🔗 Share this article

Over the weekend, the game developers introduced a fresh game mode called Casual Breakthrough. To put it simply, this option resembles the standard Breakthrough format but features several key changes:

• Every squad has just eight real players, with the rest made up of 32 bots.
• Actions done by human gamers grant complete experience points, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
• Only two locations are available: Siege of Cairo and Empire State.
• Elements like Player tags, achievements, and career stat updates are disabled.

So essentially, this mode delivers on its title: it offers a casual take of Breakthrough. At face value, one could assume there's nothing wrong, since it provides more options for gamers looking for alternative ways to enjoy the game. However, gaming history have taught us anything, it is that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, a lot of BF6 players are mad.

Player Responses: Anger to Praise

"Gamers prefer human opponents. Don't repeat the errors of your rivals," reads a response to the official announcement. "Absolutely shocking idea," says a different user. Meanwhile, in community forums, one user remarks, "I have no idea where we are headed with this game," and someone else lists all the issues they consider to be problematic in Battlefield 6: "Fix bugs, address drone issues, fix IVF rockets, fix [the] bloom after sprinting bug, fix awful hit registration. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."

On the other hand, for every complaint, some gamers sharing how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's enjoyable to warm up, real players keep it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," says one Reddit comment. "The community fails to see that there are players who have lives and can't play this title 24/7. Let them strike a balance," adds another. A response via social media explains that as they're "a battledad with limited time, this is great for me," and another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Constructive Concerns and Player Input

Despite the support, there are valid points to complain about Casual Breakthrough. Some users have highlighted that it will make queue times more extended for other modes because of the large amount of playlists currently available. Similarly, some areas already encounter mostly bots in the existing playlists. It also seems a little backwards that the mode won't start without a required amount of human gamers, despite it primarily centers on fighting AI opponents.

Finally, a major grievances is that Battlefield Portal was meant to provide full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they attempted to eliminate XP farming from the mode. So Casual Breakthrough feels like the player base meeting them halfway, as per forum feedback. Another describes this mode as the developers "making a mistake significantly, I experienced great enjoyment in the initial release, what prompted them to change it?"

Looking Ahead: Adjustments Occur?

Should the development team has proven anything to date with Battlefield 6, it is that they're listening and responding to feedback. Tasks being too difficult were adjusted very quickly, as did the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, if their data indicates this recent mode isn't performing to their expectations, they won't be shy to make further modifications.