Battlefield 6's Relaxed Game Mode Sparks Intense Discussions Regarding Bots, Experience Points, and Wait Times

Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a new playlist called Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this option mirrors the standard Breakthrough format but includes a few key changes:

• Each team has only 8 human participants, with the remaining made up of 32 bots.
• Activities performed by human gamers award full XP, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
• Only two maps are available: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
• Elements like Player tags, accolades, and stat tracking are disabled.

So essentially, the playlist lives up to its name: it offers a casual version of Breakthrough. On the surface, one could assume it's a good idea, as it gives more options for players seeking alternative ways to have fun with the game. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it is that not everyone will be happy. Which is to say, many Battlefield 6 fans are mad.

Player Reactions: Anger to Support

"Gamers prefer human opponents. Avoid making the errors of your rivals," states one reply to the official announcement. "Truly disappointing idea," says another. Meanwhile, in community forums, one user remarks, "It's unclear where we are going with this title," while someone else details everything they believe to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, fix drone glitch, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."

On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers explaining how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's enjoyable to warm up, real players prevent it from being a total farmfest but it's quite laid-back," reads one Reddit comment. "The community doesn't understand that there are gamers who have lives and can't play this title all the time. Let them find a middle ground," states a different comment. One reply on Twitter clarifies that as they're "a battledad with limited time, this is great for me," and someone else applauds the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Valid Concerns and Player Input

All that said, players have valid points to complain about Casual Breakthrough. Some users have highlighted that it could increase wait times even longer for other modes because of the large amount of options currently available. On a similar note, some areas often face mostly bots in the current modes. Additionally, it appears a little backwards that the mode won't start without a minimum number of human gamers, despite it focuses mostly on fighting AI opponents.

Finally, a major complaints is that Battlefield Portal was meant to offer full XP, including AI matches, but that got canned when they tried to remove bot farms from the system. So Casual Breakthrough seems like the community meeting them in the middle, as per forum feedback. A different user describes this addition as the developers "making a mistake so hard, I experienced so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to adjust it?"

Looking Ahead: Adjustments Be Made?

Should Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something so far with Battlefield 6, it is that they're listening and responding to player input. Assignments that were overly hard got fixed very quickly, just like the specific battle pass objectives. Chances are that, if their data indicates this recent mode is underperforming to their expectations, they will not hesitate to change it again.