Battlefield 6's Casual Playlist Ignites Heated Discussions Regarding Bots, XP Rewards, and Wait Times

Over the weekend, the game developers introduced a new game mode called Casual Breakthrough. In essence, this option resembles the standard Breakthrough format but includes several notable changes:

  • Each team includes only 8 real players, with the remaining made up of 32 bots.
  • Actions performed by human gamers grant full XP, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
  • Only two maps are available: Cairo Siege and Empire State.
  • Elements like Dogtags, accolades, and stat tracking are disabled.

So essentially, the playlist lives up to its name: it offers a casual take of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume there's nothing wrong, as it gives more options for gamers looking for alternative methods to enjoy the title. However, if video games has shown one thing, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many BF6 players are mad.

Player Reactions: Anger to Praise

"People want real players. Avoid making the mistakes of your rivals," states one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking concept," comments another. Meanwhile, in community forums, one user remarks, "It's unclear where we are going with this game," while someone else lists everything they consider to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, fix drone glitch, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We don't need this AI-heavy playlist."

On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers explaining how much they're liking the recent addition. "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 players who have lives and don't play this game all the time. Allow them to find a middle ground," states a different comment. One reply via social media clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with limited time, this is great for me," while another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Valid Concerns and Community Input

All that said, players have constructive reasons to complain about the new mode. A few folks have highlighted that it will make queue times more extended for other modes due to the sheer number of playlists in the game already. On a similar note, some areas already encounter mostly bots in the existing playlists. It also seems somewhat counterintuitive that the mode won't start without a required amount of real players, despite it focuses mostly on combat against bots.

Lastly, a major complaints is that a previous feature was promised to provide full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they tried to eliminate XP farming from the system. Thus Casual Breakthrough seems like the community compromising in the middle, as per forum feedback. A different user describes this mode as the developers "dropping the ball significantly, I had so much fun in the initial release, why did they feel the need to adjust it?"

Future Prospects: Will Changes Be Made?

If Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something to date with Battlefield 6, it is that they're paying attention and responding to player input. Tasks being too difficult got fixed rapidly, just like the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data shows this recent mode is underperforming to their expectations, they won't be shy to make further modifications.

Sandra Lowe
Sandra Lowe

An environmental scientist and avid hiker who shares practical guides on eco-friendly living and wilderness exploration.