The extremely flank-heavy meta of EA SPORTS FC 24 has recently been harshly criticized. The developer wants to adapt the gameplay accordingly with Title Update 11 and is therefore weakening some play styles
Morocco’s eNational coach Bassy Saad recently wrote on X about the “most boring meta of all time”. FUTWIZ professional Tom Stokes rated FC-24 eSport as “unbelievably bad to watch”. RBLZ and DFB coach Daniel Fehr even launched a poll asking whether PlayStyles such as “In the air” should be banned from top-level competitions – almost 70 percent of those who voted were in favor.
At the heart of the problem: in recent weeks and months, numerous eSports players have focused primarily on crosses and headers, as these are extremely effective in FC 24. Combination play, on the other hand, was often neglected, which did not exactly contribute to the attractiveness of the action on the virtual pitch. EA SPORTS seems to be responding to the criticism and wants to change the meta with Title Update 11
Nerfs for “Power header+” and “In the air+”
The developer refers to the new patch as a “spring update”. Metaphorically, this should also find its way into the gameplay of FC 24. Various PlayStyles and PlayStyles+ will be adjusted – including “Power header+” and “In the air+”, which were important for the flank meta. With the former, the ball speed is reduced, with the latter the jump height of the digital professionals in the run
The nerfs to these two PlayStyles+ are noted in the patch notes as “significant adjustments”. This also applies to “Relentless” and “Relentless+” as well as “Power Shot” and “Power Shot+”, which are also toned down. Nine other play styles are only “slightly modified” – including “Wide Pass” and “Wide Pass+”, which reduce the precision of crosses.
Goal-line rescue tackle à la Niklas Süle
The spring update also brings new animations: Thanks to Hypermotion V and its volumetric data, four shots, a clearing action and a skill move are freshly added to FC 24. The special move is the “Idle Stepover” – inspired by Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior. The clearing animation is based on Niklas Süle’s spectacular save on the goal line in BVB’s Champions League match against PSG.
The adjustment of the CPU AI difficulty “Legend” is to run through all modes. Virtual teams known for tiki-taka will tend to move away from this approach the closer they get to the opponent’s penalty area. EA SPORTS also increases the likelihood that AI professionals will execute a specific type of shot based on their style of play. Digital players with low rest values, on the other hand, become more prone to errors when put under pressure.
New FUT special cards and faces
The publisher has planned three new player cards specifically for Ultimate Team. These are Player Moments objects for professionals from the three Premier League promoted teams: Anel Ahmedhodzic (Sheffield United), Carlton Morris (Luton Town) and Benson Manuel (Burnley FC). The trio are also among the players who will become the new star heads of FC 24
A total of 86 players and coaches are to be made significantly more realistic as part of a server release that is still pending. Rasmus Höjlund (Manchester United), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur) are already known. In addition, nine other faces will undergo an update
