Rocket League Sideswipe - Duos Guide
Rocket League Sideswipe continues to be an amazing and deep mobilized version of everyone's favorite car-based soccer game. Now that we're mid-way through the game's second season, it's high time I share some top tips for the game's primary mode: Duos.
I'm not to be a top competitive player, but there are a few things I've noticed make a big difference in trying to win games. Read on below and see if any of these suggestions work for you as well.
Be where the ball is going to be instead of always trying to go where it is
I know that being next to the ball is the best way to shoot, block shots, or pass to your partner, but that doesn't mean you should just chase the ball all over the place in Rocket League Sideswipe. Instead, it's much more efficient and effective to place yourself somewhere the ball will likely end up and just have it come to you.
It's impossible to know exactly where the ball will go at any given moment, but you can make good predictions based on what's happening. For example, if the opposing team has the ball over near their own goal, they will likely want to start pushing it up the field through the air, so you can just hang out on your side of the field and boost up to meet them with a block. If you just boost over to the other side of the field and don't make a steal you can easily find yourself boost-less as the other team now has a 2-on-1 shot opportunity on your goal. Try to avoid this!
Pay attention to everyone's boost
Speaking of boost, it's helpful to keep some mental notes on every player's boost capabilities as you play. Rocket League Sideswipe only gives you insight into your own boost levels via a meter but everyone's boost meter works the same way. Knowing this, you can estimate when other teams or even your own teammate might be gassed out, which can inform whether or not to make a play at the goal or whether you should boost back to play some defense.
The best opportunities to score are when you know your opponents have used all of their boost, leaving you to freely push the ball past them into the goal.
Disrupt offensive pushes
This is a skill you can build on top of the first tip in this list. Just because you know where the ball may be going doesn't mean you can or should sit passively and wait for it. You don't want your opponents to get the ball in their own ideal positioning before you try to make a play on it. If you see an opening that lets you even tap the ball slightly, you can really mess up what the other team was trying to put together before they can even make a shot on the goal.
Of course, this is a balance. Just as much as you don't want to wait in the goal for the ball to come to you, you also don't want to find yourself blindly chasing. There's a middle ground here, and it's often when opposing teams want to get the ball airborne or up on the ceiling. Those are usually safe points where you can make a play without much fear of overplaying and flying away from the action.
You don't always need to power shot
As much fun as it is to use the jump button to slam the ball into the goal, doing so is often not necessary and could very well be the reason why you lose a game. Rocket League Sideswipe doesn't care about how hard you get the ball into the goal, so even if you can gently tap the ball in, you're good.
The reason why you want to be careful with the jump/power shot button is it can easily put you dangerously out of position if you whiff on the ball or get your shot blocked. Power shots are also pretty tough to control and can sometimes set a ball on a trajectory that actually makes you miss a shot you would've otherwise made had you not used this button. This isn't to say you should never use the jump button, but rather that you should think before using it and only activate it if you have some backup or have a ton of confidence it will work in your favor and not just slam off another car and into your own goal.