In EA SPORTS FC™ 24, we’ll be updating rewards in a number of modes including, Squad Battles, Rivals & Champions. Each mode change is looking to solve a unique challenge but we wanted to tackle the changes together to ensure that playing in all three modes felt rewarding and balanced.
Seasons will play a central role in Ultimate Team 24. As part of that shift, you’ll notice that Squad Battles, Rivals, and Champions modes now feature weekly Seasonal XP rewards. This will help you make more progress on the Seasonal Ladder by playing in your mode.
In Champions we’ll update rewards throughout the year to make sure that they feel meaningful, whether you are playing in October, February, or June. The most notable change you’ll see right away at launch is that Ultimate Team Champions Player Items (sometimes referred to as Red Picks) will be replaced by rewards of equivalent value in-game. Before jumping into more details about why we’re making these changes, this doesn’t mean that Ultimate Team Champions Players will be gone forever. Instead, we’ll be focusing on how and when they show up in Ultimate Team throughout the year.
By making these changes to Ultimate Team Champions rewards, we want to make rewards more relevant to your Ultimate Team journey throughout the year.
The original aim of Champions Players was to allow players to showcase their on-pitch ability, through special versions of Players in their squad. As we look at in-game usage, it’s clear that Ultimate Team Champions Players’ match usage drops the deeper into the Live Service we go, with Champions Players being used more and more in Squad Building Challenges (SBCs).
Last year, as the vast majority of leagues paused in November, we updated our Champions rewards in Season 2 which allowed players:
By removing Champions Players from the default rewards lineup, we’ll be able to focus on delivering more frequent changes to Champions rewards throughout the year, helping to keep them as a key avenue of growing your squad all season long.
In addition, we’ll be updating Champions rewards for Rank 2 and above. A focus for us heading into EA SPORTS FC™ 24 is to ensure we better balance difficulty and rewards for elite play, and these changes look to reward the best of the best each and every week.