Team Chemistry is an important part of squad-building in Ultimate Team. This feature offers a performance boost that improves the abilities of your players and team as a whole, depending on how high the value you’re able to attain for it is.
In FIFA 23, the chemistry system was revamped. EA moved on from the green/orange/red links with a maximum chemistry value of 10 points per player and 100 points per squad. The new system features a maximum of three chemistry points per player and 33 points per squad.
Now, in FC 24, there are slight tweaks to the system once again that new and old players need to get familiar with.
This guide discusses how chemistry works in FC 24 in detail, and also explains why you need to try to get your players on full chemistry.
How to Increase Chemistry in FC 24
The first step to getting a player on chem is to make sure that they’re slotted into the correct position in the starting eleven.
In FIFA 23, this meant that a player whose card’s position is left midfield had to be put there when building the squad, even if the card has alternate positions. If you wanted to start the player in one of the alternate positions, you had to apply a position modifier first.
In FC 24, things have changed a bit in that regard. Now, you don’t need position modifiers to start a player in their alternate positions. This makes squad building a little less complicated.
Starting a player in their correct position does not add any chemistry points by itself, it only makes the player eligible to get those points as you continue to build the team to completion. To earn points, these are the things you need to take note of:
Nations
When two players in your starting eleven are from the same country, each gets one chemistry point.
For two points, you need five players from the same country and for three points, you need eight players.
This is based on the assumption that the players do not share any other links such as clubs or leagues.
Clubs
Two players from the same club also earn one chemistry point each. Four players earn two points each, and seven players earn three points each.
Leagues
Three players from the same league earn one chemistry point each. Five players earn two, while eight players earn three.
Managers
Your manager adds one chemistry point for players that share the same nationality or league. Even if a player shares the same nationality and league, they can not earn more than one point from the manager.
Icons
In FC 24, icon chemistry has been revamped to make icons more useful for squad-building.
Previously, icons only offered chemistry points for national links. Now, any icon in your starting eleven offers an additional chemistry point for every regular player in the team, regardless of the league that they play in.
Icon cards are always on full chemistry (3 points) as long as they are played in the correct position, so you don’t need to worry about linking them.
Heroes
Heroes, like icons, are also overpowered in terms of their usefulness for increasing chemistry in squad building. Hero cards are always on full chem in the right position, but they also offer nation and league links.
In relation to chemistry, having one hero on your squad is like having two players from that league. This means that if you have only one player from Ligue 1, that player can still get at least one chemistry point by including a hero from the same league.
With the addition of mixed teams that include male and female footballers, you might be wondering if there is any impact on how chemistry works in FC 24.
Put simply, there isn’t. You can link the female footballers exactly the same way as you would the men. As long as they share countries, clubs, or leagues, everything still works as I have explained so far.
Why is Chemistry Important?
As I already mentioned, chemistry points offer performance boosts to the players in the starting eleven. If you’re not sure how exactly that works, pay attention to the next bit about chemistry styles.
Chemistry Styles
Chemistry points are directly tied to chemistry styles and how effective they are when applied.
There are a handful of chemistry styles in FC 24 that can be applied to boost player stats in specific areas.
For instance, a “Hunter” chemistry style boosts the pace and shooting stats of a player by up to 8 extra overall points in both areas, making it ideal for a striker. A “Shadow” chemistry style boosts pace and defending stats, making it suitable for a defensive player.
However, if a player does not start the game on three chemistry points, these boosts are significantly reduced. The images below illustrate this, showing the boosts that Pogba’s card gets with three chemistry points compared to two, and then to one.
You can get up to a maximum of 33 points for chemistry in FC 24, broken down into a maximum of three points per player in the starting eleven. Substitutes and reserves have no impact on team chemistry and always come off the bench with zero points.
A player with one point for chem gets fewer stat boosts compared to a player on two, and a player on two gets fewer than a player on three. With that point in mind, the goal should be to get the maximum points for every player to take full advantage of the performance boosts on offer.
SBCs
Apart from the obvious advantage that building team chemistry contributes to player performance, you also need to know how the system works to complete squad-building challenges.
These challenges are released throughout the year, and players need to complete them to earn rewards in the form of packs and promo cards.
An example is illustrated below with the “Marquee Matchups” SBC. Notice how the requirements on the right side of the picture include a minimum total chemistry of 26 points?
With the rumored dynamic packs that we expect to be introduced in FC 24, opening as many packs as possible remain the most effective way to pack the best players in the game.
The idea behind dynamic packs is that each time you open a pack, the probability of packing a good player in the next pack is a little higher than before.
Obviously, many SBCs do not have minimum chemistry requirements, but Marquee Matchups SBCs usually do and they offer tradeable rewards which is an added advantage if you pack someone good.
Key Takeaways
If you were already familiar with how chemistry works in FIFA 23, then there’s very little adjustment needed in terms of what to expect from FC 24 in that area. The icon chemistry revamp and removal of position modifiers are the most notable changes.
However, if you’re completely new to the game, don’t worry. There will be plenty of opportunities to get used to the system, either by trying out different combinations with the squad at your disposal or completing the SBCs that EA releases throughout the year.
Either way, these tips should be enough to get you off to a good start.
