Rocket

Overview	Lore	Dialogue	Sound effects	Gallery	History

Rocket
"It's showtime!"
Class	Ranged
Faction	Neutral
Statistics
Health	50
Shield	100
Other
Version added	Playtest 1

Rocket is a ranged Phighter. He was released on 19 February 2022 with Playtest 1.

Overview

Rocket is a ranged Phighter that uses his abilities to apply consistent area of effect damage against groups of players. Rocket can provide crowd control at a midrange distance by utilizing Rocket Shot, Charged Blast and Multi-Missiles. His Phinisher Grand Cannonade can rain down rockets in a selected area, dealing high damage to multiple players caught inside. Rocket's damage potential is offset by his squishiness, only boasting 150 total HP and limited mobility.

Abilities

Eager Rocketeer
	Type Passive	Ability Type Status
After getting a kill or assist, gain haste and automatically reload your weapon.
Haste: 35% for 5 seconds
Ability Demonstration

Details:

• Rocket will only take 50% self-damage from his own attacks.

Rocket Shot
	Type Primary	Ability Type Projectile/AoE
Shoot a rocket that explodes when hitting an enemy or the environment.
Damage: 15 (direct) + 10 (splash) Dropoff range: 60 studs Knockback force: 5 (direct hit only) Rocket jump height: 15 Area of effect: 10 studs Slow and bound penalty: -20% Fire Rate: 0.8 seconds Ammo: 10 Reload time: 1 second
Ability Demonstration

Details:

• The player damaging themselves with Rocket Shot will boost them up slightly.
• Rocket Shot projectiles will gradually lose speed and start to arc downwards after a certain distance.

Charged Shot
	Type Ability	Ability Type Projectile/AoE
Charge an arcing rocket which deals large damage and knockback depending on its charge time.
Damage: 10-15 (direct) + 10-25 (splash) Knockback force: 10-20 Rocket jump height: 15-30 Max. charge time: 2 seconds Projectile size: 15-30 Slow penalty: -25%-50% (based on charge time) Cooldown: 5 seconds
Ability Demonstration

Details:

• The cooldown does not start until the player fires the rocket.
• Splash damage increases based on charge time.
• Knockback force is only applied to splash damage.
• Charged Shot has a recoil which increases the longer the player charges it for.

Rocket Jump
	Type Ability	Ability Type Mobility
Damage yourself and boost upwards after a short startup in the direction you're moving.
Damage: 25 Self damage: 10 Knockback force: 10 Boost height: 40 studs Cooldown: 8 seconds
Ability Demonstration

Details:

• This ability does AoE damage at the player's starting location.

Triple-Rocket Shot
	Type Ability	Ability Type Projectile/Targeted (enemy)
Your next three Rocket Shots become weaker but travel extremely fast. Hover until all three shots have been used or after two seconds have passed.
Damage: 10 * 3 (direct) + 6 * 3 (splash) Knockback force: 8 (splash only) Splash range: 5 Cooldown: 10 seconds
Ability Demonstration

Details:

Rocket Barrage
	Type Phinisher	Ability Type Targeted (enemy)
Click to unleash a barrage of rockets towards the ground. Bonus damage is dealt to enemies in the center of explosions.
Damage: 50 (center), 20 (splash) Knockback force: TBA Range: Cast range: 500 studs Rocket range: 25 studs Rocket landing time: 1 second Reactivation window: 3 seconds Phinisher cost: 100
Ability Demonstration

Details:

• Rocket is suspended in the air for the Phinisher's duration.
• The first rocket will land at the player's crosshair upon reactivation.

Strategy

Pros	Exceptional AoE damage and DPS. Low skill floor and ceiling, excellent new player Phighter. 100 shields, very self-sufficient and does not have to rely on healing supports.
Cons	Very squishy, 150 total hitpoints and limited mobility options. Long-range exchanges can be difficult due to limited hitscan projectiles and slow projectiles. Susceptible to taking self-damage from the majority of his abilities.

Rocket is a ranged Phighter who specializes in dealing AoE DPS from a midrange distance. Left unchecked, a Rocket mount constant pressure by wearing down the hitpoints of an entire team thanks to his wide access to AoE. Furthermore, Rocket's burst potential on direct hits is not to be underestimated. Rocket Shot can deal 25, while Charged Shot can deal 25-40 damage, allowing Rocket to tear a huge section of an enemy's hitpoints should they make themselves vulnerable.

Although Rocket's total hitpoints is average among the rest of the Phighters, he shares the highest innate shield with Hyperlaser at 100. As long as the player does not take shield-piercing damage or exchange blows frequently, Rocket can spend most of the match without requiring healing.

While Rocket can be played at close and long range combat, it is not recommended to do so in most situations. In close range combat, Rocket's mobility is susceptible to taking self-damage and has limited immediate mobility options in Rocket Jump. It is very difficult to track players in long range combat due to Rocket's slow projectiles. There are some exceptional cases for fighting at close range:

• To close the gap against Phighters who have an advantage over Rocket in ranged combat, such as Slingshot or Hyperlaser
• To secure a kill against an important target, such as a Medkit or Boombox
• If Rocket has an Eager Rocketeer haste buff and is in position to get another one

Rocket's role in a team is to whittle down the opposing team by providing AoE damage and crowd-control from the backline. Rocket's Phinisher, Rocket Barrage can provide threatening AoE damage to disperse groups of enemies from anywhere on the map. Rocket Barrage has an incredibly low downtime, costing only 100 Phinisher points to cast. The AoE damage output from his basic abilities can reduce this downtime even further. This can allow Rocket to have it frequently available for many teamfights in a match. Charged Shot's forgiving hitbox and knockback makes it useful for repelling mobile Phighters such as Skateboard or Biograft off the player's teammates.

For teammates playing with a Rocket, having a strong frontline or distraction can secure Rocket's backline position from being threatened by certain ranged and melee Phighters. This will enable him to focus on outputting damage without issue. Boombox and Sword can deter enemy's frontline from advancing to Rocket's position thanks to their bulk, while Skateboard can disorient the enemy's backline and force them to divert their attention towards him. Additionally, be mindful not to stand in front of a Rocket as teammates can block his projectiles, reducing his damage output or making him take self-damage. Rocket's average hitpoints, poor combat at close range and poor mobility makes him vulnerable to being mauled by rushdown Phighters, so give him a hand if he is in trouble.

Rocket is effective on maps with many chokepoints or high traffic areas, such as DODGEBALL!, The Bread Factory or The Iron Cafe. Conquer is an exceptional gamemode for Rocket, as the zone provides a consistent area for players to group.

All-in-all, Rocket's abundant access to AoE, combined with his straightforward kit, role and playstyle makes for an excellent new player Phighter for learning the basics of Ranged classes.

Ability usage

• Eager Rocketeer
  • The haste buff from Eager Rocketeer can be used to reposition quickly in fights, play aggressively or to escape after eliminating an enemy.
  • Players should position themselves in advance of an enemy's death to make the most of Eager Rocketeer's haste buff.
  • The haste buff of Eager Rocketeer can stack, allowing Rocket to run down enemies and snowball if he is able to secure multiple eliminations in a teamfight.
• Rocket Shot
  • Try to aim in a way where the rockets can still do its splash damage even if the direct hit misses.
  • Position yourself at a midrange distance. Rocket's rockets are difficult to hit at long range combat.
• Charged Blast
  • Holding down M2 charges up the rocket over 2 seconds, increasing its size, explosion range and splash damage.
    • At mid to full charge, Charged Shot's AoE is large enough to damage players through walls.
  • Charged Shot has less end-lag than Rocket's other abilities. Follow it with any other ability for a quick combo.
  • Be mindful that Charged Shot has a strong recoil on use. This can cause the player to fall off platforms or out of bounds if they are not careful. The player should avoid positioning themselves near platform edges or attempt to move up as they take the shot.
  • Charged Shot's arc can be used to fire the projectile over walls or from angles unreachable by most Phighters.
• Liftoff
  • To gain a slight edge in height, jump and use Rocket Jump as the player makes air.
  • Use Rocket Jump to get to higher ground. On high ground, Rocket can get a better view of the map and take full advantage of his AoE to reliably hit multiple players at once.
  • As an escape tool, Rocket Jump does not make much horizontal distance. Try to use the vertical boost to get to a higher position and buy the player more time against the enemy.
  • It is recommended the player uses Rocket Jump sparingly, as it is Rocket's only immediate mobility tool and the self-damage resets shield regeneration.
• Multi-Missiles
  • Triple-Rocket Shot is guaranteed to land if it is used during enemy abilities that keep its user in place for a few moments. Examples of these abilities include: Boombox's Bass Boost / Beat Drop and Slingshot's Heavy Hurler.
  • Triple-Rocket Shot has near-infinite range. Use this to finish off weakened opponents from across the map.
• Grand Cannonade
  • Rocket Barrage is most effective to use when the enemy team is grouped up, or fighting at a chokepoint.
  • Utilizing cover or using Rocket Barrage when the enemy's attention is away can maximize the player's safety during the Phinisher's cast time.
    • Avoid using Rocket Barrage at close range as the Rockets can damage the player.
  • Using Rocket Barrage in tandem with crowd control abilities such as Boombox's Raining Tacos or Skateboard's THE COOL, RAD, COFFIN!! can maximize its damage.
  • The first rocket from Rocket Barrage will always land on the player's crosshair. Aim this crosshair to guarantee 50 damage on enemy players.
  • Rocket Barrage can be fired from up to 500 studs away. Players can utilize the range to support their team from across the map or to maximize their safety when using it.

Counterplay against Rocket

Rocket has limited mobility, with Eager Rocketeer requiring the condition of a preexisting kill or assist and Rocket Jump having a 10 second cooldown. Rushdown or frontline Phighters such as Sword, Skateboard and Biograft can exploit Rocket's poor mobility and low hitpoints. These Phighters can easily catch up to Rocket and take him out if he is caught.

On larger maps, Rocket is poor at fighting from long ranges due to his predictable projectiles and limited range on his abilities. Phighters such as Slingshot and Hyperlaser can keep their distance from Rocket's projectiles and harass him while taking little damage in return.

Rocket Barrage forces Rocket to stand still for a few seconds. If the player is not in any danger, they can use this window to attack Rocket uncontested.

When fighting a Rocket, move unpredictably by changing your left-and-right movement directions at random. This makes it difficult for Rocket players to land direct hits on the player. Players can also jump to make it difficult for Rocket to hit directs.

Badge

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
direct detonation		kill a target with a direct hit from charged shot	Title - Demolition Expert Sticker - Sorry

Trivia

General:

Development:

• Rocket is based on the Rocket Launcher gear from brickbattling games.
• Rocket's design and abilities was completed in 2 weeks.
• Grand Cannonade is based on the Tenta Missiles special from Splatoon 2.

Skins:

• Buster Rocket is the first Phighter skin to change the animation played on Phinisher use.
• Buster Rocket was created for pixonett's birthday.

Version history

23 June 2023 BUG FIX: The "direct detonation" badge is now awarded properly. 21 June 2023 Rocket Shot Hitbox changed from server to client. Bound and slow penalty reduced from 25% to 20%. Explosion range increased from 15 studs to 18 studs. 28 May 2023 Rocket Shot BUG FIX: No longer continues to play its flying sound after hitting something. 11 May 2023 Eager Rocketeer BUG FIX: Now triggers again. REMOVED: No longer triggers on assists. 16 April 2023 Rocket has received an updated voice sound. The "mega barrage" badge was renamed to "direct detonation". The badge condition was changed from "land 4 or more of your rockets during Grand Cannonade" to "kill a target with a direct hit from charged shot". V0.5.0 - 8 April 2023 Any changes made to Rocket during The Voice Line Update were reverted. The Voice Line Update - 1 April 2023 Renamed from Rocket to rochesca. Dialogue reworked. Grand Cannonade Now plays a voiceline provided by pix. 8 January 2023 Multi-Missiles Direct hit damage reduced from 12 * 3 to 10 * 3. Splash damage reduced from 8 * 3 to 6 * 3. BUG FIX: Splash damage now properly registers on a direct hit. 5 January 2023 The "Buster Rocket" skin is now obtainable in Crossroads. 4 January 2023 Charged Blast NEW EFFECTS: Direct hit damage now scales based on charge time. Charging up Charged Shot now applies a 25% slow, increasing to 50% over 3 seconds. Direct hit damage changed from 30 to ... Splash damage reduced from 15-30 to 10-20 (based on charge time). Maximum explosion range reduced to 30. Multi-Missiles REWORK: Rocket's next 3 primaries in the next 2 seconds fires hitscan rockets. Direct hit damage increased from 10 * 3 to 12 * 3. Splash damage increased from 6 * 3 to 8 * 3. Cooldown increased from 8 seconds to 10 seconds. 27 December 2022 Eager Rocketeer NEW: Rocket gains 35% haste and instantly reloads Rocket Shot on kill or assist. 13 December 2022 Added new victory and defeat dialogue. 5 December 2022 Grand Cannonade Range per rocket increased from 20 to 25. Rocket landing time reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1 second. BUG FIX: The player can no longer fire the Phinisher during the animation, which caused the rockets to land in an unintended area. 27 November 2022 Grand Cannonade REWORKED: Now shoots 12 rockets in a star shape around the player's crosshair. Radius per rocket reduced from 30 to 20. BUG FIXES: The rockets from Rocket Barrage no longer targets map roofs. The rockets from Rocket Barrage no longer cause memory leaks. The Phinisher no longer creates bricks in the area. Reduced explosion effects. 23 November 2022 Grand Cannonade Radius per rocket increased from 25 to 30. Center damage increased from 40 to 50. 21 November 2022 Grand Cannonade The Mega Barrage badge's condition was changed from 'fire 16 or more rockets from your Phinisher' to 'land 4 or more of your rockets during Rocket Barrage'. BUG FIX: Phinisher charges again if the player does not fire all 5 rockets in the recast window. 20 November 2022 Grand Cannonade REWORKED: Now fires up to 5 rockets at the players crosshair. Deals double damage if the enemy is in the center of the explosion. Damage increased from 20 to 25. Radius per rocket increased from 20 to 25. 16 November 2022 Eager Rocketeer Removed. Rocket Shot Projectile speed increased. Charged Blast NEW EFFECT: Knockback now scales based on how long the shot was charged for. Vertical knockback increased. Liftoff Height increased from 25 studs to 30 studs. 3 November 2022 BUG FIX: PJ Rocket now ragdolls on death. 1 November 2022 Charged Blast Splash damage reduced from 20-40 to 15-30. 30 October 2022 Grand Cannonade Damage per rocket reduced from 25 to 20. Splash range reduced from 25 to 20. Rocket landing time increased from 1.25 seconds to 1.5 seconds. BUG FIX: Using Rocket Barrage at the end of a match no longer softlocks the player. 28 October 2022 Grand Cannonade Phinisher cost increased from 75 to 100. Playtest 4 - 28 October 2022 Rocket Shot NEW EFFECT: Projectile goes through ally players. Charged Blast NEW EFFECT: Projectile goes through ally players. Multi-Missiles NEW EFFECT: Projectile goes through ally players. Grand Cannonade NEW EFFECTS: Each individual rocket now targets the enemy's location one after another. Rockets will now land ahead of the direction the enemy is currently moving in. The cast-time is now based on the number of rockets fired. Number of rockets per enemy reduced from 4 to 3. Splash range per rocket increased from 20 to 25. Rocket landing time increased from 1 second to 1.25 seconds. 12 September 2022 Rocket Shot BUG FIX: Reload sound effect no longer plays twice. Charged Blast BUG FIXES: No longer continues to charge if the player dies. The rocket no longer fires backwards at random. 31 August 2022 Multi-Missiles Direct hit damage reduced from 12 * 3 to 10 * 3. Explosion damage reduced from 8 * 3 to 6 * 3. 29 August 2022 Rocket Shot NEW EFFECT: Now decreases walkspeed and jump height by 20% while shooting. V0.3.0 - 26 August 2022 Charged Blast Direct hit damage reduced from 40 to 30. Splash damage changed from 20 to 20-40, based on charge time. Grand Cannonade Damage per rocket increased from 20 to 25. Phinisher cost reduced from 100 to 75. 16 May 2022 Grand Cannonade BUG FIX: Rocket Barrage no longer shoots more rockets than intended. 15 May 2022 Grand Cannonade REWORKED: The cast-time now varies by the number of players targeted, rather than number of rockets fired. Overall, this reduces the cast-time of the ult. Rocket splash radius increased from 15 to 20. 21 April 2022 Grand Cannonade Rocket falling speed reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1 second. 18 April 2022 Grand Cannonade Rocket falling speed reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds. 17 April 2022 General additions and changes PJ Rocket skin was added to the game. 16 April 2022 General additions and changes The Mega Barrage badge was added to the game. Health reduced from 100 to 50. 20 February 2022 Multi-Missiles Direct hit damage reduced from 6 to 5. Splash damage reduced from 4 to 3. Cooldown increased from 7 seconds to 8 seconds. Grand Cannonade Phinisher cost increased from 50 to 100. Rockets sent per person decreased from 2-4 to 1-3.

References

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Phighters