EA FC 26 TOTW 12 Lineup Revealed: Which Player Cards Are Worth Investing In?

Following its integration with the new The Grounds mode in FIFA 27, Pro Clubs has not only been simplified in name (now just Clubs) but has also undergone significant gameplay changes.

FC Pro Clubs focuses on the individual growth and career of your player; it lacks the intense competitive nature of Ultimate Team while avoiding the managerial responsibilities found in Career Mode.

While the mode retains the visual style and core framework of its predecessors, the integration with The Grounds brings optimizations to Mastery system, Archetype specialization, and attribute resetting.

To help you hit the ground running in the new Clubs mode during early access or the official launch, we have compiled this preview based on the closed beta and other known information.

New item: Amps

Amps are special consumables in FC 27 Clubs that can be equipped to your created virtual player to provide additional boosts.

In FIFA 27, Amps not only temporarily enhance your currently active Player Archetype but also grant extra PlayStyles, PlayStyles+, or Perks alongside attribute bonuses. You can equip up to three Amps simultaneously.

Note that because they provide powerful boosts, Amps expire after a certain number of matches, meaning you will need to acquire them continuously.

The primary ways to obtain Amps in FUT 27 Clubs are by progressing through The Grounds and Clubs modes or completing various objectives, though you can also unlock more from the store.

Archetype and Mastery updates

Archetypes are a progression system, similar to a skill tree, designed to help you easily define your player's playstyle, attributes, and unique abilities after creation; there are over a dozen options available.

In FUT 26, these Archetypes had to be unlocked individually through gameplay or by consumeing coins, but in FUT 27, all Archetypes are available for free from the start. Furthermore, FC 27 has removed the requirement to consume coins or consumables to reset an archetype.

It now allows you to fine-tune individual attributes, further enhancing the customization freedom of Archetype system.

However, to ensure the game remains balanced following these enhancements to Archetype system, FIFA 27 has introduced an Archetype level cap for XP-boosting consumables.

Specifically, certain high-tier consumables that provide a massive one-time XP boost can no longer be used once the player using Archetype reaches level 20.

Although this change has drawn some criticism, we believe it prevents players from using high-tier XP packs to instantly max out secondary characters; instead, it encourages you to use different consumables at various level stages and experiment with a wider range of strategies.

As for Masteries, this is an advanced bonus mechanism built upon the updated Archetype system, designed to reward your continued effort in FIFA 27.

As you level up an Archetype in Clubs mode, you unlock specific milestones and corresponding permanent attribute boosts, known as Masteries. Crucially, these Mastery effects apply to all your Archetypes.

For instance, if you level up Shot Stopper Archetype to a certain point, all your player Archetypes will gain boosts to GK Positioning and GK Reflexes.

This design breaks the previous limitation where a single Archetype restricted you to one specific playstyle. If you are willing to level up multiple Archetypes in EA FC 27, your main character will benefit from increasingly powerful, comprehensive attribute boosts.

Richer gameplay mechanics

In addition to adjusting player progression mechanics, FUT 27 has optimized specific gameplay elements within Clubs mode, particularly regarding club-based Live Events.

Clubs Live Tournaments is a brand-new 11v11 competition format that offers more avenues for competitive play in Clubs mode. Each tournament features unique rules and reward structures.

For example, in Survival mode, a random player is eliminated from the match whenever your team concedes a goal or a teammate quits mid-game.

More objectives based on The Grounds

There is now greater integration between FIFA 27 The Grounds and Clubs mode, or more accurately, Clubs mode has been incorporated into The Grounds.

On one hand, all the gameplay changes from Clubs mode apply to The Grounds; on the other, The Grounds introduces a host of additional Clubs-related objectives.

During the early stages of the game, these fundamental Clubs objectives serve as an excellent source for accumulating FC 27 coins and other consumables.

They are not only straightforward to complete but also offer bonus rewards upon finishing specific objective groups.

Beyond standard objectives, FUT 27 Clubs mode features exclusive Milestones, Weekly Objectives, and Seasonal Objectives. Systematically progressing through these not only yields item rewards but also helps boost your club's reputation.

Furthermore, thanks to the integration with The Grounds, you can take the players you've created in Clubs into the open world to enjoy fun, informal competitive gameplay.

UI enhancements

In FIFA 27, the development team opted against a complete overhaul of Clubs mode menus; instead, they implemented a more streamlined visual style that enhances the atmospheric feel of the background.

For instance, the lobby layout is intuitive and well-structured, while key toggle options are more prominently displayed to prevent accidental inputs.

You can also quickly switch or edit player archetypes and even access Club Store directly from the lobby, eliminating the need to navigate back through multiple menu layers.

While some players might be unaccustomed to the integration of The Grounds and Clubs, we believe this approach makes FC 27 Clubs more efficient and enjoyable, ensuring The Grounds avoids the monotony some might have anticipated.

We hope that upon the game's official launch, the development team will implement further refinements based on player feedback from the closed beta, delivering an even better Clubs experience for you!

EA Sports FC 27 introduced one of the biggest changes to Career Mode in recent years, transforming the player's OVR system from a fixed numerical value to a mechanism that truly reflects a player's performance in real time - Dynamic OVR system.

Dynamic OVR means that a player's initial rating is no longer solely tied to their inherent ability. Instead, a player's form, morale, match fitness, injury status, and playing time all influence their rating at specific stages of their career.

Based on FC 27's beta testing and information from the official Deep Dive, has provided a detailed analysis of how various key factors affect Dynamic OVR in actual season matches.

How It Works?

EA officially describes Dynamic OVR mechanism as being driven by three core factors: form, morale, and match fitness.

Form reflects a player's performance and sets Dynamic OVR goals based on the player's current match fitness and long-term potential; the impact of player morale is amplified; and match fitness represents the player's physical condition.

It's worth noting that there's a significant difference between Base Overall Rating and Dynamic OVR.

Base OVR reflects a player's inherent abilities and isn't affected by the factors mentioned above. Dynamic OVR, on the other hand, reflects a player's current state in real-time, building upon this foundation.

Match Performance

This is arguably one of the most interesting factors influencing Dynamic OVR.

Excellent performances can boost a player's current rating in FC 27. According to test data from Close Beta, this improvement becomes increasingly pronounced as excellent performances continue.

For example, in a preseason test, Liverpool fielded a different lineup against Athletic Bilbao. Hugo Ekitiké scored a goal in their 2-1 victory, and his Dynamic Overall Rating rose from 82 to 84 after the match.

It was also in this test that we discovered a crucial difference: while a great game is important, consistent performance seems even more critical.

This aligns with EA's official explanation that status ratings will now adjust based on Dynamic OVR objectives, rather than simply applying a fixed bonus.

Status Ratings

Status ratings are the core of FC 27's Dynamic OVR, but EA's new system is far more complex than simply rewarding goals and assists.

The current status system considers both a player's current performance and long-term potential.

This means that even with identical performances, each player's overall dynamic rating increase may not be the same. A young player with great potential might receive a greater boost than a player nearing their peak.

This is one of the reasons why Dynamic OVR is particularly important for FC 27's Career Mode archives built around young players.

Playing Time

A player's rating doesn't necessarily need to be poor to drop. Sometimes, insufficient playing time can also have an impact.

For example, in testing, young FC 27 players like Víctor Muñoz might have a status rating of -2, but their morale could increase by 3, mainly because they received some substitute appearances.

Therefore, lineup rotation becomes even more crucial for FC 27. A coach consistently using the same starting lineup can trigger unexpected chain reactions: starting players maintain good form, while substitutes suffer a decline in morale, form, and overall dynamic rating.

Morale

EA has also significantly expanded Morale system in FC 27.

According to the official Career Mode Deep Dive, Morale is no longer just a background system for player interaction. Playing time, team roles, and expectations all affect morale, which in turn affects Dynamic OVR.

In tests, some young players who weren't regular Liverpool starters still experienced a boost in morale when given substitute opportunities. However, players repeatedly excluded from the starting lineup became increasingly unhappy.

This presents a more practical problem for team management. Managers need to consider which players need playing time, not just who the best player is currently.

Player Items

Secondly, while Dynamic OVR primarily affects Career Mode system, FC 27 will also select a series of Player Items for Live Upgrades in Destined for Glory after the game's launch.

This means players in Ultimate Team mode will need to determine which players have the potential for continuous upgrades, further influencing player selection and FUT 27 coins resource planning.

Especially at the beginning of a new season, a sufficient coin budget can be used to adjust the lineup around potential players, giving players more opportunities to capitalize on lineup advantages resulting from changes in player value.

In the game, you can accumulate coins by actively participating in matches and winning, completing SBCs objectives and challenges, etc.

Match Fitness

Match fitness is another important new feature.

EA explains that match fitness represents a player's physical condition at the start of a match. It combines energy levels and injury status, categorizing players into different states from peak to unhealthy.

In FIFA 27 Close Beta, the developers specifically set Energy Recovery to Always Full, meaning the team maintains good physical condition during matches, while the players' Dynamic OVR continuously improves.

Conversely, while good condition improves Dynamic OVR, injuries have the opposite effect.

For example, Isak's rating dropped from 88 to 79 after suffering a tibial fracture; Jeremie Frimpong also suffered an injury, with his rating dropping from 84 to 76.

In short, based on tests, the biggest highlight of Dynamic OVR is not simply making the numbers next to player names change more frequently, but rather requiring players to think more deeply: How is this player currently performing? Why has their rating changed? How can I improve their rating again?

In addition to earning FC 27 coins by winning matches, completing objectives and challenges in UT Mode, there is a more comprehensive progression system and greater personalization freedom, perhaps the real appeal for players who enjoy building teams over multiple seasons.

In ARC Raiders, survival is never about luck - it depends on your preparation and choices before each encounter. As you graduate from the initial Light Shield and begin pursuing a more reliable margin for error on the battlefield, Medium Shield becomes your most solid defensive line.

While not as lightweight as Light Shield, it gives you real confidence when pushing, holding positions, and counter-attacking. This article will teach you how to acquire and use Medium Shield in ARC Raiders.

About Medium Shield

Medium Shield is a rare defensive item in ARC Raiders, providing 70 shield points and 42.5% damage reduction. It weighs approximately 7 kg and slightly reduces movement speed by 5%.

However, you also need to know that shields don't function like a second health bar - they only reduce damage taken. Therefore, even when the shield is fully charged, you will still lose health with each attack. This means that health management is just as important as keeping the shield charged.

Generally, prioritize charging the shield when your health is above 50%, and use healing items like bandages when your health is below 50%. Remember, a full shield won't save you when your health is extremely low.

How to Obtain?

Prerequisites

Many ARC Raiders players make this mistake: finding ARC Raiders Medium Shield in Topside and immediately trying to equip it, only to find that their enhancement mods don't support it. You need to know that early in the game, enhancement mods are only compatible with Light Shield.

To unlock Medium Shield, you need to obtain a Combat MK. 1 or Tactical MK. 1 enhancement component. The specific process is as follows:

First, obtain a basic free-configuration enhancement resource. You can find it during extraction missions or craft it at the equipment workbench.

Then, take this resource to Lance at Speranza Clinic to obtain the upgraded enhancement. Once you equip Combat MK1 or Tactical MK1 enhancement at the equipment workbench, Medium Shield will be unlocked.

Farming Maps

Medium Shields appear in Mechanical and Military loot pools, so prioritize areas with Tech Chests, Industrial Machines, and Raider Camps. Avoid civilian areas, as Military-grade equipment rarely spawns there.

The most reliable way to obtain them is by searching for undiscovered chests on specific maps. Players report high chest spawn rates in Buried City, Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, and The Blue Gate - especially in less competitive areas at the map edges.

Playing during off-peak hours can also increase your success rate. Once you acquire a valuable component from ARC Raiders, evacuate quickly; hesitation often results in losing your hard-earned equipment.

Crafting

If you find farming maps too inefficient, you can craft them at Equipment Workbench. The recipe requires 4 Batteries and 1 ARC Circuitry. Lance will sell these items for 6,000 coins after you reach account level 12, with a daily limit of 3 purchases.

How to Use?

Recharging Your Shield

In ARC Raiders raids, if your shield energy runs out, you'll need to use consumables to restore it. The basic ARC Energy Battery restores two bars of shield energy and can be obtained from defeated ARC machines, ARC pods, and couriers.

Shield Recharger restores four bars of shield energy and can be crafted at a crafting table. For faster energy restoration, you can choose Surge Shield Recharger, which restores five bars of Medium Shield energy at once. It can be obtained from Medical Lab or Lance for 3,600 coins.

Shield Repair Strategies

One of the most effective long-term strategies for maintaining a Medium Shield supply is to utilize a simple material management cycle. Crafting a shield requires 4 Batteries and 1 ARC Circuitr. Repairing a damaged shield requires 1 Battery and 1 Arc Circuitr, restoring approximately 50 durability points.

However, due to the scarcity of ARC Circuitrs, repairing severely damaged shields is often inefficient. Instead, you can recycle damaged shields for 1 ARC Circuit, then use that circuit and 4 Batteries to craft a new shield. 

This creates what players call an infinite shield loop, which is generally more material-efficient than repeated repairs.

Strategic Usage in Combat

Medium Shield excels in intense ARC Raider PvP combat. The extra durability gives you more leeway when breaking through doorways or gaining advantageous positions, allowing you to survive longer in prolonged battles than opponents using Medium Shield.

While the item does incur a slight movement speed penalty, it's minimal, and you can still effectively reposition yourself.

To mitigate the 5% movement speed reduction, invest skill points in Used to the Weight skill in Conditioning branch of Skill Tree, which reduces the movement speed penalty from heavy shields.

In combat, you can apply pressure to your opponent. If you take damage, use grenades or smoke grenades to create space and quickly reset your shield or health based on your condition, then confidently peek out again to fire.

If you want to build a PvP loadout around Medium Shield, consider pairing it with Stitcher. It's extremely cost-effective in intense combat and can help you deal with most enemies.

This concludes our article on how to obtain and use Medium Shield in ARC Raiders. This item grants players sufficient durability to maintain an advantage in combat and avoid immediate defeat.

Finally, a reminder: Medium Shield is suitable for players who intend to hold their ground and win the battle, rather than fleeing the battlefield. If your strategy relies on dodging all enemy attacks, then Light Shield is the best choice.

WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 3 has just opened, but you can start saving Badges of Justice for Phase 4 now. After Zul'Aman opens, some classes will have several powerful pieces of gear that can be directly redeemed with Badges. Saving up enough in advance will avoid the hassle of farming them later.

This time, the focus isn't on all Badge gear, but on those items that can be immediately integrated into your main gear setup, or even approach BiS.

Below is a list of Badges of Justice worth saving in advance for Phase 4, organized by class. If you don't have much in stock right now, determine your target gear first, then decide how much to save starting from WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 3.

Warrior

Warriors are one of the classes worth saving Badges for in advance during TBC Anniversary Phase 3. To prepare several key pieces of gear, you'll need approximately 165 Badges of Justice. 

Dory's Embrace requires 60 Badges, its core value being Armor Penetration. This cloak is very useful if your current gear doesn't lack Hit Rating. Its benefits are even more pronounced against bosses with 6,200 armor or lower, such as Hex Lord Malacrass in Zul'Aman.

Bracers of the Ancient Phalanx require 35 Badges. If you need Hit Rating, you can continue using Bracers of Eradication from SSC; if you prioritize Defense Rating and Stamina, you can exchange BCC Anniversary Gold for Ancient Phalanx.

Chain of Unleashed Rage and Brooch of Deftness each require 35 Badges; the former primarily replenishes Hit Rating, while the latter replenishes Stamina.

The pressure on Fury Warrior and Arms Warrior isn't as high; prioritizing Dory's Embrace is sufficient. Alternatively, Shadowmoon Destroyer's Drape, dropped by BCC Anniversary Teron Gorefiend, can be used.

Shaman

Resto Shaman requires 60 Badges of Justice to exchange for Treads of the Life Path. Zul'Aman's Zul'jin also drops Two-Toed Sandals, which perform well, but Badge exchange is more reliable and doesn't require waiting for drops.

Enhance Shaman requires approximately 80 Badges of Justice. The core objective is Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots, which require 60 Badges. Hit Rating is very useful, and overall performance can compete with BCC Anniversary Phase 3 boots like Shadowmaster's Boots.

If your guild uses SR or Loot Council, consider investing less in competing for some highly contested boots and prioritize Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots. Additionally, Stonebreaker's Totem requires 20 Badges and should be redeemed as early as possible.

Elemental Shaman requires even more advance planning for Badges. Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation requires 75 Badges. While not the absolute true BiS of TBC, Leggings of Channeled Elements remains stronger, but the latter is highly competitive, especially within a Loot Council guild, where Elemental Shaman may not be a priority acquisition.

Another advantage of Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation is that it allows you to retain your Tier 6 four-piece set, avoiding the disruption of set bonuses by changing pants.

Fetish of the Primal Gods requires 35 Badges and can be considered an alternative to Antonidas's Aegis of Rapt Concentration. Skycall Totem requires 20 Badges of Justice, granting 10 seconds of 100 Haste upon Lightning Bolt triggering, which can help you farm TBC Anniversary Gold faster.

To ensure Elemental Shamans have more gear options during TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 4 progression, preparing over 100 Badges in advance is recommended.

Priest

Shadow Priest requires 60 Badges of Justice, primarily for exchanging for two pieces of gear. Fetish of the Primal Gods requires 35 Badges and is an excellent off-hand choice, speeding up your TBC gold farming and providing long-lasting usability.

Additionally, Carved Witch Doctor's Stick requires 25 Badges and also features a Gem Socket, further enhancing spell power.

Holy Priest and Discipline Priest require 75 Badges to exchange for Achromic Trousers of the Naaru. These pants provide Haste, reducing the casting time of some TBC Classic healing spells and increasing healing per unit time, especially valuable in fights requiring frequent healing.

Paladin

Protection Paladins are a class with a high demand for Badges of Justice in TBC Phase 4. Both Girdle of the Protector and Sabatoons of the Righteous Defender require 60 Badges.

Additionally, there's Libram of Divine Purpose, which increases the damage of Seal of Righteousness and Judgment of Righteousness, making it useful for Prot Paladin players who want to maximize threat at the start of Phase 4.

Prot Paladin players can set 120 Badges as a basic goal for Phase 3, then decide whether to continue preparing based on actual needs. Tanks often need to adjust their gear in different raid encounters, so having enough Badges in advance allows for more flexible gear builds.

Rogue

Rogue primarily focuses on Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots, priced at 60 Badges of Justice. These boots can be seen as a co-biS option to Shadow Master's Boots. Ninja Tabi Boots have a good Hit Rating. If competition for high-level boots in the guild is fierce, Rogues can simply wait for BCC Anniversary Phase 4 and exchange them directly with Badges.

Warlocks

The needs for Affliction Warlocks and Destruction Warlocks are much simpler. The main target is Carved Witch Doctor's Stick, which requires 25 Badges. Its biggest advantage is that the gear itself has a Gem Socket, and it also has a good Socket Bonus, allowing you to add higher-level Spell Power Gems.

Mages

The need for Arcane Mage Badge of Justice is not high; prepare around 35. The main purpose is to exchange for Fetish of the Primal Gods.

This off-hand item performs well in WoW TBC Classic AoE scenarios, and with some gear combinations, it has a chance to be included in Single Target BiS configurations. Especially if you already own The Skull of Gul'dan, the value of Fetish of the Primal Gods will be even higher.

In WoW TBC Classic Anniversary Phase 4, Badge of Justice requirements aren't the same for every class. It's more sensible to first determine your specialization and target gear for Phase 4, then accumulate gear in Phase 3 accordingly. For most players, it's best to plan ahead for Badge of Justice to upgrade key gear early.

If you're looking for a Warlock build that's usable after Diablo 4 Season 15 launches and can easily level up from the early game to T12 difficulty, then Fiend of Abaddon build is definitely worth considering.

The main advantage of this build is that once you acquire the core Diablo 4 items, the gameplay becomes incredibly simple, requiring minimal skill switching.

However, this also means that the build's full potential isn't realized at level 1, so resource allocation and manual skill activation are necessary during the early stages of the new season.

Warlock in Season 15

Warlock will undoubtedly be one of the strongest early-game builds for Diablo 4 Season 15, as Patch 3.2.0 PTR announcement indicates that Warlock will significantly benefit from the new season's Hellfire mechanics and Demonic Gems. Fiend of Abaddon build leverages these mechanics.

Its main advantage lies in its efficient leveling experience. Players can start with a more aggressive upgrade setup and gradually transition to an Abaddon-riding playstyle without replacing all parts of the build.

Mechanics

Fiend of Abaddon is the primary damage source for this build. After summoning Abaddon, Warlock can ride the demon across the battlefield, while other teammates assist with damage output and maintaining skill duration.

Once the gear and Paragon levels reach the endgame requirements, your battlefield flow is essentially: Summon Abaddon → Mount → Move through enemies.

However, this doesn't mean all combat is hands-free. Players still need to react based on elite affixes, hazard mechanics, skill cooldowns, and positioning.

Hellhound's Sabatons

Hellhound's Sabatons are the most important gear objective for this build early in the game.

On the current Diablo 4 Season 15 PTR, these boots interact with the gear's Fire Skills, helping to automate parts of the character's rotation. This significantly reduces the number of skills the player needs to manually cast, making the gameplay more stable.

It's important to note that players need to be prepared for more frequent skill rotations before acquiring Hellhound's Sabatons.

This is because Abaddon's sustained damage output may require additional support from the skill tree or Paragon Board. After equipping Hellhound's Sabatons, these points can be redistributed based on the final gear stats and balance values, focusing on damage, defense, or resource management.

Leveling With Fiend of Abaddon

During the character leveling phase, the focus should be on reliable resource acquisition and sustained damage output, rather than simply maximizing maximum DPS.

Command Fallen can serve as a basic resource acquisition tool in the early stages of Diablo 4 Season 15. Combining it with Bombardment, Blazing Scream, Dark Prison, and Fiend of Abaddon will meet the damage, support, and resource needs for early map clearing, accumulating Diablo 4 gold and items needed for later upgrades.

Specific skill configurations may be adjusted upon the official launch of the new season, but the overall priority should follow this principle:

• Use Command Fallen to support resource generation;
• Cast Bombardment to gain additional damage and soul generation;
• Use Blazing Scream as the core damage skill for Infernal;
• Add Dark Prison to provide support and supplementary damage;
• Use Fiend of Abaddon as the primary damage source;

During this period, players should avoid wasting resources without a plan. The effects of certain Demonic Gems may require a trade-off between higher damage and higher damage taken, and high-cost skills may prevent characters from maintaining their skill rotation.

Demonic Gems and Soul Mechanic

Demonic Gems are one of the core seasonal systems of Diablo 4 Season 15. Their effects significantly alter a build's damage output, survivability, and resource management.

For Fiend of Abaddon, soul-related effects are particularly important. Killing enemies allows this build to accumulate souls, which increases damage but also introduces defensive risks. The more aggressively this build stacks this bonus, the more crucial it is to maintain sufficient life, resistances, and damage reduction.

Warlock is well-suited for this mechanic, as the class can frequently kill enemies through direct attacks and summoning demons. Bombardment and Blazing Scream are particularly useful during leveling, as they help clear mobs and maintain the seasonal effect.

Recommended Gear

This build doesn't overly rely on Mythic Uniques; its strength and performance depend primarily on core Diablo 4 unique items, suitable affixes, and the seasonal mechanics.

Leoric's Crown

Leoric's Crown provides effective defensive and offensive stats for this build. Critical strike chance becomes especially important if other gear is heavily focused on critical strike damage.

Stone of Jordan

Stone of Jordan is a powerful late-game choice, as it increases damage while also helping the character meet important resistance requirements. Especially in the higher Torment difficulty of Diablo 4 Season 15, elemental resistances and overall survivability become crucial, making its defensive value particularly significant. In-Geom

In-Geom reduces skill cooldowns after kills and helps this build maintain its combat rhythm during periods of high monster kills. Its effect is most significant when the player can consistently secure kills.

Moloch's Bleeding Flames

Moloch's Bleeding Flames provide additional attack bonuses, aligning with the build's damage composition. Its ultimate value will depend on the item's adjustments in Diablo 4 Season 15 and bonuses to other character attributes.

Horizon's Chains

Horizon's Chains support an Abaddon-centric playstyle and contribute to the build's intended combat cycle.

Recommended Attributes

Optimal attribute priorities will depend on the final items and balance adjustments, but this build generally benefits from a balanced combination of damage, health, and resistances.

Potential offensive attribute priorities include:

• Critical Strike Chance
• Critical Strike Damage
• Vulnerability
• Fire Damage
• Primary Attribute

Defensive attribute priorities include:

• Maximum Life
• Armor
• Elemental Resistances
• Damage Reduction

And, importantly, cooldown reduction shouldn't be overlooked.

Furthermore, simply equipping this build doesn't guarantee reaching Torment 12. Even at Season 15, you'll still need to increase item power, enhance resistances, upgrade Glyphs, and adjust your build based on the activities you're undertaking.

However, compared to other classes and builds, Fiend of Abaddon Warlock has a clear upgrade path, strong synergy with the season's Demonic Gems, and, with the right gear, a smoother late-game damage rotation.

For Warlock newbies who want an efficient way to level up, acquire core gear, and potentially enter Torment 12 without immediately rebuilding their character, this build is definitely a powerful option to consider when Diablo 4 Season 15 is released.

Recently, complaints from MLB The Show 26 players regarding the batting system have increasingly focused on two issues: some pitches that appear to hit well have noticeably low Exit Velo; and some pitches cause a sudden shrinkage of PCI, especially noticeable in Circle Change, even near the center of the strike zone.

A new explanation has recently emerged in the community: the problem may be related to previous adjustments to Strike Zone, and the batting system hasn't fully adapted to this change.

If this hypothesis is correct, it could explain some seemingly unreasonable batting feedback. However, several counterexamples have emerged in the community, and it's currently uncertain whether low Exit Velo and PCI shrinkage are truly related to Strike Zone adjustments.

Strike Zone Conflict

The core of this theory stems from the changes to Strike Zone. MLB The Show 26 previously adjusted the strike zone, allowing pitches where part of the ball touches the edge to be called a strike, making it closer to ABS system's judgment method.

The problem is that after Strike Zone adjustment, Hitting System's judgment of in-zone and out-of-zone positions may not have changed synchronously.

If MLB 26 still handles in-zone swings and chases separately, then the most likely location to expose the problem is naturally the edge of the strike zone.

According to the current judgment, a ball that grazes the edge is already a strike and therefore cannot be left unpunished; however, within the batting system, this position may still fall outside the zone as defined by the old model.

To cover such pitches, PCI needs to move to the edge or even outside of the strike zone, and this swing might then be identified as a chase by the system.

As a result, a pitch that is technically a strike could be affected by the batting mechanism similar to chasing a bad ball. Even if the contact is close to the center and the timing is not obviously wrong, the final result may still be a smaller PCI or a lower Exit Velo.

However, an important counterexample is that pitches outside the zone do not consistently produce a low Exit Velo. For example, a slider outside the strike zone can still produce an exit velocity of 106 MPH, and a changeup below the strike zone can still produce a home run of nearly 450 feet.

If the system uses the simple logic of "reducing the exit velocity whenever there's a challenge," these results are difficult to explain. Therefore, the ball being outside the zone may not be sufficient to determine the final initial velocity.

Why Exit Velo and PCI Results Can Differ?

Perfect-Perfect Exception

Regarding these high exit velocity exceptions in The Show 26, there's a more nuanced explanation: Perfect-Perfect might be a special case.

The negative effects of throwing outside the zone may primarily affect shots that don't achieve Perfect Contact. Since Perfect-Perfect already represents the highest contact quality, even if the ball is outside the zone, it may still maintain a high exit velocity.

If this mechanism exists, it explains why powerful shots like 106 MPH and 450 feet can occur outside the zone, while weak, marginal shots frequently appear. The difference between these two outcomes likely stems more from Contact Quality than simply whether the shot is outside the zone.

The results of Perfect-Perfect shots themselves are not always easily explained intuitively by attributes. For example, a Fernando Tatis card with Power only in the 80s has still produced home runs of around 550 feet, showing why card attributes alone may not always predict results, even when players spend MLB The Show 26 stubs upgrading their lineup.

Such extreme results demonstrate that directly inferring EV patterns from Perfect-Perfect samples can easily distort judgments.

PCI Shrinkage May Be The Key

Another explanation is that shots outside the zone may not directly reduce Exit Velo for the same contact quality, but cause PCI to shrink first.

Therefore, the same shot error can result in completely different Contact Qualitys depending on the location.

When the ball is within the zone, PCI is larger, so even a slight miss from the perfect point can still produce solid contact, especially with cards whose hitting attributes justify The Show 26 stubs invested in them.

When the ball moves outside the zone, PCI shrinks significantly. A deviation of the same distance accounts for a larger proportion of the overall PCI, making it easier for the system to judge it as a poor shot.

The end result may still be a lower Exit Velo for shots thrown outside the zone, but the reason isn't necessarily a direct reduction in EV by the system. Rather, the shrinking PCI first reduces the margin of error, then the contact quality decreases, and only then is Exit Velo affected.

Therefore, the real impact of outside the zone position may not be a fixed EV penalty, but a lower margin of error. Timing may also be similarly affected, making small errors of the same degree more likely to translate into poor contact quality.

Circle Change Complicates the Theory

Circle Change is the most difficult aspect to explain in the entire MLB 26 theory.

Some of the more noticeable PCI shrinkage currently occurs in Circle Change, and even when the pitch is near the center of the strike zone, PCI can still shrink significantly. This phenomenon is difficult to explain if the problem stems solely from Chase, Zone edge, or old strike zone judgments.

This suggests that there may be other factors within The Show 26 that influence PCI size, such as Pitch Type, Movement, speed difference, or some independent difficulty adjustment. The simultaneous occurrence of anomalies in Circle Change and edge strikes does not necessarily indicate that they share the same root cause.

Therefore, attributing all recent low EV and PCI shrinkage to Strike Zone Theory may be an oversimplification.

Until these hitting mechanics are better understood, lineup construction remains one of the few factors players can directly control.

Spending MLB 26 stubs carefully on cards that better suit their current hitting approach may therefore be more practical than reacting to every unusual Exit Velo result.

Under identical timing, PCI placement, and contact quality, is there a systematic difference in the final result between a ball in the center of the zone and a ball grazing the edge of the current Strike Zone? If this difference can be consistently reproduced, then the strike zone theory truly has evidence to continue pursuing.