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

56 Replies

KidShowtime1867
Hero
3 days ago
Rockstaar80 wrote:
Speaking of ChatGPT, can you imagine when that gets added for announcers?
For real! Imagine EA or others sports game developers making deals with real world broadcasters to use their voice. Then, they simply need to have AI generate the script for each recorded phrase in the voice of a real world broadcaster. You wouldn't even need them to come to the studio to record.
Moving further, you could strike partnerships with all NHL team broadcasters for their voice. Pump them into Ai and output unique commentary for every team.
It's a pipe dream but this is the kind of power of ai
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 days ago
When did you get this clip? I believe that has been resolved. It's also one I've never actually seen a game I've been in. I'm not saying it wouldn't get used if it's still around, but it's also going to be so rare that it's not exactly something getting exploited.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 days ago
As I said on one of your other messages about this, I believe that has been resolved.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 days ago
I'm not here 24/7. I responded to your other message with this clip.
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 days ago
Can you give me some details on what is being exploited?
EA_Aljo
Community Manager
3 days ago
As far as I know, that was fixed. I still haven't seen anyone use it in any games I've been in.
Rockstaar80
Seasoned Scout
3 days ago
Speaking of ChatGPT, can you imagine when that gets added for announcers? I’m sure it will need a lot of trial and error at first but after the initial kinks have been worked out it’s gonna be pretty cool. At first though I’m sure those 1% of players that like messing with people will find creative ways to make the AI say offensive stuff.
Rockstaar80
Seasoned Scout
3 days ago
Very likely I’m wrong here but is there not some kinda way to call a timeout at a certain time and have it screw up the other persons energy? Just a yes or no is good as I’d rather not advertise it here if it still exists. That’s really the only thing I’d classify as cheating cause if I remember correctly it needed to be timed properly. Obviously not a big deal as you only get the one time out and would probably only be used if your losing but as far as cheating, that’s the only thing I could consider even a possibility
KlariskraysNHL
Hero
3 days ago
Losing because your defense is bad is just your fault. You can say they lost but what does the end of the game say? Pretty certain it says they won the game. Excuses is all you are making at this point. And btw I'm a 6s only player where everything is decided by the player.
the_forced_jedi
Rising Rookie
3 days ago
Also what's your club name and club rank on the leaderboard? I'm curious to know..