Battlefield 6 Movement Nerfs Ignite Player Backlash as Devs Hunt for a Sweet Spot

Battlefield 6 fans are currently arguing about one thing more than anything else: movement. EA dialed back a bunch of mobility tricks for launch, and now players are split between those who think the nerfs went too far and those who like the slower, more risk-heavy feel. Classic internet stalemate.

Zoomers vs Battledads, reportedly

On Twitter, Jean Martin summed up the divide as two camps: the speed-friendly beta enjoyers he called 'zoomers,' and the post-nerf crowd he labeled 'Battledads.' He asked principal game designer Florian Le Bihan if there was room for a middle ground that would make both sides less grumpy.

What the devs are saying

Le Bihan responded on October 12 with the kind of answer that suggests the team knows the launch movement is sticking in the wrong places:

'We are looking at adjustments for sure to find a good in-between, we already have some changes that are cooking on our side and monitoring the feedback for more.'

In another reply on October 15, after someone asked the studio to just roll the game back to the open beta movement, Le Bihan shut that door but left a window open:

'We won't go back to Open Beta movement but we are working on some slight adjustments that will help with some parts that feel a bit clunky. We'll share more about that as soon as we can!'

So what does that actually mean?

Short version: do not expect beta-speed parkour to return. The plan is to tweak the current system so it feels less clunky in specific spots. That sounds like concessions to players who think the launch nerfs were too heavy-handed, but it is not a full revert. We will not know exactly what is changing until the patch notes drop, and there is no timeline yet.

Meanwhile: exploits and progression drama

One exploit is absolutely on the chopping block: EA says the ladder trick that lets people zip around the map will be patched out. On top of that, players keep spinning up XP farms in the new Portal mode to dodge the slow progression grind, and EA keeps whacking them as they pop up. It is an ongoing game of cleanup.

Where things stand now

• The community is split between players who want the faster, beta-style movement and players who prefer the more grounded, higher-risk launch version.
• Principal game designer Florian Le Bihan says the team is aiming for an in-between, with adjustments already in the works.
• The studio will not revert to the open beta movement, but it will smooth out 'clunky' parts of the current system.
• No patch notes yet, no ETA on the movement changes.
• The ladder-flying exploit will be fixed, and EA continues to shut down XP farms built in Portal to bypass the slow progression.

My read: the devs like the more grounded direction but know some of the feel is off. If they sand down the rough edges without reintroducing beta-level goofiness, both zoomers and Battledads might actually meet in the middle. Emphasis on might.