The Latest Relaxed Game Mode Ignites Heated Discussions Regarding Bots, Experience Points, and Wait Times

Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios launched a fresh game mode titled Relaxed Breakthrough. In essence, this mode mirrors the regular Breakthrough setup but features several key changes:

  • Every squad includes just 8 human participants, with the rest filled by AI-controlled opponents.
  • Actions performed by human gamers grant complete experience points, while bot actions provide lower rewards.
  • Only two maps can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
  • Elements like Player tags, achievements, and career stat updates have been turned off.

In short, this mode delivers on its title: it's a casual version of Breakthrough. At face value, you might think there's nothing wrong, as it provides more options for players looking for alternative methods to have fun with the title. But, if video games has shown one thing, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many BF6 fans are upset.

Community Reactions: From Fury to Support

"Gamers prefer human opponents. Don't repeat the mistakes of your competitors," states one reply to the official announcement. "Absolutely shocking concept," says a different user. At the same time, in community forums, one user remarks, "It's unclear where we are headed with this title," and another details all the issues they consider to be problematic in the game: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, fix IVF rockets, adjust aiming after sprinting, improve hit detection. We don't need this bot mode."

However, for every complaint, there are players explaining how much they're liking the new mode. "It's enjoyable to warm up, real players keep it from being a total farmfest but it's quite laid-back," says one Reddit comment. "The community fails to see that there are gamers who actually go outside and don't play this title 24/7. Let them find a middle ground," states a different comment. One reply via social media clarifies that as they're "a battledad with limited time, this is great for me," while another applauds the mode for "avoiding intense competition."

Valid Criticisms and Player Feedback

All that said, players have constructive reasons to criticize Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have pointed out that it could increase wait times more extended for different playlists because of the sheer number of options in the game already. On a similar note, certain regions often face mostly bots in the existing playlists. Additionally, it appears somewhat counterintuitive that the mode won't start without a minimum number of real players, despite it primarily centers on fighting AI opponents.

Finally, one of the biggest grievances is that Battlefield Portal was promised to provide complete rewards, including AI matches, but that was removed when they attempted to eliminate bot farms from the mode. So Casual Breakthrough feels like the player base meeting them in the middle, as per forum feedback. Another describes this addition as the developers "dropping the ball so hard, I had so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"

Looking Ahead: Adjustments Occur?

If Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something to date with the latest installment, it is that they're listening and responding to feedback. Tasks being too difficult were adjusted very quickly, just like the required Redsec challenges. Chances are that, if their data shows this new playlist is underperforming to their expectations, they won't be shy to change it again.

Elizabeth Mcbride
Elizabeth Mcbride

A passionate travel writer and cultural enthusiast with over a decade of experience exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations.