Star Wars: Battlefront II’s progression system is finally (almost) ready

EA just detailed the overhauled player progression system for last year’s Star Wars: Battlefront II. Star Cards are in, but not in loot crates, and you can no longer buy them with real-world cash.

A long time ago

So. Star Wars: Battlefront II is finally done. Almost. It will be soon. And it only took a few more months after the game arrived! That’s some progress right there. Battlefront II has had an interesting history till this point, if you’re wondering what I’m talking about.

The game was universally panned by fans and critics alike when it hit consoles and the PC last fall. But  honestly, not for it’s gameplay. Nope, Battlefront II got beat up because of the player progression system. It might not sound major, but you more or less had to pay to upgrade your character. Oh sure you could grind away, but it would have taken (possibly literally) years to get where you wanted to go.

EA took immediate action, but probably not in any way that fans would have wanted. Basically, they removed the ability to buy upgrades, but left the grind-eriffic progression system untouched. Till now, only a few changes have been made behind the scenes. I should add that there’ve been a few major game updates however, with new maps and the like.

So what do things look like now that we have the major issues addressed? Well…

• With this update, progression is now linear. Star Cards, or any other item impacting gameplay, will only be earned through gameplay and will not be available for purchase. Instead, you’ll earn experience points for the classes, hero characters, and ships that you choose to play in multiplayer. If you earn enough experience points to gain a level for that unit, you’ll receive one Skill Point that can be used to unlock or upgrade the eligible Star Card you’d like to equip.
• You’ll keep everything you’ve already earned and unlocked. You will keep all of the Star Cards, heroes, weapons, or anything else you have already earned. What you have earned will still be available to use with this update regardless of how much or little progress you have already made.
• Crates no longer include Star Cards and cannot be purchased. Crates are earned by logging in daily, completing Milestones, and through timed challenges. Inside of these crates, you’ll find Credits or cosmetic items, such as emotes or victory poses, but nothing that impacts gameplay.
• Starting in April, you’ll be able to get appearances directly through in-game Credits or Crystals. The first new appearances are coming soon, meaning you’ll be able to grab new looks for your heroes and troopers directly by using either Credits (earned in-game) or Crystals (available to purchase in-game and through first-party stores). If you’ve ever dreamed of being a part of the Resistance as a Rodian, your chance is right around the corner.

More to come

That’s a good solid step in the right direction, and EA says that there’s more to come. Just what that might be isn’t expressed in the press release. What they do say is that there will be “several standout, brand-new ways to play” coming. Those will be in the form of new play modes.

The best news though, if you have the game or have been waiting for this update to dive in, is that it’s not far off at all. Namely, it’s coming this week – on March 21st. Now the only question is if there’s anyone who still cares.