Publisher Electronic Arts and developer DICE just finished the beta test period for the upcoming sci-fi shooter Star Wars: Battlefront II, and while fans had a lot of nice things to say about the way it plays, a lot of people were loudly wondering about its business model. Battlefront II uses loot boxes, and the beta enabled players to get better items and perks through this system. This caused many people to express their worries that EA and DICE would let people pay to win. Now, the publisher and developer are detailing how the system will work when Battlefront II launches November 17.
DICE pointed out that the loot box and progression systems in the beta are not representative of the final product, but it also confirmed that players will find Star Cards (that give your character bonus abilities) in those randomized crates — you just won’t get the best ones.
“There are many things you can earn in the game, including weapons, attachments, credits, Star Cards, emotes, outfits and victory poses,” reads an EA blog post. “As a balance goal, we’re working toward having the most powerful items in the game only earnable via in-game achievements. Crates will include a mix of of Star Cards, outfits, emotes, or victory poses.”
EA and DICE also explained that players may spend real money to acquire loot boxes.
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“Players earn crates by completing challenges and other gameplay milestones or by purchasing them with in-game credits or Crystals, our premium currency,” reads the blog. “If you get a duplicate Star Card in a crate, you will get crafting parts which you can then use to help upgrade the Star Card of your choice.”
Some upgrades will only unlock once players reach a certain rank. So a level 1 player can’t just go in and spend $1,000 on loot boxes and end up with better gear than people who have put 50 hours into Battlefront II.
“We also have heard some players are looking for a way to play where all players will have the same set of Star Cards with flattened values,” reads the blog. “Like everything else, we will be continually making necessary changes to ensure the game is fun for everyone. We will work to make sure the system is balanced both for players who want to earn everything, as well as for players who are short on time and would like to move faster in their progress towards various rewards.”
