How to Thrive in NHL 24's World of Chel

Despite its objectionably silly name, the World of Chel in NHL 24 is the place to be for anyone who truly values the core values of the sport. This is where you can create and customize a player, utilizing loadouts to accentuate specific attributes and cosmetic items to tailor your on-ice drip.

You’ll then pit your skills against others in a variety of modes that each have their own idiosyncrasies you’ll need to learn and master if you want to be able to compete with the best. The World of Chel separates itself from the similar MyCareer mode in NBA 2K24 by virtue of largely eschewing microtransactions except for those aforementioned cosmetic items. Sure, there’s a new Battle Pass in place this year that reeks of how you ascend levels in NBA 2K24, but this is entirely free in Season 1 at least and won’t provide any significant competitive advantages anyway.

The World of Chel can also be a bit of a scary realm. Naturally, whenever you have to go head-to-head against others, the last thing you want to do is be an embarrassment. But if you can get over the fear of making a fool of yourself and accept that you’re bound to make mistakes in every single game you play, there’s a ton of fun to be found there. To help you on your journey to becoming the hockey’s next superstar, here are some tips on how to make the best of the World of Chel.

Find Your Loadouts

Because there are a variety of loadouts to choose from in the World of Chel, it might take some time to decide on which ones give you the best chance at success. This can depend on such factors as which mode you’re playing or what kind of loadouts your teammates are using. Generally though, you’ll probably want to choose a loadout that plays to your own skills. If you’re a forward and have a predilection for putting pucks on the net, choosing a sniper build could be the way to go. If you’re a defenseman who prefers to hang back rather than jumping into a rush, you might gravitate towards the defensive defenseman build. Whatever you go with, don’t forget to tweak your loadouts by changing the height and weight of your player and boosting specific attributes that you’ll want the most. It doesn’t hurt either to customize a handful of different loadouts so you can jump between them depending on each game’s requirements.

Ones Eliminator Is For Those Who’d Rather Play Alone

For when you’re sick and tired of having to deal with teammates who continuously let you down, try out a round of Ones Eliminator to flex your skills without needing to rely on anyone else. Ones admittedly has a short-lived appeal, especially if you’d rather play hockey the way it was designed to be enjoyed, but it can be a nice palate cleanser. There’s some novelty in going up against two other players in free-for-all matchups that will have you knocking each other down while fighting for the puck.

All of you are scoring on the same goalie, so the name of the game is creating enough space for yourself so you can have the time to take a shot at burying the puck in the back of the net. There’s certainly a little bit of luck involved as you can sometimes just be in the right place at the right time to pick up a loose puck. Be sure to lean on the strengths of your loadouts, bearing in mind what you do better than the other loadouts you’re facing in any given matchup.

Getting In A Quick One

A new introduction to the World of Chel this year is a quick play 3-vs-3 (not including the goalie) mode that allows you you to play just one 5-minute period of a game. While 3-period games can sometimes become a bit of a chore to complete, especially if you’re on the losing end of a blowout, these quick match-ups are over before you know it. It’s a great way to sneak a game in when you only have a sliver of time to work with but are in need of hockey fix. It can also help you collect XP in bite-sized chunks, as the mode still provides you with progression rewards following the game. If you’re new to the World of Chel, this quick mode is a great place to start as you can get your feet wet in team play with little commitment.

EASHL 3’s And 6’s Are Different Beasts

Probably the two most integral modes to the World of Chel are the ranked EASHL 3’s and 6’s modes, however they’re very different in how they should approached. With only two forwards and a defenseman on the ice in 3’s, there’s a lot of open ice to be covered and this can lead to scoring opportunities at one end that can suddenly turn into counterattacks for the other team.

It’s imperative then to be judicious about when to be aggressive on offense and when to stay conservative in order to prevent odd-man rushes or breakaways, especially if you’re playing as a defenseman. You’ll need to also be careful to avoid penalties in 3’s since they lead directly to a penalty shot for other team, which will often translate to goals if your opponent is halfway decent.

Meanwhile, EASHL 6’s require a more traditional outlook on how to play the game, one in which good positioning is paramount. With so many players crowding the ice, it becomes more important to share the puck by finding the open man and even cycling the puck in the attacking zone. This helps to take advantage of the new Sustained Pressure system that can tire out defenders, including the opposing goalie, and make it easier to score.

On defense, you’ll want to only jump up into a rush or pinch at the blue line in the attacking zone if you have some help behind you. This is why being on mic comes in especially handy with more players in the mix, as there are myriad situations where it will aid in relaying strategy or information.

Start A Club

The ultimate experience within World of Chel is creating your own club where you can invite friends to join and take on the competition. You’re able to really put a stamp on your club by giving it a name (be sure to keep it clean) and customizing your uniforms for home and away games. There’s a ranking system that can serve to inspire you to rack up as many wins as possible during a season, but the real pleasure lies in collaborating with your teammates and learning their tendencies to maximize your team’s potential.

There’s nothing quite like spending a Friday night or an entire Saturday playing a bunch of club games while cracking jokes with each other and playfully roasting anyone who makes a bad play. Should you want to take things a step further, maybe look into joining an online league like the LGHL or even competing for real money in one of the 6’s official events that take place throughout the year.

Shop ‘Til You Drop

The World of Chel has largely moved on from doling out cosmetic rewards via hockey bags this year in favor of having you purchase items in a store instead. It might seem like bad trade-off at first glance for players to have you pay for rewards instead of getting them for free, but you receive enough coins for playing games that you’ll probably find you can buy everything that you’ll ever want and more.

With so much customization at your disposal, you’ll need to find things for you to wear from the skates on your feet to the toque atop your head in both casual and professional modes. As you begin to collect more clothes and equipment, you’ll be able to design specific looks depending on whether your team is donning the home, away, or alternate jerseys in a game. It’s not only with your attire that you can flash your own personal style either, as you’ll want to also select specific intro and goal celebration animations that you can use to loudly announce your presence.