Madden NFL 16

This year's Gauntlet mode is a huge step-up from last year's, in terms of both presentation and difficulty. New to this year are free life challenges, and ladder challenges, that add levels of intrigue to this year's Gauntlet mode.

For starters, the Gauntlet mode is a collection of challenges presented to you in waves. Every fifth challenge is a "boss mode" round, which I'll explain in further detail in just a second. The normal challenges range from "get a first down on this play", to "stop the first down" as a defender, execute a passing play using a certain scheme, or tackle the ball-carrier within an oklahoma defense (3 on 3) and a whole slew of random drills. None of these challenges present any real difficulty, and they just serve as means to the end of reaching the next boss mode. In this Gauntlet, you start out with six lives. Every failed attempt costs one life.

New to this year are the Extra Life challenges. They happen randomly, and usually only once in every three or four attempts at the Gauntlet. Sometimes, they're extremely easy, such as the "celebrate your touchdown run by taunting the opponent." Which only requires you to run past one defender and high-step into the endzone. A Golden Ticket challenge will offer you two lives, and are usually incredibly difficult, like return a kick-off for a touchdown without any blockers.

On top of those challenges are the Ladder Challenges (the bane of my existence!) You cannot skip them, and they are a gamble. Complete the challenge successfully, gain three (THREE) levels (which allows you to skip a boss round if you're within one or two, which is a big deal). Fail the challenge, lose two lives (and if you just completed a boss mode, it'll make you do another one). The most common one I have seen is to intercept the ball with a Defensive End, and take it back to the house (the offense runs a screen pass, you just need to position yourself properly to snag it and go. Really easy once you get the hang of the positioning). Then there's the tackle the runner, who is normal height while you're players are ant sized (so they move slower, and need to gang tackle). I've only ever gotten successfully completed that challenge once. After that, there's score the touchdown when you are an ant-sized runner going up against normal sized opponents. Now you're quicker than they are, but if they get close to you, you're squashed. Still haven't completed that one.

And now, for the real reason you clicked on the solution's button to this achievement. These gorram boss rounds. Some of them are really quite simple, some of them really aren't. Even though I am a Giants fan, I found it in my best interest to use the Seattle Seahawks, on Rookie Difficulty. I got lucky that the game randomly decided that the team I would be up against was the Cleveland Browns. The boss rounds are always randomized, but there's only a handfull of them to memorize and master. This achievement took me no longer than two hours, start to finish (although in fairness, I am an above average Madden player). In this next section, I am going to detail the various boss modes I have come across, and the easiest way to defeat them.

Onside Punt: Your team lines up in Punt formation, with a 225 MPH wind blowing against you. Your objective is to recover the Punt. I have found that moving the aim cursor a pinch to the left, and kicking at half strength had the ball land four or five yards to my punter's left, and take a bounce straight back for the opposing endzone. After your punt, select a different player and camp out the ball's drop point. You won't get it there, but you're faster than the recovering team's players, and you should be able to get ahead of them. One of the easiest challenges in Boss Mode.

Onside Kick recovery: The enemy team is lined up in their endzone, and you must recover the onside kick. This is the easiest boss mode challenge. Move your cursor to the left, and kick at 45-65% strength. Your team will recover the ball before the opposing team is even on the screen. When you see this challenge, breathe a sigh of relief.

Hurricane Field Goal: Kick a field goal from 100 yards away, in hurricane winds. This is the same exact challenge as last year. Just focus on getting the cursor to be rotating within the uprights, where at it's furthest extreme it'll only be two yards wide on either side. 85% of knocking it through the uprights with a full power kick. This is partly luck based.

Hurricane Chip-Shot: Kick a field goal from ten yards out, in 250 MPH wins, all the way on the right side-line. The ball is going to curve left like a bullet out of the movie Wanted (I'm sorry for bringing that up). Just like the Field Goal from earlier, focus on getting the cursor to spend most of it's time within the uprights, then give it a full power kick. This is also luck based, I have found this one to be a little more difficult than the full field kick. The cursor moves wider on this one.

Be the Bodyguard: You must play as one of three offensive linemen in front of your team's running back. The enemy team has three players lined up vertically to stop your team from scoring. You must block the players so your computer controlled teammate may score. This is a super simple challenge. Engage the first tackler, flick up on the right stick to truck him, and your teammates should be able to block the other two. Regardless, continue to move up field if your player is still on his feet, and attempt to engage any one of the other two defenders still on their feet. I've only ever failed this challenge once, and that's because Marshawn Lynch decided to run out of bounds all by himself.

The Flying V: Using your team's Running Back, stay behind the formation of blockers (The 'V'). The opposing team is lined up on both side lines, and will attempt to crash into your formation. Start off by staying in the middle, and do NOT use your acceleration boost. You will run right past your teammates, and you will get tackled. Allow them to engage the first few waves of defenders without getting too close to the action, they will trip you up. The defenders stand back up pretty quickly, so don't stay too far behind either. Once you hit the forty yard line, pick a direction, and pick up the speed. You should have two or three blockers, and four or so defenders in the way. You're going to have to break one tackle, or be very lucky that a fourth blocker pulled off his man and beat you up the field. Either way, sprint past the madness and into the endzone.

RB Gauntlet: Beat the four tacklers and score the touchdown. This challenge has four defenders lined up vertically at fifteen yard intervals. You have no blockers. For this challenge, the spin move is your friend. I sprinted forward to the first defender, tapped , and allowed him to break his own ankles. Cut back left to the second defender, with your acceleration boost engaged. Tap again. Cut back to the right to the third defender (the first one will have stood back up by now, so don't slow down), and break his ankles. You should be just about out of energy at this point, but you should be able to either run past the last defender, break his tackle, or break his ankles. This is the way less frustrating of the two RB gauntlet challenges.

RB Gauntlet 2: Beat the four defenders into the endzone. you have no blockers. This time, the four defenders are spread out across the field, two by two. They will come to you on angles. For this challenge, your best friend is the left thumbstick. Without using any juke moves, just the small directional cuts that your player makes when you switch directions, you should be able to run straight towards the first player on your right, and when you're about ten yards away, cut back to your left (just change directions). It should make him miss. The two players that are down field will also be slowed by the direction change. Once you get closer to them, just change directions back to the right, and to the left again (as long as you're out of range). They won't be able to keep up, especially if you're speed boost is engaged. Definitely more frustrating.

We only have a few more to go!


Run the Clock: Using the ballcarrier, run into all three highlighted zones without getting tackled, before the clock runs out. There will be two defenders, and three highlighted zones. Two on your right, one to the far left. As the drill starts, run to the first one on your right, and tap b to spin (remember this trick?) to shake the first defender. Hit zone one, and bounce straight forward towards the furthest zone. The defender should end up behind you here, so you can hit zone two no problem. Cut left, shake him out with the spin move, and you should be able to walk into zone three unopposed, with over 5 seconds left on the clock. Really easy once you get the hang of it.

The Hallway/ all other zone passing drills: These are my least favorite drills in the game. I am primarily a passer when I play madden, so I figured these would be the easiest. I would be wrong. With eleven defenders, and five receivers, you have all the time in the world to sit in the pocket. On the field in front of you, are a collection of hotspots. You must throw the ball so that a receiver catches it, and catches it in the hotspot. Which doesn't sound too ridiculous, until you see how impossible it is for anyone to get open. Fear not, I have the solution. During all of these drills, the endzone all the way down field seems to be a hotspot as well. And typically, you'll have one player running a "go" route. Heave it down field on the hail mary, throw a high lob, and use the aggressive catch feature to land in the endzone. It is the ONLY way I've ever gotten this challenge done.

Superbowl Media day: This is level 25's challenge. Always and forever. And it's a doozy. The field is littered with photographers and videographers, all facing you. Hidden in their midst are friendly players, and four defenders. You must avoid EVERYONE on your way to the endzone. The random civilians will make you stumble. The friendly players will slow you down. The defenders will tackle you. It is a real experiment in patience. My best suggestion is to start off the challenge, and bang out to your left. Avoid your first teammate, and ankle break the first defender. Now serpentine through the midfield, doing those directional cuts back and forth every ten yards or so, which should keep the further defenders a little off speed, spinning every time one gets close. Once you hit the opposing forty yard line, make a bee line all the way to the left sideline (while still moving forward), and pray to the higher powers that you have enough energy left to outrun the last defender.


Some notes:
During my achievement winning run, I got up to Gauntlet level 34. I played for an hour the night before, familiarizing myself with the new boss modes, and frustrating myself terribly. I signed off for the night, popped back in the next day, threw on some Lindsay Sterling on Youtube, and banged it out on my second attempt. I was super fortunate that I won a Golden Ticket event in the first two challenges, so I had eight lives going into round three. I also won a ladder challenge at wave eight, so I skipped a boss mode and went right into eleven.

If you have four lives before wave 15, restart. If you lose a life at all before wave 10, restart. It'll save you alot of time and frustration.

If you need any help with any of the individual challenges, post them in a comment and I'll address them as best I can. I personally prefer text guides to video guides, so if you're looking for a video walkthrough, I'm sorry that I won't be able to oblige. Good luck, be patient, and happy hunting!

EDIT: PirateSax pointed out that you must actually defeat the boss at level 25, you cannot use a Golden Ticket event to skip over round 25, as the achievement won't pop.

Double EDIT: MoldyTaco pointed out that if you manage to skip level 25 with a ladder challenge, then the achievement will pop after beating the boss at level 30.

Go download one of the most downloaded rosters, one of em should say something about chigaco or something then load that roster and put it on rookie. or make 99s and stack a team and complete on rookie.