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Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a fresh game mode called Relaxed Breakthrough. To put it simply, this option mirrors the regular Breakthrough setup but features several key adjustments:

• Every squad includes only 8 real players, with the rest filled by 32 bots.
• Activities done by human gamers grant full XP, while AI activities offer lower rewards.
• Just a pair of locations can be played: Cairo Siege and Empire State map.
• Elements like Dogtags, accolades, and career stat updates have been turned off.

So essentially, the playlist delivers on its name: it's a laid-back take of Breakthrough. On the surface, one could assume it's a good idea, since it provides more options for gamers looking for different methods to enjoy the title. However, if video games has shown one thing, it's that you can't please everyone. Which is to say, many BF6 players are upset.

Player Reactions: From Fury to Praise

"People want real players. Don't repeat the mistakes of your competitors," reads a response to the official announcement. "Truly disappointing concept," says another. Meanwhile, on the Battlefield subreddit, a player remarks, "It's unclear where we are going with this title," while another lists all the issues they believe to be problematic in the game: "Resolve glitches, address drone issues, correct rocket mechanics, adjust aiming after sprinting, improve hit detection. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."

However, amid the criticism, there are players sharing how much they're enjoying the new mode. "It's very fun to warm up, human participants prevent it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," says one Reddit comment. "The community doesn't understand that there are players who have lives and can't play this title 24/7. Let them strike a balance," states another. A response on Twitter explains that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is great for me," and another praises the mode for "avoiding intense competition."

Valid Criticisms and Community Input

Despite the support, players have constructive reasons to criticize Casual Breakthrough. A few folks have highlighted that it could increase wait times more extended for different playlists because of the large amount of playlists in the game already. Similarly, certain regions often face mostly bots in the existing playlists. Additionally, it appears somewhat counterintuitive that the mode does not begin without a minimum number of real players, despite it focuses mostly on fighting AI opponents.

Lastly, one of the biggest complaints is that Battlefield Portal was promised to offer complete rewards, even against bots, but that got canned when they tried to eliminate bot farms from the system. Thus this new playlist feels like the player base meeting them in the middle, according to a Reddit comment. Another describes this mode as the developers "dropping the ball so hard, I had so much fun in the initial release, what prompted them to adjust it?"

Looking Ahead: Will Changes Be Made?

Should Battlefield Studios has demonstrated something so far with Battlefield 6, it's that they're paying attention and responding to feedback. Assignments being too difficult were adjusted rapidly, as did the required Redsec challenges. It is likely that, should analytics shows this recent mode isn't performing to their standards, they will not hesitate to change it again.