Battlefield 2042 Custom Games Just Got Major XP Changes

DICE’s latest update to Battlefield 2042 looks to address ongoing Battlefield Portal custom game XP problems, this time by limiting the amount XP that can be earned according to what types of modifiers or rules are in effect on any given server.

A graphic posted by the official Battlefield Direct Communication account on Twitter breaks down the new system, which restricts various types of progression or XP earned depending on what type of custom game is being played.

For custom games that do not use modifiers or rules editor changes, full XP and progression can be earned by players. But as soon as a custom game type modifies AI behavior, damage or health values, or tweaks settings in the rules editor, the game type will only support what DICE is calling “restricted” progression. That means players won’t be able to earn ribbon XP, gain progress towards weekly missions, or rank up weapons and vehicles to earn skins and attachments while playing on those custom servers, along with only being able to receive a maximum of 300 XP per minute.

A custom game with rules that fall somewhere in between full progression and restricted progression–aka a custom game that does make changes but not to AI behavior, health and damage numbers, or the rules editor–will support moderate progression. That means players can earn progress towards weapon and vehicle mastery unlocks (up to rank 12) as well as weekly missions, but still can’t earn ribbon XP. Player XP is also capped at 300 XP per minute on moderate progression custom servers.

A future update will make changes to the game’s Web Builder to properly display what type of progression is enabled based on a custom game’s rules and modifiers. The Battlefield Direct Communication account states that further improvements will be coming to the system in the future.

Battlefield 2042 has long suffered from various issues related to its user-made Battlefield Portal custom games. Shortly after the game’s launch, players used custom games as XP farms to rapidly level up their weapons and rank up, which resulted in the developers temporarily removing the ability to earn XP from custom games entirely.

DICE’s multiplayer shooter has had a rough time of it since its November 2021 launch, when it was criticized for being buggy. The game’s first content season is slated to arrive this summer, with DICE having spent the time post-launch to improve Battlefield 2042 with weapon adjustments, bug fixes, the addition of a scoreboard, and upcoming map changes.