The first major update for FIFA 20 has already been released on PC. The patch will follow for PS4 and Xbox in the coming days. Here you will learn how the game changes.
As last year, an early, extensive update with many changes is also being released this year. EA is primarily tackling general gameplay adjustments and comfort issues in Ultimate Team.
However, improvements for the issues in Career Mode and the fitness glitch in Ultimate Team are being sought in vain. FUT players can continue to save many coins as they do not need to buy fitness cards.
We look at the most important changes of the update.
What changes in gameplay
Goalkeepers
What changes:
- The keepers now allow the ball to bounce off after a save more than before. This is intended to significantly reduce rebound goals.
- The goalkeepers save more shots that go towards the middle during penalties.
The area in which the goalkeeper saves a penalty that goes to the middle has now become larger. This can be clearly seen in the images from EA. If the keeper is not moved and remains in the middle, he saves the ball in the yellow area, which is extended with the update.
Dribbling
What changes: Players who reach an average of at least 80 in the following attributes:
- Dribbling
- Aggility
- Balance
are said to be more agile and better controllable after the patch. These players are primarily expected to have improved quick direction changes and overall dribbling.
In FUT, a chemistry style can help raise these attributes to an average of 80.
Passing
What changes: New chipped through passes and lofted passes have been introduced in FIFA 20. These are executed by pressing the X/A button twice. With the patch, the new passes are supposed to become weaker.
With the new update, the chipped passes are supposed to be less effective. They are supposed to bounce more often and thus be less successful.
The upper image shows 100 chipped passes before the update. The lower image reveals the changes. With 100 chipped passes after the patch changes, the ball reaches its target significantly less often.
Defending
What changes: The effectiveness of pressuring (L2/LT) has been reduced.
- Defenders can no longer sprint while pressuring to catch up with the attacker.
- When pressuring the attacker, the player reacts slower to the movements of the ball-carrying player.
The changes are very well illustrated in this example video from EA:
The changes in VOLTA
What changes:
- The goalkeeper’s reflexes have been reduced so that shots from close range succeed more often.
- Long range shots are now more error-prone and do not succeed as often.
- The walls interfere less during dribbling.
What changes in Ultimate Team
What changes: For FUT, especially the new team screen and the squad-building challenge screen have been improved. EA provides comfort improvements here, allowing multiple players to be selected and moved to the active team at once.
In a video, EA Sports illustrates the change:
More changes and patch notes
Additionally, the following issues are addressed: A complete list of all changes can be found in a comprehensive forum post by EA.
Among these, the following smaller changes can be found:
- Powerful low shots are more effective and succeed more often.
- Players no longer fly unrealistically through the air when hit by the ball.
- Goalkeepers catch more balls instead of punching them away.
- Kicks without a selected pass direction no longer land so often with the opponent.
