Rocket League – Biggest Mistakes New Players Make

Lots of new players have been flooding the Rocket League servers, and we've got some useful tips to help them out!

Rocket League has been one of the surprise releases this year, featuring not only a massive online player base, but a number of tournaments and eSports events as well. It also didn’t hurt that the game was free for PlayStation Plus members during the month of July. With just a quick rise to fame, there are quite a few new players getting into the game. While it takes time to learn any new game, many of these newcomers are making the same mistakes. We’ve compiled a few things that new players are doing wrong or missing out on so you can quickly improve your game and help your teammates.

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Managing Your Boost

Boost is a very important part of Rocket League. It’s used to quickly get to the ball or across the field, destroy other players, and even set yourself up for goals. However, many new players believe they have to boost all the time and that’s not the case at all. Boosting is important, but only in moderation.

There’s dribbling in Rocket League just like you can dribble the ball in soccer. The speed of your RC car when you hit the ball determines the force behind the hit. If you collide with a ball at full speed you won’t be dribbling, you’ll be punting the ball down field. In order to dribble you need to hit the ball at a much slower speed. This helps you control the ball better and allows you to maneuver it where you want and potentially avoid the opposing team.

It’s also important to keep an eye on the points around the field that refill your boost meter. The normal points only give you a small amount of boost, while the hovering spheres give you 100 percent boost instantly. Keep an eye on your boost meter as well as the proximity of your teammates and the opposing team. If you have 80 percent boost and there’s a teammate nearby, don’t pick up the boost sphere because your teammate may need it. Instead you should go for a normal refill point. However, if the opposing team is nearby, go for the sphere to insure they don’t get it.

Using the Forward Flip

While boosting is very important, it’s not the only way to get up to full speed. You can double jump forward which results in a forward flip very low to the ground. This is a great way to pick up speed that most new players completely ignore.

Generally speaking, performing three forward flips will get you up to full speed just as if you had used boost. Not only does this save your boost, it also allows you to accelerate faster. Even when using boost, adding a forward flip will actually get you up to top speed faster than boosting alone. It’s an invaluable technique that should be used frequently to get to the ball before the opposing team, or to simply get down field as quickly as possible.

Crowding Together

The biggest mistake new players make is that they all want to be at the ball at the same time. This cluster of players almost always results in the ball flying off in one direction or another, then the entire group of RC cars races off toward the new location of the ball. This just creates chaos and doesn’t really allow for controlled, strategic play.

Instead of rushing toward the ball, hang back a bit and see where the ball is going and where your teammates and the players on the opposing team are at. Oftentimes it’s better to hang back and go for the ball as soon as it’s knocked away from a group instead of racing head-first into a cluster of other players. You can get quite a few open field shots on goal if you just pay attention to the ball and player positions and position yourself to take control of the ball as soon as it’s knocked away from the crowd.

Power Sliding

A great way to turn is to use the handbrake and power slide. This is frequently overlooked by new players who either reverse their RC car or make a wide turn. Under most circumstances it’s considerably faster to use the power slide to make turns, even if it’s a complete 180 degree turn. The faster you can turn and accelerate toward the ball, the sooner you will reach your destination and hopefully gain control of the ball.

Once you’ve got these tips down you can check out our other beginner’s tips, advanced tips and how to become a professional player in Rocket League!


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Author
Bryan Dawson
Bryan Dawson has an extensive background in the gaming industry, having worked as a journalist for various publications for nearly 20 years and participating in a multitude of competitive fighting game events. He has authored over a dozen strategy guides for Prima Games, worked as a consultant on numerous gaming-related TV and web shows and was the Operations Manager for the fighting game division of the IGN Pro League.