Octane Rocket League Guide – The Pro’s Favorite Whip

I remember when Rocket League burst onto the scene in 2015, using the power of Playstation Plus’ free line-up to put the game in the hands of millions of keen players looking for a new Esports-friendly title to take over their life. Many were skeptical that this football meets motorsport title had the legs to go on and become a mainstay within the esports arena, me included.

I honestly thought that this game would be a fun novelty that would fade away and leave the cultural zeitgeist. Much like titles like Fall Guys: ultimate Knockout or just about everything to do with the Wii. However, this indie game has remained relevant, and thanks to the acquisition from Epic Games and the switch to a Free-to-Play model, Rocket League has shown itself to be a real heavyweight in the gaming industry.

This success has been largely founded on the rise of competitive gaming and the RLCS (Rocket League Championship Series), a competition that puts the best pros against one another. Obviously, winning this competition ultimately comes down to a test of skill and tactical nous.

However, there are considerations that players must make to make marginal gains, and one is the choice of car. While there are some outliers, the vast majority of the pros agree that the Octane body type is by far the best in terms of performance, not to mention the fact that it’s aesthetically pleasing to boot.

However, you would be forgiven if you didn’t know why this car type can make the difference, as the finer details aren’t exactly well advertised. So, in this Octane Rocket League guide, we will help fill in the gaps by breaking down the Octane’s stats, giving you the best ways to make this car look incredible, and we will also offer some insight into what other cars use this body type. So without further delay, here is our Rocket League Octane Guide.

What is an Octane?

Okay, so let’s begin with what the Octane actually is within the context of Rocket League. The Octane is both a type of car within the game and also a body type.

There are tonnes of specific cars within the game, so many that it wouldn’t be worth our time listing them as you would be scrolling forever, but the Octane is one of the first that the player will receive when they begin playing the game.

However, when referring to body types, there are only a few of these in the game. These are hitboxes that are applied to any car within the game, and while the car models will come in all shapes and sizes, there are only six hitboxes that exist in the game. These are as follows:

• Hybrid
• Dominus
• Octane
• Merc
• Breakout
• Plank

These hitboxes work independently from the car’s structure and are the dimensions that will dictate whether your car makes contact with the ball or not.

So you may find that if you look real close, some cars will make contact with the ball despite the ball never actually touching the car model at all.

It can be a little strange, but when you become familiar with each hitbox type, you begin to understand what sort of playstyle each lends itself to. 

The Octane Hitbox

So now that you understand what car hitboxes are, we will now run you through the details pertaining to the Octane Hitbox. Here is a rundown of the stats below. (All stats rounded to one decimal place) 

• Height: 118
• Length: 84.2
• Width: 36.2
• Turning Radius: 2.3
• Ground Height: 48.5
• Inclination: 0.55

Now, you may be looking at this and have no idea what these numbers mean or their relevance in the game, and quite frankly, who can blame you. These numbers aren’t really going to matter too much to any casual players.

However, for the 1% of top-end Rocket League players, your hitbox can be the difference between winning and losing. If you want us to quickly translate what these numbers mean, here are the key points to take away regarding the Octane:

• The height and width make this car great for close control and aerial dribbling 
• Due to its height being the tallest hitbox of all options, this car body loses the least 50/50 challenges
• This car body also has a tall side panel, making its side flip shots more powerful than most

Why is the Octane The Pro’s Favorite?

All of those stats may still feel pretty abstract to you, so maybe we should give you a rundown of why the pros prefer the Octane. Now, before we go all out and say that the Octane is the only pro option, that’s not quite the case.

We would say that about 90% of all pros use this hitbox, but a lot of pros do enjoy using the Dominus hitbox. This is due to the low, flat, and wide nature of this body type which makes it very good in the air and for carrying the ball. However, aside from a small minority of hybrid players, these are the two main options. So that leaves the question, why do the pros love the Octane so much?

Well, firstly, we have to look primarily at the height of the hitbox. It was formerly the highest in the game before the Merc came along, but it is a close second, and this provides a lot of perks. With the high side panels and the high front panel, it means that this car is superb at winning 50/50’s against just about any other car type besides the Merc, and the good thing is, no one uses the Merc, really. 

Secondly, we believe that pros like this body type because of how it matches up with the car model, making it easier to perceive when the ball will actually make contact with the hitbox. This is most apparent with the Fennec, a luxury car model that uses an Octane body type. It is practically a like-for-like match with the Octane Hitbox, making it much easier to get that perfect connection with the ball and, as a result, dominate any match-up you find yourself in. 

Then lastly, we assume a small part of this is the familiarity that the Octane Hitbox offers. This is the default car that all new players begin with, meaning that most players will learn how to play with this hitbox equipped, and while a lot of players may try the others, the comfort that the Octane provides is a huge boost for some players and can lead to more consistent results on the field. 

The Best Octane Decals

As you might be aware, with every type of car, there are unique decals that can only be applied to one select vehicle, and the Octane is no different.

Now, we could go over every single decal that belongs specifically to this vehicle, but we think this might be a little excessive. So instead, we thought we would just give you the highlights.

Check out our selections below: 

Common

Flames

First up, we have flames, a classy-looking decal that takes your Octane and makes it look like a zippy hot-hod. Double this one up with black body paint, or perhaps a cherry red for best results. 

Stripes

Then our other common decal choice is stripes. This is one for the players out there that like a more subdued, almost professional look. This makes your Octane look like a car kitted out for a few laps of a race track. They don’t call them racing stripes for nothing. 

Rare

Shisa 

Moving onto the rare decals and this one is called Shisa. This one is modeled after the Asian cultural artifact of the same name, and you can see the inspiration throughout the design.

The most prominent feature is the cool swirls that resemble this mythical dragon-like creature’s beard. This one works great with rich, dark colors like crimson or Navy when accompanied by gold accents. 

Sticker Bomb 

As a skater, I really vibe with sticker bombing just about anything I own. My skateboard, my laptop, and thanks to this decal, my Octane as well.

This design is a car that is decorated with patches of random stickers, and while it isn’t the neatest, most uniform design, that’s kind of the whole appeal. 

Very Rare

Bodacious 

Kicking off the very rare decals, we have the Bodacious design. The best way to describe this one is ‘straight out of the nineties.’

Do you remember those vaporware designs that you would see on all the Big Gulps on TV to avoid branding or the fleeces that Will Smith would wear in The Fresh Prince.

Well, the Bodacious decal takes that idea and allows you to zoom around the track serving 90’s nostalgia as you go. 

Kana 

Would you look at that? It’s our first animated decal on this list, the Kana Design. This one is a design that sees some Japanese script constantly run from your car’s hood right back to the spoiler.

However, the real appeal of this design is that you can use black body paint and green decal paint to make your car look like something right out of The Matrix. 

Imports 

Tumbling Blocks 

Does anyone remember Q-Bert, the arcade block game from the 1980s? Considering the general demographic of players that frequent the Rocket League lobbies, we would stick our neck out and probably say no, but that is the clear inspiration for this design.

This one has a series of ascending blocks, and some of these light up as they scroll across the car body. Even if you don’t get the reference, you can appreciate the quality of the design here. 

Oozy

Then we have Oozy, a design with a name that tells a lot of its story. Picture a pen leaking ink into a glass of water, and you won’t be too far away from picturing this design. This animated decal showcases a primordial ooze spreading its way through your car body.

If nothing else, it’s pretty satisfying to watch. 

Limited 

Loot Llama

If you have any interest in Epic Games’ other products, you will probably have at least heard of a little game called Fortnite. This decal pays homage to the Loot Llamas that players can find when playing Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode.

So whether you want to show your love for Fortnite with this crossover design or just equip something colorful, this is a great option. 

Bleep Bleep

Then lastly, we have Bleep Bleep, which is our second arcade-inspired decal on the list, this time making reference to the classic game Space Invaders. This decal showcases the little pixel aliens in all their glory and is a really cool design to boot. 

Our Ideal Octane Setup

While there are some great decals listed above, decals do not make a complete car design. You still have lots of components to consider, like wheels, boosts, and much more.

So with that in mind, we wanted to offer at least one cohesive look that will make your opponents stop and stare at your glamourous-looking vehicle. Check it out below: 

Colors – That Golden Look (R2, N3 + R4, N6)

Cost: N/A

This design is truly one of the most decadent that we could come up with, and you cant have decadence without your car being dipped in gold. So if you want to replicate these colors, you will want a primary color on row two, number three. Then a secondary color on row four, number six.  

Decal – Keep It Simple (No Decal, Anodized Pearl Paint)

Cost: 100 Credits

In a lot of cases, a decal or animated decal can help your car stand out from the rest. However, in the spirit of making our car ooze opulence and class, we kept things simple and went with no decal at all.

Instead, we made sure that we had an Anodized Pearl Paint finish and applied that to the design. This is nice and cheap to grab if you don’t own it already, as you might pay as little as 100 credits for this paint finish. 

Wheels – Spin the Wheel (Roulettes Default Color)

Cost: 200 Credits

There are a lot of wheels that players could use that offer a nice, decadent gold look to your vehicle. There are Tunicas, Spinners, and the Season 9 Gold tier reward wheels, to name a few. However, we feel that Roulettes offer a cheap and affordable option that looks just as good as those mentioned, if not better. 

Boost – A Luxury Item (Alpha Reward Gold Rush)

Cost: 500,000-1,000,000 Credits 

Okay, so we toyed with the idea of having no boost on this design, and quite frankly, that would have been fine. However, for all you guys out there that want to flaunt your wealth, there is the option of applying the Alpha Reward Gold Rush boost. However, this is a very rare boost, and as a result, you may end up paying upwards of 1,000,000 credits for this one.

So this is really only an option for RL players with deep pockets. Suitable alternatives include the Season 11 Gold Reward boost or the Ion boost. 

Trail – Hack Swerve II

Cost: Unlockable/Untradable 

Then lastly, we have the Boost Trail, and to put the cherry on top of this design, we would suggest the Hack Swerve II Trail. The trail isn’t super important, and you could easily leave this section out, but if you do want to use one, we can’t think of any other options that would gel quite as well with the gold design like this one. However, this is an untradable item you will have to earn on your own, but if you are lucky enough to have it already, then this is the one to go for. 

Note: We would urge players to go without any antennae or toppers here, as this will only take away from the cohesive and stylish nature of this design. 

Best Octane Alternatives

Then before we sign off, we want to offer you a few other options that you may enjoy. Just to clarify, we will only be selecting other car models that share the same Octane hitbox. Here we go: 

Fennec

The most popular Octane hitbox car that isn’t the Octane itself has to be the Fennec, a very popular, stylish, and chunky car model that RL players seem to love. The design of this car is reportedly inspired by the real-world car, the Lancia Delta Integrale.

It’s a car that looks like a racy jeep of sorts, and best of all, it is more in line with the Octane hitbox, making it easier to perceive the ball and how your car will connect. The bulky frame may not be to everyone’s taste, but personally, I really like the chunky style.  

Sweet Tooth

This one is for all you Playstation RL players out there, as this car is a Playstation exclusive. This car is a demonic ice cream truck that is inspired by the game Twisted Metal.

It bears the iconic clown face, looks like it’s seen quite a lot of action, and even has some dangerous-looking spikes and protruding metal additions that we aren’t too sure are in line with regulations.

It’s a very intimidating design, so if you want to spook your competition and turn every game into a destruction derby, this is the car model for you. 

007’s Aston Martin DB5

Forget shaken, forget stirred; this one is rocket-powered. First seen in James Bond films in 1964 when Sean Connery played the iconic British spy in Goldfinger, the DB5 has been part of the furniture with the James Bond franchise and has popped up time and time again. The latest time being No Time to Die in 2021.

Bond fans love this car, and if you happen to double as a Rocket League player, you can finally showcase this love in video game form. This model is a direct recreation of the classic DB5 model, and we can’t get enough of this car.

Sadly Q hasn’t kitted this one out with any extras, but we can assure you that this car can zip around like the best of them and will look amazing doing so. 

Takumi 

Then lastly, we have the Takumi. We wanted to offer a standard car option that players can simply unlock, and the Takumi is the most stylish of all these options.

This car is inspired by the modern Japanese car, the Nissan 350Z Fairlady, and while it isn’t a like for like recreation, it ticks a lot of the boxes for Japanese sports car fans. 

FAQs

High Octane Battle-Car Action!

As you can see from the information above, the Octane is one of, if not the best car type within Rocket League. It may be true that no matter what car you choose, a skilled player always has a chance of winning the game. However, it’s akin to taking on another player in an FPS game with a pistol when they are running around with a sniper rifle.

If you don’t have the right tools for the job, you put yourself at a disadvantage, and in this case, the Octane is the perfect car for scoring goals. We hope that this guide helps you set up your Octane exactly as you would like it, and we hope that you dominate your next game and score goals in abundance. As always, thank you for reading Indie Game Culture.

Continue reading related Rocket League guides:

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Callum Marshall

Managing Editor at Indie Game Culture

Callum is the gaming managing editor and a gamer who will always try to shine a spotlight on indie games before giving AAA titles the time of day. He loves nothing more than finding an unearthed early-access title and seeing what they have to offer. Plus, he’s even got a tattoo of The Traveller from Journey, so you know that love for indies is legit! While overseeing the day-to-day running of the site, you’ll commonly see Callum carve out some time to produce some content on one of his favorite games of all time, and lead from the front. Callum has been around the block within the gaming industry, working as an Editor-in-chief for a number of well-respected gaming outlets, he has worked as a games tester, he has gaming podcast experience, has worked in gaming PR.

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