Curious about how FIFA 23 chemistry will work? If so, you're in luck, because EA Sports recently confirmed a bunch of changes to this key Ultimate Team metric. With new link-ups and several key differences to previous games, you'll need to be ready for when the game launches.
In this FIFA 23 guide, we'll detail everything you need to know about the revamped chemistry system. EA Sports has fully reworked how your players link up this year, so we'll go through all the key changes and features so you don't make any mistakes.
Elsewhere, we've got plenty of other FIFA 23 guides to sink your teeth into. Check out our ratings predictions for the year ahead, as well as a look at when the web app is due to launch. The beta appears to be up and running now, if you've managed to get access.
How does chemistry work in FIFA 23?
Chemistry in FIFA 23 is far different to how the mechanic has worked in previous games. You no longer have a total score out of 100, and there aren't links between each player determining how well they match alongside each other.
Instead, you get a chemistry score to the left of your screen out of 33. That's because each player has a new chemistry metric, between zero to three diamonds. As expected, zero diamonds means the player doesn't link to anyone else on the team, while three means they match up perfectly.
As such, a player on three diamonds will contribute three points towards the overall chemistry score, the maximum of which is 33. You'll want to get that as high as possible to ensure fluid interplay.
When you swap a player in, you'll see a variety of panels to the left of the screen, indicating the various factors contributing to the score. Those will be familiar to most FIFA players, with one indicating the league, one the nationality, and so on. For example, it may say that you need four Premier League players to get the four chemistry diamonds for that league. As such, you'll need to fill these criteria to attain maximum score.
click to enlargeWhat changes are there to chemistry in FIFA 23?
The focus on revamped chemistry in FIFA 23 is to ensure that players don't have to rely on neighbouring chemistry links. Instead, you can have players on opposite sides of the pitch together perfectly, boosting your rating in a way that previous games wouldn't account for.
Another massive change is that each player now has a primary and secondary position they can play in. This is based on each player's real-life positioning tendencies. For example a player like Joao Cancelo can play both at his native RB but also at LB, though you'll need a positioning consumable to change his position on the card and ensure maximum chemistry. If you want to hit that score of 33, each player will need to be in, or near enough to, their ideal position.
One big change is that even if a player isn't in their ideal location, you won't face reduced stats as you did in previous games. Instead, getting them to a high chemistry level will improve their stats in-match, but the reverse scenario won't negatively impact you.
As with previous games, icons and Hero cards are great ways to bolster your chemistry. As long as they're played in their proper position, they'll net you maximum individual chemistry. On top of that, icons count as two players towards the nation requirements, and Hero cards as two players towards league requirements. This should make reaching 33 chemistry much easier.
That's it for our look at how FIFA 23 chemistry will work! While you're here, feel free to also read up on how to get yourself a beta code to try the game out early.