Few bullets to consider before buying BF2:
- MXT are not a thing but the grind is real compared to the first game. Don't expect to be rank 50 and have everything unlocked within a month, because it's not realistic. The biggest bottleneck is crafting parts, so I fully recommend only buying hero loot crates with credits earned (they are the cheapest source of crafting parts and give the same amount as a trooper crate for half the cost) and using crafting parts only for either unlocks you want for a trooper or upgrades once you're able to.
- Unlocking heroes is a thing that was meant to promote MXT but for me personally, I've felt zero need to unlock a single one. Vader does stand out as the one hero most people unlock to counter Yoda but I find a mix of Kylo, Fett, and Bossk are more than enough. All the light side heroes suck for the most part aside from Rey (for her enemy reveal), Yoda (group heal/buff), and Lando (smoke screen). Luke, Leah, Han and Chewwy bring nothing to the table for the team like those three.
- The game is plagued with bugs ever since the only post-launch patch that treats players to laggy servers and constant server crashes (we're talking in the range of 50% of my games end with server crashes, aka lost time and progress). There is also a "swamp" bug where hero abilities such as pushes or pulls while you're dodging will leave you walking as if stuck in a swamp until you die. I've had this happen maybe 4-5 times so far. Also, this was fun. . .
- The game is fun when it works but they went for quantity over quality with maps this time and a majority of maps feel like COD corridor shooting over the epic battlefields the game is known for. They're not well balanced and I've seen teams fail to get past the first bottleneck of a map because the other team just becomes so entrenched with elites and troopers. Short games like this are also the least rewarding because heroes are barely given time to be played, if you even achieve enough score to use one.
- No server browser. This feature is sorely missed because some maps are just AIDS and it's a tedious process to quit a game after long load times (even on a Pro) if you get the shit end of the stick. Furthermore if you're stuck on a bad team and know it, it's best to just bail because the game makes zero effort to balance after a match and any good players you had on a team, more than likely quit already. I've also had instances of being on a great team, only to find myself SWAPPED SERVERS for absolutely no reason after a good match-up. They give zero control to the player, which is always shitty design IMO.
- Skill is still a factor over star cards, but for sure you'll want to at least have the base star card for key abilities. You can unlock most of the ones you want early on and won't take too long to get up to par with veterans. Upgrades are just a sign of prestige rather than completely overpowered, but some still need tuning regardless.
Overall, I've had fun but the game has so many glaring flaws that simple play-testing could have avoided it's clear it was rushed out for the movie. The MXT thing is overblown but the traditional grind has grown incredibly to the point that a player is forced to focus their efforts on a single trooper playstyle for progression. Just be prepared for a little bit of a learning curve as you dive in.