EA Sports have announced the release of their newest Title Update to FIFA 22, where they've aimed to make 'positive' changes to both the attacking and defending side of the game.
FIFA 22 's newest title update comes late in the cycle of this year's game, and just a few months before the release of FIFA 23, meaning many will see the future patches to this iteration as test data that'll be used for EA's future release. In the previous update, Title Update 13, there were a few small changes for Ultimate Team and gameplay and visual issues, but the newest title update includes sweeping changes.
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There are five big changes in this patch, meaning players will find it easier to use a variety of shots on goal as well as making defending slightly more challenging when not controlling a player. There's also a brand new skill move.
Here are all the changes to FIFA 22 in Title Update 14, as per EA's Pitch Notes.
FIFA 22 Title Update 14 patch notes in full
Knuckle ball Shots
The first of many changes is the change to knuckle ball shots.
"TU #14 introduces the following knuckle ball shot change:
- Increased the likelihood of a knuckle ball shot occurring when requesting a high-powered shot while the ball is 0.67 meters/2.2 feet from the player’s feet.
With this change, our goal is to increase the shot variety seen during gameplay in order to bring more authenticity to the act of shooting. Attributes don't affect whether a knuckle shot will happen, the conditions for it are related to the aforementioned distance and shooting direction. The angle of the shot needs to be forward facing, roughly in the direction that the ball carrier is already looking towards."
This change will certainly come as a relief for players as knuckle balls are definitely some of the more fun shots to use from range to try and score alongside the next change.
Low Driven Shots
The second change to the shooting aspect of the game is to low driven shots. It's been a complaint of players that low driven shots aren't always consistent enough to score with and therefore often go underused. Therefore, EA claim they'll expect to see a "17.5% increase in accuracy" for low and mid-powered low driven shots.
The following images show how the changes to low driven shots will change the accuracy. They show " 100 low powered Low Driven Shots might have looked like before TU #14. Note that the black lines here show potential off target shots, green lines show goals scored in this scenario, and red lines indicate potential saves by the goalkeeper".
The next image shows how it'll look after the new update is released.
The second image shows a more accurate shot with a tighter grouping of potential angles which should mean less shots off target and more shots either resulting in goals or challenging saves for goalkeepers.
New skill move: Ball Roll Cut 180
A new skill move can now be performed by players with a four or five star Skill Move rating which is " intended to give players more options when moving with the ball in order to generate space in new situations that can potentially fool defenders ". This willl make it easier for players to cut through defenders or break down solid defences.
(Video)
The skill can be performed by holding down the L1 (PlayStation) or LB (Xbox) button and flicking the Right Stick in the opposite direction the ball carrier is facing, and then flicking it a second time whilst still holding down L1 or LB.
Shot Blocking
The new title update brings two changes to both AI-controlled and Human-controlled shot blocking. The changes are:
- Significantly reduced the reach of attempted shot blocks by AI controlled players.
- Slightly reduced the reach of attempted shot blocks by human controlled players.
According to the patch notes, EA are trying to "help promote a more player controlled approach to shot blocking" . This, in turn, should lead to more balanced gameplay between attacking players and defensive players.
Tackling Distance
The final change in this update is concerning Tackling Distance and once again, EA are looking to put more focus on allowing the player to engage against their opponent more. The change will " Significantly decrease the range required for a defender to attempt a tackle without being requested to do so."
This is also to promote a more active player experience and the development team say " This change will be largely noticeable in, but not limited to, situations in which attackers take on AI controlled defenders and when defenders are applying Secondary Contain" .
FIFA 22 is the latest game within EA's popular FIFA video game franchise, which released worldwide on Friday, October 1, 2021. The game is available now on all platforms including Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia and PC.
