult were adjusted very quickly, just like the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, should analytics shows this new playlist isn't performing to their standards, they will not hesitate to change it again.