Introducing Battlefield Hardline's Reputation System

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Earn mid-match bonuses, make the most of them, and do it again.

By Mitch Dyer

Battlefield Hardline introduces new thematic elements and story elements to the Battlefield brand, but the competitive multiplayer’s new Reputation system is among the most interesting new additions for hardcore Battlefield fans.
Thad Sasser, lead multiplayer designer at developer Visceral Games, tells IGN, “The Reputation system is is a session-based persistence” that gives players the opportunity to improve their loadout during a match.
“When you hit certain thresholds you unlock one of these perks,” Sasser says. “There are X number levels of Reputation, and during a session you can try to max out your Reputation” to earn more bonuses, such as improved armor.
The catch is that you have to choose between two similarly alluring options, and when the match ends, your Reputation is wiped. “Nothing persists,” Sasser says.

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This is different than the standard, persistent, unified economy of Battlefield Hardline, of course. Cash and levels earned during and after each round persist throughout, allowing you to unlock new guns, attachments, and other items between and during rounds. But the Reputation system, as an independent progression system, presents interesting opportunities for skilled players.“We’ve tried to create interesting pairings so you have a conflict,” says Sasser. “And as you go through this at each level you get one of those picks.” In the case of protective gear, it’s a toss-up between bullet protection or explosive resistance.The expectation is that each round of Battlefield Hardline has a bit more nuanced variety to it, giving players the opportunity to improve their offensive and defensive capabilities in subtle, situational ways.Reputation came about as a means to make on-the-fly upgrades clearer than Battlefield 4’s Field Upgrade functions. Sasser also wanted your actions online to relate more directly to your rewards in the middle of a match. We’ll have to spend more time with Hardline’s online to learn exactly what that relationship is like.For more on Battlefield Hardline, check out our first multiplayer impressions, learn how Visceral Games is using multiplayer to improve its single-player story, and watch a ton of in-game footage here on IGN.

Originally written and published by at IGN PS3. Click here to read the original story.