At this point, a Battle Pass is almost an expected part of the deal with a battle royale experience. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has it, Apex Legends has it, and Fortnite, of course, pioneered the whole concept to begin with. However, when Firestorm, the battle royale mode for Battlefield 5, launches, it will not have any battle pass or similar progression at launch.

Progression will instead be tied to the upcoming Battlefield 5 update “Tides of War”, although it seems like “weekly experiences” and “Exotic modes” are both things that developer Criterion intends to add to the mode shortly after launch.

“The goal is that Firestorm will evolve and be updated over time via Battlefield’s live service,” Criterion’s Software Producer Arthur Rohart told Twinfinite. “So, you can expect weekly experiences, as well as continuous quality of life improvements, class play, weapon and vehicle customization and progression/leaderboards being rolled out over time. However, there won’t be any “exotic modes” at launch.”

Which is fine—though given that Battlefield 5 launched in November last year (after a delay), and that Firestorm did not launch alongside it, but instead had several more months in the oven, I do question exactly why it is launching without functionality that the developers clearly intend for it to have out of the gate.

Then again, I guess that’s what “live service” is a euphemism for these days—The Division 2 notwithstanding.