Rocket League Season 2 Starts, New Patch Adds Rocket Labs

Published: February 14, 2016 10:06 AM /

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Rocket League Review

With the first competitive season for Psyonix's chaotic RC Soccer game Rocket League officially coming to and end, the developer has released an update for the game. This patch, which carries version number 1.11, adds a slew of new customization items to the PC and PlayStation 4 versions of the game, as well an experimental playlist titled 'Rocket Labs'. Let's take a look at the most important changes and fixes in this patch!

First off: rewards! Everyone who has managed to reach the bronze or higher divisions in season 1 will get a reward in the form of an equippable crown that corresponds to the highest division you've managed to obtain. Now everyone you play with will be able to see the fruits of your labor!

In addition to the divisional rewards and the newly introduced item rarity feature, Psyonix has also added a ton of new equippable items. You can now equip a topper themed after the mask worn by electronic musician Deadmau5, as well as equip flags representing websites such as 9GAG, Destructoid, GameSpot, IGN and PC hardware manufacturer NVIDIA. I never knew we needed a TechRaptor item in the game, but I think we do now.

The new 'Rocket Labs' playlist will also breathe some new life into Rocket League for casual players. This playlist features maps with experimental layouts with a unique aesthetic that allows Psyonix to gather feedback on new design ideas before implementing them for use in ranked playlists. GameSpot made a video that can give you an idea of what to expect in the new playlist. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssTVzfP6MkU

The hockey-themed 'Snow Day' mutator, which replaces the game's soccer ball with a hockey puck, and snow-covered arena will now be available to play in private matches and the game's exhibition mode. Additionally, the Mad Max-themed Wasteland arena has been added to the competitive map pool. 

Changes to Rocket League's competitive mode include the ability to reconnect to a ranked match if you got disconnected mid-play. The game's ranking system has also been changed, and you'll no longer acquire ranked points for winning games. Instead, you'll be placed in one of 12 divisions with you moving up or down on the rankings depending how many games you've won or lost. Placement matches have also been introduced, with players having to play 10 placement matches before getting sorted into a skill division. 

Among the most important bug fixes are improvements to the game's performance on PlayStation 4, the ability to go beyond the 60 fps limit on PC, optimized performance on the Wasteland map for both versions, the ability to modify the size of the UI from the game's settings menu, and the option of setting the game's language to either Turkish or Russian. It is now also possible to report players for exhibiting toxic behavior or for intentionally losing the game.

You can check out the Steam Community page for the full patch notes, and the update is live right now, so you can jump into the second season immediately.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Chris Anderson
| Staff Writer

I've been playing games since I was just barely able to walk so I might as well write about them.

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Rocket League
Game Page Rocket League
Developer
Psyonix
Publisher
Psyonix
Release Date
July 7, 2015 (Calendar)
Genre
Racing, Arcade, Sports
Purchase (Some links may be affiliated)