NHL 24 gives hockey fans the ability to play a season as their favorite team and try to win the Stanley Cup, but there is so much more than that to EA’s hockey sim. The popular World of Chel mode allows gamers to create their own unique player and compete in team or individual events. It’s fully customizable, so you’ll have the ability to create the build and class you want to be able to dominate the competition. One popular position to play in the game is goalie, so with that in mind, here’s our guide to the best goalie build in NHL 24.
The Best Goaltender Archetype in NHL 24
There are several factors that will define your goalie’s strengths and weaknesses in NHL 24. The first, and most important, is the archetype. Think of this as your goalie’s overall play style. In this year’s game, there are three choices: Hybrid, Stand-Up, and Butterfly. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, but not all of them are equally effective when considering the meta in NHL 24.
The Stand-Up goaltending style is reminiscent of the 1980s goalies in the NHL, and it’s just not very effective in NHL 24. Stand-Up goalies will be very effective against high shots, but their verticality will make them weaker when facing low shots. In addition, they struggle with rebound control and recovery.
Related: Does NHL 24 Have Crossplay?
Butterfly goalies get low and take away the bottom half of the net. While that’s often an effective strategy in the actual NHL, in NHL 24 you’ll want a goaltender that can be effective against high shots too. More importantly, Butterfly goalies surrender attribute points in speed and agility, both of which are critical for defending the famed cross-crease plays in the NHL series.
The best archetype to roll with in NHL 24 is the Hybrid style. Hybrid gives you the best of both worlds — you’ll give up a little in rebound control, but the speed, agility, and recovery are strong. There’s also good balance in net coverage on both stick and glove side. If you’re looking for the easiest and most effective option, Hybrid is it.
The Best Goalie Zone Abilities
There’s more to it than just picking the right archetype, though. As you progress in your World of Chel career in NHL 24, you’ll earn several perks and boosts that will give your goalie their own identity. As with archetypes, some are better than others.
Zone abilities are the main special abilities your goaltender has. Everyone starts with an initial zone ability and you will earn more as you level up. For Hybrid goalies, the initial zone ability is Contortionist. That ability gives you improved save range and recovery when moving against momentum. It’s not a bad ability, but as soon as you hit level 29 you’ll want to equip the Post to Post zone ability. In a game dominated by one-timers and east-west movement, improved attributes when moving from post to post are huge.
The Best Goalie Superstar Abilities in NHL 24
There are only five zone abilities to choose from, but superstar abilities are much more abundant and will leave you with some tough choices. The most important thing with these is to take the ones that will accentuate the way you want to play the most. There’s no right answer. Still, there are some I would recommend more than others.
The Hybrid archetype in NHL 24 has 16 superstar abilities split between the Reflexes, Puck Control, and Athleticism categories. You’ll earn superstar abilities in reward bags each time you level up. Once you’ve earned them, you’ll want to equip the following superstar abilities:
- No-Timer: Advanced save ability and reaction time when facing one-timers.
- X-Ray: Screens have less of an impact on goalie vision.
NHL 24 Goalie Boosts
Finally, boosts give your player attribute boosts in the categories you assign them for. There are a total of 25 boosts to earn across the following categories: Low, Hands, Quickness, and Positioning.
You can only assign two boosts, so you’ll have to be pretty selective. Here’s some we recommend once you’ve unlocked them:
- Expert Stick Low: Adds +2 to your Stick Low attribute.
- Positional Rebounder: Adds +2 to your Rebound Control attribute.
- Expert Stick High: Adds +2 to your Stick High attribute.
Here’s hoping you dominate between the pipes and help lead your EASHL team to championship glory this year in NHL 24 with this pick for the best goalie build.
If you’re looking for more coverage of the game, check out all our NHL 24 articles.
