NHL 23 was officially released last Friday October 14th, and it’s filled with a variety of new features and improved game modes to sink into. With so many different online and offline modes to choose from, NHL 23 has provided fans with plenty to enjoy, particularly in Hockey Ultimate Team (HUT).
A new NHL season means a fresh slate to get your game up in HUT. While many choose to go straight into online play in HUT, plenty of players opt to grind the offline mode, Squad Battles.
While you aren’t actually playing against another person, you are competing against the entire NHL 23 HUT community for placement on the leaderboards to snag up some great rewards. As a result, every game matters. And knowing how to optimize your effort with earning points, will be crucial to your HUT ranking.
Let’s get right to it.
NHL 23: Earning More Points In Squad Battles
How To Get The Most Points In Squad Battles
How you play squad battles in NHL 23 is entirely your choice. Before each game starts, you get to select the difficulty rating for the AI you play against and the time duration you want for each period.
Fans will get prizes for playing these battles on easier difficulty settings. But if you want to get the most out of Squad Battles, you’ll have to challenge yourself. This is going to require putting the difficulty on Superstar and increasing the duration of the games you play.
Is This Approach Worth It?
So there’s a catch here. Superstar is INSANELY difficult in squad battles. Don’t get me wrong; it’s winnable. But you’re going to be sweating at the same level as when you play online matches, if not more. The AI is no joke, and you can risk losing the match on this difficulty, which obviously wouldn’t get you the points you want.
That said, if you’re looking for the right balance that’s really worth it and will maximize the points you get in NHL 23 Squad Battles, shoot for playing on All-Star difficulty and increase the length of the in game periods.
Playing 4-minute periods instead of 2-minute periods will double the points you get for playing a match. And while the difficulty multiplier isn’t as great as it can be, you have much better chances at winning the game on All-Star than Superstar.
Lastly, don’t get greedy. Unless you are a very seasoned player in NHL 23, playing the AI on Superstar is simply not worth it. Losing games won’t do you any favors for your ranking in Squad Battles.
As you get better and feel more confident against the AI, of course you can try out a game on Superstar and see how it goes. But until then, focus on the difficulty you know you can win games at and capitalize on the points out there before ramping up your difficulty.
It’s A Long Season
Remember that you have a whole season to get better. You can start off playing on Pro difficulty in October and by December you’ll be grinding on All-Star and maybe even Superstar.
Don’t obsess over your ranking at the start and don’t worry about how everyone else is performing or what they are doing. Playing the AI is different.
These games get boring and become very predictable. Your game needs to become methodical. And as it does, you’ll see your ranking in Squad Battles go up higher and higher as you improve, getting better rewards along the way.
