EA FC 24 is out this week and with the new title through Early Access comes a ton of new features, deep dives, and player ratings for fans of the game to get their hands on ahead of the 29 September release date.
With EA setting itself apart from the FIFA franchise, the titular developer will hope to set down a marker and create a new standard bearer in the world of sports gaming and many of EA's main game modes will remain in the game, with Ultimate Team arguably being the biggest of them all.
The dream team-building mode will once again return in EA Sports FC 24, looking bigger and better than ever, so with that in mind, let's take a look at everything we know about the mode so far.
Latest - Founder rewards
As many FIFA fans are aware already, a new title of the game leads to players being greeted by a 'welcome back pack' in Ultimate Team, giving players free items to help them get started with the Ultimate Team experience.
The latest news on this as EA Sports have announced that the Welcome Back Pack will be replaced with the following:
- Founder Badge
- Founder Evolution
- Founder XP Objectives
- Founder Kits & Stadium
- Founder Badges
Founder Evolutions
Players will be rewarded with a 'Founder Pack' which includes a consumable items that starts this exclusive Evolutions path. Throughout the year, Founders will be granted exclusive Evolutions upgrades at key moments, enhancing their Founders Player Item as they progress.
EA Sports add, 'Plus, look forward to additional rewards as the EA SPORTS FC franchise continues.'
Mad Ready Promo
The first Promo of EA FC 24 will be Nike's Mad Ready in EA FC 24 Ultimate Team. This promo will be cosmetic only meaning players picked will receive very nice UT cards, with no boosts to their stats.
TOTW 1 predictions
With the new title of EA FC almost out through early access, TOTW will be announced very shortly!
TOTW will run on a weekly basis being released every Wednesday at 6:00 PM BST. We have created our first TOTW predictions in EA FC 24 which is getting us even more excited as there could potentially be an insanely good first TOTW entering Ultimate Team!
Heroes announced
EA has wasted no time in delivering our first piece of official Ultimate Team news, with new Heroes confirmed to be arriving in the game.
Confirmed to be arriving as pre-order bonuses, EA has revealed a host of new UT Heroes that are coming to the game.
The following stars have been revealed as brand-new Heroes for EA FC 24:
- Gianluca Vialli
- Carlos Tevez
- Wesley Sneijder
- Bixente Lizarazu
- Nwankwo Kanu
- Nadine Kessler
- Giuly
- John Arne Riise
- Tomas Rosicky
- Paulo Futre
- Dimitar Berbatov
- Sonia Bompastor
- Jari Litmanen
- Rui Costa
- Vincent Kompany
- Steve McManaman
- Demarcus Beasley
- Ramires
These exciting cards are brand-new for this year's game, with Alex Scott the very first female Hero to ever feature in Ultimate Team.
Fans who purchased the game before 22 August will receive the EA FC 24 pre-order bonus which includes a free UEFA Champions League Hero card item. You will receive this card in-game on 27 November.
Evolutions
Evolutions is the newest feature added to the Ultimate Team game mode. It allows EA FC 24 users to evolve their favourite players, upgrading their ratings and attributes.
This feature lets players take a low-rated silver card, and upgrade it to a high-rated gold one. To do that, users just need to complete Evolutions objectives, which will probably vary from player to player.
UT Seasons
In EA FC 24, a significant change is a central role that Seasons now play in Ultimate Team, influencing how rewards are earned for squad customisation.
The new Seasons timeline introduces a variety of Seasons throughout the year, each with varying lengths, aiming to align Season Progress with Ultimate Team Campaigns, starting with "Welcome to the Club." This shift stems from feedback and focuses on three key areas: providing relevant rewards that impact squad building, offering diverse ways to unlock progress tailored to individual playstyles, and ensuring clarity regarding weekly activities and future updates for both new and existing players.
The consolidation of Swaps rewards into Season Progress is intended to simplify the process and help players track their progress as they strive to create their Ultimate Team.
Female Players added to UT
When EA Sports FC was announced a year ago, a number of women's teams were featured in the initial advertising, and we can't wait to see women in UT with the ratings being revealed at a constant rate!
It has become clear, from the work showcased in FIFA 23 and now heading into EAFC, that EA is doing all it can to champion the women's game, and that's brilliant to see.
More eyes on the women's game will help it naturally grow and gaming can have a huge influence on the real-life popularity of certain things.
Not only that, the women's game is growing exponentially and has taken huge strides forward in recent years, asserting itself as the fastest-growing sport in the world.
Teams with a mix of the best men's and women's players in the world are only going to breathe a new lease of life into Ultimate Team, and give a platform for women's players to FIFA fans, especially the players who become cult heroes in the game mode.
EA Sports FC Play Styles
PlayStyles are a new feature added to EA FC 24 and EA Sports have recently released their player ambassador ratings with each PlayStyle!
The main goal of this feature is to bring more unique playstyles and animations, that have noticeable gameplay benefits. This allows players a different way to build their squad.
Instead of just looking at attributes and ratings, users can now choose the players based on their actual performance on the pitch. It allows users to find players that better suit their playstyle.
Some traits will only be available to certain players with the necessary abilities, or completely unique to one player in particular, giving them a more pronounced personality in-game.
Web App & Companion App
The UT Web App and Companion App allow you to stay on top of your UT squad on the go.
The Web App can be accessed via an internet browser, with that and the Companion App coming for mobile devices on 21 September.
You can keep active on the transfer market, complete SBCs in a flash, and create your next squad all without needing to be on a console.
The Companion App will be available on iOS/iPhone/App Store and Android once again, with itself and the Web App both granting Early Access to EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team before worldwide release!
Ultimate Team Game Modes
All of the modes featured in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team are making a return. Despite some new features being added to the mode, no new game mode was introduced.
Here are all the game modes coming to EA FC 24.
UT Champions
The most competitive game modes for Ultimate Team players, test your skills against human opposition and climb up the divisions.
You can also play qualifying games to enter UT Champions, where you will have a limited number of matches to complete in a short time frame to earn the biggest rewards.
In EA FC 24's Champions mode, they're revamping rewards to stay meaningful year-round. They're replacing Ultimate Team Champions Player Items with in-game rewards of equal value, although Champions Players will return at specific times. This change aims to keep rewards relevant throughout the year and address the declining usage of Champions Players in matches, which are increasingly used for Squad Building Challenges. Removing them from default rewards enables more frequent reward updates, maintaining Champions as a key squad-building avenue. They're also improving rewards for Rank 2 and above to balance difficulty and rewards for elite players consistently.
Division Rivals
In Rivals, there's a shift towards rewarding elite play, with updates to rewards across the mode, particularly in Division 2 and above, to make them more enticing. The aim is to provide stronger incentives for playing in higher divisions each week. Much like in Champions, Champions Players earned in the Elite Division will be exchanged for in-game rewards of equal worth upon launch.
Squad Battles
Competing against the computer, Squad Battles is only really played to complete objectives, as it can be monotonous and time-consuming.
EA has answered fans' prayers for FC 24, with Squad Battles matches being shortened by two minutes. This means that matches are now eight minutes long instead of 10.
A noticeable improvement in CPU ability also spiced it up a little in FIFA 23, but there are still plenty of improvements that could be made here.
UT Friendlies
Many objectives now need completing in the Live UT Friendlies, and it can often be the most fun game mode because of that.
Assembling new teams within certain requirements keeps the play fresh, and when playing to the unofficial Golden Goal rule you can whizz through multiple objectives in no time.
UT Draft
Create a squad using a player pool of all the cards released in Ultimate Team throughout the campaign, picking from a random selection of players for each position in your side.
Pit yourself against a human or CPU opposition, then play up to four matches, if you lose you get knocked out - the more wins you get, the better the rewards!
Squad Building Challenges
Not really a game mode, but an essential part of the Ultimate Team experience, Squad Building Challenges (or SBCs) help you unlock special players, packs, and occasionally objectives.
Submit a team based on the SBCs requirements using players from your UT Club, trade them in, and reap the rewards.
Moments
Moments was a new mode introduced in UT 23 that sets up specific gameplay scenarios (such as score a volley, don't concede, win the match) to quickly play through.
You will always compete against a CPU on easy difficulties, only for a few minutes and not a full game, and by completing the tasks you will earn Stars.
Trade in the Stars in the Moments Gallery to earn various pack rewards.
EA Sports FC 24 Icons
Icon cards are some of the most powerful in Ultimate Team and are given to legends of the game who have now retired.
There will be over 100 Icon cards in EA FC 24 with some new additions added, these include the likes of Mia Hamm, Zico and Franck Ribery.
They are extremely rare to pack, so the most likely way to get them in your squad is through regular SBCs that offer either a specific player as a reward or through the annual Icons Swaps season in Ultimate Team.
EA FC Release Date
EA Sports FC will see a release date on Friday, 29 September. However, players who acquire the Ultimate Team edition will have seven days of early access.
For more of the latest EA FC 24 content, feel free to keep up to date with RealSport101.