Oh EA, you have done it again – Battlefield 3 now has paid unlocks

Battlefield 3′s promised patch is now out and available. The patch not only addresses long-standing issues, but also brings a slew of new features, such as honking jeeps, Commo-Rose features, and oh look at what we have here – “Shortcut Bundles”.

Allow DICE to explain, “Today, we are also offering 10 different shortcut items for sale for Battlefield 3 on PC. If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect way to gain some ground on the veterans online. Or if you’d love to get your hands on those AA missiles for jets instantly, this is for you.”

In short, if you are unwilling to play for hours upon end, and are willing to shell out an additional $25, you can unlock just about every equipment right away. “Gain some ground on the veterans”, as they put it.

Here’s a rundown on the Shortcut Bundles:
- Vehicle Shortcut: $18
- Engineer Shortcut: $7
- Support Shortcut: $7
- Assault Shortcut: $7
- Recon Shortcut: $7
- Kit Shortcut: $25
- Ground Vehicle Shortcut: $10
- Air Vehicle Shortcut: $10
- Co-Op Weapons Shortcut: $5
- Ultimate Shortcut: $25

The worst part about this is that DICE never deemed it necessary to mention the Shortcut Bundles in their very communicative and feedback driven patch work they had been doing for the past month or so. Quite clearly, this is a straight up money grab, and highly unfair to those that toiled away to unlock their equipment, or to new players that are unwilling to pay for the bundles.