For EA Sports, College Football 25 is an almost obsessive exercise in realism. Given the more than a decade jump since the last EA college football game, new features were almost a given.
How could EA take this game into the 2020s? One of the answers is the new wear and tear feature. If you've never heard of it or need a few tips, we've got you covered.
What is Wear and Tear in College Football 25?
While EA's games have always included injuries, wear and tear is an effort to reflect player health short of serious injuries. As in real life, even a "healthy" player by November is more than a little battle worn out if he's season a season worth of snaps.
A player who takes a ton of hits or is used frequently will seemingly some explosiveness due to the wear and tear feature. Resting a player will mitigate some of the issues with wear and tear, but it's going to be an important feature for players to learn and understand.
College Football 25 Wear and Tear Tips
While every player will be impacted by wear and tear, there are strategies worth considering to minimize its importance.
Now, there's no one-size-fits-all-prescription. Sometimes, it's not worth utilizing these strategies at the expense of winning. But still, here are a few helpful hints to manage wear and tear in College Football 25.
Rest your players
Whether it's subbing in other players regularly or benching your stars in the second half of blowouts, not leaving your top players on the field on every play is a wise choice to make.
Be strategic about conserving energy
Everybody likes the highlight reel play in the open field. But sometimes, it's safer for your top players' wear and tear to simply duck out of bounds near the end of a play and avoid a big hit.
Know your personnel and track wear and tear
The biggest and most significant key with wear and tear is just awareness of the issue. The game presents multiple ways players can track wear and tear over the game. Obviously, understanding your own players' durability is another key to the wear and tear situation.
Again, situation is as big of a key to the wear and tear situation as anything. If a star player is getting beaten up and you're up a couple scores, sub them out, and maybe try running plays that don't emphasize their role.
In other words, pass more if your star running back is wearing down, or blitz less if your top pass rushers are gassed.
How has wear and tear impacted your College Football 25 experience? Let's hear your stories below in our comments section:
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