This is my first FIFA game I'm playing after a long 10 years of football games rest. Played the regular (default teams) Divisions and went up to Division 1, even won it once so while far from perfect, I think I understand its mechanics from a gameplay perspective.Then I saw the whole buzz about FUT so decided to give it a try. I don't know if people in Rivals are pitted against each other while in the same division like in the main Divisions mode I played before, but they DEFINITELY don't have anywhere near equal teams, and this becomes so frustrating eventually. I started like 2 weeks ago and my team has an overall of 85-86, mostly gold rare regular players with a couple of TOTY ones of max 86-87 but like my wingbacks and some midfielders are still both 83 regular players cos I can't buy anything better. In Divisions I would dominate with such a team but in FUT Rivals it's nowhere near enough.Anyways, I have got to division 6 with that team and literally everyone I play against boasts monsters like Eusebio, Puskas, Ronaldo etc. or modern players but super boosted at 90+ When someone is decent at the game it's almost impossible to beat with so unequal squads but even clearly low skill players who just run straight and exploit the monstrous pace and dribbling stats of those icons are hard to contain.My question is, is this mode really only for players who focus on money making and acquiring the best of the best, rather than playing football? Is it possible for someone who does not want to pay to play ( I am against the principle of spending real money to buy any in-game item or credit) to compete in this mode?I don't have a problem to wait, and have spent a lot of hours doing Objectives and SBCs, the only way to slowly improve as with just 600 coins after every match, and some of the real top players everyone is using costing hundreds of thousands/ millions it's clearly impossible to hope to get there just by playing well.PS. If only the matchmaking algorithm in Rivals only allowed similar teams in strength to compete this would solve almost all of the above issues.Any advice on where to focus or I should just forget about this if I don't pay and get back to "just football" Divisions?!

@AndressonnIt's definitely possible to progress without paying. I refuse to spend any money on FC points and i've not even used the pre-order ultimate points yet and i'm a 16-18 win WL player and i'm in elite division. But i've really had to play a LOT this year and learn how to play against a certain type of player to get thereBUT with that being said, it's noticeable this year more than ever before that the pay to win players are gaining advantages in game and I think it's because of how ridiculously overpowered the AI is. If someone has paid to get all of the most OP players on the game AND uses a broken custom pressure tactic then you really have to grind and make 0 errors to even have a chance of beating them. You'll have certain games where you feel like you're fighting with your own players to do what you want them to do, let alone having to battle against the opposition.I've played fifa since 98 and probably played UT for about 5 or 6 years now and I can say with 100% certainty that this is the sweatiest and least rewarding game they've ever made. Rivals and friendlies genuinely feel like a chore whereas in the past they could be used for people to help eachother move forward. The community has got extra toxic this year

@Starscreamdali Never going to spend a single extra buck for in-game items that give an advantage. I have bought add-ons / expansions for other games in the past but that's just to enjoy something different like a new area of the map or a different (but not better) car, not to find an edge over my opponents. Cutting corners into important achievements which should normally be accomplished by patience, developing skills and devoting time is so corrupted as a mindset so I am not even considering that.That's why I asked with that as a given should I just abandon FUT if it's not possible to get there...

@AndressonnI'd probably break it down into 2 sections to describe what i do;In game- Don't use sprint all that often unless i've clearly got loads of space in front of me- Find good dribblers and passers in midfield and at fullback with the right playstyles. A CM or fullback with long ball pass or long ball + is a godsend this year because you can play right over the top of the press- Unfortunately trivela seems to have the easiest shot choice this year even if the player doesn't have the playstyle so i'd try and use those- I play a 4-3-3 (4) and use SOME Custom tactics but not loads. Fullbacks stay back, ST get in behind and stay central, RW stay wide etc... Really depends on how you want to play- Play lots of give & go's and make the opposition players move out of position to make space- I prefer strong, lengthy strikers like Morientes or Gomez but again that depends on how you like to playIn general/menus/SBCs etc...- I very rarely do any gamble SBCs like Icon or hero picks because 99% of the time the weight on them is horrible and it's a waste of fodder- Save untradeable packs up until you find an SBC player or upgrade you want to do, then open them and do as much as you can with the fodder, open and sell tradeable packs- Recycle low rated fodder into things like the 80+ picks whenever they're available- Have a look at evolutions and see if any would improve your team. For example I got lucky and managed to do a chain to make Garnacho 88 rated and he's amazing in game at RW- I do rivals, Squad battles and fut champs most weeks but in all honesty its more for the XP because the rewards are poor- Try and do the objectives that are available if you can because you can build up loads of packs from them

It's possible to have a good team and not spend any money the problem is to do so you either have to be really lucky or treat the game like a full time job.If I was you I would avoid ultimate team, it is designed to frustrate you and shaft you as much as it can, the whole mode is designed to push you into spending.This isn't a football mode, it's a casino mode.

@Starscreamdali I'VE NEVER SEEN A WORSE FOOTBALL GAME IN MY LIFE. EVEN IF THE GAME IS BETTER LOST WITH KICK RUNS AND OPPOSITION RUNS INTO THE OPEN EVEN WITH EXTREME DEFENSIVE TACTICS TERRIBLE GARBAGE.

Possible to progress in FUT without paying?

15 Replies

Starscreamdali
Seasoned Veteran
2 years ago
Jup its a pay to win game mate....dont spend any money is my advise. The gameplay is horrible and unplayable.
Cam3131
2 years ago
@AndressonnIt's definitely possible to progress without paying. I refuse to spend any money on FC points and i've not even used the pre-order ultimate points yet and i'm a 16-18 win WL player and i'm in elite division. But i've really had to play a LOT this year and learn how to play against a certain type of player to get there
BUT with that being said, it's noticeable this year more than ever before that the pay to win players are gaining advantages in game and I think it's because of how ridiculously overpowered the AI is. If someone has paid to get all of the most OP players on the game AND uses a broken custom pressure tactic then you really have to grind and make 0 errors to even have a chance of beating them. You'll have certain games where you feel like you're fighting with your own players to do what you want them to do, let alone having to battle against the opposition.
I've played fifa since 98 and probably played UT for about 5 or 6 years now and I can say with 100% certainty that this is the sweatiest and least rewarding game they've ever made. Rivals and friendlies genuinely feel like a chore whereas in the past they could be used for people to help eachother move forward. The community has got extra toxic this year
Andressonn
2 years ago
@Starscreamdali Never going to spend a single extra buck for in-game items that give an advantage. I have bought add-ons / expansions for other games in the past but that's just to enjoy something different like a new area of the map or a different (but not better) car, not to find an edge over my opponents. Cutting corners into important achievements which should normally be accomplished by patience, developing skills and devoting time is so corrupted as a mindset so I am not even considering that.
That's why I asked with that as a given should I just abandon FUT if it's not possible to get there...
Andressonn
2 years ago
@Cam3131 Sounds like we share the shame mindset :-) Was only playing casually in the past but that was 10 years ago, still I think I have caught up rather easily. Interesting (and disappointing) to hear it's only been going more and more towards the wrong direction. But if as you say it's possible to move up then I might continue enduring.
What would you suggest should I be focusing on? Because as I said by playing Rivals matches the pay off is so insignificant you can't expect it to take you anywhere. Is it SBCs that help? or overall objectives completion and getting packs and players as rewards? Imagine for someone playing the game for the first time all those menus and sub-menus seem too complicated to navigate and decide where are the best rewards to be found.
Cam3131
2 years ago
@AndressonnI'd probably break it down into 2 sections to describe what i do;
In game
- Don't use sprint all that often unless i've clearly got loads of space in front of me
- Find good dribblers and passers in midfield and at fullback with the right playstyles. A CM or fullback with long ball pass or long ball + is a godsend this year because you can play right over the top of the press
- Unfortunately trivela seems to have the easiest shot choice this year even if the player doesn't have the playstyle so i'd try and use those
- I play a 4-3-3 (4) and use SOME Custom tactics but not loads. Fullbacks stay back, ST get in behind and stay central, RW stay wide etc... Really depends on how you want to play
- Play lots of give & go's and make the opposition players move out of position to make space
- I prefer strong, lengthy strikers like Morientes or Gomez but again that depends on how you like to play
In general/menus/SBCs etc...
- I very rarely do any gamble SBCs like Icon or hero picks because 99% of the time the weight on them is horrible and it's a waste of fodder
- Save untradeable packs up until you find an SBC player or upgrade you want to do, then open them and do as much as you can with the fodder, open and sell tradeable packs
- Recycle low rated fodder into things like the 80+ picks whenever they're available
- Have a look at evolutions and see if any would improve your team. For example I got lucky and managed to do a chain to make Garnacho 88 rated and he's amazing in game at RW
- I do rivals, Squad battles and fut champs most weeks but in all honesty its more for the XP because the rewards are poor
- Try and do the objectives that are available if you can because you can build up loads of packs from them
Andressonn
2 years ago
@Cam3131 Nice, I do some of the things you mention already. Played 4-3-3 for a while but just happened to get too many good L/RWs so I switched to a 4-2-4 as I have to work with what I have. In fact like 90% of my squad is untradeable and I wondered where everyone buys their players from. I now realize it's only some objectives which give you tradeable players but not the majority? smh...
Evolutions is a nice concept, but again it's ridiculously monetized, the amount they cost you can buy a ready player I think. They should have been way cheaper to activate and a lot harder to achieve by playing and then they would make much more sense. With 35,000 coins I can't afford any of them.
So it seems like objectives is the focus? Only thing is i'm feeling i'm moving too fast than my mediocre squad should allow so I'm facing tough competition in Rivals and playing Squad Battles with the AI is more boring than watching paint dry...
Out of curiosity, what are the best players in your squad and how did you acquire them? How long did it take? Just to get a picture of realistic expectations for someone who does not pay their way up.
R1ckyDaMan19
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
It's possible to have a good team and not spend any money the problem is to do so you either have to be really lucky or treat the game like a full time job.
If I was you I would avoid ultimate team, it is designed to frustrate you and shaft you as much as it can, the whole mode is designed to push you into spending.
This isn't a football mode, it's a casino mode.
Andressonn
2 years ago
@R1ckyDaMan19 I hear ya. But as I said, I already won the Division 1 title once with regular teams and after that it felt like doing the same thing again and again, vs the same teams etc. Nothing more into it. I am not into the fantasy thing at all with the boosted players or silly icons who render any regular top class players useless (what a joke anyway) but at least there's a lot more depth in the game, combining management and playing. It's just implemented too bad towards paying I think.

But I do wonder, all those teams full of icons, by players who arguably suck at football (and the game) how were they accomplished? People really paid 500-1000EUR to buy them? Because those are the prices to get the required coins. Sounds crazy.
R1ckyDaMan19
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
@Andressonn Its a mix some people trade a lot others play an insane amount of games and throw everything they get into gamble or player sbc's, both those methods take a stupid amount of dedicated time.

Then yes you really do get people paying huge amounts of money on gamble packs that's why EA keep making record profits while the gameplay is horrible almost all the time.
BanesSolace
2 years ago
@Cam3131 You're a good one. Nice of you to give such advice, bless.