FIFA Ultimate Team is one of the most successful and popular modes in the FIFA games. With FIFA 23, EA is bringing various changes to the gameplay, completely overhauling multiple aspects of the game. Previous trailers for the upcoming game have already shown massive gameplay changes in terms of set piece routines, general gameplay, and a revamping of the PC version. However, EA‘s biggest moneymaker in FIFA has always been FIFA Ultimate Team, more popularly known as FUT. Moreover, since EA is splitting from the FIFA license after FIFA 23, they’re doing their best to ensure that player engagement isn’t affected. So, let’s check out the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team deep dive trailer and discuss the new changes to the system!
FUT 23 trailer
On August 11, EA premiered the FIFA 23 Ultimate Team trailer, which was most awaited among the large set of FIFA fans. The eight-minute trailer highlighted various changes to the chemistry system, customisation options, and a new game mode called FUT Moments. Check out the trailer below:
With such massive changes, it seems like players will have to relearn certain aspects of the base game. Let’s dissect the trailer and talk a bit more about the changes in detail.
FUT Moments
A considerable addition to FIFA 23 Ultimate Team is the Moments mode. This mode is targeted explicitly toward single players to build their team. Moreover, if you’re someone who doesn’t get too much time to grind in FIFA Ultimate Team, this mode will offer plenty of rewards. The Moments mode comprises certain moments in games which you need to recreate. These moments will be inspired by real-world situations in football matches. New moments will also be added to the mode to add variety to the gameplay. Completing the objectives will grant you stars. Basically, the better your performance, the more stars you achieve. You can then collect these stars and spend them on rewards. This is a comparatively easy way to collect in-game rewards.
Also read: FIFA 23: Features We Want From The Next FIFA Game
Chemistry system
This is where things get even more interesting. Essentially, older FIFA Ultimate Team editions had a fixed chemistry system with chemistry lines. For the best links, you’d have to link players in the same league with the same nation, or same league and same team. If only some of the conditions were met, you’d be met with a yellow chemistry line, reducing the overall performance of your player. Putting players out of their natural positions with little to no link would also reduce their base stats, resulting in poor performance.
With FIFA 23 Ultimate Team, however, this system has been changed. It’s now much easier to build team chemistry and try out different players in multiple positions. Even if you put a player out of his natural position, his base stats won’t be reduced. Additionally, players now have a Diamond system for chemistry instead of chemistry lines. These are ranged from zero to three, with three being the best chemistry. Furthermore, excellent chemistry links will lead to massive stat boosts.
Three factors will influence how good your player’s chemistry can be. These are:
- Natural Position: Playing in their preferred positions will give them more than zero Diamonds and increase their overall chemistry. When they play in their natural positions, they will also contribute to the chemistry of their teammates.
- Threshold: This is a minor change but will significantly impact the in-game performance and chemistry of your players. If two or more players in the team are from the same country, club, or league, their individual chemistry will increase by one. With three or more players, you get complete chemistry!
- Manager: For players who belong to the same country or league as the team manager, their chemistry will also increase by one. This is only applicable if their chemistry isn’t already at maximum.
Also read: FIFA 23 – Everything That You Need To Know
Increasing the chemistry
Since your ultimate team’s players need to have the best chemistry links to perform in matches, it’s crucial to understand how you can increase the team’s chemistry. The diamond system may be fairly complex at first. Let’s strip it down to the bare basics. Here’s what you need to do to increase your team’s chemistry:
- Two players from the same club – An increase in chemistry by one diamond.
- Three players from the same nation or league – An increase in chemistry by one diamond.
- Five players from the same club – An increase in chemistry by two diamonds.
- Six players from the same nation or league – An increase in chemistry by three diamonds.
- Nine players from the same club – An increase in chemistry by three diamonds.
- Ten players from the same league or nation – An increase in chemistry by three diamonds.
Overall, your ultimate team needs to have 33 diamonds for the team’s chemistry to be 100 per cent. This new chemistry system in FIFA 23 allows you to get creative with your squads and create hybrid squads, comprising your favourite players. It’s also a more holistic approach to the squad chemistry, as players in positions such as Goalkeeper can now be linked to a Striker, if they’re of the same nation or play in the same league.
In earlier FIFA Ultimate Team editions, a player could only be linked to their nearest teammates through chemistry lines. These chemistry lines were also based on the formation. So, there was no way to link, say, Brazilian goalie Ederson with fellow Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, even though they played on the same team. However, these players can be linked with this new system, regardless of their playing positions.
Crossplay
EA has already stated that Crossplay won’t be available at launch, but is a feature of the new game. Moreover, since one versus one online matches dominate FIFA 23 Ultimate Team, players will also be sharing a market pool with players using other consoles. This implies that trading in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team will be far more complex due to the large player base. The competition for special cards will be higher, so we can expect the card prices to be much higher as well, considering a lack of supply.
Position changes
In older FIFA Ultimate Team editions, players’ positions could be changed using player position change cards. However, their positions could only be adjusted along the vertical length of the pitch. For example, a left winger’s position couldn’t be changed to that of a right-winger. If you played the player in the right-wing position, his chemistry would be limited, affecting his in-game stats.
However, FIFA 23 Ultimate Team brings an end to this system. In the upcoming game, players will have up to three alternate positions, based on the positions they play in real life. For example, Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo can now play both at left back and right back positions, as he usually does for Manchester City in the Premier League. Putting players in their alternative positions will have no negative impact on their chemistry.
Icons and Heroes
FUT Icons and FUT Heroes are special cards based on older players who have left a big impact on the game of football. When building your team in FIFA 23 Ultimate Team, you can use these Icons and Heroes in the game. With FUT Icons, you’ll receive a chemistry bonus as each Icon counts as two players for their nation. With FUT Heroes, you will get a chemistry bonus as well. However, this bonus will be based on the league they’ve played in. A FUT Hero card counts as two players based on the card’s league.
World Cup
Special player cards and events will be added to FIFA 23 Ultimate Team during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Furthermore, FUT Hero cards will receive special editions based on their performances in previous World Cup competitions. EA has not provided any more updates on the matter. So, watch this space as we’ll update it with more information as EA makes further reveals on the World Cup mode.
Also read: FIFA 23 Gameplay Trailer – HyperMotion2, Gameplay Improvements And More!
Final remarks
As you can see, FIFA 23 Ultimate Team will bring multiple vital changes to how the mode is played. With so many changes to the system, especially the chemistry links, building your dream squad will be more rewarding than ever before. We can’t wait to try out the new changes when the game releases on September 30, 2022. What do you think of the latest changes coming to FUT? Let us know your opinions in the comments below!
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Anirban Dutta Choudhury
Writer, researcher, and avid gamer. Geeks out over postmodern novels and the latest PC games. Usually intends all his puns.