In an effort to explain why loot boxes are involved in the Star Wars: Battlefront 2 experience, a recent blog post on the EA website attempts to justify the reasoning behind the new system. According to developer DICE, the complete progression system was not fully active in the game’s beta, so it’s fair to say that there will be some real changes made before the launch of the finished title.

For those concerned about loot boxes making the game feel unbalanced or pay-to-win, the developer claims to be considering locking the most powerful items behind in-game achievement walls. Of course, this would still lead to some people being able to use the unlocks before others, but it would also mean that no player could simply purchase more boxes in the hopes of being the most heavily-equipped soldier on the battlefield.

Players will also be able to purchase and earn crates by completing challenges or earning currency within the game, meaning that everybody will have access to loot boxes whether they pay real money or not. An upgrade system is also said to be in place where players must upgrade their Star Cards in order for them to reach the more powerful levels, a feature that is only possible with actual in-game progression. Nobody will be able to simply purchase loot boxes and obtain the most powerful items quite so simply.

“Like everything else, we will be continually making necessary changes to ensure the game is fun for everyone,” the blog post reads. “We will work to make sure the system is balanced both for players who want to earn everything, as well as for players who are short on time and would like to move faster in their progress towards various rewards.”

Hopefully this new information will help put fans’ minds at ease, since the recent controversy regarding pay-to-win functions appearing in games has got a lot of users upset at the prospect of having to pay extra for the privilege of being able to keep up in online multiplayer. On the other hand, earnable loot boxes that simply contain cosmetic rewards appear to be the way forward, something that Blizzard’s Overwatch utilizes very well.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 releases November 17, 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: EA