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Over the weekend, Battlefield Studios introduced a fresh game mode titled Casual Breakthrough. In essence, this mode mirrors the regular Breakthrough format but features several notable changes:

• Every squad includes just eight real players, with the rest made up of 32 bots.
• Actions done by human gamers award full XP, while AI activities provide lower rewards.
• Only two maps can be played: Cairo Siege and Empire State map.
• Elements like Dogtags, accolades, and stat tracking have been turned off.

So essentially, this mode delivers on its name: it's a laid-back version of Breakthrough. On the surface, one could assume it's a good idea, since it provides more options for players seeking alternative methods to enjoy the game. But, if video games has shown one thing, it is that not everyone will be happy. In other words, a lot of Battlefield 6 players are upset.

Community Responses: From Fury to Praise

"Gamers prefer human opponents. Don't repeat the mistakes of your rivals," reads one reply to the mode reveal. "Absolutely shocking concept," comments another. At the same time, in community forums, a player remarks, "It's unclear where we are going with this game," and another lists all the issues they consider to be problematic in the game: "Resolve glitches, fix drone glitch, fix IVF rockets, adjust aiming after sprinting, improve hit detection. We do not require this AI-heavy playlist."

On the other hand, for every complaint, there are players explaining how much they're enjoying the recent addition. "It's enjoyable to practice, real players prevent it from being a complete grind but it's very relaxed," reads a forum post. "The community fails to see that there are players who actually go outside and don't play this game all the time. Let them strike a balance," states a different comment. One reply on Twitter explains that as they're "a parent gamer with busy schedules, this is great for me," and another praises the mode for "not being overcompetitive."

Valid Criticisms and Player Input

All that said, there are valid points to criticize the new mode. Some users have pointed out that it will make wait times more extended for different playlists due to the large amount of options in the game already. Similarly, certain regions often face mostly bots in the current modes. It also seems somewhat counterintuitive that the mode does not begin without a required amount of human gamers, despite it primarily centers on fighting AI opponents.

Lastly, one of the biggest grievances is that a previous feature was promised to offer full XP, even against bots, but that was removed when they tried to eliminate bot farms from the mode. So Casual Breakthrough feels like the community compromising halfway, as per a Reddit comment. Another labels this addition as the developers "dropping the ball significantly, I had so much fun in the first couple of days, why did they feel the need to change it?"

Future Prospects: Adjustments Be Made?

Should Battlefield Studios has proven anything so far with the latest installment, it's that they're listening and acting on player input. Tasks that were overly hard got fixed very quickly, as did the specific battle pass objectives. Chances are that, should analytics shows this recent mode is underperforming to their standards, they won't be shy to change it again.