Negative feedback on patches is normal and happens in every game, but the backlash on EA FC 26’s latest patch reveals something deeper. EA recently released FC 26 v1.1.0, which highlighted several significant changes. They heightened defender perception, increased direction control on through passes, and improved ball trapping consistency. A pretty good patch overall.
But there was one change players couldn’t handle, which led to a flurry of negative responses. This was a moderate decrease in Controlled Sprint Dribble Speed. Players and creators alike took to social media to voice their disappointment, rather than appreciate the other quality-of-life improvements EA added. This reveals a pattern of disgruntlement, and one where EA just cannot please the masses.
EA Fixes Most Community Issues In Patch v1.1.0
Let’s talk about what this patch brought: several major fixes for issues the community had been ranting about for a while now. If we’re talking about the most notable changes, you have:
- Slightly increased Sprint Jockey speed for user-controlled players.
- Addressed instances of tackles from behind incorrectly winning the ball.
- Ground and Lofted Through Passes are now more respectful of your aim input and are less assisted.
- Lobbed Through Passes could have been affected by weather conditions, even if there weren’t any in Authentic gameplay.
- Moderately reduced speed of Controlled Sprint Dribble.
- Improved ball trapping consistency.
- Addressed instances of goalkeepers incorrectly deflecting shots into their own net.
- Sometimes the referee could have incorrectly called for a penalty kick despite the fouled attacker scoring a goal inside the box.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As you can see, numerous positive changes were introduced into FC 26. However, a large part of the community is still calling for the patch to be reversed. Why? Simply because Controlled Sprint through R1 was slightly nerfed.
Did it render the Controlled Sprint mechanic completely redundant? No. But that isn’t stopping fans from thrashing EA’s newest patch all over the internet.
The Controlled Sprint Nerf Controversy
A quick search will tell you all about EA’s Controlled Sprint nerf controversy. Creators were quick to point out how this latest patch has gutted this mechanic, and attacking build-up is basically dead (due to defensive buffs).
The problem with this approach is that it lacks a solid foundation. While a major portion of the playerbase does use the controlled sprint mechanic, the speed was not significantly reduced, especially not enough to make it useless. The outcry seems quite exaggerated and, again, does not have any reasoning behind it.
But that’s not the only problem. Not only is their outcry unfair, but it also overshadows the major quality-of-life changes players received this patch. Small changes like smarter goalkeeper actions and increased jockey speed for manually-controlled players will have a significant impact over time. The defensive buff will also reduce stat-checks, making players rely more on offensive build-up and strategic passes.
What players fail to realise is that while criticizing a patch is completely fine, every aspect of the patch should be fairly judged, rather than nitpicking one mild nerf. Not to mention that these were issues raised by the community, meaning EA actually recognized the difficulties faced by players and responded by issuing a patch to fix gameplay.
Can FC 26’s Community Be Satisfied?
Whether or not the community is satisfied with the patch is yet to be judged. Perhaps its just a case of people jumping on the bandwagon, or maybe the majority was hyper-dependant on the controlled sprint mechanic.
While the debate continues on online forums, I hope EA sticks to the patch and doesn’t bring back any pre-patch changes. They can’t satisfy the entire community, but as long as overall player satisfaction increases, they should count it as a win.
