Battlefield 6 Introduces AI Bots in Training Grounds: A Controversial Yet Controlled Approach

Don't worry, Battlefield 6 is only putting bots in your matches while the training wheels are on in your 'Training Grounds' playlists

AI bots in shooters -- they're becoming more commonplace, either to trick players into thinking they've broken a losing streak or to just, like, fill out matches. After some robot jumpscares worried Battlefield 6 players, however, EA's come out to clarify that it's only until the training wheels come off. As posted to X, the Battlefield Comms account explains: "AI Soldiers are only present on the 'Training Grounds' playlists within the Open Beta. This week is 'Breakthrough Initiation'. Breakthrough Initiation is a playlist that allows you to experience Breakthrough alongside 15 other players, with additional AI Soldiers filling up the match thereafter." Essentially, it's a tutorial: "Training Grounds playlists are here to introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough, and offer a smoother experience than a full lobby. Additionally, you can experience Breakthrough without AI Soldiers by playing Breakthrough from the 'Featured' playlist row." And it's not even a full-time thing, as the post goes on to explain that "Training Grounds is only available for the first 15 ranks, at which point it will disappear from the front end." That all seems fairly reasonable to me, and I'm glad BF6 is being upfront about when and where bots will be popping into your matches. Nothing gets me more deflated like feeling that I'm doing well, only to discover that I've been playing with a bunch of clankers the whole time -- often having the exact inverse to the intention of whatever live-service shooter's got me in its clutches. These bot matches are designed to keep you hooked, but the creeping shame that the game's taking pity on me? It just makes me want to take a break. I'm certainly not alone. Our shooter aficionado Morgan Park tore into the practice during Gripes Week, though given the criteria he forgives -- for practice matches or to fill empty seats -- I reckon Battlefield 6's implementation gets a pass.

Battlefield 6 servers confirmed to be filled with AI generated bots when empty

TL;DR: Battlefield 6 beta will feature AI bots filling empty server slots to ensure full matches, similar to Battlefield 2042. While this supports large player engagement, previous bot imbalances caused uneven gameplay. Developers aim to improve this system, enhancing multiplayer experience and training opportunities through the Portal mode. The beta for the highly anticipated Battlefield 6 is right around the corner, and we have just learned that if the servers are empty, which doesn't seem to be very likely at all, considering 12,000 people are currently waiting in queue at the time of writing, the empty player spots in a match will be filled with AI bots. Battlefield 6's development team confirmed the news during the Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal event in Hong Kong, with development director Anna Narrevia saying one of the goals of the upcoming Battlefield 6 is to enable as many players to enjoy the title together at any given moment. However, to achieve that goal, whenever there are empty slots in servers, they will be filled with AI bots. This feature isn't totally new for Battlefield 6, as Battlefield 2042 also took the same approach. Unfortunately, as an avid 2042 player, I noticed a critical downside of the bots sometimes taking over the servers. What happens is that typically a large portion of bots are placed on one team, and the opposing side steamrolls their opposition to a point where they have taken control over many critical spots on a Conquest map. This means that when real players joined the match, they were joining a losing game as the real-life players had already dug in to the various locations that are great for holding down positions. Q: Will there be AI opponents? What if player numbers drop? Anna Narrevia (Development Director): AI bots will fill empty server slots. Jac Carlsson (Gameplay Designer): Portal can help newcomers train and improve in a customized environment. Anna: Our design philosophy is to allow many players to play together at the same time. Hopefully, Battlefield 6 has made some improvements in this regard, as there have been countless times where I have joined on the losing, bot-filled side and just immediately quit the game as it's not even worth trying to catch up.

Battlefield 6 will fill servers that don't reach the max player count with bots, making the lack of a server browser a bit more unfortunate: "They are trying to make it difficult for no reason"

DICE has confirmed that Battlefield 6 will add AI enemies to servers to fill out lobbies, as opposed to letting matches go forward with empty battlefields. Ahead of the Battlefield 6 beta, EA and DICE have been revealing new details about the upcoming shooter. Although a lot of dues are being paid to classic games like Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 and 4, this doesn't mean they are sticking to the ideas found in the older entries. Just like in Battlefield 2042, if a lobby doesn't have enough players, the empty spaces will be taken over by bots, which should, in theory, be less prevalent since the lobby sizes are back down to 64 players as opposed to the 128-player matches of 2042. This was confirmed by DICE at a showcase event in Hong Kong reported on by Taiwanese outlet GNN (via Battlefield Bulletin on Twitter), where it was confirmed that AI soldiers will backfill servers that haven't filled out, but that DICE still intends to prioritize human players, but it wasn't elaborated how exactly that would come into play (whether that means AI will be kicked mid-game should players try to join or not). This news, paired with the confirmation that the server browser won't be returning, and instead Battlefield 2042's portal system is returning. One user responded to the news saying, "The AI soldiers backfilling wouldn't be necessary if there was a server browser with persistent servers," with a response agreeing, saying, "They are trying to make it difficult for no reason."

Battlefield 6 Will Include Bots When Servers Aren't Full; Classic Maps Will Be Introduced Based on Fan Feedback

In an interview with Taiwanese website GNN at the Hong Kong Battlefield 6 reveal event, Development Director Anna Narrevik shared some juicy details about the upcoming first-person shooter game. The first one is that the game will support bots, automatically adding them to a multiplayer match whenever a server is not full of regular players. The way the game uses AI is that when the server is not full, AI will be added to fill the gap. Of course, players could join at any time to take over from bots. Still, this is a somewhat controversial design choice that is sure to leave at least a few disgruntled fans. At the same time, it's probably for the best, as Battlefield matches need to be filled at all times to feel truly as epic as they are meant to be. Narrevik also commented on the addition of further classic maps post-launch: It won't be available in today's event, but there will be a Firestorm map in Battlefield 6 in the future . It's a classic map. We'll introduce classic versions or maps based on fan or player requests. Of course, we have so many options, and we want to choose the best possible one to bring back the good old days of playing Battlefield. Elsewhere in the interview, the Development Director confirmed that fans can expect regular quarterly updates. Additionally, she expressed her preference for the improved tactical destruction as the game's best feature: For me, it's really about tactical destruction, because it can suddenly change the battlefield. For example, if you see a building suddenly collapse, it gives you new ways to play and new opportunities to face the enemy. Not only does it look good, but it also gives you more combat options and more control. The Battlefield 6 Open Beta officially starts on Saturday, August 9, but early access begins tomorrow. Preload is already available on all platforms. The game will be released on October 10.

Battlefield 6 Dev Clarifies Use of Bots in the Open Beta, Insists They're Only in the Training Grounds Playlists - IGN

With the Battlefield 6 open beta available to play via early access, hundreds of thousands of fans are already facing off against other players (and enormous queues). But what about bots? The Battlefield community reacted negatively to comments from developer DICE this week, which suggested Battlefield 6 would use bots to fill empty slots in multiplayer lobbies. Fans didn't like this at all, especially given how poorly it went down in the last Battlefield game, 2042. But it turns out the use of AI soldiers, as DICE calls them, in Battlefield 6 isn't so clear cut. In a statement posted to social media, DICE offered clarification, insisting bots are only used on the Training Grounds playlists within the Open Beta, and this week that means Breakthrough Initiation. These playlists are designed to "introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough, and offer a smoother experience than a full lobby," DICE explained. You can play Breakthrough without bots by playing Breakthrough from the "Featured" playlist row, DICE added. On top of that, Training Grounds is only available for the first 15 ranks, at which point it will disappear from the front end. Here's DICE's statement in full: AI Soldiers are only present on the "Training Grounds" playlists within the Open Beta. This week is "Breakthrough Initiation." Breakthrough Initiation is a playlist that allows you to experience Breakthrough alongside 15 other players, with additional AI Soldiers filling up the match thereafter. Training Grounds playlists are here to introduce people to the core elements of Breakthrough, and offer a smoother experience than a full lobby. Additionally, you can experience Breakthrough without AI Soldiers by playing Breakthrough from the "Featured" playlist row. Training Grounds is only available for the first 15 ranks, at which point it will disappear from the front end. Perhaps the use of bots in this way is a good idea for Battlefield, which can be overwhelming for newcomers who aren't used to the size and scale of the series' combat. Given the sheer volume of players in the open beta, it seems likely there will be thousands who have never played Battlefield before. Bots in Training Grounds, then, might ease the pain. We've got plenty more on Battlefield 6, including how the Open Beta is forcing PC gamers to mess about with their BIOS to enable Secure Boot, and a report on the huge player count and huge queues.