EA Sports has introduced a new feature that represents one of the biggest additions to the Ultimate Team experience in recent years. FIFA 18 features one of the most significant additions to the Ultimate Team palette in recent years: Squad Battles.

EA Sports has introduced a whole new means of earning both points and packs this year to bolster your ranks – and all you have to do is play matches. Goal has your complete guide to Squad Battles and how to make the most of the new feature.

What are squad battles?

Squad Battles sees you take on AI-controlled Ultimate Team squads built by other FIFA players. Each competition lasts a week, with four new matches available to play once each every day (and a couple of extra sets thrown in at 17:00 UK time on Saturday and Sunday). By playing and winning those games, you earn points based on the difficulty level you have selected.

The more points you earn relative to other FIFA players competing, the greater the rewards – which consist of packs and coins – you will take home at the end of each week. Some of the squads you will be challenged to beat are created by real-life stars, with Dele Alli’s featuring his own special 99-rated card.

How can I earn points?

Points are earned in Squad Battles by winning matches. When you are ready to play a match, you will be asked to select a difficulty. Each difficulty has a multiplier assigned to the number of points that can be earned, with the hardest setting – Ultimate – multiplying your potential haul by 2.6 and the lowest – Beginner – halving it (0.5).

It is not as simple as three points for a win, though. You will gain and be deducted points depending on a number of stats, including goals scored and conceded, passing accuracy, tackles and fouls. It’s worth weighing up, then, whether you might be able to score enough goals on a lower difficulty to outweigh the advantages of a higher multiplier on a more challenging setting.

You’ll also want to take a look at the squad you’re facing. If it’s stacked with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and so on or has great chemistry, it’s obviously worth playing it safer than when you’re facing a mediocre opponent.

What are the rewards?

At the end of each week, EA ranks all the players who have taken part in Squad Battles and assigns prizes.

There are special prizes for the top 100 players in the world but after that, each rank is based on the percentage of players you have earned more points than. To get in the highest category outside of the top 100, for example – called Elite 1 – you will need to be in the top one per cent of all players that week.

By participating in any way at all, you’ll get in Bronze 3 as a bare minimum and collect a couple of loan players for your trouble. The prizes get better and better as you go up the scale from there, though, and if you can break into the Gold and Elite categories you’ll be landing a decent number of coins and some potentially valuable packs.

There is the introduction of more varieties when a gamer comes to squad training and development of player. Gamer can find fifteen more new skill games in FIFA 18. Alternatively, it is to deal with comeback of a player from injury. Gamer can make preset drills and it is to assign them to specific players or groups while permitting gamer to model the development strategy of gamer for young players to strengthen the traits of player. To alleviate the needs of coin, gamer can Buy FIFA 18 Coins from the professional online gaming house in the most affordable cost now. Coin is the in-game currency of impending FIFA 18. Coin helps gamer arrange the best available players along with other consumables while making a superb FIFA 18 team.

About Quick Subs

Go for dealing with application of pre-set substitutions prior to a game in Team Management or it is to take merit of contextual substitutions with in-game prompts. Gamer is to respond to granting a goal or missing an alteration with a fast sub to get back upon the front foot without having to depart from the match. It is for the first time, gamer can simply make alterations in game without having to pause the blending with new correct-depended subs.

Styles of Team

Gamer is to find the genuine playing fashions of clubs that are remade. New Team fashion appears to life in Career Mode of FIFA 18. Gamer is to be immediately identifying some of the best-known strategies of world upon the pitch. Gamer is to listen to adaptive commentary that goes for styles of play of team as references. It is to feel an alteration in defensive and invading approaches while selecting a new team or taking on a new challengers all through the career of gamer.

Ambiance, Genuineness, And Regionalization

Region-based ambiance, pitch-side fixtures, stadium-particular banners, high-def active crowds and more all appear together to make a difference of matches all through the globe. Based on immersive ambiance in FIFA 18, gamer is to find real regional demarcation. It is to listen to chants of crowd while increasing free kicks in Spain, Germany, and Portugal. It is depended when a gamer goes for a chosen league to deal with. Buy FIFA Coins online when gamer is fallen in acute crisis of it in the gameplay of FIFA 18. Similarly, the whistling of shrill as goalkeepers goes for goal kicks in the regions of Latin America. The roaring voice of a North American PA announcer, new chants for MLS and LaLiga Santander teams takes place in FIFA 18 this time. Game enthusiasts can gain the experience of more intense ambiance of big matches incorporating derbies, the latter rounds of cup contest along with minnows against giant matches as the devotees yell continuously.

Overlays of new broadcast in La Liga Santander, MLS and new presentation graphics in the premier league deepen the experience of gamer. Do not forget upcoming FIFA 18 Ultimate Team in FIFA 18. To avail the legendary footballers along with the latest heroes, gamer can opt to purchase FIFA 18 Coins online while making a dream FUT 18.

Replacing their regular cards in packs for a limited time, these black cards are assigned to a very limited selection of players announced on late September (Summer Edition) and early February (Winter Edition). Ones to Watch cards were a brand new card category in FIFA 17 Ultimate Team.

They increase or not depending on the player’s form. Opposite to all other FUT cards, the OTW ratings and stats are not fixed.

Release Dates

When FIFA 18 OTW Cards will be available?

The OTW cards features top-players with less than 30 years old who moved to new clubs on this summer or winter transfer window.

The Winter edition is released in early February, the Summer Edition of the FIFA 18 Ones to Watch cards will be available since the first day (September 29) for a few days. During this period, it is not possible to find the regular cards of this selection of players because the hybrid cards are replacing them.

Ratings and Stats

How big are the ratings and stats boosts?

The ratings of OTW cards should be automatically updated as soon as a new TOTW card gets released. They are in form cards that have the stats of that players highest rated TOTW cards, In other words. They can’t go down. Their ratings just can go up. The FIFA 18 Ones to Watch cards boost in rating and stats every time a player gets a new TOTW card.

Cards Prices

What happens to the cards’ prices during the season?

These cards give the game a fantasy football element. That’s why it is so difficult to predict the prices, The hybrid cards prices depend on how well the players performed and how many IF cards they get.

Players have now to make many important choices, wit the hybrid cards in the game.  What if a player doesn’t get the TOTW card you were expecting? When do you sell? do you buy a hybrid card right off the bat, knowing it will cost more than a regular card of an equivalent player? Do you cut your losses or do you hold onto the card hoping it will rise in value eventually?

Whether it’s lag during matches or games ending abruptly, EA servers have come under constant fire from the FIFA community.

But speaking to Dream Team Gaming, EA SPORTS’ lead gameplay producer Sam Rivera says steps are being taken to make these issues a thing of the past in FIFA 18.

“There have been decision in the past about putting servers around the world – and people who are far from the servers will experience some lag,” he said.

“So, now what we are doing is that there is a group of people just specifically working on connectivity – and they are working very hard to try and provide the best experience.

“Obviously because of geographical reasons, it’s not easy but we are aware that some people are experiencing bad things – especially with competitive gaming.”

He added: “Even losing one game because of a disconnect could mean you do not qualify for the regionals – so we know that, and are working on it. It’s just technically, it’s hard.”

Your internet connection may not be the only thing contributing to lag – your TV could be doing you no favours, either.

Follow these steps to make sure your ready for FIFA 18 Ultimate Team.

Hunt down your TV’s ‘Gaming’ preset

If you’re playing on your TV straight out of the box, chances are it’s got a host of flashy picture processors turned on.

Sadly, these can affect input delay, so most now come with a ‘Gaming’ preset.

These can be hard to find, but are usually found in the ‘Picture’ section of the ‘Settings’ menu.

‘Game’ mode works by turning off a load of these processors, which lowers input lag substantially. There are some reports that delay can be cut up to 50 per cent.

Note that some ‘Game’ modes still keep a few things, such as ‘Motion Blur control’ and ‘Noise Reduction’ switched on, so go through and double check they’re all deactivated.
If not… well, you know what’ll happen.

Turn off ‘Eco mode’ and reduce the backlight

Look away now, energy savers.

‘Eco’ mode in TVs automatically adjusts the picture depending on light – but it’s way too aggressive and leads to an unnatural look that can strain your eyes.

This doesn’t affect lag, per say, but switching it off is a quick way of creating a much more colour rich, detailed image – enhancing the overall experience.

To improve contrast, make sure the backlight (if your TV has one) is set to 0 and contrast is NOT set to maximum.

The latter will lead to less detail in darker and brighter scenes.

You’ll be able to play FIFA 18 on the go

The Switch has already proven itself as a brilliant handheld companion, so being able to play the full game (not just the Web App) on the go will give this version the edge.

Thankfully, FIFA has been ‘custom built’ for Nintendo’s new hardware.

It may not use the latest Frostbite technology but gameplay is sleek, responsive and runs at 60FPS.

Plus, you’re able to detach the Joy Con controllers and play a friend – although this can be a bit fiddly.

A battery life of up to six hours makes it perfect for long journeys.

It has Ultimate Team

As long as you have Wifi you’ll be able to play Ultimate Team and buy packs as you normally would.

Champions won’t feature but that’s not the end of the world.

Graphics and presentation

Sure, it’s not as crisp as the Xbox One, PS4 and PC versions of the game – but FIFA on the Switch is by no means ugly.

EA producer Andrei Lazaresco told Eurogamer about how they made the most out of Switch’s Nvidia Maxwell-based Tegra X1 chip.

“We’re using physical-based rendering,” he said.

“The crowds are 3D. The grass is 3D. The lighting is new. And on top of that you’ll have Ultimate Team for the first time on Nintendo – and for the first time you’ll be able to take it on the go.

“You’ll be able to play on a plane, on a bus, even from just a hotspot.”

Sounds like a winner to us.

It’ll be easier than ever to meet new players

Right now, if you want to add a friend on the Switch you need to use an annoying 12 digit Friend Code. But that’s all about to change.

Nintendo confirmed to Polygon that more ways to add pals are on the way – using the likes of Twitter, Facebook and the simple Nintendo Network ID.

Expect FIFA 18 to have a custom interface for adding players – although no details of this have been announced.