Star Wars Battlefront 2’s progression system update is a complete revamp

Star Wars Battlefront 2’s infamous progression system, which caused controversy on the eve of the game’s launch In November, is about to undergo drastic changes. Electronic Arts announced that an update out on March 21 will change how players upgrade weapons, heroes and ships — and collect loot crates.

The biggest difference between the current and upcoming versions of the progression system involves Star Cards, the stat buffing items that players acquire through random loot crates. Once the update hits, players will no longer have to sift through crates in order to collect these necessary boosts; they’ll be able to trade in experience points collected through multiplayer for Skill Points, which in turn can be spent on Star Cards to unlock or upgrade a character, weapon, ship or class in a linear fashion.

This is good news for players who found the loot crate system to be limiting, even after EA removed the real-world monetary prices attached to crates one day ahead of launch. With crates as the only way to unlock stat boosts, players found themselves having to build up a sizable amount of credits or crystals, the in-game currencies, in order to buy more. That could take a lot of time to do.

But now, players won’t have to worry about spending any currency at all to get their loot crates. EA said that not only will crates no longer include Star Cards, but they will also not be available to purchase — with real-world or in-game funds. Players will instead receive crates in a variety of other ways, including as daily login bonuses and rewards for finishing certain milestones or challenges. The crates will only contain credits, emotes or other cosmetic items — so, nothing directly gameplay-related.

Costumes (or “appearances”) still won’t be among the random loot crate drops, however. But another update in April will give players the opportunity to buy different looks for their characters through the in-game store, using either credits or crystals to do so.

EA said it has more on the way, with the big March 21 progression update the first of many content changes in the works for Battlefront 2.

“In addition to continued balance patches, we will also add a number of modes to Star Wars Battlefront II in the coming months, offering several standout, brand-new ways to play,” the company said in a news release. “Some of these, like the recently released limited-time Jetpack Cargo, are radically different than anything you’ve experienced in the game before, and we’re excited to surprise you with what we have planned.”