The long awaited Star Wars Battlefront 2 progression changes have been announced and will begin rolling out 21st March.

EA DICE appears to be going the whole hog: ability-giving Star Cards, and any other item which affects gameplay, are being pulled out of Crates (the game's loot boxes) for good. You will unlock and upgrade Star Cards using Skill Points earned by levelling up classes, heroes or ships.

Crates will only contain cosmetic items, like emotes and victory poses, and nothing that affects gameplay - and you will not be able to buy them. Crates will be earned through a combination of daily log-ins and completing challenges and milestones.

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But you will be able to spend money in Battlefront 2, directly, on appearances - the first of which are coming in April. You can either spend store-bought Crystals on the appearances or Credit currency earned through gameplay.

We don't know what the first appearances will be but the Battlefront 2 blog post said: "If you've ever dreamed of being a part of the Resistance as a Rodian, your chance is right around the corner."

Everything you have unlocked already in the game you will retain and be able to use.

The changes are welcome but Star Wars Battlefront 2 really ought to have worked this way from the off. No doubt the upcoming home release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, on 9th April, will liven the game up again, but to what degree and for how long? We are now months after the game's original launch and people have moved on - I doubt the rapper Drake will be joining a Battlefront 2 stream anytime soon.

How much will the new appearances cost? Will they look like a last attempt at recouping some money from a game which didn't live up to its billing, or will they be a much needed shot of PR generosity for the game? And how numerous and varied will they be? I don't suppose we'll see a Dark Side Luke will we?