The Ultimate Rocket League Demo Guide
Hands down, Rocket League is the second-best five minutes you’ll ever find in the driver’s seat of a car. So, let’s blow some $#@%! up – because there’s a finite fun-ceiling to experience in an RL lobby, and I’m ensuring you get all of it.
Why Demos Help in Modern RL Lobbies
Who doesn’t like free goals?
A while back, Rocket Sledge coined the phrase “Physical Meta.” It suits.
Demos alter game tempo. After successful boom-clouds, opponents spend matches fearfully eyeballing their rearview mirrors. You drill holes into enemy rotations.
You disrupt their rhythm and induce pure, unadulterated rage.
In OG season 4, average players surfaced a meager 0.2 demos. However, demo popularity surged after the iconic OG Season 7 update in 2018. They became easier.
Under refreshed physics, the hivemind shifted. Sullen chants of “dangerous and gimmicky playstyle” matured into a mantra of “If you’re good at it… Go for it!”
Today, average games scrape 3.7 demos. Pro lobbies hover upward of 5. The meta shift has spoken!
Let’s face it. As seasons pass, lower-ranked players spit nuttier solo plays. Your teammates yearn to clutch that leather sphere like she’s their newborn child. The physical meta skyrockets in viability as players master more mechanics.
So, rise up, comrades!
Sick of feeling invisible for passes? Revolutionize your aggressive stancing into something proactive. Tired of goalies camping every shot? Trample ‘em!
The Precise Conditions for Connecting Demos
Or, as angry voices scream into search bars, “Are demos in Rocket League broken?”
Aside from unavoidable online latency shenanigans, they’re not. But, in an attempt to erase the dreaded query, Psyonix refined demo physics over the years. It might muddle your understanding of demo physics.
Many rocketeers assume delivering a demo is as simple as ramming a car at supersonic speed. This is false. Rocket League buries secret mechanics up her sleeve.
Basic Demo Activation:
- All demos require your vehicle’s nose to initiate contact. Hitbox edges pass. Fumbly side panel collisions fail.
- After obtaining supersonic, a one-second buffer protects it – provided you outspeed 2100 unreal units. (For reference, supersonic is 2200uu. Max speed is 2300.)
- You need forward-facing velocity. RL adopts a rigid max speed cap. Loose powerslide momentum permits unintuitive speed distribution.
- If you’re sliding faster than 100uu, you’ll overclock your forward momentum, falling short of the supersonic threshold.
- If you fling reverse wavedashes to go supersonic backward, demos fail.
There’s also tricky angular stuff slithering behind the curtain.
Your center of mass (or root joint) must meet an angle specification with your target’s joint.
Demolition Angle Restrictions:
- Head-on AND angled demos must fall within 45°.
- All demos prompt a 37° vertical threshold.
You demo when both joints etch a line within the 45 cone. From 45-70 degrees, you secure a bump. Anything beyond 70° catches wind.
The root joint demo system muffles rear-end bumps. RL cars lean toward frontal mass, offsetting root joint locations. Even if your nose lands flush, many rear-end demos devolve into love taps.
This update occurred in version 1.41 (on Feb. 7th, 2018.)
Before that, a flat 45° angle of incidence triggered explosions. On paper, it sounds more practical. But, in Rocket League, ball touches ignore contact angles. They’re linked to root joints.
Linking “realistic” physics to car-to-car contact felt misplaced.
The Black Sheep Demo Update
Of course, even after the 1.41 demo patch, players bickered. Psyonix tried dispatching new explosion physics again in v1.78.
They assembled our favorite YouTubers, working to remedy the age-old dilemma of complaints surrounding Rocket League’s demolitions.
They gathered:
- Sledge
- Musty
- Leth
- Rizzo
- Turbo
- HalfwayDead (Rocket Science)
- HoraryHellfire (Coach)
It turns out ol’ Musty should stick to farming laughs and nailing Musty Flicks. Leth dazzles while modding RL Workshop Maps.
Patch 1.78 morphed into a circus.
The idea was to prevent small chips from blasting cars into oblivion. Psyonix reverted the update faster than a dog snatches up table scraps.
Anyway, sources referencing these “rules” are long outdated:
- Forward hit check reduced from 45 to 40% root joint impact angle.
- New victim hit check added, scaling 55-90° to avoid sideswipe demos.
1.78 took guts. Psyonix swallowed their pride and commissioned the lifeblood of their community. But, at the end of the day, the 1.41 system rocks.
You know how it goes. The internet attracts hordes of soapbox conspiracy theorists and the ragged tears of angry man-children.
Tips for Landing Consistent Demos
Learning to demo in Rocket League doesn’t end after a mechanical breakdown. We need to outsmart our competition. We need insight and awareness.
Only then, young Rocketeer, will your conquest of carburetor carnage come to fruition.
Camera Buffs:
Let’s knock out the breezy stuff. If you aren’t already doing this, you’re working too hard:
- Widen your field of view. Crank her up to 110.
- When it’s time to strike, flip to car-cam. After you prevail, don’t dawdle before reverting back.
- Tinker with camera transition speed settings. Swift transitions help you keep a vigilant eye on developing plays.
Demolitions are heavy-risk, high-reward. You commit hard. Snatch every ounce of free awareness fathomable.
Player tracking:
Erupting vehicles is like smashing a sentient ball. Don’t trail like a lost puppy dog. Instead, decipher intent. Treat players like ancient glyphs on a dusty wall.
It’s easier than it sounds.
Players are painfully formulaic. They travel toward: Ball, Boost, Net, and Bumps. I mean, what else can you do in Speedy-Car-Ball-Game? It’s the whole hook…
All four actions follow strict, exploitable behavior patterns.
Ball Tracking:
Nestle into the attacker’s shoes. Focus your attention on where he wants to slice the ball. Escort him to the graveyard before it happens. Opponents usually shoot, but survey the pitch for pass opportunities.
Boost Tracking:
Grabbing boost is everyone’s main objective when rotating out of a play. Big pads only appear on stadium edges, making boost-starved players prime demo candidates. Arriving late to pads rakes clean demos. Anyone who crawls outside your grasp still isn’t safe. They’re either devising a ball-side recovery or cruising toward the active net. Pencil a route between the pad and their destination.
Boost Tracking:
Defensive reads ooze simplicity. Players inch toward their backboard. Extra space buys time for saves. When a teammate shoots early, opponents abandon their post to collect unchallenged balls. Let your intuition seize the moment.
Retaliatory Tracking:
Blast your rivals after they flounder their bump/demo attempts. They’re vulnerable after cooking boost. They’ll also pause to re-orient themselves into the play. Capitalize on their heavy braking or dramatic velocity-tearing turns.
Always Rotate Wide:
Wide rotations are already ideal for receiving passes or prepping saves. Scan the field. Your patience draws rivals back into play. They’re moths drawn to a porch light. The ball is their one true muse.
It’s also your lure. Be the spider. Weave your web. Let the insects flock to you.
Hitting Evasive Players with Consistency:
Some opponents slip around like they’re dancing on banana peels.
Anticipating elusive targets is easy. They’ll always jump, brake, or slide.
Countering Jumps:
Let’s boil down “hoppable” moments:
- If you’re within their line of sight, they jump.
- If you boost nonstop behind them, they jump.
- If they’re sitting idle, they jump.
And sometimes jumping ruins plans:
- Players glued behind half volleys or rolling balls cannot leap.
- Players traveling up-wall can’t vault.
- Players rushing into a play near supersonic speeds distract themselves.
I’ll share a cryptic family technique – passed down since the dawn of humanity.
Short hop demos untangle player-to-player mind games. You’ll topple targets whether they hop or not. A slight downward boost bypasses the vertical angle threshold.
It takes practice. But, after nailing the motions, you’ll detonate cars into obscurity.
Countering Slides:
T-bone opponents flaunting fancy footwork like drifts and dashes. No complex geometry required. Just… whack ‘em from the side.
It’s really that simple.
Countering Brake Checks:
Brake checks mainly counter rigid 90° sideswipes. Big-brain boom-artists aim for a 60-70° angle of impact. Thanks to the jaw-dropping powers of science, your opponent is screwed. Reverse delays the inevitable.
After all, you have the high ground. Boosting backward is impossible.
You’ll steamroll foes like they’re Bambi’s mom picketing your decadent Explodey Land amusement park entryway.
Boost Management Tips:
The cleanest demos conserve boost.
- Steering shatters supersonic speed in a heartbeat. But driving straight at full throttle? Your trail endures.
- You can’t always pilfer every fat pad in the arena.
- Gushing 10,000 boost from your tailpipe isn’t exactly the stealthiest way to manifest ninja smoke screens from Octane corpses.
- Supersonic traversal inhibits vehicle handling. Your car turns better at lower speeds.
- Boost tanks fuel emergency retreats when teammates surrender possession.
Translation:
- Follow a straight path toward your mark.
- Restrain from supersonic as long as possible. Build and sustain speed, but hoard a small boost-burst until you can taste exhaust fumes. Better yet, oust enemies with wavedashes. 0-boost demos feel like winning the lottery.
- Don’t dismiss your supersonic-cooldown buff. Reserve adjustments for your final 0.9 seconds before impact.
Snag Enemy Boost:
Unleash your inner boost bandit.
Just because we’re boosting efficiently doesn’t mean we shouldn’t gobble up our competitor’s most valuable resource.
You’re hijacking their sprint shoes.
See a juicy hundo in enemy turf? If they can’t hurl a quick shot, it’s an auto-take. Assert your dominance. Speed control forms the foundation for roasting axles.
Timing Attacks:
Offensive demos urge coordination.
Align goalie-geared physical plays with shots. You have time. Defenders can’t unshackle until your team reveals their shot trajectory.
The demo sweet spot arrives immediately after the pop.
With flawless timing, even whiffed demos win goals. Avoidance maneuvers like jump or reverse incapacitate players for 10-50 frames.
Demo Training Drills:
This might sound crazy: You can hone your demo skills outside live matches.
Memorize blind boost pill patterns in Free Play:
- Flip off unlimited boost in your settings tab.
- Toggle ball-cam on.
- Neglect the ball.
- Hunt for offscreen pads while drilling mechanics like diagonal wavedashes or chaining flip cancels.
Run laps for each recognizable boost pattern. Your most common collision lanes are:
- Outer crescent pads.
- Diagonal backfield pickups.
- Diamond patterns near both nets.
- Inner pads orbiting walls.
You’ll conquer spatial awareness. You’ll gain fluidity. You’ll crank your speed and game sense into neighboring galaxies.
Also, if you have a solid group of friends, you can find serious mileage by practicing demos in custom private match game modes.
When to Demo
Let’s craft a playbook. I’ll isolate moments when physical contact sparks the greatest team benefits.
Let me reiterate:
Chasing tailpipes around the pitch doesn’t work.
It’s predictable.
Demo chasing aggravates your teammates worse than ball chasing. My “7 RL Demo Commandments” should help you decide when to fold.
- The last man should never demo on plays transitioning into defense. Don’t lock a target until your wingman rolls in behind you. When nobody’s back, as a last resort, desperate demos can rekindle possession.
- Demo scale in potency as field population shrinks.
- It’s best to demo with aggressive teammates. You can forge plays from otherwise thoughtless shots. Any time teammates clobber me for the ball, I can branch away and blaze a trail.
- Formidable, consistent defenders are the easiest to wreck.
- Each consecutive demo yields diminishing returns. After a solid streak, it’s easy to start seeing red. But competitors are human. They adapt. Treat demos as a playstyle embellishment. They’re an extra tool – like air dribbles or flip resets. Don’t make them your personality unless you’re eager to transform teammates into premature Salt Bae reincarnations.
- Offensive demos shine brightest when creating space outweighs a low-percentage touch.
- As a rule of thumb, I lean heavier into offensive and defensive demos on favorable scoreboards. You’ll widen point gaps and shred enemy morale. When I’m behind, I sideline demos. Baiting opponents into my corners takes priority. Instead, I unlock more field space by exploiting confidence.
Let’s shift gears to specific scenarios. I’ll categorize demo strategies into universal, offensive, and defensive.
Universal Demo Strats:
FOV-Bombing:
When players grovel beneath a high pop or encroach upon their front post, they fabricate blind spots.
FOV-Bombing encapsulates 80% of effective demo strategies. I can dredge up a list that litters this section:
- The ball suffocates a dribbler’s screen.
- Players gunning corner boost dump everything to stare at a boost pad and a wall.
- Strikers awaiting passes turn their backs to a vast sea of field.
For now, let’s isolate simplified blind-side and high pop demos.
Blind-side – On offense, rush when your teammate clutches a dead ball. On defense, blind-side demos shine when your teammate doubles up on your back post.
High Pops – Imagine a sunbeam casting down on the ball from the stadium roof. If someone falls under the ball’s imaginary shadow, they can’t observe the field. High pop demos slay when teammates outpace opponents on aerials or whenever all fielded cars churn like molasses. Grounded players are more vulnerable.
The Mid-flip Conundrum:
A while back, I scribbled some RL field spacing tips. I thrashed players locked into dodges. It’s a simple concept. Spill their guts before they land.
Pros:
- Dodging cements cars into a fixed impulse action for 0.65 seconds.
- Grounded flips utilize easy-to-mimic short hops.
- Vehicles hover at an unchanging height throughout flips.
Cons:
- Your opportunity window is microscopic.
The Sidewall Boost Interception:
When a player drives alongside the wall clenching for 100 boost, they follow a predetermined path.
Pros:
- Sidewall interceptions blend into lines already encompassed by playing dirty. They’re natural.
- Mid-field demos leave players behind them in awkward scenarios.
Cons:
- Baiting opponents into winnable boost pads hurts team boost reserves.
The Wall Crawler:
Sick of watching Papa Smurf’s air dribble replays? Sack freestylers early. Anyone mapping direct up-wall routes can’t jump. You’ll catch free rage-induced W’s, too.
Pros:
- I don’t care how outlandish someone’s mechanics look. Nimble wall-plays fizzle unless driving the old-fashioned way. Grounded cars travel faster. And on the wall’s bell curve, jumps are outright impossible.
- Walled vehicles inherently read easier.
Cons:
- Driving up-wall strains your momentum.
- You can’t afford failure. The Rocket League Egglords deny intervention.
Post-Whiff Purgatory:
Post-whiff opponents retreat. If they’re smart, they identify they’ve fallen out of a play. But even the dumb ones examine the pitch – becoming sluggish until they concoct a fresh scheme. Pick them off and saddle toward the sunset.
Pros:
- Post-whiff hesitation is a universal trait.
- Opponents skating the outskirts of the field can’t outrun your lasso. They’ll need to execute dramatic recoveries with limited escape options.
Cons:
- You can’t anticipate whiffs. Demos only work if you’re ‘already in the neighborhood.’
- Mileage shrinks as you climb ranks.
The Bumpo-Palooza Challenge:
Grounded 50’s bulldoze opponents. Sprinkle in a little extra gallop and let nature run her course. Let your adversaries flinch themselves into Narnia.
Pros:
- A side effect of snappy low-50’s is free car-on-car action.
- You unmask a handy back-pocket ace during conservative challenges.
Cons:
- Low 50’s result in dunks. If an empty net rests behind you, expect fatal outcomes.
Defensive Demo Opportunities:
Dribbler Camping:
Sack dribblers from behind.
Pros:
- A dribbler can’t race. He must either throw the ball away or become sacrificial mincemeat.
- Demoing dribblers eliminates threats from the source. You’ll preserve team momentum before plays dwindle to a crawl and bestow fountains of time to gather possession.
- Camping is your best play after someone flicks over you or you’re slow to rotate to home base.
- Camping excels when you’re aligned with your front or rear goalpost. You can glide effortlessly into defense while gifting teammates an immediate cross-field banger.
Cons:
- Smokey vision causes accidental own-goals.
- If your teammate’s feeling listless, you risk 50’ing him. When teammates dive, evacuate. Rotate to back post. (In these scenarios, sideways wavedashes help. Sometimes, your jump audio spooks dribblers into premature ball tosses.)
The Tailgate Party:
Delayed rotations foster another practical use. You can sneak behind idle players awaiting backboard passes. Knick an easy demo.
Pros:
- You’ll give yourself relevance on the pitch when you’re otherwise useless.
- Rotation patterns for receiving passes and retreating to back post share significant overlap.
- Tailgate parties strengthen from Champ 2 onward. Offense hastens. Teammates become self-reliant. They’ll often recognize you as an upfield redirect avenue.
- Hearty defensive demos sculpt immaculate escapes from crummy clears.
Cons:
- Widening further than your back post for a tailgate demo places your team at a disadvantage.
- Tailgate demos only help after you can acknowledge when it’s your turn to back down and collect a loose ball.
- Sometimes entire teams struggle to retreat.
Offensive Demo Opportunities:
The Back Post Snipe:
Driving from corner boost to back post is the most common defensive maneuver in Rocket League. Even bronzes do it. Wield your sniffer. Greet opponents somewhere in the middle.
Pros:
- Back-post snipes mesh gloriously with redirects/up-field passes. You’ll awaken some of RL’s juiciest team synergies – simply by chilling in the right place at the right time.
- Mauling a defender during his afternoon stroll is the perfect backup plan for failed passes.
Cons:
- Unless big boosts populate the enemy half, you’ll suffer while scurrying into defense after teammates concede the ball.
- While you’re touring No Man’s Land, teammates lacking awareness assume you’re backing them and advance recklessly.
The Tokyo Death-Rift:
Sometimes, when defenders crave boost, the last man stalks the ball along the wall. He’s destined for failure. He’ll drift into his back post from a front post rotation, spilling a sharp powerslide cut to re-align with the ongoing play. He sheds momentum. You wave your magic kaboom-stick. Profit.
Pros:
- Opponents signal Tokyo D-Rift opportunities from miles away.
- Targets move like snails.
Cons:
- You’re equally readable. Players with heightened awareness notice you’re outside their FOV.
- After clearing the demo, you’re often irrelevant in the play. Retreat is imminent.
- In low-ranked lobbies, you pose a tangible threat of accidental saves.
The Blitz:
Your cross-field teammate opts to play slow. Pass opportunities from slow plays aren’t viable. But your partner garnered possession and stalled goalie momentum. It’s time to blitz! Cut rotation, tackle, and bail.
Pros:
- The blitz ravages defenders who shadow longer or sit idle in net.
- Blitzes accentuate ball hogs or dribble-crazed teammates.
Cons:
Blitzes backfire unless your wingman is already lined up for a shot, sitting on a half-full boost reservoir, and resides within a 15 foot radius of either goalpost. If he’s centered, he’ll stabilize when plans flop.
The Bait-And-Switch:
Faked hook shots hyper-focus enemies toward the ball. When a gentle tap creeps toward a net armed with a stalled goaltender, pivot to the far side of the ball. This feigns a hook shot. The defender adapts, making him readable: He’ll swivel to his new back post. Upon arriving, he’ll drift into recovery. During patient plays, he progresses early, then curbs his momentum to prevent overcommitting.
Boost past the ball and score a menacing 2 MPH goal from your original touch.
Pros:
- The bait-and-switch annihilates defenders who shadow.
- Hook shots on faraway defenders already threaten to lure players in. Sometimes you can skip the demo and score freebies.
- The bait-and-switch is the only offensive mid-field demo. You’ll surprise opponents.
- 2-3 bait-and-switch demo attempts per game thrusts patient opponents into reckless challenges for the remainder of the match.
- This strat transforms mindless saves into an intricate game of cat-and-mouse.
- These plays work solo!
Cons:
- This demo play requires a slow game state.
- Close defenders (with momentum) can challenge (and win) the moment they detect a hook attempt.
- If you scuff the demo, you’re leaving a stationary ball for rivals to manipulate as they please.
Dropshipping:
Picture this: you’re beaten to the corner. A goalie is tucked behind, shielding unfavorable 50’s. Your opponents have a cakewalk clear no matter how you lunge yourself into the ball. Traditional plays place your teammates in unnecessary 1v2’s. At higher ranks, gambling on opponent mistakes wastes precious time. You have two bullseyes drooling before you, and a free boost pickup along the way. Ditch the ball.
Pros:
- Even a whiffed “Dropship Demo” sabotages rotational fluidity.
- In higher ranks, anticipating enemy rotations is seamless. Optimal routes feel linear in boxy arenas.
Cons:
- Abandoning the ball in the corner may confuse your teammates.
- If a ball bounces from a backboard you’re straddling, you risk high turnover rates. Restrain yourself from spurring the ball against the wall.
The Shadow Trap:
This follows the same principle as a bait-and-switch, but it’s refitted to stadium sidewalls. You’re looking for an in-field cut. When you catch defenders shadowing, slow the ball before reaching the corner. Cut a long shot right before the defender finds the backboard. Ignore the ball. Pursuing centered shots is predictable and risky. Instead, mutilate the shadower.
Pros:
Shadow traps boast high success rates. Players can’t stagger AND rescue incoming shots.
Cons:
- You’ll want a sizzling shot (or pass.) Otherwise, another defender can rotate in before the ball becomes lethal.
Close-Quarter Bait:
Here’s the inverse of a shadow trap. Imagine a defender inched up on their front post. You’re too deep into their corner to cut the ball behind them. Graze the ball toward the wall. You’ll compel defenders onto their backboard. Plot a horizontal path along the wall and smash them before they can clear.
Pros:
- Corner lob demos defy predictability unlike any other.
- Close-quarter bait eases solo plays. Self-reliance reduces risk.
Cons:
- Regulating supersonic on inclined surfaces requires skill.
- The necessary ball control and reads rival the likes of double taps. The initial tap only works if it gravitates within crossbar height and travels under 40mph.
- Ball placement is critical. Aim far enough to achieve supersonic, yet close enough to clash before defenders spike the ball.
- Failed demos are catastrophic. The enemy backboard is the last place you want to be during a counter-attack.
The Clobber-Pop:
High backboard pops with no backboard defender force hesitation. If you notice a vacant backboard, you can smash the ball upward for a clean pass, dart into demo-cam, and wrangle frozen goalies. It beats passing the ball to the wrong team!
Pros:
- Passes shuffle opponents more than shots.
- Backboard bounces are easier reads for offense.
- When teammates reach the pass, you’re positioned to double team defenses until someone scores.
- You can interchange this play with a hand-off variant, where you dead-stop the ball for teammates.
Cons:
- You’ll need to rely on your partner to follow through. If you know they’re dawdling around the net or retreating for their corner boost, this pass might bait them forward and result in a surrendered goal.
- This is one of the heavier commits listed. A failed demo often backfires.
The Air Dribble Bump:
I’ll close off with the play popularized by Sunless and heaps of other content creators. There’s only one way to terminate an air dribble – by stuffing it. Give ‘em the ol’ faceplant before they find the chance.
Pros:
- The proactive dribbler threatens more momentum than the reactive blocker.
- The skies are a heartless, tractionless, unforgiving place for battle-cars.
Cons:
- There’s a mountain of control elements to botch.
- Air dribbles demand space.
The Weaknesses of Demos: Understanding When Demos Hurt Your Team
First up to bat are the mechanical weaknesses of RL demolitions:
- Demolition lines demand linearity to maintain supersonic speed.
- Demos consume tons of boost.
- Shorter vehicle hitboxes become slippery marks.
- Walls scale at an inefficient incline for sustaining supersonic.
It’s also important to identify when placing your team a player down poses unnecessary risks:
- Defending brisk pass plays.
- Defending speedy center-field clears.
- Backboard bounce passes with no receivers.
- Crossing the midline.
- After allies whiff.
- Teammates can’t scavenge boost.
How to Spawn Camp Demolitions in Rocket League:
By now, you’ve witnessed clips of demo Gods bullying players on spawn. The strategy fizzles unless both boost pads along the back wall remain available.
But, despite spawning RNG, we can extract a science to camping demos.
- Respawns always occur after 3 seconds.
- Both teams sport four symmetrical spawn points along the back wall.
- Camping objects on a spawn forces a different spawn point.
- If all 4 spawn locations fill, players begin to respawn on the other team’s endzone.
- If all 8 unique spawns fill, kickoff zones take the helm.
I credit these discoveries to AratorRL. In the thread, toothboto (a current top 10 demo record holder) begins his villain arc as he questions the specifics of RL’s spawn engine. Later on, he pinpointed the exact order of kickoff spawns.
Anyway, enough with the history lesson.
Let’s learn to bleed this engine dry.
- Scarf down the furthest 100 boost pickup and trace the back wall.
- Align yourself (or the ball) with the closest spawn point.
- Drive a linear path along the back wall. That way, at minimum, you’ll bump players occupying the nearest spawn.
Guzzling both pads might cause you to mistime spawn demos, but guarantees enemies rejoin the fray with 33 beans.
And, thanks to the “demoing low boost opponents is gravy” clause, you’ll pluck an effortless demolition. That’s why most spawn campers pillage both pads after the first spawn-kill.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Remember: Boost pads refill every 10 seconds. You can theoretically restock boost every 2-3 spawn demos.
Demo Avoidance Tips:
When you find yourself kneeling before the wrath of an apex predator, you’ll want tools to pacify their bloody path of demolition carnage.
You can try a single hop, but an attuned player can prophesize your movements. Especially if they know they’re within your view.
Luckily, practicing demos injects experience and awareness into your veins. You’re already leaps ahead. You know the best stances. You know when to listen for unfamiliar engine/boost tones. You know which maneuvers are the hardest to counter.
Now all that’s left is deciding which action to take.
Dodging Head-On Collisions:
Head-on demos are the most common. So it’s only fair I offer them more depth.
Since Rocket Sledge pioneered the competitive dirty tactics metagame, I’ll credit his desired namesake mechanic: The Sledge Lateral. It’s a simple sideways dodge, but it’s difficult to counter. Even a clever demolitionist gambles on whether you’ll dodge left or right.
In fact, Sledge is so keen on side-flip dodges, he brought it up years later when I interviewed him.
Sideways wavedashes work too if:
- You have enough time and space to slide outside of their scope.
- The opponent boosts too early.
Side dashes reap speedier recoveries. Take them when possible.
Misc. Demo Dodging Tactics:
- Wall driving eradicates chase demos and head-on collision attempts.
- Heavy powerslides facilitate handy ball control tools while an opponent charges your rear.
- Brake checks obliterate sideswipe connoisseurs. When pitted against wide rotators barrelling from 30-80° angles, slam your brakes.
- Half flips can cause players pushing too far upfield to evacuate.
- An air roll double jump, followed by a short downward boost, grants you the high ground against hop-demo masters. While it isn’t as powerful as a Sledge Lateral, it’s pretty sleek when a play beckons you into the other half. Meanwhile, the lateral offers immunity to in-net demos.
Then there’s the simplest solution of all. Drive away from the ball when no threat exists. This provokes whiffs AND baits thirsty players out of position. Then, once they inevitably lose a point, slap three to four “Nice Bump!” quick chats to salt the wound. They’ll throw the game scouting for a shot at redemption.
The Demolition Leaderboard (And Finding Demo-Tubers)
Before signing off, I want to share something awesome: a community-driven demo leaderboard. It’s the perfect tool for tracking who has the most demos in Rocket League.
Collectively, the 3-second respawn times between all recorded demos surpass a full year of wait time. It’s blissful anarchy. Maybe you’d like to hop on the Discord and upload your own data.
Better yet, content creators flood the top 100, like Bumpo The Clown and Woody. You’ll find their videos… motivational.
Anyway, that’s a wrap, folks. Get out there and start icing battle-cars!