EA Sports’ FC 24 holiday update is finally here and there’s a lot to look forward to if you’re an Ultimate Team regular. Not only has the developer added 94 player items to the FC 24 mode in question, but it has also updated over 100 “star heads” across the board (which means more players will look like their real-life counterparts than ever before). It’s also introducing a number of interesting AI changes, which should enable more creative attacking play and improve the flow of each game.
FC 24 is easily one of the best soccer games we’ve seen in a long time and it’s quite possibly one of the best sports games we’ve ever seen. However, it isn’t perfect and EA Sports is acutely aware of that. So, in an effort to improve the experience on offer, the latest title update is introducing an impressive number of new player items – including a handful that have the potential to be among the best FC 24 wingers and best FC 24 CM players available when they arrive and stats are confirmed – alongside several specific updates to AI player behaviors. These updates will make the best FC 24 formations even more valuable, with more aggressive wingbacks for formations that use three or five at the back a standout alteration.
Specifically, on the new player items, as the Pitch Notes for FC 24 Title Update #6 explain, Santi Cazorla, Sergio Ramos, Adama Traore, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are among the new players being made available in Ultimate Team following the update. In addition to this, EA Sports is also adding two new interesting SBCs with Title Update #6: Player Moments Adama Traore and Radioactive Ismael Bennacer. This Traore player item could be one of the best FC 24 strikers of the ball – if EA Sports are generous with their upgrade – and the upcoming FC 24 Radioactive Bennacer SBC is definitely one worth keeping an eye on. As a player with 84 OVR already, he could quite quickly become one of the best FC 24 CDM players out there.
If you do want to get your hands on either of these new player items, you can find the cheapest FC 24 players for SBCs right here; we don’t know how much fodder you’ll need for these SBCs just yet, but it can’t hurt to keep your extended squad stocked up.
Outside of this, EA Sports is lowering the track back speed of AI controlled wingbacks when using formations with three or five at the back on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. This should allow you to maintain pressure in wide areas using these formations for longer and, if your forward players lose the ball, you have more of a chance of winning it back higher up the pitch. You can see the general behavior of wingbacks before this update below:
And, of course, the updated behavior of aggressive wingbacks right here:
In addition, strikers and wide-positioned midfielders will be less likely to closely mark central players moving forward – unless specifically instructed to. This should mean there’s more space in the middle of the pitch for you to make your forward plays and improve your passing options when playing wider formations. The amount of pressure defensive teams can apply to players along the sidelines is also being reduced, something that will benefit wider formations even further.
If we didn’t know any better, it looks like a new meta is forming right before our eyes – although, we’ll have to wait and see how effective these changes are in practice before saying anything with any certainty. EA Sports’ FC 24 Title Update #6 is rolling out over the next few days, so will be available by December 12 at the latest – a week after these Pitch Notes dropped.
You will – though – also notice a slight reduction to finesse shot accuracy when using the FC 24 PlayStyles “Finesse” and “Finesse Plus” moving forward and a slightly slower top speed for players with the Controlled Sprint AcceleRATE trait. When performed by players with the Power Header or Power Header+ PlayStyle, powerful head shots will be “significantly” less accurate. So, you might want to make sure those players are getting into the six-yard box when you whip it across to them.
Want to know what else is going on outside of this title update? Well, the new FC 24 Thunderstruck promo Week Two upgrades are upon us – and some of the best player items available are missing out on improvements. Thankfully, some of the top player items available in the FC 24 FC Pro Open promo are already due some tasty upgrades. With two dynamic Ultimate Team promos on the go at once, there’s a lot to look forward to if you can get your hands on any one of these cards.