Things didn't go as EA and DICE originally had planned with Star Wars: Battlefront Ii. Specifically, the online multiplayer's progression system incurred an incredible backlash from players over its pay-to-win features, forcing the companies to temporarily pull the microtransactions from the video game. Now, EA and DICE are rolling out a new update that will overhaul the video-game system to appease the players.

No longer pay-to-win?

According to EA, the new progression system will no longer feature pay-to-win mechanics. Initially, Star Wars: Battlefront II players would have to rely on earning credits in-game or purchase Crystals to gain Star Cards that yield upgrades in online multiplayer.

The new update, however, will remove these transactions, though the latter will eventually return for a different use (more on that later).

Players will instead rely on experience points that are earned individually for their heroes, classes, and vehicles. Whenever players gain enough experience points, they will level up and earn a skill point that can be used to unlock the upgrades.

A not-so-new approach to loot boxes

The update also overhauls the loot boxes in Star Wars: Battlefront II. These loot boxes can no longer be purchased with real money or in-game credits and will only be available as rewards for daily logins, completing challenges and missions. Star Cards will no longer be included in the loot boxes.

Instead, they will contain credits along with cosmetic items.

This new approach with loot boxes isn't original. In fact, it's quite similar to those found in other paid games like Overwatch and Counterstrike: Global Offensive. EA claims that players will keep the loot they've already earned up to this point.

What about those Crystals?

As mentioned earlier, the purchasable Crystals will return in a later update but there's a catch. They will be used strictly for purchasing cosmetics like skins for classes and heroes. EA says this update is planned for an April release, though no exact release date was announced.

A vastly different Battlefront

The update to progression system for Star Wars: Battlefront II will undoubtedly impact the flow of online multiplayer for the remainder of the game's lifespan. There is more room for balance among the player base, though some early adopters who have already partake in purchases might still have a noticeable advantage over grinders and latecomers. This could also increase the player base that was struggling since the game launched. However, it may be too late for EA and DICE to recuperate from the massive losses caused by the game's controversy.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED