The Latest Relaxed Playlist Sparks Intense Debates Regarding Bots, XP Rewards, and Queue Times

Recently, Battlefield Studios introduced a new game mode titled Relaxed Breakthrough. In essence, this mode mirrors the standard Breakthrough format but includes several notable adjustments:

  • Each team includes only eight human participants, with the rest filled by 32 bots.
  • Actions done by real players grant full XP, while bot actions offer lower rewards.
  • Only two locations can be played: Cairo Siege and Empire State map.
  • Features like Dogtags, achievements, and career stat updates have been turned off.

So essentially, this mode lives up to its name: it offers a laid-back version of Breakthrough. At face value, you might think there's nothing wrong, as it provides more options for gamers seeking different ways to enjoy the title. However, gaming history has shown one thing, it's that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many BF6 fans are mad.

Community Responses: Anger to Praise

"People want real players. Don't repeat the mistakes of your competitors," states a response to the mode reveal. "Truly disappointing concept," says a different user. At the same time, on the Battlefield subreddit, one user notes, "I have no idea where we are headed with this title," while someone else details everything 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, some gamers explaining 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," reads one Reddit comment. "This subreddit fails to see that there are players who have lives and can't play this title 24/7. Allow them to find a middle ground," states a different comment. One reply on Twitter explains that as they're "a battledad with busy schedules, this is great for me," while another applauds the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Valid Concerns and Community Input

All that said, players have constructive reasons to complain about Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have highlighted that it could increase queue times even longer for other modes due to the sheer number of playlists in the game already. Similarly, certain regions already encounter AI-filled matches in the current modes. Additionally, it appears a little backwards that the mode won't start without a required amount of human gamers, despite it focuses mostly on fighting AI opponents.

Lastly, one of the biggest complaints is that Battlefield Portal was promised to provide complete rewards, even against bots, but that was removed when they tried to eliminate XP farming from the mode. Thus Casual Breakthrough seems like the player base compromising in the middle, as per a Reddit comment. Another describes this addition as the devs "making a mistake significantly, I had great enjoyment in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"

Looking Ahead: Will Changes Be Made?

If the development team has proven anything so far with Battlefield 6, it's that they're paying attention and responding to feedback. Assignments that were overly hard were adjusted very quickly, just like the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data indicates this new playlist is underperforming to their standards, they will not hesitate to change it again.

Lisa Mccarthy
Lisa Mccarthy

A seasoned gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering casino trends and slot machine strategies.