New Vehicles and the Paris Arena
Rocket League Season 21 launched on December 10 with a French-inspired theme titled Pursuit in Paris. The update introduces two new cars to the Rocket Pass: the Corlay and the Magnifique. The Corlay utilizes the Octane hitbox, which remains the standard for competitive play. Early testing shows its visual model matches the hitbox boundaries accurately. The Magnifique uses the Dominus hitbox, catering to players who prefer flat, long car designs.
The new arena, Parc de Paris, features a clean layout with the Eiffel Tower visible in the background. Unlike some previous seasonal maps, the lighting here is neutral and consistent. This is a positive change for players who struggled with the distracting colors of past arenas. The map is now available in online playlists and private matches.
Ranked Heatseeker and Quality of Life Changes
A significant change in the Extra Modes rotation makes Heatseeker 2v2 a ranked mode. This gives the community a dedicated competitive ladder for the high-speed, homing-ball mode. While fans of the mode are pleased, some players express concern that adding more ranked queues could increase search times in other playlists.
The update also includes several long-awaited quality of life fixes. Players can now use a “Skip” button when opening reward drops. This bypasses the repetitive opening animations, making inventory management much faster. Additionally, entering Free Play from the main menu is now more efficient. The developers removed the extra confirmation prompt, allowing for immediate practice between matches.
Community Reaction: Utility Over Flash
The reaction on Reddit and official forums is mostly positive regarding the technical fixes. The community has asked for a “skip animation” button for years, and its arrival is the most praised part of the patch. The new Rocket Rundown tool also receives high marks. It provides players with a detailed breakdown of their performance stats from Season 20, which helps in identifying areas for improvement.
Criticism focuses on the lack of fundamental engine updates. Many veteran players feel that while the French theme is visually appealing, the game still needs better server stability and a more robust tournament system. Some users noted that the Corlay car looks slightly “bulky” despite its Octane hitbox, though this has not stopped it from appearing in ranked matches.
