Star Wars Battlefront 2 ’s loot crate system has come under heavy fire since the game’s open beta last month. Fan backlash ultimately forced EA to make changes to the system, but apparently they’re not all reflected in the final game.
As noted by The_Kratos in the game’s official subreddit, there appears to be some discrepancies with how duplicate Star Cards have been handled during the game’s early access trial. Back at the end of October, EA suggested duplicate cards would earn players crafting parts to help upgrade a card of their choosing, but this has not been the case so far. Instead, the conversion for duplicates is 200 credits and zero crafting parts.
By those metrics, it would take having to get 20 duplicates to earn just one Trooper Crate. Inside that crate, you may get one or two Star Cards, a small collection of crafting parts and a new weapon or victory pose. In other words, the ability to upgrade Star Cards is a lot more of a grind than originally advertised. Crafting parts are essentially a currency for unlocking better gear without the frustration of random drops. The emphasis on randomness means progression takes a lot longer... unless you’re willing to pay for an advantage.
Early access players have also offered the first details on Battlefront 2’s premium currency called Crystals. The cheapest pack costs $5 for 500 Crystals, and it ranges all the way up to $100 for 12,000. Crystals can be used to purchase Hero (110 Crystals), Trooper (200 Crystals) and Starfighter crates (120 Crystals), without having to grind for credits. But all of these drops are still random. Even if you pay a bunch of extra money, there’s still no guarantee you’ll get what you want.
That’s likely going to sound pretty dirty to most hardcore gamers, but EA and DICE have made some welcome changes to Battlefront 2’s loot crate system following beta feedback. For one, there are now crates for each class, which makes it easier to get a specific piece of loot. If you spend 150 minutes playing as the Assault class, for example, you’ll be offered an Assault Crate. The game’s most powerful weapons also appear to be tied to in-game performance as well, so your drops are only supposed to be as effective as your gameplay.
In some ways this is a small bone to pick, considering the rest of EA’s updated loot crate provisions seem to be in place, but this divergence from truth isn’t the best look for a publisher that could stand to create a little goodwill among fans days before launch. There will likely be tweaks made to loot crates in the days and weeks ahead, but the current implementation is still leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many fans.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC Nov. 17.
How do you feel about Battlefront 2’s loot crates? Are you playing early access right now? Tell us in the comments section!
- Amazing story
- Gorgeous visuals and top-notch audio
- Multiplayer decisions ruin the fun
- Little reason to keep playing
