Where to find and how to best use the FIFA 17 Ultimate Team Web App.

FIFA 17 Web App explained - trading, rewards, and how to use it

Different from a standard mobile companion app the FIFA 17 Web App is essentially a complete reconstruction of the Ultimate Team section in FIFA 17, barring the actual matches themselves.

The long and short of it is you can buy and sell on the transfer market, build and edit your squads, manage your club and more, from the comfort of your own home (and definitely not from work, of course. Who would do that?!).

Here, we'll take you through exactly how we think you can use it best.

We missed this one, but there are some absolute bargains to be found in the Transfer Market, for which the Web App is a real help.

What can you do in the FIFA 17 Web App? Tips on rewards, trading, transfers and more

The FIFA 17 Web App initially opened ahead of the FIFA 17 launch in a period known as Webstart, which allowed players to get a head start on the transfer market and Ultimate Team mode before the majority of fans gained access. You can access it from the EA site here, which we recommend bookmarking for ease of use if you expect to return often.

Sadly that initial Webstart period's over, which means there's no more easy money to be made in buying up cheap cards before the market kicks off. Instead, the Web App now serves as a means for you to keep an eye on the transfer market wherever you have access to a computer, along with letting you plan and alter your squads and pick up a few rewards too.

The rewards - which are granted once per day for signing into the Web App - are running Otherwise, there are a few things worth bearing in mind for getting the most out of the FIFA 17 Web App:

• Use the Transfer Market - Arguably the most important part, the Web App allows you to buy, sell, watch and track the FUT Transfer Market as if you were in-game. It's particularly useful for sniping, as scrolling to the 59th minute or continuously refreshing a search is much faster on the Web App than in-game thanks to snappier menus and the rather handy addition of a mouse and keyboard.
• Take advantage of access during quiet periods - Still on transfers, you'll often find it far easier to snipe players off the market in ther 59th minute at a quiet period in the mid-morning than you would at 7pm on a weeknight. That's because, quite simply, there are far fewer players playing FIFA at certain times of day. Pick your times carefully, and you can make some serious coin on the Web App Transfer Market that you'd miss out on otherwise, simply by avoiding the rush.
• Manage your Squad in advance - You can completely edit your matchday squad from the Squads tab in the Web App, which can be a real help for setting up your players,Chemistry Styles, Team Chemistry and general tactics ahead of your next game. The app's much faster than the somewhat sluggish FIFA 17 menus, so this can be a real time-saver if you're eager to get cracking as soon as you get back to your console. We also found it a far easier visualisation tool than the in-game version, simply because of the added ease-of-use and responsiveness that you'll find using the menu on a PC.
• Earn rewards - Finally, you can of course earn rewards simply for logging into the Web App in the first few weeks of launch. Your total coin rewards will quickly rack up into the thousands after a few days of logging in, so it's worth a few moments of your time every day, even if that's all you do. Bearing in mind how easy it is to multiply your coins once you have them - we explain the quickest ways to earn coins in our guide on the subject - we can't recommend this highly enough, especially for new players who need a head start.

FIFA 17 Ones to Watch cards - what are OTW cards and which are the best?

The first 'live' version of player cards in FUT, Ones to Watch add an intriguing option for players both on the pitch and in the ever-changing FUT Transfer Market, tracking players form over time.

Being a totally new concept to Ultimate Team players, there are of course plenty of questions regarding just how they work, which we'll answer below.

What are FIFA 17 Ones to Watch cards, when are they available, and how do they work?

In brief, Ones to Watch cards work by changing according that player's in-form cards in Ultimate Team. It means that if, say, Paul Pogba picks up a new Team of the Week card with imrpoved stats of an Overall 90, compared to his usual 88, his One to Watch card will change to a 90 rating. They're essentially a fantastic invenstment card - but it depends on your own powers of prediction too, as the cards are expensive, and will only improve over time if that player is having a great season themselves.

Here's everything we know about Ones to Watch cards in FIFA 17:

• Ones to Watch are only in packs for a limited time - From September 30th to 6pm UK time on October 10th, 2016. From then on, they'll only be available on the transfer market, meaning that they function, primarily, as an investment card for fantasy-football style bets on the market.
• Ones to Watch increase according to the latest in-form version of the card - So, if Matts Hummels increases from 87 to 88, then gets an 89 in a later Team of the Week, his Ones to Watch card will rise to 89 too.
• Ones to Watch can't decrease in rating - Once they increase, that's the minimum rating the card will have for the rest of the season. It only changes if there's another, higher-rated in-form card released down the line.
• Ones to Watch are available in any FUT player pack - That means any free packs, purchased packs, or gifts could have a Ones to Watch player inside, so long as the pack features some player cards itself.
• Ones to Watch ratings are updated immediately - As soon as the new Team of the Week or other in-form card is available, the Ones to Watch card will increase.
• Ones to Watch replace their standard versions during the release period - Whilst they're available in packs, Ones to Watch will replace any standard versions of the card. So you can't pack an Eric Bailly that isn't a One to Watch card before October 10th.

List of FIFA 17 Ultimate Team Ones to Watch player cards

If you're doing a spot of team-building - and, of course, have already read up on how to get the most out of Chemistry Styles in FUT 17 - below we've put together a list of all 23 Ones to Watch cards, their positions, and their base ratings.

Player	Position	Rating
Alisson	GK	80
Stones	CB	78
Umtiti	CB	82
Bailly	CB	82
Mustafi	CB	83
Hummels	CB	87
Krychowiak	CDM	84
Dembélé	CM	77
Sanches	CM	78
Kanté	CM	81
Pjanić	CM	85
Pogba	CM	89
Gaitán	LM	85
Embolo	RM	76
Sane	RM	79
Mané	RM	79
De Paula	CAM	80
Ben Arfa	CAM	84
Batshuayi	ST	81
Sansone	ST	82
Morata	ST	82
Milik	ST	83
Higuaín	ST	88

The key here will be picking the players who you feel will hit the greatest run of form this season. Pogba, for instance, has had a very slow start at Manchester United, whilst Saido Mané has been excellent so far for Liverpool. But is Mané's form a flash in the pan? That's down to your own punting skills to decide.

Our tip? Keep a close eye on the values of Alisson, Gaitán and Krychowiak. Not because they're likely to have better seasons than anyone else, but because they happen to be the only players in their position with a Ones to Watch card - meaning a potential boost to their value on the transfer market.

How to rake in the all-important dough in FIFA 17's online Ultimate Team mode.

FIFA 17 coins - how to earn FIFA coins quickly and for free in Ultimate Team

You can, of course buy these coins with real money. Dedicated coin-selling sites are frowned upon by the community for a number of reasons, but you can purchase them directly in-game through FIFA Points - EA Sports term for what we call "money".

If you're here though, you probably don't want to do that - although of course there's no judgement if you do - and so this guide will be dedicated to explaining the best, fastest, and most efficient ways to earn FIFA coins in FIFA 17, without spending any money of your own.

How to earn FIFA coins in FIFA 17 Ultimate Team

Before we address what we feel to be the best ways to earn coins, it's worth quickly highlighting all the ways it's possible to do so. Here's how:

• Playing matches in Ultimate Team mode - The most obvious way to earn coins in FIFA is simply playing games of football. You'll earn around 400 coins for a win against a human opponent in FUT's online mode, give or take a few dozen depending on your performance. Keeping this up for a while will also see you earn rewards for promotion and conquering your division, which involves winning a set number of games in online leagues.
• Coin boosts - Your post-match earnings can also be modified by coin boosts, which are unlocked with EA Football Club Credits. We know, another currency. It's fairly simple though, simply playing the game will unlock FCCs, which you can spend in the Football Club Catalogue by pressing R3/Right Stick and browsing from the menus. Different catalogue rewards unlock as you 'level up', which again requires you to simply keep on playing. Coin boosts vary, starting at a boost of 200 coins per game for a set period.
• Completing weekly challenges and tournaments - EA Sports kindly provide a roster of new tournaments and/or challenges every week in FIFA Ultimate Team, which normally boast some fairly decent coin rewards as a result. Check into the Tournaments section on the Ultimate Team menus every week to see what's new - but even standard tournaments have decent payouts of 500 coins or more for victory, on top of what you earn from winning games.
• Playing the Transfer Market - This method's probably seen more YouTube videos and blogs dedicated to it than any other, thanks to the irrefutable draw we all have to the idea of playing the market. If you fancy yourself a wheeling, dealing, definitely-not-Harry-Redknapp businessman, then there's a potential fortune to be earned from Transfer Market methods like 'sniping' undervalued players as soon as they hit the market and isntantly reselling them, or mass-bidding on swathes of player cards in the hope of making marginal profit on each. We'll go into more detial on just how to do this below, as although there's quite literally no gameplay involved, it is indeed one of the fastest ways to earn coins in Ultimate Team.

The best, fastest ways to earn FIFA coins in Ultimate Team 17

Of the above, there are, really, only two ways to effectively earn coins. Which one counts as 'best' really comes down to your own preferences as a player - would you rather play online matches (in the most efficient way possible, explained below), and earn coins a little slower, or spend hours playing the market, but earning coins at roughly twice the speed?

Whatever the preference, these are the two best ways to earn FIFA coins in FIFA 17 Ultimate Team:

Gameplay: 5,000 - 8,000 coins per hour

Matches, coins boosts, tournaments and rewards. It may sound a little uninventive, but the best way to earn coins that doesn't require you to pour hours into a virtual stock market is to simply play the game. There are caveats to that, of course, which make it much more efficient though:

• First, you'll want to apply your coin boosts acquired through the EA Football Club (press R3, head to the catalogue, unlock more through playing more and levelling up).
• Then, head to the Online Leagues, and get cracking. Not only will you earn at least 600 coins for a win with the boost activated - which takes about fifteen minutes factoring in team management and annoying pause-spam from your defeated opponents - but you'll also be working toward further rewards with Division promoton and victory. Rewards there get into the low thousands, meaning that, if you play well, you can pick up several thousand coins per hour.
• If you back yourself, the FUT Draft mode is another gameplay-based option, but with a 15,000 coin entry fee, you'll need to do sufficiently well to actually make the coins back (although you will pick up some packs along the way, too).

Hey, don't judge - this was just us practicing some games. Honest...

Transfer Market: 10,000+ coins per hour

Alright fine, if you insist on spending none of your time in Ultimate Team actually playing FIFA, here's how you can earn decidedly more coins than any other method, free of charge, at a decent speed. Mass bidding is the best method specifically, here's how to do it:

1. Find a player who's in-demand, but cheap enough to buy en masse within your current budget. Our advice is Premier League or La Liga players, and those who play in a rarely-filled position like left or right back, or centre forward. You're looking for a player whose demand exceeds the supply, but not to such an extent that you're forking out several million on a Team of the Year Suárez.
2. Find their average buy-it-now price (it's easier than eBay, just cycle throught the card's menus where it's handily displayed for you) and calculate the amount you'd need to buy it for, if you were going to make a profit by selling it for the average buy-it-now price. How do you do that? Well, deduct the EA Tax (5 per cent, so multiply the buy-it-now average by 0.95 to find the after-tax price) and then aim for a couple of hundred coins below it.
3. Get bidding. Remember to keep in mind your profit margins - you'll need to buy and then re-sell at a least a couple of hundred coins' profit each time - and head to at least the second or third page of the Transfer Market list for that player. You want to be the first to bid on an item, as you're essentially hoping to catch the ones which slip through the net. It means you'll need to place a lot of bids - you'll probably get one in ten at best - but the upside is you can place a wave of bids on players, play a few games or head out to work or school, and come back to your market to see what you won.
4. Sell sell sell. Assuming you got lucky and won a few cheapos, it's time to immediately flip them on the market. If you're staying with the game and want to re-invest your earnings right away, set the listing for one hour and the buy-it-now price as dead on the average. If you're happy to wait, set it for four or more hours and a few hundred over the average (not too far over though, or you won't sell it and will waste your time).

As we said before, it's really a matter of preference here, but one final point to bear in mind is that a combination of the two is really the ultimate process. Starting out, for instance, you won't have enough coins to mass-buy - playing games with the method above will earn you a decent amount relatively quickly (and easily), and you can then reinvest your earnings from those games into mass-buying, whilst playing more games to earn more.

Coins, much like real money, do nothing when they sit still. One way or another you want to invest them - and even buying players who've had a great real-world week of football ahead of the new Team of the Week announcement is a good way to do so, as you can predict a spike in their own value - rather than leaving coins to sit doing nothing in your account. A combinationg of the two methods, in our opinion, is the ultimate way to success.

Explaining the all-important FUT 17 Chemistry Style modifiers and the best ways to use them.

FIFA 17 Chemistry Styles explained - the best FUT Chemistry Styles for each position

Explaining the all-important FUT 17 Chemistry Style modifiers and the best ways to use them.

We can't emphasise their importance enough, with the stat-modifying add-ons able to increase individual attributes by up to fifteen points each. With that in mind, we've put together a quick guide below helping you choose which positions to couple those all-important Chemistry Styles with, and why - meaning no more scratched heads and inefficient Styles ruining all your hard work in the transfer market.

What are Chemistry Styles in FIFA 17 Ultimate Team and how do they work?

Effectively, they work by increasing a set number of player attributes - like Sprint Speed or Crossing - which are categorised and shown under more general groups in FUT, such as 'Shooting' or 'Pace'.

To get the added effect of the Chemistry Style attached to your player, that player will need to have an Individual Chemistry - shown on the bar under the player picture in one of the secondary FUT Squad views - of at least 5 out of 10. At 4 out of 10, the attributes will stay the same, and below that all attributes regardless of Chem Style will start to decrease.

The downside is, it's not made explicitly clear which players and positions these Chem Styles actually suit, mainly due to those bundled stats like 'Shooting' not indicating which actual attributes within it - like Finishing or Long Shots - is increased by the Chemistry Style add-on. That means it's not clear, for example, whether you'd want the Sniper or Finisher Style on your Striker or your Centre Forward.

The best FIFA 17 Chemistry Styles by position - how to choose which Chem Style goes with which player in Ultimate Team

We've broken down the tables below into Attacking, Midfield, Defensive and Goalkeeper Chemistry Styles, according to the stats they affect.

Also worth bearing in mind is that the Basic Chemistry Style, which is automatically applied to all players which don't come pre-loaded with a Chem Style of their own, doesn't increase every single stat when you hit the right amount of chemistry.

Rather, it increases a set group of attributes by a smaller amount than the others:

• Basic Chemistry Style - Increases Acceleration, Positioning, Finishing, Shot Power, Volleys, Penalties, Vision, Long Passing, Short Passing, Curve, Agility, Ball Control, Dribbling, Marking, Standing Tackle, Sliding Tackle, Jumping, and Strength by a small amount.

Finally, a quick reminder that we've also drawn up lists of the best FIFA 17 players by position, and the highest-potential wonderkids in the game, if you're looking for some specific ideas for how to build your Ultimate Team - you can also pick up some unique FUT reward cards and loan players, in The Journey. We explain just how to do so in our FIFA 17 The Journey walkthrough and tips page, too.

With that cleared up, let's dive into which Chemistry Style is best for which position in your FIFA 17 Ultimate Team.

Best Chemistry Styles for Attackers and Forwards - ST, CF, LW, RW

Chemistry Style	Attributes Improved	Best for Position	Reasoning
Sniper	Positioning Finishing Volleys Penalties Agility Balance Reactions Ball Control Dribbling	ST CF RW LW	Focusing on close-range finishing, speed, and dribbling-based attributes, this works best for pacy forwards who'll both be running with the ball at speed, and finishing from inside the box.
Finisher	Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Volleys Penalties Jumping Strength Aggression	ST CF	More focused on power and shooting from range, this suits target men and attackers looking to take shots from range.
Deadeye	Positioning Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Penalties Vision Free Kick Acc. Long Passing Short Passing Curve	CAM CF RW LW ST	Centred on passing and all-round finishing, this is best for players looking to both create chances and take them, so works well across all attacking positions, depending on the player.
Marksman	Positioning Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Volleys Penalties Agility Reactions Ball Control Dribbling Jumping Strength Aggression	ST CF	An all-round striker's dream, really. Marksman is great for strong forwards who are also good on the ball, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Hawk	Acceleration Sprint-Speed Positioning Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Volleys Penalties Jumping Strength Aggression	ST LW RW	Very similar to the Marksman, but with more emphasis on pace instead of agility, this suits wingers a little more, along with on-the-shoulder strikers.
Hunter	Acceleration Sprint-Speed Positioning Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Volleys Penalties	ST	Focused entirely on pace and shooting attributes, this is all about rapid strikers. Think ST Walcott or Javier Hernandez.

Best Chemistry Styles for Midfielders and Hybrid Styles - CAM, CM, LM, RM, CDM

Chemistry Style	Attributes Improved	Best for Position	Reasoning
Artist	Vision Crossing Long Passing Short Passing Curve Agility Balance Reactions Ball Control Dribbling	CAM CM LM RM	Based around strong dribbling and passing stats, this is great for all offensively-minded midfielders, especially a Modric or Iniesta.
Architect	Vision Crossing Free Kick Acc. Long Passing Short Passing Curve Jumping Strength Aggression	CM CAM	Shifts the focus onto physical attributes instead of dribbling, this suits strong, creative midfielders like Paul Pogba.
Powerhouse	Vision Crossing Long Passing Short Passing Curve Interceptions Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle	CM, CDM	Passing and Defending attributes are the focus here - great for deep-lying playmakers, or moulding box-to-box players like Pogba or Yaya Toure into a holding midfielder.
Maestro	Positioning Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Volleys Vision Free Kick Acc. Long Passing Short Passing Reactions Ball Control Dribbling	CAM CM LM RM	Focused on dribbling, shooting, and passing, this is great for all-round attacking midfielders who want to both create and take chances themselves.
Engine	Acceleration Sprint Speed Vision Crossing Free Kick Acc. Long Passing Short Passing Curve Agility Balance Reactions Ball Control Dribbling	CAM LM RM LW RW	Great for supporting, creative, attacking midfield players thanks to a focus on pace, passing, and dribbling attributes.
Catalyst	Acceleration Sprint-Speed Vision Crossing Free Kick Acc. Long Passing Short Passing Curve	CDM CM CAM LM RM LW RW	Completely focused on pace and passing, this will suit any midfield player. Pace alone makes it viable in so many situations, both offensive and defensive, whilst all passing-based attributes improving means a big boost to crossing-based wide players.

Best Chemistry Styles for Defenders - CDM, CB, LB, RB, LWB, RWB

Chemistry Style	Attributes Improved	Best for Position	Reasoning
Sentinel	Interceptions Heading Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle Jumping Strength Aggression	CDM RB LB CB	Doubling down on just defending and physical attributes, this is for athletic defenders of all types. Eric Bailly is a good example.
Guardian	Agility Balance Reactions Ball Control Dribbling Interceptions Heading Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle	LB RB LWB RWB	Focusing on all dribbling and defending attributes, and nothing else, this is perfect for mixed-duty full backs.
Gladiator	Positioning Finishing Shot Power Long Shots Interceptions Heading Accuracy Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle	CDM LWB RWB	Bit of an unusual one, the Gladiator focuses solely on shooting and defending stats. It's actually great for long-shot-taking wing backs and defensive midfielders as a result.
Backbone	Vision Crossing Long Passing Short Passing Curve Interceptions Heading Accuracy Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle Jumping Strength Aggression	CDM CB	Ball-playing defenders like John Stones and Gerard Pique, and defensive midfielders like Fernandinho benefit most from Backbone, a great Chem Style spread evenly across passing, defending, and physical attributes.
Anchor	Acceleration Sprint-Speed Interceptions Heading Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle Jumping Strength Aggression	LB RB LWB RWB CB	Pace, defending, and physical stats benefit here, making it a great all-round option for most defenders who need a bit of everything.
Shadow	Acceleration Sprint-Speed Interceptions Heading Marking Standing Tackle Sliding Tackle	LB RB LWB RWB	Doubling down on big improvements to just the pace and defending brackets, this is a great option for wide defenders who need to get up and down the field quickly.

Best Chemistry Styles for Goalkeepers - GK

Chemistry Style	Attributes Improved	Best for Position	Reasoning
Wall	Diving Handling Kicking	GK	Solid all-round option for the likes of David De Gea, with strong kicking helping you start counter attacks.
Shield	Kicking Reflexes Speed	GK	More of a sweeper-keeper specialism this, great for Manuel Neuer.
Cat	Reflexes Speed Positioning	GK	The is good for keepers with a strong control of their own box, but not much outside it, like Hugo Lloris.
Glove	Diving Handling Positioning	GK	A purely defensive specialism, Glove is best for traditional 'keepers like Thibaut Courtois or Gianluigi Buffon.

FIFA 17's new story mode detailed in full.

FIFA 17 The Journey walkthrough - how to play a full season and get all rewards

In The Journey you'll play as Alex Hunter, a hotshot 17-year-old with aspirations to emulate his legendary grandfather by stepping out in the Premier League. The story tracks his path from kiddy kickabouts on Clapham Common to - if you play your cards right - the next trophy-winning, media-darling Marcus Rashford starlet.

Here, we'll talk you through what exactly The Journey mode is, how it works, the best and worst outcomes and our best advice for how you can ensure you make it to the big time. It should go without saying, but there will of course be some story spoilers dotted throughout this guide, of varying significance, so read on at your own risk.

What you need to know about The Journey - rewards, length, available clubs

As we mentioned above, The Journey is FIFA's new story mode, but although it takes influence from other, more traditionally role-playing, story-driven EA-published series like Mass Effect, the way the Journey works is somewhat unique.

Whilst we haven't been able to play through The Journey enough times to decipher the outcome of every single decision and performance, we do know the overall structure and several different conclusions to the story of Alex Hunter. We'll start with the basics:

• What do you do in The Journey? - The Journey involves a combination of training exercises, matches, conversations, and cutscenes, with a bit of Twitter feed checking thrown in. You'll split your playing time roughly 50-50 between training and matches, whilst conversations only happen sporadically, such as after man of the match performances or at significant milestones.
• Does Alex Hunter improve over time? - Yes, in fact it's the main hook that keeps you interested in playing for longer, outside of the story itself. As you train and perform well in matches, Hunter's individual attributes like Short Passing, Finishing, etc. - and thus his Overall rating - will gradually increase. Each time your Overall rating goes up a level, you'll also receive a number of Skill Points to spend on individual Traits. Unlocking one of these will either increase a particular attribute by a few levels, or grant you a Trait much like those on standard players, like Swerve Passing or five star Skill Moves.
• What clubs can you play for in The Journey? - If successful at the exit trials, you'll be afforded the choice of any Premier League club to play for - meaning no, you don't have to just choose Manchester United. Those 20 English teams, plus three in the Championship, are the only ones you can play for. A little further down the line, it's quite likely you'll be loaned out - this time to one of three Championship clubs: Aston Villa, Newcastle United, or Norwich City, who you'll play for until recalled later on that season.
• How do you 'win' or 'lose' The Journey? - We'll go into this in more detail just below, but in brief there isn't a clear case for 'winning' or completing The Journey in one specific way. Generally, your goal is to balance popularity with your manager, and popularity with your 'followers'. Keeping them both happy will mean you can continue along your journey for as long as possible, with the greatest possible outcome for Alex. Making them significantly unhappy will result in reduced playing time and, ultimately, the end of the road for Alex Hunter.
• How much do your decisions and conversations affect the story in The Journey - Honestly, not very much. Generally different dialogue options will affect that cutscene in which they occur, but have next to no repurcussions down the line. The only thing to bear in mind is your manager's opinion of you and your follower count - hitting certain numbers of followers trigger sponsorship deals, and with them come cutscenes featuring the likes of Angel Di María (yes, it's actually played by him), flashy photoshoots, and so on. Otherwise, we found that whether you gave a diplomatic press interview or told your bratty rival where to shove it didn't do anything for the story at large aside from make that cuscene dialogue play out a little differently.
• How long is The Journey? - The Journey lasts around 16 hours at most, which includes performing each training session and match manually without simulating anything, and achieving the longest possible story arc. The Journey will finish at the end of the season - in late May - at the latest.
• Can you fail The Journey exit trials? - Yes. The start of the game will see you face the dreaded exit trials (a kind of last-chance saloon where under 18 players released from football acadamies have a final shot at impressing professional scouts) and the first of several objectives you'll be given there is to rank in the top half of the 22 footballers on trial during a practice match. If you finish outside of the top half, you'll be asked to leave, with the option to quit or reload an earlier save.
• What rewards are there for playing The Journey? - The Journey offers players a handful of rewards, which are earned simply by playing through the story. You'll receive a random FUT Loan Player over a certain Overall rating up to five times, at different story milestones, which range up to a minimum rating of 87 Overall (in fact we earned Thomas Müller, who apparently broke FIFA's rating system). If you finish The Journey you'll receive an Alex Hunter Ultimate Team card, which is permanent and tailored according to your own Alex Hunter's progress. We found that, although the card was tailored to our own Hunter's progress, the stats still differed; our Hunter had Accelleration and Sprint Speed in the mid 80s, for instance, whilst the FUT card had Pace in the mid 70s. As an example for what to expect, we also achieved 'A' ratings in every training session, and between 7 and 10 out of 10 in every match, won every competition we were in, and saw our Journey version of Hunter reach an Overall of 73. We were awarded with a gold card for Alex Hunter that was rated 75.
• Can you get injured in The Journey, and what happens if you do? - Yes you can, however it never actually rules you out for a game. If you pick up a knock in a match - we picked up two over the whole season - you'll get one of a selection of pre-made cutscenes with the physio and coach, who tell you RICE (rest-ice-compress-elevate) and learn to 'run clever'. As far as we know it has no bearing on the story, and is just a nice touch of semi-realism.

FIFA 17 The Journey walkthrough

The Journey is a strange beast; there's no room for a walkthrough in the traditional sense - take this turning, perform this action here - but there is still a story, and there are still some different results depending on how you perform. Plus, it's just generally unclear how it all works, as there are no hard and fast 'rules' as to what actions determine what action, so we're here to clear that up for you as best we can.

Final warning for the spoiler-sensitive, too: full story spoilers will of course follow.

The Journey begins - childhood flashback and exit trials

After you've indicated your favourite club in the pre-game menus, The Journey opens with Alex Hunter and his best mate, Gareth Walker, playing Sunday League football on Clapham Common. Your legendary ex-pro grandad, ever-supportive mum, and deadbeat dad look on as the kids cup final comes down to penalties - with yours the deciding one. If you score, the match ends there with plenty of glee from your team and family - miss, and so will the opposing team after you. Gareth gets another chance to win the game for you with the next kick, and does. Either way, you'll win the cup and go home happy - catching the eye of a scout or two - and the ire of your bitter dad, career cut short by injury - in the process.

Flash forward to the present day, and it's you, Gareth, mum and grandad once again, this time at the infamous 'exit trials'. The two of you have been released from an unnamed academy and this is your final chance to impress a scout and get a foot in the door at the top level. Here, you'll need to complete three objectives: stay in the top half of players during a half-length practice match; finish in the top 10 after a few training sessions, and the top 10 again in another practice match. Fail to do so, and you're met with a game over screen and an option to reload an earlier save (note that, in our experience, the game saved automatically and often, with no option to do either save or load manually). You'll also get to choose your position here, from four options: Left Winger, Right Winger, Centre Attacking Midfielder or Striker - we went for attacking mid in our main playthrough, which we'd recommend, as it allows you to drop a little deeper to win back and pass the ball, and affect matches throughout, which is surprisingly important. Your choice here has little other impact on story though, as far as we know.

Choose your new club

After succesfully negotiating the exit trails, you're approached by an agent, the slightly-slimy Michael Taylor, who tells you there's not a club in the league that isn't interested - congrats! You can now choose from any of the 20 Premier League clubs, although it's worth bearing in mind that bigger clubs will afford you less playing time - but more money, and glory - than the league's minnnows.

Choose your club, and it turns out this one happens to be your legendary grandad Jim Hunter's old club too, and your old mate Gareth has happened to get a contract there too - fancy that!

First training session, meeting the team and the gaffer

Your first session sees you meeting the squad, the coach (not the actual manager, who remains a silent background figure throughout the story), and Gareth at training. There are a couple of dialogue options, where you'll see Gareth is isn't quite striking the same 'chemistry' as you are with teammates. The better you do in training, the more chance you have to break into the first team, but at big clubs at least, you'll be starting on the bench for your first game regardless.

First match, tour, start of the season and coming off the bench

Your first games take place on tour, with you coming on as a sub in each.

Soon enough you get your chance in a real game, in the section of the story which was featured in the FIFA 17 demo. Gareth Walker has started ahead of you - and seems pretty smug about it - and you're brought on from the bench to replace him around the 65-minute mark, with the score tied at 1-1 (Gareth getting your team's goal) in a big game.

You'll be given three objectives by your manager in every game where you come off the bench, which break down into a target match rating out of 10, a tactical target like scoring the next goal or getting two assists, and a result-based target like winning the game or holding onto your lead. Complete them to increase your chances of starting future games.

The Big Money Signing

Uh oh. On Transfer Deadline Day your club decides to splash out on a Big Money Signing (always referred to under that name, rather than the player's name) which was in our case, and many others, Harry Kane. Even worse, they're going to play Gareth with him instead of you up top, meaning you face some major competition.

Farmed out on loan

Things go from bad to worse for Alex now, as your mate Gareth starts to get a little Big Time Charlie and stops responding to your messages, whilst the boss decides that, despite you being a valued player, it's time to send you out on loan.

As far as we know, this is a scripted even that happens no matter what, regardless of your match ratings and training scores. You have no say in the matter - other than choosing how well you want Alex to take the news - but you do have a choice of three Championship clubs: Aston Villa, Newcastle United, or Norwich City - which are probably the options because FIFA still has assets for their stadia, seeing as all three were in last year's Premier League competition. Choose whichever takes your fancy - we went for Villa, because Norwich are boring and Newcastle are just a mess, let's be honest.

Meeting the new team, and a familiar face

Over at your new club, you'll meet your new boss, Dino, who seems pretty scary on first impressions but is actually a pretty lovely guy, who's all about the squad working together as a unit. You'll also meet Danny Williams - who you first encountered at the exit trials giving it large because he already had a contract, and has had a few pops at you on social media since - who just happens to be at your loan club.

It turns out Danny's actually a decent enough guy -probably suffering from a bit of an inferiority complex - who helps you settle in. It's back to the grindstone for you though, as you'll be doing more training before you earn your first professional start (depending on training and match performance, and how happy you make your manager with 'cool' options in interviews with the press).

Grinding it out in the Championship

For now, this is your home. It was still early on in the season when we were loaned out, and you'll be there until at least January when transfer rumours start to fire up again. Do your best to train well - using all three attempts at a drill if possible, and avoiding simulation at all costs - and play well in games. Not only will these improve your manager's opinion of you to help you start games, it'll also earn you more followers without the need for fiery interviews, increase your attributes, and earn you Skill Points to spend as your Overall rating increases over time too.

Gareth also seems to be weirdly smug about all of this, taking the occassional pop at you on social media with some backhanded compliments like 'maybe the Championship's more his level'. Ignore him for now...

Recalled to the big leagues

We're not sure at this point if it depends on your performances or not, but we generally played well, getting 'A' rating in all training sessions and 7-10 ratings in matches, until we were recalled.

The call-up can only happen in January either way, as it's spurred on by good old Gareth making a shock transfer request and move to - wait for it - your Biggest Rival. When you head back to your main club's training ground all happy to see your estranged friend, he blows up in your face, informing you that you'll never be able to fill the hole he's left. Charming. And a bit irrational.

Grinding it out again, this time in the Premier League

Now you're back, it's simply time to get your head down and play well for the team. You've got half a season to climb to the top of the Premier League table, and make it through to the FA Cup final. Ignore Gareth's increasingly manic snipes at you on social media, and focus on keeping a regular starting spot through strong performances and training results.

After a mid-season game against your rivals, Gareth pops outside to the car park to make amends for his bizarre attitude, putting it down to pressure. Just as he's apologising though, the ever-flummoxed Danny Williams turns up to give you a lift, and Gareth flips (again, seriously he needs some therapy), interpreting your new friendship as some kind of slight on his character and storming off.

Aside from that, you'll hear mentiones of you making it into the FIFA Ultimate Team Team of the Week - from match commentators not less, if you play well, and also get a pretty nice gaff now you're back in the big leagues, which ol' grandpa Jim finds a little unsettling - but he quickly comes around.

Sponsorship deals start flooding in

Once you hit 200,000 social media followers - which should happen naturally through good performances, but can be sped up with fiesty press interviews - you'll get your first sponsorship deal.

It's Addidas who decide to get you on their books, first of all with a choice of swanky new football boots, which feature lots of trademarked pseudo-science and no discernable difference to your actual play in game - which is realistic!

After that, you'll receive new deals at 275,000 followers and 300,000. We didn't actually notice anything happen at 300,000, as it popped whilst we were on the photoshoot that you get on hitting 275,000 first. Angel Di María pops up there, who says hello to you in his native language before being ushered off by the brand bloke who's there on set. You'll earn plenty of money from these deals, but it's not clear what difference that actually makes to your playthrough - it seems as though it doesn't make any, other than unlocking the ncie cutscenes with big players.

The final push for the Premier League trophy

If you've been playing well, your team's probably in with a chance of winning the Premier League. As Manchester United, we were a few points clear at the top going into the last five games of the season, where we were granted a cutscene with the coach again who gave us a nice rousing speech.

Showdown - the FA Cup final against Gareth and your Biggest Rival

Finally, it's time to tell Gareth where to shove it - by letting your football do the talking, of course. He gives you all kinds of nonsense on social media in the build up to the cup final at Wembley, where you'll be taking on him and your rival team, in our case Liverpool.

In the tunnel beforehand, Gareth gets even nastier. Depending on your response - we went with fiery because the lad deserved it, and we were pumped up with game-face on - he may get extra personal, insulting your grandad and your vacant dad, who's career was cut short by injury. Go and smash him on the pitch - metaphorically, we mean. We know it's tempting but try not to get sent off.

If you win, the post-game cutscene will see you walk over to Gareth and silently pick him up from his melodramatic position of disappointment, where he's lying on the pitch. If you lose, he'll do the same to you, but still celebrate more than a little excessively right in front of you. Bit unnecessary.

Your dad also shows up outside the stadium after the game. Regardless of how you played (we scored nine own goals in one game to test out what happens with the lowest possible score...) he'll say you look strong and played well, which Alex will somewhat harshly ignore.

End of the season, and a big phone call

Finally, you'll see a cutscene where you and Danny wind down in your pad, playing... FIFA! Your agent rocks up, grandad Jim siezing the opportunity to make up with him after their frosty relationship over the year, and your mum's just chuffed all round.

Before it all wraps up though, you get a call. Not from the England manager with a call-up, but from your coach, who then tells you to turn on the TV, where you see you have actually been called up to the England squad. We're pretty sure players get a phone call before it's all over 'EA Sports News' in real life, but it's a nice touch.

There, in a typical 'it's only just beginning' way, Alex's Journey wraps up, and you're awarded a FIFA Ultimate Team card for Alex Hunter, which is tailored loosly according to his attributes in your playthrough. Congratulations!

Other advice you should know before playing The Journey in FIFA 17

Throughout The Journey, you'll find that you're incentivised to do a couple of things: keep the manager happy, and get more followers. It's not made totally clear why you'll want to do that though, or how exactly those things are affected, so we've put together a few tips on getting a happy gaffer and healthy fanbase, alongside some general tips for success in The Journey story mode.

For the record, as far as we know the best possible ending is three sponsorship deals (including the cutscene with Di María), winning the Premier League, winning the FA Cup, and getting an England call-up - there may be something even better you can do, such as beat your grandad's goalscoring record, although that one, for example, would simply require scoring more goals!

• Social media followers, manager happiness, and money are all linked together. Fiery responses in publicly-broadcast dialogue will get you more followers, whilst cool options in any situation the manager is aware of will make him happier. A happy manager is key to getting more game time, which you'll need to do if you want to play in the FA Cup and get the longest possible playthrough, whilst followers are key to unlocking specific cutscenes with top players like Di María through sponsorship deals.
• It's possible, however, to achieve everything without worrying about our dialogue. Whilst training performance only affects your manager's impressions of you, match performance affects both. Training well and racking up the goals and assists on the pitch will make both your manager and fans happy - in fact we split our reponses evenly between fiery, cool, and balanced, and still maxed out manager happiness and sponsorships through solid performances on the pitch. Letting your football do the talking is all you need to do.
• If you find in-game performances tough - and they can be at times - then you can of course tweak your chances of success by going for cooler responses in dialogue options, keeping your manager happy enough to play you. Manager happiness is much more important than followers, ultimately, as he's the one who decides whether you're kept, sold, played, or left on the bench.

• As a general tip, it's worth noting that the in-game camera angle can be changed. We thought the 'Be a Pro' angle was the only one, which is incredibly awkward to deal with at times, until we logged on on a different PS4 to see the camera angle was back to the normal one, as if you'd selected to play as a team instead of just Hunter. Pop into the settings to change it.
• Playing as Alex Hunter in matches it much easier than playing as the whole team, when it comes to getting a good rating. You might be used to playing as a team, but it's worth learning to adapt to playing as just Hunter. Aside from just being a nice breath of fresh air from standard FIFA gameplay, controlling just Alex allows you to significantly affect how often he gets on the ball and affects the game. You can drop deep to win it back from the computer which is obsessed with posession on higher difficulties, and likewise build up play through you by calling for it and working it forwards. Teammate decisions can be a little wonky, but it's still much easier than relying on a 60-rated Alex Hunter's AI to get him into good positions for your pass in team-control mode.
• You can instruct other players to perform most actions you could if controlling them as a team normally. Threaded through balls, lob passes, airial through balls, shots, closing down players, and more are all available as commands to your teammates through 'shouting' at them as Alex Hunter. Simply press the button you normally would if controlling them to instruct the AI to perform an action. Mastering this is enormously helpful for success on the field.
• Spend skill points wisely. It's unlikely, if not impossible, that you'll earn enough skill points to unlock everything. With that in mind, think about your playstile and your position. Hunter's Penalties, for instance, start down in the 40s or 50s - is spending precious Skill Points to level that up to the mid 50s worth it when you could be adding extra pace, stamina, passing, and five-star skill moves?