Battlefield 6's Relaxed Game Mode Sparks Intense Discussions Over AI Players, XP Rewards, and Queue Times

Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a new playlist called Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this mode resembles the regular Breakthrough format but features several key adjustments:

  • Each team has just eight real players, with the rest filled by AI-controlled opponents.
  • Actions done by real players grant complete experience points, while AI activities offer lower rewards.
  • Just a pair of maps can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
  • Elements like Dogtags, achievements, and stat tracking have been turned off.

So essentially, the playlist delivers on its title: it offers a laid-back take of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume there's nothing wrong, as it provides more options for gamers looking for alternative methods to have fun with the game. But, if video games have taught us anything, it's that not everyone will be happy. In other words, many BF6 fans are mad.

Player Reactions: From Fury to Support

"Gamers prefer human opponents. Avoid making the errors of your competitors," states a response to the official announcement. "Absolutely shocking idea," comments another. Meanwhile, in community forums, a player notes, "It's unclear where we are going with this game," and another lists all the issues they believe to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, fix drone glitch, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We don't need this bot mode."

However, amid the criticism, some gamers sharing how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's very fun to warm up, human participants keep it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," says a forum post. "This subreddit doesn't understand that there are gamers who actually go outside and don't play this title all the time. Let them find a middle ground," states another. One reply via social media clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is great for me," and another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Constructive Concerns and Community Feedback

Despite the support, players have constructive reasons to complain about the new mode. Some users have highlighted that it will make queue times even longer for different playlists because of the sheer number of options in the game already. On a similar note, certain regions already encounter AI-filled matches in the current modes. Additionally, it appears a little backwards that the mode does not begin without a required amount of real players, despite it focuses mostly on combat against bots.

Finally, one of the biggest complaints is that a previous feature was promised to provide complete rewards, even against bots, but that got canned when they attempted to remove bot farms from the mode. Thus Casual Breakthrough feels like the player base meeting them halfway, as per forum feedback. A different user describes this addition as the devs "making a mistake significantly, I had great enjoyment in the initial release, what prompted them to adjust it?"

Looking Ahead: Will Changes Be Made?

Should the development team has proven anything to date with Battlefield 6, it is that they're listening and acting on feedback. Tasks being too difficult got fixed rapidly, just like the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data shows this new playlist is underperforming to their standards, they won't be shy to change it again.

Tina Johnson
Tina Johnson

A passionate historian and collector specializing in 20th-century artifacts, with over a decade of experience in antique restoration.