Battlefield 6 Players Want a Change Made to XP Feature

Battlefield 6 players online are sharing their frustrations about the game's XP boosters, and how they punish players for going AFK in menus. Frustrated gamers would like to see Battlefield 6's XP boosters changed so that only time spent in matches counts toward the timer.
XP boosters made their debut in Battlefield 4, and have always been a contentious issue for fans. In certain iterations, they have only been available via paid avenues, leading to pay-to-win accusations from the community. However, previous versions of XP boosters were only active during time spent in matches, even in the much-maligned Battlefield 2042. In Battlefield 6, players have Career and Hardware boosters, which increase experience for their main levels (Career) and weapons (Hardware). For players who want to farm as much Battlefield 6 XP as possible, they're essential, but there's still one thing holding them back compared to previous games.
A recent Reddit thread started by user npls3t raised the issue that Battlefield 6's XP booster time ticks away, even when players are in the main menus. In their specific situation, they activated three boosters and remained AFK in the main menu for 40 minutes, before returning to find out they had just 10 minutes of booster time left. They described the situation as "absurd," and it's easy to understand their frustration. This is especially true when players know this wasn't the case in previous games, with one user claiming that the developer "cannot help themselves but regress from what works" in the series' past. Notably, the Battlefield 6 way is also how Call of Duty has handled XP boosters in recent years. This affects those who struggle to find matches in lower-populated playlists, too. Since time spent in menus still goes towards the XP booster, players can risk being punished by deciding to queue for specific maps.
Another user raised the fact that players can use a Battlefield 6 XP booster at the end of a match and still get double XP for the entire thing. A helpful exploit for those looking to unlock Battlefield 6 weapons quickly, but one that also has its own downsides. The same gamer also pointed out that if the booster runs out before the end of a match, then XP earned prior to this will not be doubled, which they described as "a literal abomination." This is particularly bad, as the lowest XP boosters in Battlefield 6 are just 15 minutes long, which in some cases is not enough to last an entire match.
Since the launch of Battlefield 6, players have not been shy about voicing their concerns to developer Battlefield Studios. When some of the post-launch skins started to look a little too wacky, players made their voices heard. When Battlefield 6 featured some of the smallest maps in the series' history, gamers were quick to point out their frustration. It all comes from a place of reverence for the series from the community, which knows the heights Battlefield can reach at its best. This XP booster issue joins the laundry list of player complaints about the game, and hopefully, it's something that Battlefield Studios is willing to take into consideration.
Despite some players' issues with the game, they haven't been enough to stop Battlefield 6 from becoming the best-selling game of the year so far. The hype surrounding the game's launch was immense last month, and this has quickly translated into massive sales and a very strong player base. Still, in the world of live-service games and never-ending content, the next few months will be crucial in ensuring Battlefield 6 fulfills its potential and keeps players hooked for the foreseeable future.