EA slashes Star Wars Battlefront 2 hero costs after fan furore
Pray they don't alter it any further.
After a day of outcry, upset and what's shaping up to be reddit's most downvoted comment ever, EA has responded to the fallout from Star Wars Battlefront 2's progression system, slashing hero costs so players can get their hands on characters such as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker much, much quicker.
A part of the fallout around Star Wars Battlefront 2 emerged around the amount required to unlock heroes in the game - iconic characters who can be deployed at certain points during matches, and who are integral to the Heroes vs Villains mode. In EA's last Battlefront game, back in 2015, there was no unlock criteria for heroes - though there was the small issue of a season pass, with a large number of characters reserved for those who'd ponied up the extra amount.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 has done away with the season pass, but EA has fumbled in its replacement, introducing loot boxes that award credits and perks. Those loot boxes, combined with a new unlock system for heroes in which characters are acquired with in-game credits, has attracted no small amount of controversy in the run-up to release. Even though the heroes aren't explicitly tied into the loot boxes, they've been the subject of ire - especially given how the rate at which they're acquired was boosted dramatically from beta to the full retail version.
EA has been quick to address the hero problem, though, publishing a blog outlining immediate changes just prior to the game's release. Prices have been effectively quartered, with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker now costing 15,000 credits as opposed to 60,000, Palpatine, Chewbacca and Leia available for 10,000 as opposed to 40,000 and Iden now available for 5,000. The change is effective immediately - so players who've bought the deluxe edition which unlocks tomorrow will get the new prices.
As well as those changes, executive producer John Wasilczyk will be taking part in a Reddit AMA this Wednesday as the company continues to court player feedback.
It's progress of sorts, and it shows that EA and DICE are listening. How will that impact those loot boxes themselves in the future? We'll likely soon find out. Star Wars Battlefront 2 is out for everyone on November 17th, and our review will be going live later tonight.