Rocket League’s anticipated Blueprints Update is finally live on all platforms. Today’s update redefined the game’s approach to items, watering down the randomness in its loot box-based predecessor, the crates system.
The new update ushered in a ton of changes. Blueprints and Credits replaced crates and keys, the Item Shop was inaugurated, and a new rocket pass and competitive season began. Here’s everything that’s new.
New system, new currency
The old system was based on loot boxes. Players had a chance to receive a crate after a match. Crates existed in a variety of series, each with their own loot pool. To open them, players would need to use keys that could be purchased with real money.
The system’s inherent randomness created room for a thriving player-to-player economy. Think of it as a huge global marketplace in which you could find whatever item you wanted for a price. In that setting, keys quickly became Rocket League’s currency. Crates could be exchanged for keys to use as currency or directly swapped for specific items.
Blueprints mitigate the randomness in the late crate system. In Rocket League, a blueprint is a single-use schematic that corresponds to a specific item. To craft the component, players need to use Credits, the game’s new currency. When players click to build an item, they know exactly what they’re getting.
Item Shop
The update also inaugurated the Item Shop, a virtual store filled with an assortment of cosmetics. Products placed in the shop can be purchased with Credits, but are on a timed rotation. Items are only available for 24 to 48 hours, depending on their rarity. The addition of a shop complements Rocket League’s move toward a certainty-based approach as opposed to the randomness in loot boxes.
Transition
The update will adjust players’ inventories to the new system. Each crate will be transformed into a blueprint of an item in that series. Keys will be converted into credits based on the amount owned.
- One to nine keys: 100 Credits per key
- 10 to 19 keys: 110 Credits per key
- 20 to 49 keys: 120 Credits per key
- 50 or more keys: 130 Credits per key
Decryptors will be converted into Bonus Gifts, a crate containing items from the Vindicator series and the new Revival series. They can be opened at no cost.
To ensure a smooth passage into the new system, Psyonix disabled trades and crate interactions yesterday.
Rocket Pass 5, competitive season 13, and DLC Packs
Start your engines for Rocket Pass 5, the fifth iteration of Rocket League’s pass system. It follows the established “battle pass” format with a number of tiers obtained by gaining experience points. Though all players will gain a myriad of free items, Rocket League offers a reward-rich Rocket Pass Premium, which yields an item at every level gained.
The Rocket Pass is directly followed by competitive season 13. Players should get their season 12 rewards “shortly after the update,” according to Psyonix.
The company also removed Premium DLC Packs. Individual items in the packs can make an eventual return to the Item Store. Players who already own the packs will keep them in their inventories.
Psyonix is also giving out three DLC packs for free. All items from the Supersonic Fury, Revenge of the Battle-Cars, and Chaos Run sets will be placed in players’ inventories in “all accounts on all platforms.” All players received the popular Dominus battle car, contained in the first pack, as part of the update.
