Battlefield 6 Is Bleeding Players, Can DICE Get It Back on Track?
While Battlefield 6 has established itself as quite possibly the most successful game in the franchise in terms of money earned, the sentiment around the shooter has been anything but rosy these days.
After a successful launch, the game has seen its player base spiral downward on PC, at least on Steam. It’s now averaging 100,000+ daily, which is a massive disparity from its initial launch number, where it managed to achieve over 600K players on Steam alone. While there’s no way to know the console player numbers, it’s not unlikely that they also saw a massive decline since the game’s launch.
What’s the cause of this decline? Is it a lackluster content drop for Season 1? The release of Black Ops 7? Players migrating to the next big thing? Or is it simply DICE dropping the ball when it comes to post-release support? It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing, but what I do know is that DICE’s stubbornness and resistance to changes the community wants ain’t exactly helping.
Battlefield 6 Player Count Drops Drastically, and DICE Should Consider Shaking Things Up
While we don’t have one magical panacea that will suddenly have everyone who likes online shooters suddenly jump into the Battlefield 6 pool, we do have a few good ideas on how DICE can possibly turn things around.
Mind, these issues are items that have been raised by the community (and us!) countless times before, and it’s baffling at this point to see the developers continue to ignore the player base.
Just what issues are we talking about? Read on, soldier, and see if you agree with our talking points.
Playing Against Bots Isn’t Ideal
Aside from XP farming, who wants to play against bots in a full-priced multiplayer game? I know, I’m not the only one who automatically backs out of a lobby the moment they see bots on the scoreboard. This is something we mentioned before, and is also something DICE has acknowledged is an issue.
Will we see this get fixed? Let’s hope so. For those in the US, you might not even experience this issue, but for those in the Middle East, Asia, and other countries? Yeah, it’s a real problem, and one that will deter people from logging in.
It also gives a worrying signal to players. I mean, when you login and see bots on the scoreboard, some people might see it as the game not having enough players online to fill a match, and no one wants to play a dead (or dying) game.
Lack of Class Identity
Open or Closed weapon playlists aren’t even a thing anymore, and we understand that player freedom is something DICE is pushing hard for. However, outside of a few key gadgets, there is a lack of class identity in the game.
In past Battlefield games, the Assault class had the Medic bag, and was essentially the frontline healer. This meant the Support class was the one in charge of delivering ammo and suprressing fire, while the Engineer was tasked to take out vehicles.
This meant the Recon acted as not only as a sniper but as the “spy,” with the class’ motion sensor, spawn beacon and whatnot.
In Battlefield 6, DICE melded the classes into one another. Sure, some might like it, but it also meant some classes are essentially useless in some game modes. In BF6, the Medic/Support and Engineer classes are the ones you really need, since every class can use any weapon. The Support class can heal and give ammo simultaneously while using a submachine gun or any gun they choose, making them indispensable.
Not only that but with the introduction of skins and the like, it also meant eyeing classes are harder than it needs to be. In previous Battlefield games, you can easily tell what class a character is (be it a teammate or an enemy) just by a quick glance. In BF6? Good luck doing that with the different color and clothing combinations. By the time you know what class they are, you’re already dead.
Weapon XP Earn Rate Is Still Crap
Possibly one of the most annoying things in Battlefield 6 is how dreadful earning XP is for gun attachments. Sure, DICE sped up the first 15 or so unlocks, but the actual important stuff? Yeah, they’re usually tucked away among the last things you can unlock in a weapon.
If you want to unlock, let’s say, the SCW-10 submachine gun’s 20-round or 25-round magazine, good luck! As it’s tucked away near the tail end of the gun’s progression, which means you’ll be forced to struggle for hours even before unlocking the gun’s full potential and whether you want to use it or jump to another weapon.
Oh, you want to use another gun? Yeah, you’ll have to grind it too, which means you’ll spend dozens of hours literally on ONE weapon to unlock its full potential.
Unlocking and earning attachments for weapons is an age-old trope for multiplayer shooters, but DICE took the grinding up a notch, and made it so excruciatingly annoying that I wouldn’t be surprised if most players just chose one gun and stuck with it. It’s a shame, too, since the variety of weapons is one of the best we’ve seen in a military first-person shooter.
Server Browser, Server Browser, Server Browser…
A lot of people in the community have been clamoring for a server browser before the game even launched, and while the game does feature one thanks to Battlefield Portal, it’s not good enough.
Having a working server browser that housed official experiences would help players avoid bots, jump into matches that aren’t ending, and just essentially give them freedom on the maps and modes they want to play.
But nope, DICE is sticking to its guns. It doesn’t seem like we are getting a server browser at all (I’d love to be proven wrong on this), and even with the community’s bitching, it’s not enough for the devs to sway their thoughts on the matter.
I can’t guarantee that featuring a server will bring players back, but at the very least, it couldn’t hurt, right? With the game’s best days already behind it, DICE should do everything it can to incentivize the remaining players to keep playing, and maybe even entice new players to try the game. At the very least, DICE and EA can take comfort that Season 2 should revitalize the game somewhat, and as someone who still plays the game regularly, I sure hope that happens.
Do you agree with our ideas for revitalizing the game or is it a lost cause now given more new games are on the way? Sound off and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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The biggest request has been server browser, a literal hallmark of BF games. That added it to Portal only. This would mean persistent servers. One of the purest, most enjoyable experiences is getting on a great lobby and having fun. Then staying with the same squad and team is gaming heaven when you’re having fun.
Emptying the server and removing me from the people I was just laughing with is the opposite of fun. It’s jarringly awful.
I remember Halo 3 and Halo Reach had options to stick with the same party you matched with after the game ended. That way if you felt you got along with your teammates well, you could continue to play with them without having to send them a friend request or do anything that technical. Itwas extremely convenient and a brilliant way to foster camaraderie.