With the Battlefield 6 open beta available to play via early access, hundreds of thousands of fans are already facing off against other players (and enormous queues). But what about bots?
The Battlefield community reacted negatively to comments from developer DICE this week, which suggested Battlefield 6 would use bots to fill empty slots in multiplayer lobbies.
Fans didn’t like this at all, especially given how poorly it went down in the last Battlefield game, 2042. But it turns out the use of AI soldiers, as DICE calls them, in Battlefield 6 isn’t so clear cut.
In a statement posted to social media, DICE offered clarification, insisting bots are only used on the Training Grounds playlists within the Open Beta, and this week that means Breakthrough Initiation. These playlists are designed to “introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough, and offer a smoother experience than a full lobby,” DICE explained.
You can play Breakthrough without bots by playing Breakthrough from the “Featured” playlist row, DICE added. On top of that, Training Grounds is only available for the first 15 ranks, at which point it will disappear from the front end.
Here’s DICE’s statement in full:
AI Soldiers are only present on the “Training Grounds” playlists within the Open Beta. This week is “Breakthrough Initiation.”
Breakthrough Initiation is a playlist that allows you to experience Breakthrough alongside 15 other players, with additional AI Soldiers filling up the match thereafter.
Training Grounds playlists are here to introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough, and offer a smoother experience than a full lobby.
Additionally, you can experience Breakthrough without AI Soldiers by playing Breakthrough from the “Featured” playlist row.
Training Grounds is only available for the first 15 ranks, at which point it will disappear from the front end.
Perhaps the use of bots in this way is a good idea for Battlefield, which can be overwhelming for newcomers who aren’t used to the size and scale of the series’ combat. Given the sheer volume of players in the open beta, it seems likely there will be thousands who have never played Battlefield before. Bots in Training Grounds, then, might ease the pain.
We’ve got plenty more on Battlefield 6, including how the Open Beta is forcing PC gamers to mess about with their BIOS to enable Secure Boot, and a report on the huge player count and huge queues.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
