There are a lot of new players jumping into Rocket League for the first time in Season 3. The Epic Games acquisition has helped the franchise to grow and attract new gamers in 2021. These beginners have a lot to learn before they will be able to climb their way up the ranks. Rocket League is one of the most mechanically demanding games on the market, and it will take a lot of time to develop the skills necessary to be a good player.
However, understanding the mechanics is not all new gamers need to become competent players. Specifically, there are a number of rules that nearly every player follows. Knowing these rules will help inexperienced gamers get more wins and be better teammates.
Updated on September 17, 2021 by Payton Lott: Players that are grinding to reach higher divisions know that there are hundreds of Rocket League rules that are only discovered by logging dozens of hours on the game. As players move from platinum to diamond, and eventually to champ, following these rules and strategies is crucial. Unless people are playing 1v1, coordination and rotation will determine wins and losses. This updated guide includes several more unwritten rules of Rocket League for gamers attempting to climb the ranks.
Of course, the list has to begin with Rule Number One in Rocket League. This is already a quite comprehensive list, but there are still a few other tips that did not make the cut in the original writing, so a few more have been added. Every player should abide by these additional rules to have success in ranked play.
20 Rule Number 1: Never break a lock
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One of the most widely accepted rules in Rocket League is that a player should never break a lock. A lock occurs when two players drive at each other, causing the cars to get stuck or "locked" together. There is no official rule on this, but the community strictly abides by it. Some teams will even own goal if their squad mate breaks a lock. People take it seriously.
It is acceptable for the lock to break organically; for example, if the run of play causes another car to hit the locked players. However, there is some debate about whether a teammate can break up the lock or not. Make sure to move the right thumbstick to avoid getting kicked, as locks can last for a few minutes.
19 Faking
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Faking is one of the most common terms players will use in chat. It can mean one of two things. The first is a calculated attempt to make an opponent bite before hitting the ball. This can also encompass feigns before teammates hit a ball.
The second meaning is that the player completely missed the ball and is acknowledging the mistake to the team. A player saying that they are faking is more of a joke indicating that an egregious mistake was made.
18 Double Committing
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An unnecessary double commit is one of the Cardinal sins of Rocket League. It is even worse if the person committing is the last line of defense. To communicate with teammates, players will often say "That's a double." This means that two of the three players have committed and there is only one to beat.
Consistently double commit, and the forfeit votes will come in relatively quickly. Double committing happens all the time in the higher ranks when a ball is hovering above the net. If two players go up for one ball, the result is usually a free goal for the opponent.
17 Believing An Opponent
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As gamers climb the ranks in Rocket League, they will need to gauge the skill of the competition. Will a Diamond I pull off a ceiling shot to Musty flick? Probably not. Can a champ air dribble into the top corner? Definitely. People will often say "I don't believe" when an opponent goes up for an aerial. The person who "doesn't believe" will stay down and wait for the ball to collect it.
The gray area of skill is somewhere between Diamond II and Champ II. A lot of players have mechanical skill, but do not know how to play as a team. Likewise, there are some very intelligent players that can make it to high Champ without the need for fancy mechanics.
16 Stealing Boost And Bumping
It should be a ritual for every player to steal the opponent's boost after making a pass or attacking on an opponent's half. In tight matches, lack of boost often determines the outcome of the game. Keeping constant pressure is only effective if the opposing team is "starved," or low on boost. Eventually, the defending team will not have the boost necessary to save shots near the top post.
Bumping is more of a heated topic. A lot of people despise demo-only teams that constantly try to take other players out of the game. The general consensus is that bumping and demolitions are a part of the game. Watch an RLCS match, they do it all the time.
15 Left Goes First
On a kickoff, the Rocket League rule is that the car closest to the ball or the car on the left will take the kickoff. On some European servers, the right player goes first, but for the most part, it is assumed that the left will kickoff. It may be a good idea to let teammates know you are going until Plat or Diamond rank anyway, as many of the lower ranks may be ignorant of the rules.
14 Cheat In 2V2 Not In 3V3
This is a universal unwritten Rocket League rule in competitive matches. Going for the cheat in 2V2 will result in a lot of goals if timed correctly. For gamers that do not know, a "cheat" occurs when a player not going for the kickoff creeps up to shoot after a drop or 50/50 ball on the midline.
In high-rank 3V3, cheats can be effective, but it is usually better to grab the corner boost to be ready for the counter-attack. The risk pays off more in 2V2 because far fewer players are in the air, meaning that having 100 boost is not essential in the first few seconds of a match. Gamers that choose to cheat in 3v3 should let their teammates know before the kickoff.
13 Teammates Go For Corner Boosts During The Kickoff
In 3v3, the two back teammates will almost always go straight for the corner boosts to be ready for an aerial challenge or hit. Turning ball cam off will ensure that the gamer will not miss the boost and can pick up the two pads on the way to the corner. In fact, it is rarely a bad idea to toggle ball cam when hunting for a 100 boost.
12 Leave Mid-Boost For Player Taking The Kickoff
It is tempting for one of the people in the back to grab the boost as they play the ball upfield, but it will leave a teammate without boost. A hard clear towards the net will leave these teammates in unfortunate situations in goal. This is especially true when one of the players is cheating, the person who went for the kickoff is rotating to the mid-boost while the cheater should be pushing upfield.
11 Offensive Rotation
This is sometimes a huge issue in random fill games because people choose to do whatever they want. In any case, rotations are important on offense and on defense. Rotations are Rocket League 101. On offense, one player should be taking a shot or playing the ball in for a pass. The second player will be waiting for the opponent to hit the ball to them, or to take a shot once the first player is off the ball.
The person that is in the third spot is the safety. That person needs to be at least as far back as the midline to save shots and be ready to push up when needed. Unless the ball is sitting on the goal line with all opponents bumped out of the way, this player must wait for the teammates in front of them to get out of the play before attacking.