Battlefield Portal update 3.1 will change XP and custom games

Battlefield 2042’s update 3.1 is dropping soon, and it will bring some significant changes to Portal Mode when it does. Changes to XP, progression, and custom games are at the top of the list.

Battlefield Direct Communication, a Twitter account intended for messages from the devs, wrote a thread detailing these changes. To clarify, yes, you absolutely can earn XP in Battlefield Portal. “All featured modes work the same as [Conquest]] and [Breakthrough] in All-Out Warfare,” the thread says, “earning XP at the full rates, unlocking new weapons, ribbons and attachments, and progression for your Mastery.” Starting with the 3.1 update, XP can also be earned in custom Portal games, but not at the same rate — it has a maximum cap that resets every minute. This cap has varied in the past, and developer DICE will continue to “monitor and make favorable adjustments” as Portal’s custom game count grows.

Why the cap? DICE explains that without it, “farming servers end up saturating the server browser with valueless experiences.” Preventing endless XP spamming via the one-minute cap combats this. Likewise, ribbons and Mastery (including weapon attachments) cannot be earned in custom games. You’ll only unlock those “in All-Out Warfare, Hazard Zone, and official Portal experiences.”

You can expect more changes to the Battlefield series moving forward since Respawn CEO Vince Zampella is the new franchise head. Considering that 2042’s Steam player base has dropped by 70% since launch, he certainly has his work cut out for him.