Statement on NHL 25 Cheating and Competitive Integrity

Glad to know it's not just me. It's absolutely out of hand. Can't just play a fun game of chel anymore.

If you are playing with an AI goalie then it isn't really hard to score goals on shots you know are like 90% goal shots.  Also you are playing 3s where you aren't really shooting unless it's to score because controlling the puck is the key.  I'd love to see clips of all these goals happening.  Overall it's kind of easy to make the AI goalie look silly.   Short side goals are easy.  Making the goalie jump using LT and some movement is easy to freeze them or make them over commit.  Then you add in the X-Factors doing things and it's crazier.

Also I've looked into the cronus zen/xim stuff.  Checked various forums, discords, reddit and nothing really exists for NHL that matters.  You can create 1 button touches for the windmill deke, the tuck, and 2 other dekes that are meaningless.  We already have 1 button dekes.

the_forced_jedi wrote:

losing to multiple clubs who consistently score 8 goals on 11 shots using obvious exploits and possibly Cronus Zen devices? That’s not competition — that’s broken gameplay.

This is a fabrication and not true at all. If your opponents are consistently able to score "8 goals on 11 shots" - you have a defence problem. 

the_forced_jedi wrote:

The 3v3 World of Chel mode has become a hub for exploiters. It's filled with maxed-out builds, stamina glitches, and input manipulation that give unfair advantages. It’s making the EASHL Finals nearly unplayable for anyone playing honestly.

Again, untrue. You forgot to tell ChatGPT when generating this post that builds can't be 'maxed out' in this mode. 

the_forced_jedi wrote:

I’ve submitted a formal complaint to EA, and I urge others who care about this game to speak up. We need stronger anti-cheat enforcement, investigation into Cronus Zen usage, and a serious fix for the current state of ranked play.

Your assertion of Cronus usage is a complete exaggeration. 

1. Max builds to me ( or pre-builds like Agent Blue Line, etc.. ) 
2. Your answer is alarming and make it more suspicious ( can't expect someone who benefits from this way of gaming to understand ) 
3. He's not the only one who knows about this elephant in the room, top YouTube players complain about it too.  
4. A.I. goalies are pretty silly too (  I agree and they get some of the blame)
5. Even playing great defense doesn't stop the cheese/ goals
6. EA has addressed Cronus Zen ( research it )
7. It's ok that you like this game although your die-hard fan of an answer proves where you stand. Clearly you think the game is flawless ( you shouldn't be in this forum if so )
8. Chatgpt.com doesn't bother me
9.  I tend to play with a lot of random players and ask how they feel about the state of Chel and guess what? We're not alone. 
10. Player count is the biggest indicator of  how we feel, by no means does sit mean that all the blame is on WOC.

Lastly although your passionate answer shows where you stand, NHL is only going to continue losing it's players. Almost every match is a race to whoever does the exploitis quicker and better ( especially in the CLUB FINALS )  but I guess that's what today's gaming has come too.

If you benefit from exploiting/cheese and consider it " playing good " , that's good for you but that would mean whoever doesn't do the same is " playing bad " sorry, I don't buy it! Just like me, " your truth " doesn't mean that it's " The Truth" . Though I can't knock you defending do not complain if/when Chel disappears because it's not addressed.  Your next forum will be about things EA can do to make the game fun on all levels.  Also, Elite vs Bronze should only be a reality when the player count is low.  Make it more simulation-like and less arcade-like. 

I want this game to be fun and bring back the days of quick queue times and a high population. So instead of trying to nitpicking the post do us a favor, either help or mind your business and stay out of it, kindly and respectfully.

I can't stand when someone who benefits from a problem tries to debunk someone else's grivamces about a problem. This is makes the Devs keep everything the same.

EA_Aljo ( EA community manager for forums ) stated that " this isn't a widespread use for NHL25 " when replying to Cronus Zen allegations. Why wouldn't he just say there's no evidence of Cronus or just say there isn't any Zen usage. He does also request video proof too. Which I will be working on.

I feel like the " 90% goals shots " are the exploits/cheese being reffered to. I understand it's a video game but I feel like this year has gotten out of hand to say the least. Never noticed it as much as I have in all the years I've played NHL. Regardless thank you for your insight. I appreciate it.

You have bold claims like anything said can't be and isn't true. You would have to prove it just like I would have to prove it to you, so yeah a dead-end and a waste of response. Also, you sound like an undercover dev or one of those  " Good players " playing " Good . "  You're a fiery and funny one! 

I can't stand when someone who benefits from a problem tries to debunk someone else's grivamces about a problem. This is makes the Devs keep everything the same.

One person on our forums doesn't dictate how the game is made. We use feedback from the community as a whole. While I fully agree the LT exploit needs to be fixed, there are no glitch goals that I'm aware of. Meaning, goals that are impossible to defend due to a bug in the game. At some point, people need to be accountable for their own play. Many don't realize the most simple mistake can drastically change the outcome of a game. That's the nature of hockey in general. 

I want this game to be fun and bring back the days of quick queue times and a high population. So instead of trying to nitpicking the post do us a favor, either help or mind your business and stay out of it, kindly and respectfully.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion here. These are public forums. If you don't want anyone to comment on your thread, send me a private message. Posting here means the author is open to feedback regardless of agreeing with it or not.

If you benefit from exploiting/cheese and consider it " playing good " , that's good for you but that would mean whoever doesn't do the same is " playing bad " sorry, I don't buy it. Though I can't knock it but if/when Chel disappears because it's not addressed don't complain either.  Your next forum will be about things EA can do to make the game fun on all levels.  Also, Elite vs Bronze should only be a reality when the player count is low.  Make it more simulation-like and less arcade-like. 

It depends what you consider an exploit. Some think the forehand-backhand is an exploit. Some say short side or far side shots are cheating. Some think one timers from the point is an exploit. The same goes for tips and rebounds. None of these are cheats or exploits. Your opponent is taking advantage of what you're giving them. There are plenty of teams/players that can stop these shots. Just like in real hockey, a team is going to find their opponent's weaknesses and exploit those.

In no way am I saying the game is perfect. It has its issues. No matter how good the game is, it's always going to be very competitive and people are going to use any advantage they can. This usually means going for high percentage shots. Which, again, reflects real world hockey. 

We're not aware of Cronus giving any advantage. There also is very little discussion of it. Normally, when there's a known exploit, it's pretty widely discussed and I personally get a lot of messages about it. I haven't seen any evidence that it's being used by a large population of the playerbase. If you have a video, feel free to pass it on to me. As far as I know, Cronus is mostly beneficial for FPS games. When looking at the mod library on their website, nothing at all is mentioned for sports games. It's very hard to see any benefit at all to using this with NHL.

Isn't that the game every year though? Going back to NHL 12-ish, we had the infamous curve shot. There was the wrap glitch a few years back. Those are legit issues. Giving someone the time and space from a high scoring area is only exploiting their opponent's inability to defend them. Every year we get complaints about specific shots scoring too much. I too get annoyed by teams that only try the same thing over and over again. Thankfully, those teams tend to be pretty easy to beat since they always telegraph what they're doing.