What Sets the Cars in Rocket League Apart from the Competition
New players have always been curious about the answer to the question, "What is the best car in Rocket League?" ever since the game was first released. Because new car bodies are continually being added to the game at the beginning of each new season, it is possible for players to feel completely overwhelmed by the large number of options that are now at their disposal. Even though in the end it will come down to your own personal preference, we are here to offer some guidance so that you can make an informed decision about which combat vehicle you should use. Before we get started, I just want to make a quick disclaimer. Although some cars might offer more benefits than others, this does not necessarily mean that driving one will slow you down more than others would. You are free to use any of the available battle cars to carry out the required mechanics and advance your character to the Supersonic Legend rank. However, having an understanding of what goes on behind the scenes might help you take your game to the next level.
WHAT SETS ROCKET LEAGUE CARS APART FROM OTHER CARS?
To begin, let's take a look at what differentiates these automobiles from one another. The hitbox of each vehicle allows for it to be placed in one of several different categories. Breakout, Dominus, Hybrid, Merc, Octane, and Plank are the names of the game's various hitboxes, and there are a total of six of them. Although all cars have the same basic stats, the hitboxes on each car are uniquely sized in terms of their length, width, and height. For instance, the Breakout hitbox has the second-smallest height but the longest length of any other hitbox. Alternately, the Merc has the greatest height but the second smallest length of any of the vehicles. Although every different hitbox in Rocket League comes with its own set of benefits and drawbacks, there is one in particular that has emerged as the clear front-runner for the title of best hitbox.
IN ROCKET LEAGUE, WHICH HITBOX IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST?
The Octane hitbox is, without a doubt, the one that is used the most frequently by the entire playerbase. It's possible that this is due to the fact that the Octane is the car that you are initially given access to when you begin your journey in the game.
However, you won't see professional players using anything else very often because it has the most balanced statistics compared to all of the other hitboxes. This is the main reason why. As the second tallest hitbox in the game, it enables better 50/50s, which is an essential game mechanic to master if you want to progress through the ranks. Because of this, dribbling, flicking, and playing solo are all made much simpler by the court's above-average width. In the grand scheme of things, it improves your chances of winning your kickoffs.
The one drawback to it is its shorter length, which results in a shorter reach when thrown into the air. Because of this, some professionals will occasionally opt to use a hitbox that is longer, such as the Dominus, because it makes double taps and redirects slightly simpler to perform. Because of this, many of the best freestylers in the world use it. However, using a Dominus hitbox results in a loss of height, which makes ground plays less reliable. This decreases the overall effectiveness of the play. Because of its consistent performance and well-rounded character, the Octane hitbox will almost always be favored in the competitive scene.
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH CAR IS THE BEST IN ROCKET LEAGUE?
The question now is, given that we have established that you will probably want to use a car that has the Octane hitbox, which car body should you choose? If you have been paying attention to the professional scene, there are two players who stand out as the obvious choices. The best Rocket League players began to realize very early on in the game that the Octane body was, in fact, the best car in Rocket League. This realization came about during the very early stages of the game. This is due to the fact that the shape of the hitbox on the Octane was the one that it matched the best, in comparison to other bodies that have the same hitbox like the Zippy or the Backfire. If you use a car that corresponds as closely as possible to the hitbox, you will have a much easier time predicting how the car will make contact with the ball. Because of this, it will be much simpler for you to hit the ball in the direction that you want it to go.
FENNEC: NEW CHALLENGER HAS EMERGED
Octane ruled the professional scene for a number of years. If a player wanted to switch things up, they would occasionally use a different car, most commonly the Dominus or the Dominus Hitbox, but the vast majority of players stuck with their reliable Octanes. This was the case up until the second half of 2019, when a top professional started to change the metagame.
Thibault "Chausette45" Grzesiak was one of the first people to use the Fennec, which was a new car body that came out in July of 2019. The hitbox of the Fennec was similar to that of the Octane, but due to the Fennec's more rectangular shape, it fit the outline of the hitbox even better than the Octane did. His game-changing performances in the Fennec helped his team to win Dreamhack Valencia and finish in second place at the Rocket League Summit event. During the summer of 2019, Chausette45 was arguably the best Rocket League player in the world. His configuration was later adopted as the standard for all Rocket League Pro Settings.
Since that time, the Fennec's popularity has skyrocketed in a short amount of time. We have reached a point where approximately half of the professionals competing in the RLCS use the Fennec. There is a lot of room for discussion regarding whether or not the Octane is still the best car in Rocket League.
THE DOMINUS: A DYING BREED
As was stated earlier, in the past, when professionals wanted to shake things up or try something new, they would occasionally play the Dominus. Because of the longer hitbox, flashy mechanical plays on the ground may be made easier, but these plays are also slightly less reliable. The lack of height results in a significant number of 50/50s being awarded. Jesus "gimmick" Parra was the most famous professional player who was known to have used the Dominus. It was with the Dominus that he helped Cloud 9 win the RLCS Season 6 Championship and end Dignitas' reign as the dominant team in the league.
However, over the course of time, professionals have gradually stopped using the Dominus. At this point, we are lucky to catch even a glimpse of any lengthy car body. The situation is getting worse. Players are much more consistent with their mechanics these days as a result of the evolution of professional play, and they will always prefer a more reliable Octane hitbox when competing with one another.