🔗 Share this article

Recently, the game developers launched a new game mode called Relaxed Breakthrough. In essence, this option mirrors the regular Breakthrough format but includes a few notable adjustments:

• Each team includes only eight real players, with the remaining made up of AI-controlled opponents.
• Actions performed by real players grant full XP, while bot actions provide lower rewards.
• Only two maps can be played: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
• Elements like Player tags, accolades, and stat tracking are disabled.

In short, this mode delivers on its title: it's a laid-back take of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume it's a good idea, as it provides additional choices for players seeking different ways to have fun with the game. But, if video games has shown one thing, it's that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many Battlefield 6 fans are upset.

Community Responses: Anger to Support

"People want real players. Don't repeat the errors of your competitors," states one reply to the official announcement. "Truly disappointing concept," says a different user. At the same time, in community forums, one user notes, "It's unclear where we are headed with this game," while someone else lists everything they consider to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, improve hit detection. We don't need this bot mode."

On the other hand, amid the criticism, there are players sharing how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's enjoyable to warm up, human participants prevent it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," reads a forum post. "The community doesn't understand that there are players who actually go outside and don't play this game all the time. Allow them to strike a balance," adds a different comment. A response on Twitter clarifies that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is perfect for me," while someone else praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."

Valid Concerns and Player Feedback

Despite the support, players have constructive reasons to complain about the new mode. A few folks have pointed out that it could increase queue times even longer for other modes because of the large amount of playlists in the game already. On a similar note, certain regions already encounter AI-filled matches in the existing playlists. It also seems a little backwards that the mode won't start without a required amount of real players, even though it primarily centers on combat against bots.

Lastly, one of the biggest complaints is that a previous feature was meant to offer full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they tried to remove XP farming from the system. Thus Casual Breakthrough feels like the player base meeting them in the middle, as per a Reddit comment. A different user describes this mode as the developers "dropping the ball so hard, I experienced so much fun in the first couple of days, what prompted them to adjust it?"

Future Prospects: Adjustments Be Made?

Should Battlefield Studios has proven anything to date with the latest installment, it's that they're listening and responding to feedback. Tasks that were overly hard were adjusted rapidly, as did the specific battle pass objectives. It is likely that, if their data shows this recent mode isn't performing to their expectations, they will not hesitate to change it again.