EA Acts Swiftly, Tweaks Battlefield 6 Beta’s Rush Mode Amidst Player Backlash

The highly anticipated second weekend of the Battlefield 6 Open Beta has been met with a mix of excitement and scrutiny, particularly regarding the reintroduction of the fan-favorite Rush mode. Following a surge of player feedback and complaints, Electronic Arts (EA) and developer DICE have taken swift action, implementing balancing tweaks to address a key point of contention: the size and pacing of the “bigness” of battles.

The controversy centered on the beta’s version of Rush, which featured a 12 vs 12 player count, a significant reduction from the mode’s traditional 32-player scale in previous Battlefield titles. Players quickly voiced concerns that the smaller-scale engagements, combined with maps that felt too tight, led to a chaotic and less strategic experience than veterans were accustomed to. The sense of epic, vehicle-friendly chaos that defines the franchise was, for some, conspicuously absent.

MCOM Timer Reduced to Address Balance Issues

In a direct response to the community feedback, the Battlefield Comms team announced a crucial change via social media. The MCOM (military communications station) timer, which dictates the time between a planted bomb and its detonation, has been reduced from 45 seconds to 30 seconds. This 33% reduction is intended to better balance the gameplay between attacking and defending players, giving attackers a more viable window to secure an objective without being overwhelmed by a constant stream of defenders.

In addition to the Rush mode adjustments, DICE also made a balance pass on the Breakthrough mode. To speed up the flow of battle, fewer players are now required to be on an objective to accelerate its capture. Furthermore, the defender respawn timers for both Rush and Breakthrough modes have been standardized at a flat 12 seconds, replacing the previous variable range of 6-12 seconds. This change aims to provide more consistent and predictable defensive rotations.

Community Feedback Shapes the Beta Experience

The responsiveness of EA and DICE has been a key theme of the Battlefield 6 beta. The development team has been actively monitoring player complaints and making on-the-fly adjustments. This transparent and iterative process has been largely praised by the community, as it shows a clear commitment to using the beta period to fine-tune the experience before the game’s official release.

While the MCOM timer change has been a positive step, many players still feel that the core issue of the 12 vs 12 player count in Rush needs to be revisited. The consensus is that the mode’s classic appeal lies in its large-scale, high-stakes pushes, and a 24-player lobby simply doesn’t capture that same feeling.

• Player Complaints:
  • Cramped map layouts leading to chaotic engagements.
  • Lack of strategic depth compared to previous 32-player Rush modes.
  • The 12 vs 12 player count feeling too small for the classic Rush experience.
• EA/DICE Response and Tweaks:
  • Reduced MCOM timer from 45 to 30 seconds to balance attacking and defending.
  • In Breakthrough, fewer players are now needed to speed up objective capture.
  • Standardized defender respawn timers in both modes to a flat 12 seconds.

Despite the ongoing debate, the beta has seen a massive surge in player count, with over 400,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. This record-breaking turnout underscores the high level of interest and the community’s desire for a return to form for the franchise. DICE has stated that it will continue to monitor the situation and is “ready and able to make further balance adjustments,” signaling that the Rush mode in its current form may not be the final version players see at launch. With the beta set to conclude soon, all eyes are on the developers to see how they will incorporate the extensive feedback into the full release of Battlefield 6 on October 10, 2025.