🔗 Share this article

Over the weekend, the game developers launched a new game mode called Casual Breakthrough. To put it simply, this option mirrors the regular Breakthrough format but includes several key changes:

• Each team has only 8 real players, with the remaining made up of 32 bots.
• Activities done by human gamers grant full XP, while AI activities offer lower rewards.
• Only two locations are available: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
• Features like Dogtags, achievements, and career stat updates are disabled.

In short, the playlist delivers on its title: it's a laid-back version of Breakthrough. On the surface, you might think it's a good idea, since it provides more options for gamers seeking alternative methods to enjoy the title. However, gaming history has shown one thing, it's that not everyone will be happy. Which is to say, a lot of Battlefield 6 fans are mad.

Player Responses: Anger to Praise

"People want human opponents. Don't repeat the mistakes of your rivals," reads a response to the official announcement. "Absolutely shocking idea," says another. At the same time, in community forums, a player remarks, "It's unclear where we are headed with this game," and someone else details all the issues they believe to be broken in the game: "Resolve glitches, fix drone glitch, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We do not require this bot mode."

On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers explaining how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's very fun to warm up, real players keep it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," reads a forum post. "The community fails to see that there are gamers who have lives and don't play this game all the time. Allow them to find a middle ground," states another. A response on Twitter clarifies that as they're "a battledad with limited time, this is perfect for me," and someone else praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."

Constructive Concerns and Player Input

All that said, players have constructive reasons to complain about Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have highlighted that it will make wait times more extended for different playlists due to the sheer number of options in the game already. Similarly, certain regions often face AI-filled matches in the current modes. It also seems somewhat counterintuitive that the mode does not begin without a minimum number of real players, even though it focuses mostly on combat against bots.

Lastly, a major grievances is that Battlefield Portal was promised to provide complete rewards, including AI matches, but that was removed when they tried to remove bot farms from the system. So this new playlist feels like the community meeting them halfway, according to a Reddit comment. Another labels this mode as the developers "making a mistake significantly, I had great enjoyment in the initial release, why did they feel the need to adjust it?"

Looking Ahead: Will Changes Occur?

Should Battlefield Studios has proven anything to date with Battlefield 6, it's that they're paying attention and responding to player input. Assignments being too difficult were adjusted very quickly, just like the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, should analytics indicates this new playlist isn't performing to their standards, they will not hesitate to make further modifications.