Battlefield 6 players have just seen one of the most popular (and controversial) leveling methods quietly disappear. In a new stealth update, Battlefield Studios has officially nerfed XP farming lobbies that relied on Portal mode bots, a move that fulfills a recent promise made to the game’s community.
Since its launch, Battlefield 6’s Portal mode has been a creative sandbox for players, allowing them to build and host their own custom game experiences with different rules, maps, and modes from across the Battlefield franchise. However, some players had turned Portal into a tool for XP farming, creating private lobbies filled with AI-controlled enemies that could be easily defeated to gain experience points, weapon levels, and challenge completions in record time.
While this practice wasn’t technically a violation of the game’s rules, it was never the intended purpose of Portal. Battlefield Studios had previously acknowledged the issue, stating that such lobbies were skewing progression and undermining the experience for legitimate players.
Now, with this week’s silent update, those lobbies have been effectively rendered useless. The patch removed Mastery XP and challenge progression from any Portal match that has bots enabled, meaning that killing AI opponents will no longer grant XP toward player ranks, weapons, or unlockable items.
Battlefield 6’s Balance Between Creativity and Progression
The removal of XP farming lobbies has already sparked mixed reactions among fans. For many, these lobbies were an unofficial workaround for the slow progression system that has frustrated players since launch. Ranking up weapons and completing challenges in normal matchmaking can feel like a grind, and bot farming offered a faster—if unintended—alternative.
In its announcement last week, Battlefield Studios reassured players that the team is aware of progression concerns and plans to increase XP and weapon mastery rates across the board in an upcoming update. The goal, according to the developer, is to make regular gameplay rewarding enough that players don’t feel the need to rely on artificial methods like bot lobbies.
This change reflects Battlefield Studios’ ongoing effort to balance community freedom with fair progression. Portal remains a powerful creative tool that lets players recreate classic Battlefield moments or invent brand-new experiences—but the studio clearly wants to ensure that these custom modes don’t disrupt the core gameplay economy.
A Pattern of Rapid Response
This isn’t the first time Battlefield 6 has seen quick and decisive updates in response to player feedback. Earlier in the game’s lifecycle, developers rapidly adjusted the Conquest mode ticket counts after fans criticized a controversial change that extended matches unnecessarily. The studio reverted the adjustment within days, demonstrating a willingness to listen and adapt.
Battlefield Studios seems to be applying the same agile development philosophy to its handling of XP farming. Instead of leaving the issue to grow unchecked, the team acted swiftly—albeit quietly—to maintain balance and fairness in the game’s ecosystem.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how the developers tweak Battlefield 6’s progression system to compensate for this update. If XP rewards and challenge completion speeds are improved as promised, the removal of farming lobbies could ultimately be seen as a positive step toward a healthier in-game experience.
For now, though, players will have to earn their XP the old-fashioned way — through skill, teamwork, and a few well-placed headshots on the battlefield.
