Changes to Controversial Star Wars: Battlefront II Loot Crates Detailed

The current discourse over loot boxes in videogames has skewed to the negative, with players criticizing the apparent “pay-to-win” systems and the predatory nature of this activity, which many (with the exception of the ESRB) consider to be a form of gambling. Star Wars: Battlefront II is one such criticized title, and after complaints from the multiplayer beta, EA has detailed some changes made to their system, as promised.

EA outlines the changes in a blog post, attempting to assure players that their feedback was taken into consideration. The publisher explains how the “progression system” works, first of all stating that the highest tier of Star Cards (which grant the players abilities), Epic Star Cards, will not be included in the game’s loot crates “to help keep everyone on a level playing field.” Instead, these Epic Star Cards will be available through crafting.

The progression system will not allow players to buy several loot crates, turn the contents into crafting material and craft powerful Star Cards—to prevent this, players will have to reach a certain rank before crafting particular high-tier items and Star Cards. The blog post also states that most weapons will be attained through play, rather than from crates; for example, most new weapons for the Heavy class can only be obtained from playing as that class. In addition to that, playing as a certain class will grant the player class-specific crates for Star Cards and crafting materials.

Whether players will be satisfied with these changes is yet to be seen, but EA’s willingness to respond to feedback in a transparent matter shows promise and goodwill. Check out the launch trailer for Battlefront II here. The game releases on Nov. 17.