Battlefield Studios has once again caused player aggravation with a mistaken in-game message regarding XP Boosters. A recent update, patch 1.3.3.0, which was the final major update for Season 3, delivered a message to players via their in-game mail. This message, titled "XP Boost Update: Now Based on In-Game Time," suggested a significant change to how XP Boosters function, leading to widespread excitement and sharing on social media platforms like Reddit.
However, this optimism was short-lived. Shortly after the message appeared, Battlefield's official X account (formerly Twitter) posted an update clarifying that the in-game notification "was sent in error" and has since been removed. The post stated that there are no changes to how XP Boosters currently operate. This marks the second time in less than a month that a communication about XP Boosters has been retracted.
The initial confusion began with update 1.3.2.0 on June 9th. At that time, the in-game description for XP Boosters was altered to indicate that they counted down based on in-game time rather than real-world time. This change would have meant boosters would not deplete while a player was not actively in a match. Battlefield Studios quickly reverted this change, citing it as an error. While that instance could be attributed to miscommunication, the latest incident, where players received a positive change notification only for it to be reversed again, has intensified player frustration.
Traditionally, XP Boosters in many shooter titles have counted down in real-world time, leading to potential waste if players need to step away from the game or spend time in menus. In previous Battlefield titles, boosters typically only counted down during active matches. Battlefield 6, in its approach as a live service title, adopted the more common real-world timer for its XP Boosters. The repeated communication errors surrounding this feature have left players questioning the development and communication processes at Battlefield Studios.
EA has been contacted for further clarification on the repeated issues with XP Booster messaging.