Title Update #5

NOV 17, 2020

Title Update #5 (TU #5) is now available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (Origin/Steam) versions of FIFA 21.

In this article, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the gameplay changes surrounding Stamina decay for specific Custom Tactics and the Overload Ball Side D-Pad Tactic, as well as the change impacting ball trajectories following a block.

The changes in this Title Update are aimed at providing a more authentic on-pitch experience in FIFA 21, so let’s jump right in.

Ball Trajectory Following A Block

We have seen and will continue to monitor community feedback around blocking in FIFA 21, and we’ve made the following change:

• Increased the distance that a ball can travel after making contact with the foot or leg of the defender during a blocking animation.

This change is intended to reduce the number of situations in which a blocking player takes control of the ball in an inauthentic manner. Here’s what some blocking situations could have looked like before Title Update #5.

As you can see in the clip above, it was possible for a blocking defender to recover the ball too easily in some situations, which didn’t fit the goal of providing an authentic football gaming experience.

Here’s a clip of the same blocking scenarios as above, but with Title Update #5 applied.

In this clip, note how the ball can hit the defender and bounce away in a more true-to-life fashion than before. With this change, we’re aiming to have blocks affect match flow in a more similar way to their real world counterparts.

As mentioned above, we will continue to monitor community feedback on blocking in FIFA 21, and we are currently investigating feedback regarding AI player blocks.

Team Press Duration

TU #5 reduces how long the Team Press D-Pad Tactic is in effect when activated.

• Decreased the amount of time the Team Press D-Pad Tactic can be active for, before requiring cooldown, from 30 seconds to 20 seconds.

After carefully considering community feedback and our own metrics, we reduced the duration of Team Press in order to ensure it doesn’t become overused during matches.

Keep in mind that when Team Press is activated, it is only in effect when your team does not have possession of the ball, and it only affects your AI teammates. 

Overload Ball Side Stamina Decay

TU #5 introduces several changes to how Stamina is impacted when using specific in-game tactics. First, let’s take a look at the change to Overload Ball Side.

• Increased the impact of the Overload Ball Side D-Pad Tactic on in-game Stamina.

Before TU #5, when Overload Ball Side was in effect, players generally saw their Stamina decay 2.5 times faster than usual. With TU #5, this Stamina decay has been increased to be 5 times faster than usual, meaning that you can expect players to get more tired when Overload Ball Side is in effect.

Note that Overload Ball Side is only in effect when your team is defending and does not have the ball. This change does not affect Stamina when your team has the ball. We’ve implemented this change to prevent an over-reliance on Overload Ball SIde when defending, and to bring it more in line with its real world counterpart.

Defensive Tactics Stamina Decay

Some Custom Tactics have had their Stamina decay increased in this TU.

• Increased the impact of the Constant Pressure, Pressure On Heavy Touch, and Pressure On Possession Loss Tactics on in-game Stamina.

Before TU #5, when any one of the aforementioned Custom Tactics was used in-game, players generally saw their Stamina decay 2.2 times faster than usual. With TU #5, this Stamina decay has been increased to be 3 times faster than usual, meaning that you can expect players to get more tired when using these Defensive Tactics.

Like with the Overload Ball Side Stamina decay change mentioned above, these changes have been implemented in order to bring more footballing authenticity to FIFA 21. We’ll continue to monitor community feedback about Stamina decay, and how it affects the overall match flow and gameplay experience.

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Thank you everyone for checking out this Pitch Notes, and we hope that the additional context provided about the changes has been useful. Previous Title Updates did not have accompanying Pitch Notes articles like TU #5 since they were more focused on addressing issues instead of implementing changes. We’ll continue to assess which Title Updates would benefit from additional context through a Pitch Notes piece on a case by case basis.

To see the full notes for TU #5, be sure to head over to the EA SPORTS FIFA Tracker.

- The FIFA Dev Team

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For more deep dives on FIFA from members of the game team, check out the Pitch Notes Page.

Please Note: This article is describing in general terms what the Dev Teams are working on. We are constantly looking to improve the FIFA experience for everyone, so this article may become outdated as we make adjustments to keep our game fun for everyone.

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