The Fine Print: Battlefield 1’s Premium Friends Prohibits XP Gains

Battlefield 1 has today unveiled a new system to prevent the community from being splintered in terms of DLC maps, a monkey that has long been on the backs of first-person shooters. Battlefield 1 now has what it calls "premium friends," that EA thinks will do the trick. But, the devil, as they say, is in the details.

How it works: If you don't have the Premium Pass that gives you access to Battlefield 1's DLC maps, but you're in a party with someone who does, you can now play in those maps.

Limitations: As was spelled out in a blog post by game produce Andreas Skoglund, only owners of the Premium pass will earn XP from games played on DLC maps. If you're a party member of a premium pass owner, you will earn no XP.

Pat on the back: Your experience will instead be banked, so to speak, and you will get it all as one lump sum if and when you decide to purchase the premium pack yourself.

While it's certainly a positive step that they're offering a way to unite a community that would otherwise be split up by DLC maps, a'la Call of Duty, players should know that they won't be leveling up the same way as their premium pals. Consider this a public service announcement.