EA SPORTS FC™ 25 | First Frost

Welcome to the First Frost Update for EA SPORTS FC™ 25. With this update we’re looking to address community feedback around most areas of the game while bringing a fresh layer of strategy and personalization to the game, including:

• New Player Roles and Focuses
• Shorter Rush matches and new Player Items in Ultimate Team
• Career Mode and Clubs updates
• A new winter menu theme

Whether you're preparing for the next big match in Career Mode, competing in Football Ultimate Team, or enjoying the camaraderie in Clubs, our goal with this update is to turn your feedback into changes and have something new for everyone. Let's dive into the details.

Table Of Contents

• Rush Updates Based On Your Feedback
• Gameplay Updates Based On Your Feedback And FC IQ
• Football Ultimate Team
• Career Mode
• Clubs
• Visual Update

Rush Updates Based On Your Feedback

Match Length Decrease In Ultimate Team

We’re decreasing the match length for Rush in Football Ultimate Team from 7 minutes to 5 minutes.

We’ve heard your feedback on some Rush matches feeling like they’re too long, and we’ve seen this reflected in our data as well. In 95% of all seven-minute Rush matches in Football Ultimate Team, the team leading by the 5th minute ended up winning the match. We believe that the decreased match length will make for faster-paced gameplay while still allowing for those rewarding comeback moments.

Improving Idling Detection In Ultimate Team and Clubs

We’ve seen a subset of players engage in undesirable idling behaviour in Rush UT and Clubs matches and heard your feedback about how frustrating this can be.

We’re committed to continuing to improve this space and this update is our first step towards addressing this unwanted behavior. We have improved the system used to detect idling players, which will increase the likelihood of inactive players being kicked from the match.

Players can expect to see warning pop-ups triggered more often for idle behavior, and the systems detecting idle behavior will not reset when the ball goes out of play. Additionally, being in the pause menu will also contribute to players being seen as idle.

Gameplay And FC IQ

Gameplay Updates Based On Your Feedback

To keep gameplay fresh and fun, here are some of the updates we’re introducing based on community feedback:

• Improved defensive logic for tracking runs during Kick Offs.

We’ve seen from the community that kick offs can be too challenging to defend against in certain situations, and with this update we’re looking to improve how defenders track attacking runs that happen right after a kick off. With this update, defenders can track runs deeper, and we’ll continue to closely monitor kick offs and your feedback around them.

• Slightly increased speed and consistency for the Stop And Turn (While Running) Skill Move when performed by 3 Star Skill Move players.

With this change, the intent is to make the Stop And Turn (While Running) feel more authentic when performed by players with a lower Skill Move rating. Previously, it felt a little more sluggish than intended.

• Slightly increased speed of Drag Backs.
• Slightly increased speed and consistency of Jog Fake Shots when performed by 3 Star Skill Move players and above.

Similarly to the previous point, we’ve seen that Drag Backs and Jog Fake Shots could have felt a little slower than intended, so this change aims to make them more useful and satisfying to pull off.

• Improved consistency for the Stop And Turn (While Running), Roulette, Heel To Heel, and Feint and Exit Skill Moves when performed by 2 Star Skill Move players.

We understand that these Skill Moves could have sometimes felt too punishing to perform with 2 Star Skill Move players, so we’ve made them more consistent with the goal of enabling you to play more expressively.

• Slightly increased speed and consistency of Jog Fake Shots when performed by 3 Star Skill Move players and above.
• Slightly decreased the speed of Jog Body Feints.

We’ve seen that Jog Body Feints could have been too hard to read at times, so lowering their speed slightly should maintain their explosiveness while enabling defenders to react appropriately in a more authentic manner.

• Attacking players can now come back to an onside position quicker than before.

The community has expressed that players sometimes stay in offside positions for longer than expected, so this change aims to make attackers more authentic with their offside positioning.

• Slightly increased the window of time in which a Directed Run can be requested.

This change is aimed at making Directed Runs a little more accessible and useful for more players than before.

•  A Player Switch can now be requested during passes while in Player Lock.

This is new functionality based on feedback we continue to receive around Player Lock. We want to ensure that Player Lock remains a useful tool in your arsenal and are making it more flexible with this change.

To view the full list of gameplay changes and issues addressed, check out our full TU #6 notes on the EA SPORTS FC Tracker.

Future Gameplay Updates Based On Your Feedback

We’re also actively investigating several issues we know are of concern to the community, and are working to address them in future updates. That list includes, but is not limited to:

• Scoring on corners
• First time Power Shots
• First time Lobbed Through Passes
• Jog Dribbles

We’ll look to provide an update on these areas when one becomes available.

FC IQ - New Roles And Focuses

We're introducing an expansion to FC IQ Player Roles and several quality of life improvements aimed at enhancing the tactical depth and player experience within FC 25. 

Two new Player Roles have been added: 

• The Classic 10 for the CAM position, a traditional attacking midfielder who is the main hook of attacking play. 
• The Wide Half for the CDM position, a defensive player who covers the sides of the pitch and can help in build-up play.

To further diversify strategic options, thirteen new Focuses have been introduced: 

• Build-Up for various positions 
• Aggressive for center-backs 
• Ball-Winning for holding midfielders 
• Support to improve the versatility of certain Roles

Here is the full list of all new Roles and Focuses:

• CAM - Classic 10
• Focus: Attack, Wide
• CDM - Wide Half
• Focus: Defend, Build-Up
• Focuses
• GK - Sweeper Keeper - Build-Up
• CB - Stopper - Aggressive
• CB - Ball-Playing Defender - Aggressive
• RB/LB - Wingback - Support
• CDM - Holding - Ball-Winning
• CDM - Deep-Lying Playmaker - Build-Up
• CM - Holding - Ball-Winning
• CM - Deep-Lying Playmaker- Build-Up
• RM/LM - Wide Playmaker - Build-Up
• CAM - Playmaker - Build-Up
• RW/LW - Wide Playmaker - Build-Up
• ST - Poacher - Support
• ST - Advanced Forward - Support

To learn more about the new Roles/Focuses in FC IQ, please visit the FC IQ Deep Dive.

Additionally, we're implementing quality of life improvements, such as the ability to toggle between With Ball / Without Ball Views when checking the Tactical Presets screen. These enhancements are part of our ongoing effort to provide tactical updates and improve the overall player experience, with plans to monitor your feedback and adjust accordingly.

Football Ultimate Team

New Player Items

First Frost Update brings 101 Players Items to the Football Ultimate Team pool of items that will become available following a Squad Update that will come shortly after the First Frost Update. The newly available Player Items include fan favourites such as David De Gea, Mats Hummels, Alexis Sanchez and Sergi Roberto.

New House Rule Mode in Live UT Friendly - Max Tactics

Following a Server Release after the First Frost Update, we’ll be introducing Max Tactics to Live UT Friendlies. 

With the goal of focusing on tactical gameplay, all Player Items positioned in their designated or alternate positions will receive upgrades, denoted as ++, to all Player Roles. Our intent here is to enable players to fully experience a variety of tactical options in FC IQ, try new formations, and play in new ways.

New House Rules mode in Live UT Friendly - Winter Match

We’ll also be introducing the Winter Match to Live UT Friendlies following a Server Release during our upcoming Winter Wildcards Campaign. 

This Live UT Friendly uses snowy weather physics, altering gameplay aspects such as dribbling and passing, to reflect the exciting challenges of playing in winter conditions. While playing Winter Matches players will also notice winter-themed visual treatment, with festive snow on the pitch and scoreboard.

Our intent with this one is to give players a new match experience that’s in line with our winter theme both visually and gameplay wise. 

The Squad Builder Rarity Filter Update

The Squad Builder Rarity Filter can now be used to search for all available rarities, similar to how search is done in the Transfer Market. As you’d expect, this update applies to both building a Squad to play with and building a Squad to complete an SBC with.

Career Mode

Youth Quality Of Life Changes Based On Your Feedback

We’ve seen your feedback regarding the development of youth players 

We are expanding PlayStyle progression for GK youth prospects, allowing them to get one of their PlayStyles upgraded to PlayStyle+ upon reaching 80 OVR. Additionally, if you scout GK Youth Prospects with 90+ potential and 4 PlayStyles - those players will now develop two PlayStyles+! The first PlayStyle+ will be unlocked at 80 OVR and second will be unlocked at 90 OVR.

Furthermore, we're extending the PlayStyles+ upgrade logic to non-academy players. Any non-academy squad player with no PlayStyle+ will get one of their PlayStyle upgraded to + version upon reaching 90 OVR. Similarly players at the end of their careers will lose PlayStyle+ upon dropping to 75 OVR. With these changes, we are looking to make youth development more rewarding and fun for players. 

We are also adding dedicated Development Plans for the new Player Roles introduced, the Classic 10 and Wide Half. The Youth Scouting department will also be able to focus their efforts on finding promising talent that can fulfill the two new Player Roles.

New Live Start Points

Following a near future Server Release, we’ll be adding new Live Start Points, including one focused on recent major matchups in the English Premier League. Live Start Points are a new way of experiencing Manager and Player Career, by starting your journey at access points based on real-world events across European league football throughout the 2024/2025 season. To learn more about Live Start Points, check out our full Pitch Notes on them.

New Group of ICONs In Player Career

The First Frost Update will refresh the ICON selection available in Player Career following a Squad Update. Here’s the new ICON selection, featuring some prominent Classic 10s from the past:

• Pelé
• Camille Abily
• Kaká
• Juan Román Riquelme
• Franck Ribéry 

Snow in Training Drills

Career Mode players will see the introduction of winter weather in training drills if the upcoming match is held in snow conditions, offering a more authentic preparation experience. Note that with Weather Effects Setting ON it will not only change the visual atmosphere but also impact gameplay during these drills, making certain activities like dribbling more challenging. 

Youth and Create Your Club Face Creation Improvements

Taking into account feedback from the community, we're introducing improvements to the formulas used for generating facial features and shapes of Youth Academy players and Create Your Club players. These changes apply to both new and existing saves. 

Clubs

Double XP Events

The First Frost Update will look to introduce Double XP Events in Clubs. During these events players will be able to earn XP at an accelerated pace.

Additionally, we're updating the user interface within Clubs to display the 2x Multiplier clearly, ensuring players are informed when the multiplier is active. And remember, that the amount of XP earned is also based on the Match Rating - so generally the better your performance in the game, the faster you will progress.

Keep an eye out for that coming soon.

New Facilities

We’re introducing two new Facilities - VR Room and Passing Drill. This update is intended to provide even more Facility combinations for managers to choose from when allocating their club’s Facility budget to complement the strengths of each player in the club. 

Here’s what these 3-Star Facilities will include:

• VR Room
• Attributes: Finishing, Short Passing
• PlayStyle: Long Throw
• Passing Drill
• Attributes: Long Passing, Intercept
• PlayStyle: Intercept

As a reminder, enhancements from Facilities apply to all player-controlled clubmates and not AI-controlled clubmates during League, Playoff, and Friendly Matches.

Winter Weather in Drop-Ins

With the First Frost Update, players will notice snow on the pitch when playing matches in Drop-In. It's important to note that these visuals are purely aesthetic and will not impact gameplay mechanics. 

Visual Updates

Menu Changes

In the First Frost Update, FC 25  players can expect a festive transformation across the game's main menu, enhancing the holiday spirit from the moment the game launches. From players wearing long sleeves and undershirts, to snow particles, lighting changes and frost vignette on the screen, ensuring the seasonal change can be felt everywhere.

New Star Heads

First Frost Update brings 202 new player star heads to EA SPORTS FC 25. You can expect to see improved likenesses of players across different leagues and clubs following a Server Release after First Frost Update, including players from Ligue 1 McDonald’s: like Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jonathan David, Junya Ito, Sofiane Diop, and Deiver Machado.

New Celebrations

We’re bringing two new celebrations to the game, inspired by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dusan Vlahović. These celebrations can be executed with respective players across Kick Off, Career, and Football Ultimate Team modes. These celebrations will be added to the Football Ultimate Team pool of items as well, to use with anyone in your squad.

Thanks for checking out our First Frost ** Pitch Notes! We look forward to you experiencing all the new changes and additions coming to FC 25.

• The EA SPORTS FC Team