16 hours ago
I tested the EA FC 25 gameplay to see what the Season Finale Update changed
Some big gameplay changes were made in EA FC 25 Title Update 15, so I put it to the test to see what's got better, or worse
EA Sports has released its Season Finale update in EA FC 25 with big changes to passing, heading, and goalkeeping, but how different does the game actually feel?
The EA FC 25 gameplay and meta has changed multiple times since its release last year, and after EA Sports dropped Title Update 15 earlier this week, the game has started to feel different for players once again. From first-time through balls to long-range trivela shots, there's been a host of different ways to create chances and score goals in EA FC 25, but the EA FC 25 Season Finale update has claimed big changes have been made to short passing, heading and goalkeeping specifically, which could see the meta shift again.
Headers in attack have been nothing short of useless in EA FC 25, killing the overpowered Aerial meta that we saw in EA FC 24. But, improved header accuracy is one of the biggest updates in Title Update 15, so this meta could be making a comeback. Another big change is that players with high passing stats will now be able to complete ground passes more regularly, regardless of PlayStyles, and the fact that they couldn't is something which we've complained about in the past.
Lastly, goalkeepers with the Rush Out PlayStyle are not as overpowered when rushing off their line, so the acceleration has been dropped. So, how accurate are these changes and has the Season Finale update refreshed the meta in EA FC 25? Let's take a look...
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EA FC 25 Season Finale update review
We jumped onto EA FC 25 for a few hours to test out the Season Final update and see if we could really feel these gameplay changes in-game.
Ground passing
To test out if ground passing had improved for players with high passing stats (it's crazy this even needed an update), we first jumped into Clubs, building one pro with 91 passing and zero passing PlayStyles to see how good he was at passing. We've tested this out before to prove how overpowered PlayStyles were, and the pro with no passing PlayStyles struggled.
Well, to put it simply, ground passing wasn't much of an issue, and it has improved. My player was able to make accurate passes along the floor, mainly short distances. Under pressure, my pro was able to squeeze passes through tight spaces, and even though there were still some issues with first-time passes, it was way more accurate than before.
I then jumped into Ultimate Team, where I mainly used an Evolved Conor Bradley (I'm a Liverpool fan, I only evolve Liverpool players so don't judge) with all the passing PlayStyles, two passing PlayStyle Plus' and 90 passing against an Evolved Trey Nyoni (again, don't judge), with just one passing PlayStyle but 90 passing.
In Ultimate Team, there did seem to still be a big gap between passing ability, even though they both had 90 passing, but it wasn't like Nyoni was unusable. All in all, passing has improved, but PlayStyles are still extremely important.
Heading
Sorry to say it, but heading still feels useless following the update. Players with high heading stats, the Aerial PlayStyle and/or the Power Header PlayStyle never consistently got headers on target in attack, with plenty blazing over the bar like we've seen in the past.
Now, I did notice that from corners I was winning headers way more often, but the accuracy just wasn't there, so it doesn't look like the Aerial meta is returning. Is that a good or a bad thing? I guess time will tell.
Goalkeeping
Goalkeepers are weird. Some games, my 'keeper with Rush Out PlayStyle Plus could feel rapid off his line and make crucial saves, and sometimes, a poppadom would've been just as useful between the sticks, and this was before the update. But after the update, my 'keeper does feel slower, just like EA wanted.
To me, goalkeepers were never overpowered in the first place, and it didn't seem like a crucial update that needed to be made, but now it's here, I can't say that it makes much of a noticeable difference, so there's no need to worry here.
Elsewhere, the game felt pretty much the same. No new metas have seemed to appear from the hours I have spent on the game, so this 'major' Season Finale update doesn't really that major after all.
