Battlefront II Already Being Criticized As Pay-To-Win

Forbes is not alone in their criticism of Battlefront II's loot box system. If you do a Google news search on "battlefront 2 loot box" or "battlefront 2 pay-to-win", you will find a host of outlets lining up to take shots at the new game's progression system.

Most multiplayer rank progression systems are based on a tried and true experience point (XP) system. As the player progresses through the ranks, he or she can choose how to spend those XPs to upgrade their character. The key is that, for the most part, the only way to accumulate experience points more rapidly than your opponent was by basically playing more and playing better. Rank was earned through gameplay.

EA has ditched this model in Battlefront II in favor of the "loot box" model. Forbes explains:

Battlefront 2’s loot boxes represent the twisting of the entire progression system of the game, which was torn down from a perfectly fine base and rebuilt using randomized loot box drops as a basis for advancement instead. In short, Battlefront 2’s core progression and unlock mechanics have been flat-out made worse to accommodate a loot box economy.

The first way the progression system was worsened is that upgrades are now randomized. Whereas in the traditional model the user can choose the upgrades that best suit their style of play and character class, the Battlefront II model is now based on luck. Of course the more loot boxes you accumulate,the better your odds of getting a suitable upgrade, and that is the second problem. You can either grind out those loot boxes the slow way with in-game play (and deal with the frustration of the random upgrades that might not be applicable to your character), or you can move the clock forward with good old real world cash. Forbes concludes with a blistering criticism:

They’ve integrated loot boxes into the very DNA of the game, making them the root of the progression system and without question, instituted a system where they are flat-out selling power.

Mutiplayer games can be frustrating enough without the thought of having someone pay to win.

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