Battlefield 6's Relaxed Playlist Sparks Heated Debates Regarding Bots, XP Rewards, 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 adjustments:

  • Each team includes just 8 real players, with the rest made up of 32 bots.
  • Actions performed by real players grant complete experience points, while AI activities offer reduced XP.
  • Only two maps are available: Cairo Siege and Empire State map.
  • Features like Player tags, achievements, and career stat updates are disabled.

So essentially, the playlist lives up to its title: it offers a laid-back version of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume it's a good idea, since it gives more options for players seeking alternative methods to have fun with the title. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it is that not everyone will be happy. Which is to say, many BF6 players are upset.

Player Responses: From Fury to Support

"Gamers prefer real players. Don't repeat the mistakes of your competitors," states one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking idea," comments a different user. Meanwhile, in community forums, a player remarks, "I have no idea where we are headed with this title," while another lists everything they consider to be problematic in the game: "Fix bugs, fix drone glitch, correct rocket mechanics, adjust aiming after sprinting, fix awful hit registration. We don't need this bot mode."

On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers sharing how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's very fun to practice, human participants keep it from being a total farmfest but it's very relaxed," says one Reddit comment. "The community doesn't understand that there are gamers who actually go outside and don't play this title 24/7. Allow them to find a middle ground," adds a different comment. A response on Twitter explains that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is great for me," and someone else applauds the mode for "avoiding intense competition."

Constructive Concerns and Player Input

Despite the support, players have constructive reasons to complain about Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have pointed out that it could increase wait times more extended for other modes because of the sheer number of playlists in the game already. Similarly, certain regions already encounter mostly bots in the existing playlists. Additionally, it appears a little backwards that the mode does not begin without a minimum number of real players, even though it focuses mostly on fighting AI opponents.

Finally, one of the biggest grievances is that Battlefield Portal was promised to offer full XP, even against bots, but that got canned when they tried to remove XP farming from the system. So Casual Breakthrough seems like the player base compromising halfway, according to a Reddit comment. A different user describes this mode as the devs "making a mistake significantly, I had so much fun in the first couple of days, what prompted them to change it?"

Looking Ahead: Will Changes Be Made?

Should the development team has proven anything so far with Battlefield 6, it's that they're listening and responding to feedback. Tasks being too difficult were adjusted rapidly, just like the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, should analytics indicates this new playlist is underperforming to their standards, they won't be shy to change it again.

Kathryn Martinez
Kathryn Martinez

A passionate football analyst with over a decade of experience covering European leagues and Champions League dynamics.