If you're diving into MLB The Show 26 and trying out the new Mini Seasons mode, you might notice some inconsistencies with difficulty levels, especially when you're grinding through the various rewards. Some players have found ways to exploit these difficulties to their advantage, making progress easier than it’s supposed to be. This guide is aimed at explaining how these difficulty exploits work, how common players are using them, and if it's something you should consider for your own progress.
Mini Seasons is a mode in MLB The Show 26 where you can take a team through a set of games, simulating a short season to earn rewards. The goal is to play through these mini-seasons to unlock new content, improve your team, and earn stubs, the in-game currency. You are put up against AI-controlled teams, and the mode is designed to be a bit more casual than Ranked Seasons, with a focus on quick matches and progression.
The mode has different difficulty levels, with the general idea being that the higher the difficulty, the better the rewards. But players have noticed some oddities that can lead to an easier experience, which we’ll dive into in the following sections.
One of the main reasons players exploit the difficulty settings in MLB The Show 26 is to grind rewards faster. When you buy MLB The Show 26 stubs xbox series or grind through regular gameplay, you're often looking for ways to maximize your rewards with minimal effort. By exploiting difficulty differences, players can earn more stubs, better cards, and other rewards faster than they would if they stuck to the intended difficulty curve.
The exploit typically revolves around the fact that the AI doesn’t always scale in difficulty the way it’s supposed to. This makes it possible for players to trick the system by changing settings, adjusting their roster, or even manipulating the in-game mechanics to face weaker AI opponents. These are usually common techniques in sports games, but this particular one has become a bit of a trend among MLB The Show 26 players.
There are a few strategies that players have figured out that take advantage of how the difficulty ramps up and down in Mini Seasons. These aren’t necessarily cheats, but rather gameplay exploits. Here’s a look at the most common ones:
One of the most common ways players manipulate difficulty is by adjusting their roster in specific ways. If you load up your team with lower-tier players or purposely handicap yourself, the game tends to scale down the difficulty of your opponents. This is particularly effective in Mini Seasons because the mode uses your team’s overall rating to determine the difficulty of the games you play.
In practice, this means you can play against AI teams with weaker lineups, even if the Mini Season itself is supposed to be harder. If you load your roster with bronze or silver players, you’ll typically face off against lower-tier teams. This can make the gameplay much more manageable, as the AI-controlled teams are less likely to hit home runs or field well.
Another trick involves switching difficulty levels during a Mini Season. While you can’t directly change the difficulty once you start a season, players have found that if they create a new Mini Season and play through part of it, then pause or reset the game, the difficulty can reset or become easier. This is an issue many players have experienced, and it’s one of the reasons the mode feels inconsistent at times.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t always work as expected, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll face easier opponents every time you reset. However, it’s something to keep in mind if you're trying to grind through a difficult Mini Season without facing the usual level of challenge.
In MLB The Show 26, you can simulate games if you don't want to play them manually. The problem arises when players discover that simulating games on higher difficulty settings sometimes doesn’t yield the expected results. Essentially, simulating on harder difficulty can sometimes produce similar or even easier outcomes compared to playing the game manually. Some players use this to quickly complete games and move through the Mini Season without playing each one.
This doesn’t work perfectly in every instance, but many players use this exploit to skip over difficult games while still earning rewards. The key here is finding a balance between simulation and manual play to ensure that you’re not losing rewards while also bypassing the grind.
There are certain settings within the game that affect gameplay difficulty. For example, you can adjust the batting and pitching difficulty. Some players adjust these settings to lower difficulty levels when they need an easier win, especially when playing a Mini Season where they want to speed through without facing an overly challenging opponent. This is a simple way to make the game feel less punishing, but it’s also one of those tricks that feels like it takes away from the challenge that Mini Seasons were designed to provide.
At the end of the day, whether you use these exploits is entirely up to you. Some players like the idea of progressing quickly and collecting rewards faster. If you want to buy MLB The Show 26 stubs xbox series or simply earn in-game currency to buy packs, these strategies can definitely save you time.
However, others feel that these exploits detract from the experience, making the game less rewarding in the long run. Part of the fun in Mini Seasons is facing off against different challenges, so constantly using these exploits may take away from the satisfaction of overcoming harder opponents.
If you’re someone who enjoys a more authentic experience, it might be best to stick to the intended difficulty curve. But if you’re focused on rewards and speed, exploiting the difficulty levels can be a useful strategy.
Given how common these exploits are, it’s possible that the developers at SDS (San Diego Studios) will patch or fix them in future updates. MLB The Show often releases patches that address issues like difficulty inconsistencies, and this could very well be one of them. It’s hard to say when or if these fixes will come, but if you’re planning on exploiting these mechanics, keep in mind that future updates might make them less effective.
If you want to maximize your rewards and move through Mini Seasons quickly, using some of these exploits can help. But be prepared for the fact that it could take away from the overall experience of the game. The reward system in MLB The Show 26 is structured to encourage a bit of a grind, and exploiting difficulty levels might feel like cutting corners.
On the other hand, if you’re just interested in unlocking content and don’t care too much about the challenge, these methods can be a valid way to get ahead. Just keep in mind that every time you use an exploit, you’re essentially bypassing the intended difficulty curve, which might make the game feel less satisfying.
In conclusion, Mini Seasons difficulty exploits in MLB The Show 26 can be a useful tool for players looking to grind through the game quickly. These exploits revolve around manipulating rosters, resetting difficulty levels, simulating games, and tweaking game settings to make the experience easier. Whether or not you should use them depends on what kind of experience you're hoping for—if you want a quick and easy grind, go ahead, but if you’re after the full challenge, it might be better to resist the urge to exploit these issues.