It's been a rough month for Star Wars Battlefront II. Just when it seemed the game was doing everything right, EA announced they would be adding a loot box system that many in the gaming community saw as "pay to win" gaming. DICE said they would listen to users complaints and find a solution that makes everyone happy, and here's what they've come up with:
- Epic Star Cards, the highest tier of Star Cards available at launch, have been removed from Crates. To help keep everyone on a level playing field, these Star Cards will primarily be available through crafting, with the exception of special Epic Star Cards available through pre-order, deluxe, and starter packs.
- You'll need to reach a certain rank to craft upgraded Star Cards. You won't be able to buy a bunch of Crates, grind everything up into crafting materials, and immediately use them to get super powerful Star Cards. You can only upgrade the ability to craft higher tier Star Cards by ranking up through playing the game.
- Weapons are locked behind specific milestones. While a select few will be found in Crates, the rest can only be attained by play. Want to unlock a new weapon for your Heavy? Play as a Heavy and you’ll gain access to the class’s new weapons.
- Class-specific gear and items can be unlocked by playing as them. As you progress through your favorite class, you’ll hit milestones granting you class-specific Crates. These will include a mix of Star Cards and Crafting Parts to benefit your class’s development.
In addition to all that, EA maintained their promise that all new weapons, maps, and characters added to the game will be free to all players post-launch.
As for the changes, many players are upset with the crafting aspect, as it still requires quite a grind for the player who doesn't wish to use loot boxes. Sure, that sucks, but from where I'm standing, things look a lot better than they were before. I'm completely fine feeling at a disadvantage for the dude that drops $100 bucks in Loot Boxes if 12 hours into the game later I can eventually have what he got spending cash. Anyone who thinks DICE was just going to drop Loot Boxes altogether is crazy, they make too much money off of them.
Still, that doesn't mean people can't gripe about them, so feel free to do so in the comments.