EA FC Empires beginner's guide: Gameplay basics and tips

EA FC Empires is a unique strategy-focused football management game from EA Sports' gaming ecosystem under the EA Sports FC brand. Among other football-focused EA titles like EA FC Mobile and EA FC Tactical, this is the only game that offers a fresh twist on football management by blending it with strategy elements. While Empires' progression may feel time-consuming, balancing tactical decisions and club-building ensures an engaging gameplay experience.

This guide will provide an overview of EA FC Empires' gameplay and essential tips and strategies to help players excel.

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Breaking down EA FC Empires: Gameplay, concepts and tips

EA FC Empires' in-match gameplay (Image via EA Sports)

FC Empires combines football management with strategic gameplay. As a manager, you will look after everything from building facilities to setting tactics and managing resources.

The game revolves mainly around:

• Upgrading and unlocking buildings like Stadium, Physio Room, and more.
• Managing a football club with strategy game mechanics.
• Strategic and systematic scouting.
• Encashing merchandise from Club Store, to increase cash reserve.
• Competing in leagues and tournaments by building squads and setting strategies.
• Inviting clubs at home to increase popularity and ticket sales.

EA FC Empires will have you construct vital facilities like training grounds, hospitals, and scouting hubs.

Its gameplay is simpler than traditional football simulations like EA FC Mobile’s Manager mode, with the strategic layers making it immensely engaging. Unlike EA FC Tactical, this FC Empires is more than just building a tactical squad.

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What are the different Buildings and Resources in EA FC Empires?

Buildings are the cornerstone of your club’s progress. Winning matches unlock new areas, buildings, and facilities.

Resources on the other hand are the key in-game currencies and tokens to perform crucial in-game transactions, in order to facilitate progress.

Here’s what you need to know:

Key buildings:

• Stadium: Upgrading this is essential as other buildings can’t progress without it.
• Club Store: Crucial for earning money. Leveling it up increases your revenue.
• Physio Room: Important for players' fitness and injury check. Upgrading this increases players' availability and improves recovery speed and fitness.
• Scout Centre: The higher the level of the Scout Centre, the better the chances of scouting high-OVR players
• Hospital: Medical building to heal your injured players.
• Car Park: It will increase the number of queues a team can dispatch.

Resources:

• Cash: An easy-to-earn resource for unlocking blocks, basic upgrades, and boosts.
• Diamonds: A premium currency used for advanced upgrades and premium features.
• Fan Popularity Level: An in-game token that helps to achieve a bonus on Club Store output and research speed.

A player's in-game progress is structured through chapters, each with a theme. For example, Chapter 3 focuses on "Boot Camp", guiding you through position-wise skill training camps.

EA FC Empires' progress is structured through chapters like Boot Camp (Image via EA Sports)

Matches are vital for unlocking new facilities and enhancing your club’s capabilities. Winning matches boosts your fanbase and revenue, subsequently increasing your opportunities to develop elite players.

After each match in EA FC Empires, your players’ energy decreases, and this occurs every time they take to the field. To keep them match-ready once their stamina runs out, head to the Physio Room and allocate stamina from your available pool.

However, use this resource wisely, as stamina is limited. Focus on replenishing the stamina of your key players rather than opting for the option to restore stamina for the entire squad.

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How to build a squad, scout players, and grow talents in EA FC Empires?

EA FC Empires Scout Centre (Image via EA Sports)

Building your squad is integral to EA FC Empires, emphasizing player OVR over individual skills. Here’s a breakdown:

Player scouting:

• Use the Scout Centre to sign players using Plane Tickets, which are available in two types: Scout (Blue) and Special (Gold). The latter guarantees higher-quality players but requires premium resources.
• Daily free pulls ensure you’ll receive an Elite Card within 70 draws.
• Upgrading the Scout Centre doesn’t improve pull probabilities, so prioritize stadium upgrades first.
• Focus on player stats, positions, and growth potential.

Squad building:

• Access the Team menu to manage your squad, which can include up to 500 players.
• Coaches bring unique proficiencies in Formation or Tactics.
• Players earn XP after matches, boosting stats and unlocking traits as they level up.
• Use the Talent section to enhance players’ abilities with Talent Points.

Using Talents properly:

• Open a player card and click on the "Talent" button to view the talent window.
• Players earn talent points by ranking up and leveling up.
• Use talent points to enhance skills across six key areas: Defense, Physical, Pass Skills, Shoot Skills, Speed Skills, and Dexterity.
• Click on a talent and press "Upgrade" to improve it.
• Assess the player’s current skills, perks, and position.
• Focus on talents that align with their role in the field. For instance: CDMs benefit most from Physical skills.
• Customize skill upgrades based on the specific requirements of the position

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EA FC Empires tips and tricks for beginners

EA FC Empires in-game Match preparation (Image via EA Sports)

To get ahead in EA FC Empires, it’s essential for beginners to focus on upgrading player traits.

While players level up naturally by participating in matches and earning experience (Exp), even after losing, traits provide an additional way to enhance performance. Traits are displayed below the player's star count.

Silver rarity players have one trait, while gold and higher rarity players can equip more. For higher rarity players, visit the player section and equip additional traits in available slots.

To upgrade a trait, use Exp badges or level-one player badges. This ensures that your players perform at their peak and contribute significantly to your team’s success.

Joining a guild is another important step and unlocks in Chapter 6. When you join a guild for the first time, you’ll receive valuable upgrade materials that can help strengthen your team.

Guild membership comes with numerous benefits, such as faster queue times through teammate assistance, buffs from guild investments, and additional rewards for contributions.

Coordinated efforts like guild rallies further boost progress. Since there are no downsides to joining a guild, make it a priority as soon as it becomes available.

Building multiple teams is crucial for participating in multiple matches on the world map simultaneously. The Stadium provides slots for creating additional teams, but you must avoid including the same players in more than one lineup.

Players cannot be deployed in multiple teams at once. To unlock and manage multiple teams effectively, prioritize upgrading the Car Park. This building increases the number of teams and scouts you can send for various activities, making it a critical investment early on.

Additionally, focus on upgrading the Physio Room to improve stamina recovery for your players. This ensures your team can play more matches frequently, maintaining a competitive edge.

Early game progress can be accelerated by hiring a second construction worker for 100 Diamonds. This allows you to upgrade two buildings simultaneously, saving time and enhancing your efficiency.

Another way to optimize your strategy is by leveraging match preparation. The preparation system predicts the outcome of matches.

Thus, play only those marked as "Easy to Win" or "Even Match," and avoid "Difficult to Win" matches to conserve resources and prevent setbacks.

Daily rewards are an excellent way to boost your progress. Log in daily to claim valuable resources and players, such as John Stones and Phil Foden, during the first week.

Completing daily quests and chapters also adds to your resource pool, making these tasks highly rewarding.

Lastly, regular player training is essential for team development. Training involves Base, Core, and Expansion aspects, all of which contribute to improving stats and overall ratings.

Consistently training your players ensures they perform at their best, making them more effective on the field.

By following these strategies, beginners can effectively manage resources, build strong teams, and achieve rapid progress in EA FC Empires.

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EA FC Empires offers a fresh twist on football management by blending it with strategy elements. While progression may feel time-consuming, balancing tactical decisions and club-building ensures an engaging experience.

FC Empires global launch will soon be announced (Image via EA Sports)

Currently, EA FC Empires is in early access in select regions, including Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, on both Android and iOS. However, a global launch is expected soon.