“What might be the biggest year in Ultimate Team”. That was the bold statement from EA in the recent Ultimate Team deep dive video. And that’s saying a lot, considering the phenomenal success of the innovative game mode. But let’s take a look at the substance behind the tagline and see what we’ve got to look forward to in Ultimate Team in EA Sports FC 24.
Player evolutions
We know what you’re thinking, and no, you won’t be able to evolve Mbappe into a shiny Charizard. But this year, Ultimate Team is all about individuality. It gives you the freedom to have a squad that is unlike anyone else’s.
To achieve this, Ultimate Team will now let you to evolve (upgrade) your existing players rather than having to rely on meta players. That means you can instead focus on developing the players you have as opposed to chasing the ones you don’t.
This is done by completing in-game objectives. So, let’s assume that, like me, you’re a Liverpool fan. You’re really excited to see what Alexis Mcallister can do in real-life, but he’s not quite up to the standard of the rest of your Ultimate Team squad. Instead of having to unceremoniously dump him from your squad, you can now select objectives, which, in turn, will reward related stat buffs to the player. This is how it might look:
- Complete 20 passes
- Provide 2 assist
Achieving this objective will then improve Alexis’ passing stats. This should result in much less repetition between Ultimate Team squads, focus on you as the player, and reflect your style of football while using your favourite players. Therefore, you shouldn’t end up stuck with the same squad as everyone else.
Best of all, it seems this will provide some rewarding reasons to grind in Ultimate Team.
Women’s football in EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team
It’s crazy that it has taken this long, but we’re glad to see that women’s football will now be included in Ultimate Team. Five whole leagues worth of players will be included. This is a huge step forwards and is a nod to the phenomenal growth we are witnessing in the women’s game.
Playstyles
We’ve already spoken about the introduction of Playstyles. And they’ll be present in Ultimate Team, too.
Just like in career modes, Playstyles are intended to replicate the real-world standout skills and abilities of world class athletes. This should result in the in-game characters playing more like their real-world counterparts.
Among other UI improvements (more on that later), Ultimate Team items have been updated to make aspects such as Playstyles more evident at a glance in squad screens to allow you to more easily balance your starting 11.
Enhanced UI & quality-of-life upgrades
It’s not just the gameplay that feature tangible improvements. EA states that they have given real attention to improving players’ experiences while in the Ultimate Team menus.
We’ve already mentioned that items have been updated to make them easier to view (useful data and information will be front and centre). But menus have also been updated, allowing for easier transition between tabs. Furthermore, new animations have been introduced for opening packs.
Possibly the most relieving addition is that you will now be able to claim all rewards at once, instead of having to redeem them one at a time.
All-in-all, Ultimate Team seems to be taking a significant step forward in this year’s freshly rebranded instalment.
Are you pleased with the changes coming to Ultimate Team? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
