Star Wars Battlefront 2's Dev Disputes Estimate For How Long It Takes To Unlock Things

Star Wars Battlefront II is nearing its official release date, but through the Deluxe edition and EA/Origin Access, it's already been playable for a week. Player complaints about the game's handling of microtransactions continue to swirl and were a popular subject for questions in an AMA held by developer DICE on Reddit. [Update: Following all of this, EA has temporarily removed all microtransactions from Battlefront II.]

Recent estimates from some players have suggested it could take upwards of 40 hours to unlock high-end Hero characters, such as Darth Vader. EA and DICE subsequently decreased the cost of unlocking those characters by 75%, though it seems that the math done by the community doesn't necessarily add up, according to the devs.

"We've seen the speculation about how long it takes players to earn things--but our averages based on the Play First trial are much faster than what's out there," said executive producer John Wasilczyk. "But as more players come in, that could change. We're committed to making progression a fun experience for all of our players. Nothing should feel unattainable and if it does, we'll do what it takes to make sure it's both fun and achievable. As we update and expand Arcade mode, we'll be working towards making sure that players can continue to progress without daily limits."

A frequent point made by Wasilczyk and other DICE employees participating in the AMA was that everything in the game is subject to change. Regarding concerns about the progression system, Wasilczyk said, "I think this concern has come through loud and clear. We're going to continue adjusting the crate systems, content, and progression mechanics to hit a point that gives players a great, balanced experience at all skill levels. We're working on expanding the number of ways that players can progress, putting more control in their hands and providing more options and choice in the way people play. There's not much in the game that we wouldn't revisit to improve the game for as many players as possible."

On a similar subject, DICE was asked about the Credit cap implemented for Arcade and offline play. Given that the items you can obtain through loot crates provide players with advantages--and those loot crates can be purchased with real money--players are frustrated that DICE has placed restrictions on how Credits can be obtained.

"As we want to let players earn Credits offline via a more relaxed game mode, we needed to also find a way to make sure it wouldn't be exploited in a way that would impact Multiplayer," producer Paul Keslin said. "Because of that we made the decision to limit the number of Credits earned to stop potential abuse. We will be looking at data continually and make adjustments to make things as balanced as possible."

These statements follow a discussion about Battlefront II microtransactions involving EA's CFO. The particulars of how Battlefront II's progression works continues to evolve--for instance, while Hero prices were cut, the reward for completing the campaign was reduced from 20,000 Credits to 5,000, according to Game Informer. We'll report back as things change further. In the meantime, check out our Battlefront II review-in-progress.