Be a Pro Unplayable
EA, as a loyal player who buys your game at launch every year, I am BEGGING you to take a look at this new Be a Pro mode. This has been my favorite mode in the game for over a decade, and I was beyond excited for this new overhaul. I've put about 8 hours into it so far, and it has been the most agonizing 8 hours of any EA sports game I've ever played. Here is why:
- After scoring 12 points in the Memorial Cup championship, my draft stock tanks to 8th in during the draft interview for choosing very basic answers like "I look forward to playing at the NHL level" and "I want to go to a team with a broader fanbase". For some reason, choosing very normal answers to general questions destroys your draft score.
- With your new energy points system, the player HAS to spend all 5 points on Health unless they want to take 15 second shifts before running out of energy completely. Even with health on full, the player's stamina runs out typically around 20 seconds.
- After scoring 8 points in 7 games in the preseason, I am demoted to the AHL. Look up playthroughs on YouTube. Almost every player experiences something similar. The player has a better preseason than Bedard or Celebrini, and gets sent down to the AHL.
- After getting promoted back to the NHL, despite playing with 10 minute periods, each game I have been given no more than 2 SHIFTS A GAME. And, because you've made stamina decrease at an utterly ridiculous rate, my 2 shifts are each 15 seconds long. I get about 30 seconds of time on ice per game.
- After only getting 30 seconds of time on ice per game, I go back to the menu where I get barraged by audio clips and headlines of how I'm playing so poorly and have no excuse.
- Gameplay sliders, the one hope for fixing some of these issues, DO NOT SAVE in be a pro. They reset every game.
To even be able to PLAY Be a Pro in NHL 26, you have to play at least 2 difficulty levels down. If you are not scoring multiple points a game, you are given no ice time and will get demoted to the AHL. Even if you ARE scoring multiple goals a game, if you also get scored on while you're on the ice, congrats, AHL.
EA, please fix this. Your be a pro in its current state is borderline sadistic. It is downright hostile to the player. I'm not asking for much here. Making stamina somewhat realistic could be a simple step to fix all of these issues. Even if you fix nothing else, just being able to make my 2 shifts per game 40 seconds long as opposed to 20 could give me the opportunity to do well enough to earn realistic ice time.
