One of the most consistent sports simulation games, MLB The Show, is finally back with another home run. Although Diamond Dynasty feature introduced in MLB The Show last year was disappointing, the developers said they heard the feedback and will make corrections for MLB The Show 24.

After taking a look at the recent Feature Premiere for Diamond Dynasty, it’s easy to see that they’ve generally done just that. The developers have made changes based on player feedback, with some highlights including Power Creep, Team Affinity programs, and power of Captains.

In this guide, we’ll talk about the new features and changes coming to Diamond Dynasty to help you get a head start once you get into the game.

QoL Changes

First, let’s explain the quality of life changes, which are also the biggest changes in Diamond Dynasty because they cover various areas.

Power Creep

The developers mentioned Power Creep early on because people were getting tired of all the 99 ratings it was getting right away. This time, Season 1 will start with high 80 ratings and low 90 ratings, and we won’t start getting into 99 ratings until the end of Season 1. The same cycle begins again after each 3-month season.

It’s unclear whether there will be a higher floor for terms of ratings at the start of Season 2, but regardless, it should be a delightful change.

Introduction Of Season Concept

Also new is the three-month seasonal change, which ties into the general idea of XP being more easily earned, but also focuses more on trying to limit XP payouts in the game. This way, people aren’t getting ahead of others on XP reward path by taking advantage of various games.

The developers want everyone to reach 99 ratings by the end of the season, rather than a few people reaching 99 ratings in the first few weeks.

Parallel System

Parallel System will also be changing in MLB The Show 24, and Parallel players will need a lower threshold to reach higher parallels.

Wild Card Slots

It’s worth noting that Season 2 starts with 4 wild cards in your lineup, which is an increase from last year. While you’ll need to invest more MLB The Show 24 Stubs in wild cards, this should help diversify your lineup more as the season goes on.

Team Affinity

For Team Affinity, if you missed the 99 OVR that will come into play in TA Phase 3, don’t worry because you can get him after Season 1 as well. You only need 10 wins to earn Events and Battle Royale rewards, including Flawless, in a single run.

This also makes Team Affinity programs easier to complete, while adding more programs each season. Team Affinity is arguably the biggest change this year in terms of how it works.

Team Affinity Programs

There will be three batches of Team Affinity programs every season, which basically means we’ll have one every month.

These TA programs will include 30 players at a time and are much more flexible in how you earn these rewards.

If you want to acquire these players, you don’t have to do activities such as Conquest or Showdown. Because their XP requirements are generally low, the developers want us to play the game the way we want while still getting those rewards. This means that whether you prefer co-op, solo, or multiplayer, you should be able to earn these rewards.

When the third TA program drops in the third month of the cycle, there will be 99 OVR in this program. What’s more, this will be a program that you can complete at any time throughout the year, and it won’t be time-limited like the first two parts of the program.

Captains & Cornerstone Cards

The developers enhanced Captains and introduced Cornerstone Cards in the hope of making team-building more important and making the lineup more diverse.

Cornerstone players will appear at the start of each season, and there appear to be four players at each release, and you can swap one player for another at any time during the season.

For Captains, there will be 60 captains at launch, 2 per team, and you'll be able to earn them throughout the year.

Captains are set up to make them more important in making squads for specific teams more viable. With this in mind, your captain will give better boosts if you have fewer high-rated options. This way, you don’t feel you can’t compete with your current team’s specific squads. On top of that, each captain will improve his hitter and pitching ability this year.

New Items

Besides Live Series and more, MLB The Show will feature 250 player items this year, including Flashbacks, Legends and all that good stuff. Season 1’s bosses are Andy Pettitte, Jimmy Rollins, and Larry Walker.

Also, some of the card series coming this year include:

• Subway Series
• Negro Leagues Series/Barrier Breakers
• Hyper Series
• Hall of Fame Series
• Headliners Pack
• Standout Series

In terms of programs, we know at launch there will be the usual Season 1 Program, a Spring Breakout Program, and a Starter Program, which is on top of the usual Battle Royale and Ranked programs.

Final Thoughts

Sadly, we haven’t gotten a ton of news about single-player updates, as there are more single-player missions planned in various plans, other than easier access to XP and rewards. That said, it seems like playing any mode in Diamond Dynasty will feel more rewarding this year, which is the bigger overall deal.

In short, this looks to be the year for developers to correct many of the changes they made last year. Regardless, hopefully all the new content added this season will make people even more excited about the upcoming MLB The Show 24!