The Latest Casual Playlist Sparks Intense Discussions Regarding AI Players, XP Rewards, and Wait Times

Recently, Battlefield Studios launched a new playlist titled Casual Breakthrough. In essence, this option mirrors the regular Breakthrough setup but features several key changes:

  • Every squad has just 8 real players, with the rest filled by AI-controlled opponents.
  • Activities done by human gamers award full XP, while AI activities offer reduced XP.
  • Only two maps can be played: Cairo Siege and Empire State map.
  • Elements like Player tags, achievements, and stat tracking are disabled.

So essentially, this mode delivers on its title: it offers a casual take of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume there's nothing wrong, as it provides additional choices for players looking for different methods to have fun with the title. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it's that not everyone will be happy. In other words, a lot of BF6 players are mad.

Community Reactions: From Fury to Support

"Gamers prefer human opponents. Don't repeat the mistakes of your competitors," states a response to the official announcement. "Absolutely shocking idea," comments another. At the same time, in community forums, one user remarks, "I have no idea where we are going with this game," and another lists everything they consider to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Resolve glitches, fix drone glitch, fix IVF rockets, adjust aiming after sprinting, fix awful hit registration. We don't need this bot mode."

However, amid the criticism, there are players sharing how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's very fun to practice, real players prevent it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," says one Reddit comment. "This subreddit fails to see that there are players who actually go outside and can't play this game all the time. Let them find a middle ground," adds another. One reply 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 "not being overcompetitive."

Valid Criticisms and Community Feedback

All that said, players have valid points to complain about the new mode. Some users have highlighted that it could increase queue times more extended for different playlists due to the large amount of playlists in the game already. On a similar note, certain regions often face AI-filled matches in the existing playlists. Additionally, it appears somewhat counterintuitive that the mode won't start without a minimum number of real players, even though it focuses mostly on combat against bots.

Finally, one of the biggest grievances is that Battlefield Portal was promised to offer complete rewards, including AI matches, but that was removed when they tried to remove XP farming from the system. Thus this new playlist seems like the player base meeting them in the middle, as per forum feedback. Another labels this mode as the devs "dropping the ball significantly, I had great enjoyment in the first couple of days, why did they feel the need to change it?"

Looking Ahead: Will Changes Be Made?

If Battlefield Studios has proven anything to date with Battlefield 6, it is that they're listening and responding to player input. Tasks being too difficult got fixed rapidly, as did the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode is underperforming to their standards, they will not hesitate to make further modifications.

Brian Rivera
Brian Rivera

A seasoned journalist and cultural commentator with over a decade of experience covering UK affairs, passionate about uncovering unique stories.