5 EA FC 26 changes I want to see including PlayStyles, Evolutions and FUT promos
As we approach the release of EA FC 26, the same questions in on everyone's minds. What's new?
EA FC 26 is expected to release at the end of September by EA Sports, making it the third instalment of the EA Sports FC series. EA is still occupied by EA FC 25 with its popular Futties promo yet to kick off in Ultimate Team, but players' heads are already turning towards the future and what we can expect to see in EA FC 26.
A host of EA FC 26 information has already been leaked on social media, including new FUT Icons and FC 26 pre-order bonuses, but not much gameplay-wise has been revealed just yet. This got me thinking: what are some new features or changes that I'd like to see in EA FC 26? Here are five changes I want to see.
Competitive Evolutions
Evolutions have been a godsend since they arrived in EA FC 24. If it wasn't for Evolutions, Ultimate Team would feel boring, but as good as Evolutions are, I still think there's progress to be made.
That's why in EA FC 26 Ultimate Team, I'd love to see more competitive Evolutions with longer grinds, making the payoff much more rewarding. Adding objectives into Evolutions like playing 100 games of Rivals or winning 30 FUT Champions games for bigger upgrades would be fantastic. Not only will it help the elite players be rewarded with the upgrades before anyone else, but it also means that you won't be seeing the same players in every FUT Champions game, making matchmaking more exciting.
I've seen enough Ruud Gullit's and Thierry Henry's to last me a lifetime over the last two months in Ultimate Team, but if EA offered upgrades based on competitive results, it could make Ultimate Team much more interesting, and it could also make Evolutions that little bit better.
PlayStyle Plus nerf
I was on board the PlayStyles train when EA FC 25 launched, but after the last few months, I think they are in big need of a nerf, with PlayStyles currently way too important. I've previously written about how I felt PlayStyles were ruining the game, and I still feel the same way.
Stats almost don't matter anymore, and it feels like in every update EA brings out, the main focus is on PlayStyles. Gameplay has also become too reliant on PlayStyles, and right now, if my striker hasn't got Finesse Shot or Low Driven Plus, they almost feel unusable.
In EA FC 26, I want to see Playstyles used like a luxury, the way they were intended to be when they were introduced in EA FC 24. Make stats the most important factor once again, and I'll be happy.
No more 4 week FUT promos
There may be a little bit of recency bias here, but EA has to stop with these extra-long promos because they are sucking the life out of Ultimate Team. Ahead of EA FC 25, Shapeshifters was one of the most popular promos in the FUT calendar each year, but right now we're in the fourth week of the Shapeshifters promo, and I don't think interest has ever been lower.
Following the TOTS promo that was extremely tedious towards the end, these dragged-out promos simply lose hype quickly, and it makes Ultimate Team quite boring. EA needs to commit to having a new promo every one or two weeks, or limit promos and go back to how it was between FIFA 13 and FIFA 16.
Online Career Mode
An Online Career Mode is one of the most requested additions every year by players, and once again, I'm hoping this is something that EA would be willing to implement in EA FC 26. The ability to play with friends or other online players in the Career Mode format is very appealing, and it could be the perfect refresh needed to add some life back into the game mode with some of the most loyal users.
Punishment for players who quit
This is something that should have been added to Ultimate Team a long time ago. EA needs to implement harsher punishments for players who quit games if they want a less-toxic player base. Title Update 9 saw EA make its first steps towards fixing this toxic problem by rewarding wins to players when their opponents quit while drawing, but this only applied to certain circumstances and when a player quit through the menus, so it was quite flawed.
Instead, EA should focus on punishing the player who quits the game, and this way, it will become way less of a regular issue. An idea that could work is to give out time penalties to players who quit games. If you quit a game, you can't enter a new one for 15 minutes. The more games quit, the longer the punishment.
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