Electronic Arts' (EA) "Star Wars Battlefront II" has suffered from fan backlash from the get-go when they put specific features of the game behind unreasonable paywalls. The developers have temporarily removed microtransactions to appease the fanbase. However, it seems that latest changes in the game still hint at its pay-to-win future rather than rewarding actual in-game accomplishments.
For instance, The Verge's review of the game's mechanics looks at how Star Cards affect player progression. Star Cards are items that grant players various bonuses, like increased damage or durability. Players can equip a maximum of three Star Cards, and the cards can be leveled up to Level 4.
The problem lies in the method of obtaining Star Cards. These cards can be gained randomly from loot boxes and crates. This means there is no guarantee that players will earn cards relevant to the skills and attributes that they want to be boosted.
It also highlights a sort of disconnect between player activity and in-game rewards.
Traditional action and role-playing games award class points which can be used to improve skills related to the player's class or role. However, the random nature of obtaining star cards denies players of this perk.
A "Star Wars Battlefront II" player could be flying an X-Wing for hours and barely get Star Cards related to the vehicle. Meanwhile, he could get a stack of infantry Star Cards, which he would not care to use if he is not interested in playing with infantry units.
Furthermore, the game is slowly becoming more and more unfriendly to new players because of the latest changes. For example, the increased payouts after every match seem like a good way to make the game less grindy overall. However, the increased payout for all means increased payout for top-level players too. Thus, this is believed to create an even greater gap between the top players and the new entrants.
While some new players can be perfectly content with where they stand, there is bound to be a portion of them that would want to progress more quickly. This is where microtransactions come in; new players could just pay to "catch up."
There is still no word on when EA will re-implement microtransactions for "Star Wars Battlefront II." However, it seems that the latest changes pave the way for them to reintroduce it soon.
