I’ve played NHL for years because I love the competitive spirit, strategy, and teamwork it requires. But this year, NHL 25 has been one of the most frustrating experiences to date. I'm not complaining about losing — I’m fine with taking a loss. But 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. 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. 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. We deserve a fair game.

This game is so consistently inconsistent which makes it feel like we’re playing against the game itself rather than our opponents a lot of the time.I can defend against the best of them but when certain players attempt the same exploit over and over and over eventually it’ll work or they’ll switch it to another exploit catching me off guard. Same thing when I score my many one timers from the point. A player can defend against me successfully but if I keep doing it over and over and over I’ll eventually score as they’ll eventually breakdown. So no not everything is 100% defendable and that’s why it’s a strategy of certain players to repeatedly try the same thing over and over and over. That’s not how I want to play hockey.

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

Ok hero lol I’m not here to argue—I’m just sharing my experience, because for the first time in six years of playing this game, I felt frustrated enough to speak up. And not just that—this is literally the first time in my life that I’ve ever made a forum post or publicly complained about any video game. That alone should tell you how much this has gotten to me.I’ve been part of a decent +500 team with a solid win rate against high-level competition. I’ve faced Diamond and Elite teams and can admit when we’re simply outplayed. I don’t mind losing—never have. But when the mechanics feel inconsistent or outright broken, it becomes less about skill and more about fighting the game itself. That’s when it stops being fun.One of my biggest gripes is with the repetitive goal patterns—especially the “backhand/forehand/backhand” move that goalies just can’t seem to stop. It’s predictable, it’s stale, and yet it’s still somehow effective every time. I’ve personally opted out of doing it because scoring that way doesn’t feel rewarding—it feels like I’m just exploiting something the game hasn’t fixed.Your response felt more like a defense of the game than a real attempt to understand where I’m coming from. If it plays perfectly for you, great. But that doesn’t invalidate other players’ experiences.I even have video clips backing up what I’ve seen, though I doubt they’ll change anything. That’s just the reality of these forums sometimes.Either way, I’ll keep sharing my thoughts when I think it matters. You can ignore them or not—that’s up to you. But I won’t be replying again. I’ve said what I needed to say.No hard feelings—just being honest.

Lol....well my opponent quit after this ,why can't the goalies just simply cover the puck ,whether its in front of them or next to them they just can't cover the puck like they used to its ridiculous https://youtu.be/DG6tHhNIkBc?si=ke3Hpk-rt85zgpS-

Thanks for the continued input. At least we can agree there the game isn't perfect, it doesn't have to be. That's not the point. If you play, you should be aware of the overly repetitive Goal styles that I can exploit which I can choose to do but rather not. If this is the new way to " play good " then we are removing a big fun factor when it comes to competitive play. How often do you see a goal scored in real world hockey that you've never seen before? They're probably more uncommon than you think. Teams will use every advantage they can. Which means knowing their opponent's weaknesses and exploiting those. The same applies the video game. If I notice my opponent going for D to D one Ts, I'm going to adjust my strategies and cover the points better. If they're only going for short side/far side shots from the slot, I'll pressure them harder when they skate into the slot. The same goes for cheesing tips and rebounds. I'll adjust strategies and play lower so I can block those shots and pick up the rebounds. They are taking advantage of what you're giving them. My club does exactly this. We recognize a team's weakness and exploit that. We tend to work the puck around and find someone open and put good shots on net. Not every time. Just like everyone else, we'll throw some shots on and hope for the best. Which, again, is a part of hockey. The least-threatening shots and turn into a goal just from a good bounce or a lucky rebound. The population isn't as low as being assumed. Yes, it says low in the matchmaking. I get that. Still, my club consistently is finding new clubs to play. Our matchmaking is quick as well. Low or not, all that matters is that we quickly find different teams to play and that hasn't been an issue. We regularly play 5s and 6s. Again, the game isn't perfect. I'm well aware of that. The gameplay is pretty solid though. Especially in WoC when you have 5 skaters. If you're playing 2s, it's probably more challenging since you're relying on the AI to stop teams from taking those shots. Especially if you're running with 2 human forwards. You're more than welcome to get some video of the exploits you're talking about. I'm always happy to get them reviewed for any issues.

Statement on NHL 25 Cheating and Competitive Integrity

64 Replies

gkai613
Rising Rookie
2 months ago
Max builds to me ( or pre-builds like Agent Blue Line, etc.. )
Your answer is alarming and make it more suspicious ( can't expect someone who benefits from this way of gaming to understand )
He's not the only one who knows about this elephant in the room, top YouTube players complain about it too.
A.I. goalies are pretty silly too ( I agree and they get some of the blame)
Even playing great defense doesn't stop the cheese/ goals
EA has addressed Cronus Zen ( research it )
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 )
Chatgpt.com doesn't bother me
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.
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.
KidShowtime1867
Hero
2 months ago
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.
KlariskraysNHL
Hero
2 months ago
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.
Rainedeath
Rising Scout
2 months ago
Glad to know it's not just me. It's absolutely out of hand. Can't just play a fun game of chel anymore.

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Statement on NHL 25 Cheating and Competitive Integrity

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