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The Complete Guide to Becoming Diamond in Rocket League

The Complete Guide to Becoming Diamond in Rocket League

So, you want to get Diamond? Well, buckle up because you have a long road ahead of you. Well, not too long, provided you put in the effort and follow our complete guide to becoming Diamond in Rocket League.

We’ve combined our collective experience, as well as that of pro players and Rocket League content creators, to bring you the only definitive guide to ranking up in Rocket League.

We’re going to cover everything from common mistakes players make, what to improve on at each level, what you can do outside of the game to improve your performance, and much, much more.

Common Issues

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We’re going to start by running you through the five different categories of mistakes we see players making at every level of play.

Understanding these errors will allow you to identify the weak spots in your game, especially when we talk about what you need to improve on with each rank you progress.

Defense

Defense. We all hate it, but we all got to do it.

Discussing defense is a lot more complicated than simply saying, stop the ball from going in. Both your game awareness and movement play a part in having an effective defensive game.

When we refer to your defense, we’re talking about the entire period in which you begin rotating back to goal until you either concede a point or clear the ball.

The first significant pitfall players find with defense is not opposite-side rotating. When you have lost possession of the ball and need to turn tail and run, make sure you’re doing so via the opposite side of the arena to that of your opponents.

This will set you up in a back post position – this is so important there’s an entire section on it later. For now, know that it gives you a much better chance at saving any attempts on goal than immediately committing to a challenge while you’re mid-rotate.

Commitment

When we’re talking about commitment in Rocket League, we’re not talking about your commitment to the game. Instead, we’re discussing how committed you make yourself to plays in-game without taking a split-second to analyze the situation.

Have you ever gone for an intercept at the same time as one of your teammates? That’s a double-commit. Double-commits not only waste precious workforce, but it puts both you and whoever else on your team went for the ball out of action until you both recover. In the worst-case scenario, that leaves your last remaining teammate in a 2v1.

The other major commitment players make while trying to get into Diamond in Rocket League is overcommitting. This issue is so prevalent that we see it up to the Grand Champion rank.

When you overcommit, you dedicate yourself to something like a challenge or a goal attempt. Even if the action you’re taking is unlikely to work out, you still see it through – hence the name.

Overcommitting is a major subconscious issue that we see in all Esports and at all levels, so having previous experience will help here.

Mechanical

Mechanical downfallings are what separates Silvers from Golds and Golds from Platinums. It is the single most important thing to improve on as you play. It can also only be improved by playing.

When we’re talking about Rocket League mechanics, we mean how you interact with and control the ball.

This is separate from movement, which centers on control of your car. Although, the two are interlinked.

Your mechanical skills covering everything from a simple dribble to flip reset aerial shots. It’s the category in which we place your ability to manipulate the ball, sending it where you want it when you want it there.

A deeper understanding of mechanical gameplay comes with practice. As you develop a feeling for the game’s physics and flow, you will naturally improve on this still.

However, you can take the time to practice individual techniques and shots separate from your overall mechanical skills.

Movement

Movement is the other side of the Mechanical coin. Rather than focusing on how you control the ball, this entails how you manage your car.

Things like your rotations, kickoffs, and aerial control all fall under the movement umbrella.

Like mechanical skills, movement is mainly improved by simply playing the game. As you learn how your car interacts with the environment and controls your speed, you will get better at efficiently moving around the map.

One significant movement issue we see players making at lower levels is improper rotations.

Rocket League’s arenas are set up in a way that naturally outlines rotation paths. These paths are visible by following the mini boost pads. There is a vertical rotation path, a diagonal rotation path, and a base rotation path.

The first two are how you should be focusing on moving up and down the field, with the base mini pad path only helping give yourself an extra boost without committing to a full pad.

Game Awareness

Last but not least, we have game awareness. Whereas all of the other common mistake categories deal with gameplay significantly, this has more to do with you, the player.

Game awareness is how you collect, interpret, and act on the information available during a game. It means knowing where your teammates are, what they’re doing, how this affects you, and what you should be doing.

It also means being aware of your opponents and any potential threats they might levy against you.

Game awareness is directly tied to your decision-making ability. As you face more and more scenarios, your experience grows, allowing you to respond to situations rapidly.

The primary mistake we see people make up to Diamond rank for game awareness is selfishness.

This is a bit of a catch 22. To rank up effectively in Rocket League, you’re going to have to play selfishly. Otherwise, you’re relying on random’s skills, and that never goes well.

However, that’s not an excuse for going guns blazing into every situation like you’re a one-man-army. Pay attention to your surroundings, not just the ball. The pitch is a prominent place.

Moving Through the Ranks

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Drill those five categories into your head. They’re how you’re going to break your game up, so learn them like the back of your hand.

We’re breaking down your climb to Diamond into three main areas of interest. We have Silver and below, Gold to Diamond, and above Diamond.

We’re going to discuss what you need to do to level up out of each rank, identifying critical skills for you to focus on rather than mindlessly playing.

Silver and Below

We’re covering these ranks as one group simply because there isn’t too much to say about them. If you’re below Gold level, you’ve just not played the game enough. All of the basic knowledge and information you gain through regular sessions is more than enough to carry you up into Gold, at the very least.

That’s not to say that we have no advice to give, though.

While you’re at this rank, take the opportunity to play around with your settings. There are plenty of recommended setups online, so try some out and see what suits you. Just make sure you maximize your FOV and turn off the shake.

You’re going to want to spend a lot of your time down in the Sliver trenches learning movement and mechanics. Practice dribbling the ball and manipulating your car.

Most of all, though, you need to play as much as you can.

Improving at this level isn’t about all the fancy Esports tricks you see the pros using. It’s all about building those fundamentals. You need to walk before you can run. The first thing you learn in boxing isn’t how to throw a punch; it’s how to stand. That same logic applies here.

Gold

Once you’ve paid your dues in Silver, things finally start to get a bit fun. By now, your timing, movement, and mechanics should be at an acceptable level.

This means that we have a foundation that we can start building off of. However, it’s important to remember that everything here is general advice. Tailor your training to your weaknesses and strengths.

On an average level, the most prominent issue Gold players face going into Platinum is coordination. The difference between these two ranks is stark, so expect to spend a little time down here.

If you’re like one of the hundreds of other Gold players struggling to reach Diamond, then you want to start working on your game awareness. Stop rushing at the ball head-first every chance you get.

Take a step back to take in your surroundings. Is a teammate in a better position to attempt an intercept? Where are the opponent’s support players? And what are the possible outcomes if either you or your opponent end up with possession?

Being over-aggressive at this stage in your skill level will result in a staggering number of double-commits and overcommits. So slow it down and play for the win, not for personal glory.

We’re not saying you have to bust out the Astros and invite the randoms on your team to a Discord. All we suggest is that you take note of them on the map. They’re not bots.

The other major issue that Gold players face is a collection of mechanical mistakes. Missing silly saves and goals is par for the course at this level. Again, though, an improvement on this front only comes with more playtime.

Platinum

This is when things start to get a little more serious. Being moderately good at the game isn’t going to cut it anymore. If you ever plan on moving up from Platinum to Diamond in Rocket League, prepare for some serious hours and a steep learning curve.

At the Platinum rank, players are starting to bring their skills together with more cohesively. They will actively pay attention to the positioning of other players on the map, and they’ll expect you to do the same thing.

You’ll also be lambasted pretty hard if you’re missing easy goals, saves, or intercepts, so at this point, you’ll want solid movement and mechanical foundations to back up your game awareness.

Once players hit Platinum, it tends to go to their heads. You wouldn’t be the first to abandon your training at this point; instead, focusing on vanity skills like your aerials.

Aerials won’t win games. Remember that.

Rather than wasting your time on borderline trickshot exercises, spend it scrubbing up your defense.

This is the area that Platinum players are weakest in. This isn’t due to any technical flaw in their game so much as it is not using opposite rotations and back post defense. Practice both of them, and you should be on your way to Diamond in no time.

Diamond

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When you finally reach Diamond, you can give yourself a well-earned pat on the back. Feel free to brag to all your friends about how good you are because you have the skill to back it up.

If you want to call it quits here, no one will blame you. It would be premature, though. Consider everything after Diamond the endgame. This is where things get complicated. Anyone can get to Diamond with enough time and patience. Not everyone can get out of Diamond, though.

This division is where the good players are separated from the great players. It’s harsh and brutal, but it’s where Rocket League legends can start their stories.

If you like the sound of that, then buckle in for another 1000+ hour climb through the ranks above Diamond.

Given how refined all your mechanical and movement-based skills will be at this point, you need to focus on your overall game plan.

What we’ve seen from a lot of aspiring Diamond players is that they’re playing too slow. Their lack of confidence and decision-making is getting punished, and that’s why they’re losing.

When we say they’re playing too slow, we don’t mean they need to start driving faster. That’s an amateur mistake and an easy way to relegate yourself back to the minor leagues.

What we’re referring to is how they’re making split-second decisions in-game. In other words, their game awareness.

Almost every decision you make on the field should be instantaneous and subconscious. Your experience up to this point should amount to you being capable of reading situations and acting accordingly without thinking about it.

If you can’t do that, you need to watch more of your replays and get more hours under your belt. Otherwise, you’ll never make it to the next rank.

Champion

Suppose you’re one of the few that manage to make the jump from Diamond to Champion; congratulations. You’re a cut above the rest of the field. When someone says they’re good at Rocket League, you can be pretty confident that you’re better.

Just because you’re a Champion doesn’t mean that your journey is over, though. Far from it, in fact. This is where the real grind begins. Identifying flaws in your game and consequently fixing them becomes far more complex. All because you’re that good at the game.

The traits that separate a Champion from a Grand Champion are minimal. All it typically comes down to is fine-tuning. A Champion might have one lousy rotation every five games, and a Grand Champion will have one every 10.

Grand Champions understand how to conserve their boost and predict their movement faster. They have eliminated overcommitments from their games, and they know the game’s mechanics like the back of their hands.

The hurdle between Diamond and Champion is tough. The load between Champion and Grand Champion is brutal.

Expect to spend another 1000 hours easily trying to move out of this rank. Most competitive players never push past this level, and they don’t have to. Achieving Champion rank is glory enough.

If you have that extra drive to become the creme of the crop, then prepare to make real sacrifices for Rocket League. You need to be playing for hours every day, training, watching, and learning. You won’t move past this level without becoming a student of the game.

Grand Champion

There’s nothing more that can be said for Grand Champions other than they are a different breed. This is above the top of the Rocket League mountain. By being a Grand Champion, you’re better than 99.9% of the player base.

That’s something you should be proud of. You’ve turned a hobby into a passion. Champions daydream about Rocket League, but you see it in your sleep.

At this point, you probably think you have nothing more to accomplish. You couldn’t be more wrong. There is one rank higher than Grand Champion, but good look ever reaching it.

Supersonic Legend is reserved for the best players. That’s the bottom line. It’s the last rank available in Rocket League, making it the end of the in-game road.

Getting into Supersonic Legend is so complex that we can’t even point to any noticeable improvements. By all accounts, Grand Champions are flawless in their play. The only thing separating them from the very top is consistency.

It’s impossible to say how many hours this will take you. All the hours in the world still might not do it. Achieving this status in Rocket League is an anomaly. So if you want it, pray to the Rocket League gods and keep playing the game.

Supersonic Legend

There’s nothing more we can say about Supersonic Legend that we haven’t already. It’s the top of the mountain, the last rank.

If you make it here, there is no room for you to progress within the in-game systems. The next step for you is the terrifying world of professional competitive Rocket League.

If you want to continue your journey to the top, you’re going to have to start reaching out and making connections. Join a team, play tournaments, and hope to be noticed by any pro talent scouts out there.

This is where Rocket League turns from a passion into a profession, so make sure you’re ready for that if you go down this road.

Tips

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Okay, that was all pretty intense. The journey from Bronze to Diamond and Diamond to Supersonic Legend is anything but easy.

We’ve highlighted all the things you need to improve on if you want to rise through those ranks, but there are still some general tips that we want you to depart with.

Play slow to play fast

We touched on this briefly, but if you want to play high-speed Rocket League, it’s time to slow down.

When amateurs want to play fast, they overcommit, waste boost, and become a burden for their team. On the other hand, professionals know that it’s the speed of the mind that makes fast Rocket League.

Stop driving so fast and take a second to take in your surroundings and make a decision. The quicker you make these informed decisions, the faster your play will be.

Defend back post

We’ve got an entire section dedicated to this down below, but it’s so important that we’re going to mention it again.

Defend from your back post, on the goal line. Make sure your entire goal is in front of you, and you can see the ball. This gives you the best chance at making any save that comes.

Be patient

Ranking up to Diamond in Rocket League takes time. Ranking up beyond that takes even longer. So, be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Just make sure you stay consistent with your playing, and you will see progress.

Use Mini pads

Stop overcommitting to big pads. Seriously. Mini pads are lined along the track with rotation routes. They’re not even out of your way to collect. So, start focusing on your rotation skills to maximize boost rather than relying on corner spawns.

Back Post Rotations – 200

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When rotating to defense, turn on the opposite side of the field to the ball to line yourself up with the back post.

When you’re at the front post, you’re leaving all of the nets behind you exposed. By defending the back post, you are actively supporting the whole net and ready to make saves.

At any given time, you should only have to drive forward to make a save. This is much faster and much easier than having to maneuver sideways or backward. That’s what defending from the back post is all about.

We’re beating a dead horse at this point, but if there is one thing you take away from this article, let it be this tip. It’s the single most important improvement you can make to your game, so make sure you get it down.

External Skills

We’ve talked at length about all the ins and outs of the Rocket League. What skills you need to work on, different ranks, and more.

However, being good, and we mean good, at Rocket League requires more work than that.

There are a few things you can do outside of your game to improve. We’re not saying you need to reshuffle your life around Rocket League to get Diamond, but doing a few specific things will help.

Tilt Management

If you’ve played competitive Esports before, then this will come as familiar territory.

For anyone not in the know, Tilt is the name given to the anger you fall into when you lose. Rather than just making you angry, though, Tilt makes you play worse, losing more games. The more games you lose, the worse the tilt gets.

This can end up ruining your rank and even your love for the game, so you need to learn how to manage it.

There are a few actions you can take. For example, limit yourself to a set number of competitive matches per day. Chess hopefuls are encouraged only to play two complete games per day, so do something similar.

This gives you an artificial point at which you can stop and say enough is enough.

Otherwise, you’ll have to work on anger exercises and breathing techniques. That can be tough, though, so your best bet to deal with Tilt is just walking away from the computer.

Training

Rather than just playing ranked and hoping to improve, you need to train. There are plenty of custom downloadables built for different training scenarios, so use them. They’re free tools at your disposal.

If you balance this with limiting yourself to X games per day, you’ve got a consistent and measurable way in which you can track your progress.

For example, a half-hour of general training first thing after you log on, five competitive games, and a half-hour of specific training before you log off is a great schedule.

Training regimens like this will keep you sharp and consistent – two critical factors for getting into Diamond in Rocket League.