Overall, Battlefield 6 has largely delivered a much-needed return to form for the series, especially when considering its rocky predecessor. While even the most beloved first-person shooters have their minor issues, a persistent complaint has been the prevalence of XP farm servers. These servers allowed players to rapidly unlock weapons and attachments, but in doing so, they flooded the Portal mode with uninspired, bot-focused experiences instead of genuinely creative ones. Last week, Battlefield Studios initiated a significant crackdown by boosting XP gains in standard game modes to reduce the appeal of these farms and began hiding Portal experiences explicitly designed for bot farming. Now, the developers are taking an even tougher stance.
According to a recent community update from Battlefield Studios, their initial efforts to curb XP farming are positively impacting player behavior in Portal. They’ve observed a decrease in PvE servers with low player counts and a corresponding rise in activity on player-versus-player (PvP) servers. While custom PvE options remain available, the verified experiences offering full XP are now more accurately reflecting the game’s emphasis on competitive multiplayer. This is certainly a welcome development for many.
Following previous reductions in XP earned from certain Portal experience types, Battlefield Studios has introduced an even stricter rule. They’ve confirmed that “Verified Experiences with ‘Bot Backfill’ disabled continue to grant Full Progression and XP.” However, server owners aiming for ‘full XP’ status must now unpublish their experiences, disable ‘Bot Backfill,’ and then republish them. All unverified experiences will continue to award reduced XP rates, irrespective of whether they use bots. The developers state this move is intended to “keep creative freedom and allow you to express yourself within Portal while maintaining progression balance.”
It wasn’t just slow progression driving players to XP farm strategies; the game’s challenges were often excessively difficult for those with limited playtime. EA has acknowledged this issue, stating they are “actively working on updates for challenges and will share details as progress is made in this area.”
A video embedded here shows further context on the changes being discussed.
While many, including myself, applaud this decisive action against XP farms, it’s clear that a significant portion of the player base is unhappy. The difficulty of challenges remains a concern, and despite increased XP in standard modes, acquiring top-tier weapons and attachments can still be a lengthy endeavor.
Players with less time to dedicate to the game are understandably frustrated by the removal of XP farms, which they viewed as their only realistic path to desired gear. While I empathize with this perspective – especially how frustrating it can be when competitive PvP game elements are locked behind extensive playtime – simply handing out all weapons and attachments would equally diminish the sense of accomplishment.
If you’re looking for other exciting gaming experiences, explore our recommendations for top multiplayer games or dive into the best war games for thrilling battlefield action.
What are your thoughts on Battlefield Studios’ latest actions? Share your opinions and join the discussion with fellow players.