FC 26 Holiday Update Guide

The Holiday update in FC 26 is among the most game-changing this season. It influences player progress by introducing new gameplay, changes to game modes, and visual updates. The new update will benefit players in a lot of ways, as they can learn the mechanics of the game again, and understanding these changes in the game will impact both their casual and competitive matches.

The update brings major updates to goalkeeping, career modes, the clubs, and the teams in kick-off. Let’s follow LDShop to understand the major changes the Holiday Update brings to FC 26. Players will understand how the update affects the gameplay, what they can expect from the update, and how the update makes the game more balanced, realistic, and engaging for the players.

Changes to Goalkeeping

Before the update, players could move their Goalkeepers very fast to cover large angles in no time, but with the new update, the movement is restricted, and it is no longer as fast as it was, reducing the coverage area. The previous movements did not relate to real-life football due to unrealistic movement speed and saves, but the restrictions with the new update make the keeper movements more realistic, which leads to more emphasis on the defense, instead of complete reliance on the goalkeeping. This makes the game identical to real football behaviour.

The “Rush to Centre” feature has been removed. This restricts the keeper to pace to the middle of the goal quickly. Players used this feature to save too many shots. Keepers can not correct their positioning instantly, which will give players a high chance to score a goal if the proper shooting angle is taken instead of relying on luck. The update makes the keeper animations smoother and responsive to reduce the previously noticed slow response time. This update makes the keeper more natural and focuses on realistic football.

Updates to Attacking, Passing, and Defense

The Holiday Update makes the attackers smarter. They are now able to make better forward movements; instead of holding back to avoid offside, they can open lanes to receive quick passes. The new update makes the headers less reliable, and cross shots have improved trajectory, making it more realistic. This is done to balance between ground and aerial passes instead of focusing on just one type. The defensive area remains more or less untouched, and manual defending is still highly preferred, and changes to goalkeeping make it even more important.

Changes to Career Mode

The changes to Career mode have made squad and player management easier than before. The contract willingness indicator is one of the new key features of career mode. It enables us to see which players are willing to extend their contracts. This can be seen in the Squad Hub, and this feature helps in efficient squad management. To improve the navigation, the Manager Live Hub has been improved. A new tab provides quick access to the Live Star Points and unlocked kits.

Players can now preview mascots beforehand in the Create Your Club mode. This helps players to customize club creation according to their ideology. Replacing clubs until they matched a favorite club was previously a highly desired feature by players, which has finally been brought to the game. The Player Career mode has been improved for new players to have a better understanding of the Archetype preview tile and XP.

Ultimate Team Rush

A small update has been made to Ultimate Team Rush. After completing a Rush match, players can cast a vote to stay in the same group and start a new game without returning to the lobby. During the events, when players look to improve the strength of their club or buy FC 26 coins to speed their progress up, this smooth flow from Team Rush helps them with better squad building and upgrades. The best platform to make the top-up is LDShop, it lets players top up for less and it is a great way to save money.

The same group allows for reducing the time and starting a new match immediately, which ultimately improves teamwork due to a constant team rather than having new teammates every round, and reduces matchmaking delays.

Updates to the Club Mode

Players fixated on Clubs can enjoy a variety of improvements to the gameplay and progression. The Archetypes have received an increase in level capacity from 60 to 75. This helps in further development in the future. This provides the old players with new levels to explore and grind, who have maxed out their levels. Players can now use the AXP Instant Boost from level 25 up to level 40. This update gives players free will to experiment with their builds and players early in the game to improve the progression.

The new update gives a powerful trait to the players once they reach level 75 and upgrade their signature playstyle to playstyle+. Players can give multiple roles to teammates in the club instead of the same build for everyone, which is a part of the system after the Holiday Update. The rating calculations are no longer inflated, and the evaluation is fairer for all the positions, according to the performance of the particular position.

Updates in Kick-Off Mode

The Kick-Off Mode receives Classic XI teams as an addition with the update. This team consists of legendary players from different football eras. To enjoy the nostalgic football era with friends or challenge solo against the iconic players easily, the team has been added to both the standard and rush Kick-Off. The Classic XI team does not affect the competitive mode, but provides variety in other modes for players to enjoy.

Visual Updates

Visual updates have been made to FC 26 in the Holiday Update. Certain players have received more accurate faces using the new star heads. Visual improvements like falling snow, new lighting, and details to the stadiums have been made to the menu design based on the Holiday theme. These updates enhance the look and impression of the game to make it look seasonal and attractive without affecting the gameplay. These give a vibrant finish to the game, making it more engaging for the players.

Additional Tips

• Improve the positioning of defenders and utilize the better keeper animations, instead of relying on manual movements.
• Utilize the new Archetype and playstyle to create the best player for your team.
• Utilize the improved passing and movements rather than relying on the build-up of the game.
• Use the Ultimate Rush to connect with players and create a strong team, and reduce the downtime.
• Keep experimenting with modes other than the competitive mode.

Conclusion

The Holiday Update brings exciting features to FC 26 as well as changes that directly influence the gameplay of players. Players must focus on their movements, defender positioning, and utilize the new passing mechanics. This guide will help players understand all the changes the update brings and how they can benefit from those changes for better progression.