Rocket League®

As is now tradition, Rocket League is poised to unleash its annual Haunted Hallows event for this most spooky of seasons. However, the four-wheeled footie game's Halloween celebrations are getting a bit of a shake-up this year, thanks to a special Stranger Things tie-in.

Rocket League's latest Haunted Hallows event kicks off next Monday, 14th October, and will once again see players battling it out on the pitch to earn Candy Corn, which can be used in the seasonal store to unlock autumn-inspired items.

According to developer Psyonix, this year's tie-in with Stranger Things will manifest in an additional range of unlockable items, all inspired by the Netflix show, and a specially spooked-up version of Rocket League's Farmstead arena. This will see the stage receive an Upside Down makeover, including blood red skies and the imposing form of the Mind Flayer - both of which, along with a few of the promised seasonal cosmetics, can be seen in the trailer below.

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Rocket League®

This year's Haunted Hallows event in Rocket League will feature a bunch of Halloween-themed cosmetics for your battle-cars, adding trails of autumn leaves and spider paintjobs and the like. All of them are earnable with 'Candy Corn' currency, which you get for playing matches during the spookytimes. 

But as well as the generic Halloween stuff, this year there's also a Stranger Things tie-in. The Farmstead Arena will become part of the Upside-Down, complete with a red sky and the Mind Flayer looming in the background. Some of the other new cosmetics include a Demogorgon banner and title, Scoops Ahoy avatar border, Hawaiian Hopper decal, Camp Know Where hat, and a rocket boost that's all red swoosh. 

A couple of those will only make sense if you've seen the third season of the show, which you should because it's quite good. The Haunted Hallows event will go live on October 14 and continue until November 11.

Rocket League® - Dirkened


Rocket League is entering The Upside Down, and things have gotten … stranger. Netflix's award-winning Original Series, Stranger Things, has invaded this year's Haunted Hallows, and The Mind Flayer is preparing to make this a truly unforgettable event starting Monday, October 14.

This Halloween, all roads lead to Farmstead (The Upside Down). This terrifying take on the once-whimsical Farmstead Arena is watched over by the maddening Mind Flayer, so make sure to look after your teammates.

If you're able to make it out of Farmstead with full control of your own Battle-Car, you'll earn Candy Corn to be used in the Haunted Hallows Event Store. The store will have autumn-inspired items, plus some top secret wares developed by the Hawkins National Laboratory that will turn your Battle-Car creations up to Eleven. Take a sneak peak at some of the items below.

Haunted Hallows featuring Stranger Things will go live following the October Update on October 14 and will run until November 11. Similar to previous in-game Events, there will be a three-day Redemption Period where you can use your extra Candy Corn in the Event Store. We'll see you in the Upside Down!







Rocket League® - Dirkened


The next Rocket League update is ready to ring in the scariest season of the year! You can expect the October Update across all platforms on October 14 at 10 a.m. PDT (5 p.m. UTC). This update is going to prepare all the decorations for our upcoming in-game Halloween party, plus add some quality-of-life features that we hope you enjoy. Here's everything you can expect to see in the October Update.

Haunted Hallows

Get ready to dress up your Battle-Car and earn some Candy Corn, because Haunted Hallows is returning this Halloween season. The third installment of this spectacular spookfest will start as soon as the update goes live. This year's in-game event is ready to flip what you expect from the usual Haunted Hallows, so stay tuned later this week for more info!

Key Features

Post-Game Party-Up

Easily partying-up with teammates following a match is about to get a whole lot easier. If your team synergy is off the charts with a player or team you met in an Online Match, you'll easily be able to party-up with them from the post-game menu. Simply select "Party-Up" after a match. Teammates who also select "Party-Up will then be grouped together with you for the next game. We hope you're able to make some new Rocket League friends with the new Party-Up feature!

Team-Colored Boost Meter

With an ever-growing collection of Painted Battle-Cars and Decals, we wanted to make it even easier to see exactly what color team you're on at the start of each game. That's why the October Update is bringing colored Boost Meters. The Boost Meter itself will remain the same, but the Meter's background will be blue or orange depending on your team color. The Boost Meter will also match custom team colors, and the Colorblind Mode option will apply to the boost meter, too!

Quickplay Button

There will soon be one less button press to get you exactly where you want to go. Following the update, you'll be able to select "Quickplay" and immediately start searching for a game in the last playlist you joined. New players will default to the 3v3 Standard Playlist when selecting Quickplay for the first time.

News Panel Refresh

As soon as you start up Rocket League following the October Update, you'll notice that the news section has received a new coat of paint. The grid of information that is usually found on the right side of the screen has been replaced with a new welcome screen that will highlight new events, DLC, or other major announcements. Once dismissed, it can be accessed again via a hidden News Tab on the right side of the screen.

New Esports Teams

Two new teams are being added to the Esports Shop rotation: Complexity and Spacestation Gaming! Look out for their new items in the Esports Shop following the update.

That's everything you can expect to find inside the October Update. Stay tuned for more info on Haunted Hallows this week!

Counter-Strike 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Matt Cox)

It’s a lively day in box news. In the one corner, we have Rocket League developers Psyonix laying out their plans to get rid of ’em. Crates will be replaced with “Blueprints” for specific cosmetics, which you can leave laying about your inventory until you forget about them or choose to cough up. In the other corner, we have Valve, changing how CS:GO loot crates work in France to make gambling regulation less likely, while preserving the addictive qualities that get gambling regulators concerned in the first place.

I know who I want to win. Maybe I’ll put money on it.

(more…)

Rocket League®

If you enjoy playing the key market in Rocket League, your days as a used car dealer may be coming to a close. As previously announced, Psyonix and its new owner Epic Games will be ending the key and crate system that has been the primary loot distribution method for some time. Today, they've announced what will replace it come December.

Rather than occasionally receiving loot crates which can be opened by purchasing keys, we'll occasionally be rewarded with 'blueprints.' Blueprints can be crafted with credits, the new premium currency replacing keys, and you'll know exactly which item each blueprint will create.

Unopened crates in your inventory at the time of the change will be converted to blueprints. Those blueprints will be for randomly selected items from the crates, so it might be wise to hoard them for now—one of them could turn into a blueprint for an item you've been hoping for. Unused keys in your inventory will become credits.

Also coming in December is a new Item Shop, where credits can be spent directly on a rotating selection of cars and car accessories, including "new items, legacy Crate content you might have missed out on, and the long-awaited debuts of items like the Titanium White Dominus."

Items purchased in the Item Shop will not be tradeable. Psyonix will not say whether blueprints and credits will be tradeable at this time, which is what will determine whether the current marketplace can continue to exist. If I had to guess, I'd assume that blueprints will be tradeable, but credits will not. Again, there's no confirmation on that at this time.

Currently, it's possible to trade keys, which are worth about a dollar each. Big spenders can thus purchase a large quantity of keys and then trade them for crates or specific items they want, while the recipients can use their key hauls to open more crates or make a trade of their own. If the new credits can't be traded, some other item will have to be used as the 'currency,' and the marketplace won't be the same.

While some applauded Psyonix's decision to remove 'blind box' rewards from Rocket League, others felt burned. Under the current model, it is possible to obtain coveted items without spending money: Essentially, those willing to buy keys generate a marketplace for those willing to hoard random drops and make trades but unwilling to pay. Someone has to purchase the keys in circulation, but it doesn't have to be the person who ultimately uses them. If the new currency isn't tradeable, that all changes.

Personally, I'd rather buy credits and craft the specific item I want instead of buying keys, opening crates, and getting nothing I want—usually at 2 am, when I really shouldn't be spending money on anything. That said, I'm already one of the people who buys keys (against my better judgement), rather than one of the people who benefits from key purchasers. 

Psyonix will announce more about the end of crates in the coming months. Prior to the switchover, it's releasing one last crate, the Vindicator Crate, this week on October 3 (the car at the top of this post is one of the items it'll contain). It's up to you whether to throw keys at it, or wait for it and all your other crates to turn into blueprints. 

Rocket Passes will continue as per usual, the only difference being that the premium passes will cost credits instead of keys after the change. The Esports Shop, which uses its own special currency, will also go on unchanged.

You can find a few more details, such as what's happening with the current 'trade in' system (which is distinct from player trading), in the announcement post. Pricing on credits and blueprints is yet to be announced, and will partially determine whether the reaction from Rocket League players is overall positive or negative.

Rocket League® - Dirkened
Back in August, we announced our plans to remove paid, randomized Crates from Rocket League by the end of 2019. Today, we’re here to introduce what will replace them and how existing items will transfer to the new system.


INTRODUCING BLUEPRINTS
A game update in December will introduce a new system called Blueprints. After you play a match of Rocket League, you’ll have a chance to obtain a Blueprint; a new type of drop that will replace Crates. When you receive a Blueprint, it will show you exactly what item you can create from it, for a set price. Once they're in your inventory, Blueprints will allow you to pay to create the item it offers and receive it immediately; or you can leave it in your inventory and choose to create the item later.

Like the Crate items that preceded them, Blueprints can drop with special attributes like Painted, Certified, and Special Editions.



ITEM SHOP AND CREDITS
There's more than just Blueprints coming to Rocket League. In the same game update in December, we’ll be introducing a new rotating Item Shop. The Item Shop will offer a wide variety of content including new items, legacy Crate content you might have missed out on, and the long-awaited debuts of items like the Titanium White Dominus. Important note: Item Shop purchases will be bound to your account and cannot be traded.

Items from Blueprints and the Item Shop will be obtained by Credits, our new premium currency replacing Keys. You’ll use Credits to create items from Blueprints, upgrade to Rocket Pass Premium, and buy content from the Item Shop. Esports Tokens will be separate from Credits, and will be the only way to purchase items from the Esports Shop.

There is a lot more to reveal about the Item Shop and we will share more about it in the coming months.



THE GREAT CRATE CONVERSION
Once the new Blueprint system does go live, your Keys will automatically be converted into Credits the first time you log into Rocket League. Each remaining Crate you have will be converted into a Blueprint of the same series.

But before Blueprints go live later this year, the Vindicator Crate will come to Rocket League this Thursday, October 3. This is the final Crate and it will feature the new Sentinel Battle-Car and Neuro-Agitator Goal Explosion. Get a sneak peek at the Sentinel Battle-Car below:


Additional details about how other items will convert to the Blueprint system will be shared in the next few months.



TRADE-INS
Changes are coming to our Trade-In system that we want to message well in advance. When Blueprints go live and replace our paid Crates, we will also disable the ability to use paid content with our current Trade-In system.

More specifically, this means that items obtained from Blueprints, the Item Shop, or legacy content acquired from Crates cannot be traded in after these changes go live. We also plan to implement an updated inventory management feature that will allow you to archive items that you don't want to see in your active list of customization items.

This change will not impact your ability to trade in our free post-game drops.



IN SUMMARY...
We believe our new Blueprint system will give players more transparency in what they are purchasing. Of course, we will have much more to share about Blueprints and our new Item Shop as we get closer to release before the end of the year. For now, stay tuned for the Vindicator Crate, which will start dropping on October 3.
Rocket League® - Dirkened

Your journey through four brand-new Twitch Prime Content Packs starts now! Get primed and ready for exclusive Twitch Prime in-game items in Rocket League beginning with the sleek Nemesis Battle-Car, and concluding with the bombastic Tactical Nuke Goal Explosion!

Begin your journey to unlocking all four Twitch Prime Content Packs by linking your Twitch Prime account with your Rocket League platform of choice. Once your accounts are linked, you'll automatically unlock the first pack containing the Nemesis Battle-Car. Then, you'll unlock a new Content Pack with new items every few weeks, leading to the fourth and final Content Pack. Everything found in these Packs are exclusive to Rocket League's Twitch Prime Content, so be sure to sign up before they're gone for good!

Check out everything you can expect to find in each Twitch Prime Pack, plus check out the release trailer above:

Twitch Prime Pack 1
(Available now!)
  • Nemesis Battle Car
  • 6 Nemesis Decals
    • Stripes
    • Rocket Ball
    • Wings
    • Lightning
    • Full Speed
    • Snakeskin
Twitch Prime Pack 2
(Available Day 27 of your player journey)
  • TP19 Wheels
  • Drude Engine Audio
  • Nemesis: Crisis Decal
Twitch Prime Pack 3
(Available Day 55 of your player journey)
  • Streamer Boost
  • Luster Animated Decal
  • Webcam Topper
Twitch Prime Pack 4
(Available Day 83 of your player journey)
  • Tactical Nuke Goal Explosion
  • Sushi Board Player Banner
  • Boba Drink Antenna

Link your Twitch Prime account with your Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, or Nintendo account to unlock the first Content Pack! The first Pack is available now, and you'll be able to unlock the future packs as long as your Twitch Prime account stays active. Players will be eligible for all four Packs if their active Twitch Prime account is linked at any time between now and March 27, 2020.

Get started by linking your Twitch Prime account here. Keep in mind, you can only link your Twitch Prime account to one platform account, so be sure to choose wisely. You can check out the full list of FAQs here. If you're not a Twitch Prime member, you can sign up for a free trial at TwitchPrime.com.

The faster you link your accounts, the faster you'll get each Content Pack, so hit the Twitch Prime page and then the pitch with the latest Pack!

Rocket League® - Dirkened
Prepare your Mudcat for the next turn, because it's a big one! The first 2XP Weekend of Rocket Pass 4 is set for this Friday, September 27. Enjoy the boost on your journey to the Pro Tiers!

Once 2XP Weekend begins, you'll earn double the amount of base experience in all Casual, Competitive, and Extra mode Playlist matches via the "+100% special event" XP bonus.

Check out the official start and end times below and enjoy the extra XP!

  • 2XP Start Time: Friday, September 27 at 2 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. UTC)
  • 2XP End Time: Monday, September 30 at 10 a.m. PDT (4 p.m. UTC)

Rocket League® - Dirkened


Greetings, Rocket League Community! It's time to refresh the featured training packs to help improve your game. With October right around the corner, this is a special time for us at Psyonix and the community—specifically, the Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle-Cars (SARPBC) Community.

Rocket League's predecessor, SARPBC, is racing toward its 11th anniversary next month! In honor of this momentous occasion, we're refreshing the featured training packs with practice regimens from the OG's of the game. These are veterans who learned how to perform aerial goals and epic saves in SARPBC long before the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) even existed.

Along with the live training packs below, check out how long some of these players have been in the game, and hear some words of wisdom from the long-time players themselves:

#
Author
Pack Name
Difficulty
Code
1
Famiy
Overhead Goalie #2
Champion
17F2-309A-8FA5-13BE
2
Noir1992
Ground Redirects
Champion
BD39-D665-A6FF-596D
3
vel
Redirect
Grand Champion
27B6-B630-461E-5961
4
I Am A Tree
Floor Bounce 'N Shoot
Diamond
F54A-1591-B804-B7CD
5
Kronovi
Ground Shooting Pack #1
Platinum
6B31-5C76-BDEB-16FC
6
BigFunny
Backwardss, Backboard, Clears
Platinum
25E6-A216-0CB7-239B
7
Noir1992
Backboard Shots (consistency)
Champion
FDC7-3073-501D-0054
8
Oneill
Oneills SubParButinHD Pack
Gold
E8DF-CA1A-DBEA-0C8F
9
Doomsee
Double Jump Aerials
Champion
F269-B159-0BAC-AC2E

NOIR1992
Started SARPBC April 2009

"If you want to improve and get better at Rocket League, don't just practice the mechanics. Positioning and rotation are more important than mechanics. Watch some of your own replays and figure out what you have done wrong and work on those things."


ONEILL
Started SARPBCFebruary 2009

"Enjoy yourself, first and foremost. Ground work is just as important as being Squishy doing flippys. Focusing on catching the ball from the air for different scenarios can drastically improve your game, and help you plan ahead for how you want to make your next move. Analyze your own replays if you play as a team. Discuss key points for games when you concede to help find areas of weakness going forward."


DOOMSEE
Started SARPBCFebruary 2009

"The best way to improve your game is to practice in chunks. Pick the weakest aspect of your game and solely work on it until it’s improved and you're happy with it. The more specific you are, the better. If you play the game with no real improvement goal in mind, your improvement will be a lot slower. You’ll find that it’s really hard to concentrate on one skill while playing, and quickly turn your attention to just winning. This is normal. When you catch yourself falling into that habit, bring your attention back to the skill you’re working on. If double jump aerials are one of your weaknesses, then try my Double Jump Aerial training pack. ”


BIGFUNNY
Started SARPBCJune 2009

"A good way to improve in Rocket League is repeatedly asking yourself, 'What would I want my teammate to do if they were in this situation,' and 'What does my opponent not want me to do in this situation.' Asking these questions while watching yourself in replays from their perspectives will help you recognize good and bad patterns in your play style."


I AM A TREE
Started SARPBCDecember 2008

"For anyone who's trying to improve, my most important tip would be: don't just practice your mechanics, but also research how to play the game. There's plenty of good video material out there that'll turn you from just a decent mechanical player into an overall solid powerhouse. Apart from that, you should often save replays and watch them thoroughly!"


KRONOVI
Started SARPBCAugust 2009

”My advice for new players trying to improve their game would be to stay disciplined and focused with their practice. You will improve quickly if you continue to train and practice no matter what happens, and you'll be glad you worked hard when the results come in.”


We hope these training packs help you reach your Ranked goals in Season 12! Think you've created the next great Custom Training Pack? Let us know by sharing it on Discord, Reddit, and Twitter. We go through fan-submitted Training Packs each month, and could even choose yours for our next Community Spotlight!
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