EA has detailed a substantial list of EA Sports FC 27 gameplay changes following the Closed Beta, including nerfs to Team Press and Bruiser+, adjustments to Lengthy players, a reworked Dinked Pass and improvements to CPU AI.

With the EA FC 27 Closed Beta now complete, EA has outlined how player feedback is already shaping the launch version of the game.

Perhaps most importantly, EA says it plans to take a more measured approach to early Title Updates. Rather than quickly making major balance changes based on opening-week trends, the developer wants to give players time to learn the new mechanics and allow the meta to develop naturally.

Bugs and unintended gameplay behavior will still be addressed when necessary.

Bruiser and Shoulder Challenges Are Being Adjusted

Physical defending was one of the major discussion points during the beta.

Shoulder Challenges will now work best when defenders get side-by-side with the attacker, while repeatedly spamming the input from behind will cause the defender to extend an arm and lose speed.

The additional benefit provided by Bruiser+ has also been slightly reduced, although strength and physical defending will remain important.

Team Press Won’t Work in Your Defensive Third

EA is also reducing the amount of defending that AI teammates can automatically perform.

Team Press will have no effect while the ball is inside your defensive third, forcing players to take more responsibility when defending close to their own goal.

Lower Defensive Depth settings are also being adjusted so defenders retreat sooner and maintain more conservative positions.

Lengthy Players Are Being Rebalanced

The AcceleRATE system is receiving another adjustment after Lengthy players proved particularly effective during the Closed Beta.

EA is slightly reducing the impact of AcceleRATE profiles, bringing Explosive, Controlled and Lengthy players closer together and placing more emphasis on their actual Acceleration and Sprint Speed attributes.

Triggered Runs will also have a limited distance, meaning players must manually trigger another run if they want a teammate to continue moving forward.

Female players will need to be at least 5’8″ (172 cm) to qualify for the Lengthy profile.

Dinked Passes Are Now Fully Manual

Dinked Passes are becoming more skill-based in EA FC 27.

They can no longer be activated through the Ground Pass input. Instead, players must double-tap Through Pass and manually aim where they want the ball to go.

The change should also prevent players from accidentally performing Dinked Passes when repeatedly pressing Ground Pass.

Player Lock and Corners Require More Manual Control

Player Lock is also getting additional risk.

When controlling a player away from the ball, the CPU-controlled ball carrier will no longer automatically dribble around defenders. CPU passes during Player Lock will also have slightly increased error.

Corners are becoming more manual as well. FC 27 removes assistance that previously moved your selected player toward the expected landing point, making positioning, timing, height, jumping ability and momentum more important.

Authentic Gameplay AI Is Being Improved

EA is making several changes to CPU AI in Authentic Gameplay following beta feedback.

Difficulty differences between Professional, World Class and Legendary are being refined, while CPU tactical behavior is also being adjusted.

EA is additionally working on how AI teams build attacks, finish 1v1 opportunities and defend against through balls and triggered runs.

Overall, the Closed Beta has resulted in changes across defending, passing, movement, AI and set pieces, but EA’s most interesting promise may be its decision to avoid dramatic gameplay rebalancing immediately after launch.

That could give players more time to properly understand EA FC 27 before the inevitable competitive meta begins to take shape.