Every new feature in EA FC 26 Clubs including Archetypes, skill tree removal and FUT-like cards
Significant changes are coming across the board in EA FC 26, but Clubs may be getting some of the most substantial changes of them all.
After weeks of anticipation, we were lucky enough to get our hands on EA FC 26 at the EA Sports HQ in Vancouver, Canada, and as well as playing the game for the first time, I found out all there is to know about the new game, including Clubs. Clubs is one, if not the most, social game mode in EA Sports FC, but it always seems to get left behind when it comes to new features.
When crossplay was added in FIFA 23, Clubs was surprisingly left out, but the tide has turned in recent years, with EA going big on Clubs changes in EA FC 26. From Ultimate Team-like cards to a new way of upgrading your pro, here are all of the changes coming to Clubs in EA FC 26.
EA FC 26 Clubs overhaul – but is it becoming pay-to-win?
In my opinion, the biggest change of all is that the skill tree is being removed in EA FC 26, with a new feature called Archetypes replacing it. Archetypes define how your player grows in Clubs, with each Archetype having signature PlayStyles, gameplay perks, unique attributes and weaknesses, along with three specialisations.
There are 13 archetypes in total to choose from, with 39 different specialisations available to personalise your progress. For example, if you choose the Finisher Archetype, you'll start with the low driven shot and first touch playstyle, and these can evolve to PlayStyle Plus' as the game goes on.
These are the 13 Archetypes that will be available at launch, both in Clubs and Player Career Mode:
Offensive Archetypes
Magician
Finisher
Target
Support Archetypes
Recyclier
Maestro
Creator
Spark
Defence Archetypes
Progressor
Boss
Engine
Marauder
Goalkeeper Archetypes
Shot Stopper
Sweeper Keeper
None of the Archetypes are positionally locked, so you can use all of these for any position, meaning you still get a feeling of freedom when building your pro. Of course, this excludes goalkeepers. Archetypes are also based on greats of the game, so you may notice some similarities between how your pro plays and a real-life footballing icon.
As you play games in Clubs, you'll of course level up, and in EA FC 26, this will give you rewards that can boost your Archetypes attributes. There will also be chapters in Clubs that will run alongside the FC Season progress in Ultimate Team. During each chapter, you may reach an attribute threshold where you can no longer upgrade a certain attribute, but this is when, instead of improving your stats, you then start to unlock playstyles
Out of the 39 specialisations, you can choose three in total, with these offering big stat boosts to your pro. You can change your specialisation whenever you want. You will also be given an Archetype card in Clubs in EA FC 26, with this visual feature similar to Ultimate Team cards. The card will appear in the menus as well as before and after each game, and as you progress, your card can upgrade from Bronze, Silver, Gold, and even to Icon status.
Your Archetypes card will feature an image of the pro you have created, along with stats, which could include your level and attribute statistics. With these cards being introduced, some of the new rewards include skins to apply to your Archetypes card, with cool-looking designs set to be available.
Every chapter, the game will allow for more improvements thanks to Archetypes, with more rewards available than usual through live events and Objectives. These include more PlayStyles, bigger attribute boosts and vanity items.
Another big reward available by completing live events is XP multipliers. XP multipliers do what they say on the tin; you will earn more XP quicker with these items. These are in place to ensure that if you were to start playing Clubs in, say, February, you can catch up quicker to the higher rating and not be left behind.
But, along with this comes a downside. FC Points can now be spent in Clubs to purchase XP multipliers, so you may be able to fast-track your way to the higher ratings by putting money into the game. Let's hope this isn't the case and there's some sort of protection in place to prevent this.
New live events are coming to Clubs Rush in EA FC 26, based around FC Seasons. These are high-stakes knockout tournaments where you can play up to four rounds solo or with a team. By completing these live events, not only will you earn progress in Clubs, but also towards the FC Season Objectives.
There are also new House Rule modes available for Rush to keep things fresh. Some of the examples we know are Rugby Rush, where standing tackles are instead over the top shoulder barges with no fouls. We were also told you can play in extreme weather conditions, something that could make things really interesting.
A change that's been demanded for years has been granted, so in EA FC 26, you will no longer be restricted to one club at a time. Now, you can be part of up to three teams at once, and you can easily swap between teams in the menus. The 11v11 team selection page has been updated visually, with this lobby now extremely similar, if not the same, as Ultimate Team.
The level of the AI players has always been a complaint for the Clubs faithful, so now, managers can use their facility budget to improve the attributes of AI teammates rather than just the pros in the club. Goalkeepers have been overhauled in FC 26, so now, if you are a goalkeeper in Clubs, there are more controls and in-game commands, giving you more to do during the game.
Fatigue has been updated, meaning there is no long-term fatigue for your pros. So, if your pro has 94 pace and picks up the ball in the 88th minute, he will have full stamina, meaning the quick players will always feel quick.
The match rating system has been updated. Now, your rating will be evaluated on how well you play to your dedicated tactical role, which then decides how much XP you get. For example, if you are a left-midfielder whose tactical role is to play as a balanced winger but you constantly sit at striker and score three goals, despite the hat-trick, your rating could be low due to the neglect shown towards tactics.
EA has expanded the quick-chat feature in EA FC 26 as well. When introduced in FC 25, just four messages were available, but it was a hit, so EA has increased this to 16 in FC 26. And lastly, if you pre-order any version of FC 26, you can unlock an additional Archetype slot in Clubs without needing to use Clubs Coins, while you will also earn a consumable for double Archetype XP for 20 games.
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