Troll, gimmick, ugly, trash... these are some of the words I hear as a Scarab main in Rocket League every day I play. It’s just a car. However, it’s a car many people have an issue with. Whether people tell me that my car is “wasted DLC” or “not meta”, this car has been with me through all my seasons accruing over 5400 wins, averaging 2 goals a game and a champion 3 rank. This article will explain the pros and cons of this car model and hopefully entice a few of you to try it out.

Most of the thoughts written out in this article are not only mine but involve numerous players I have asked to use the car for an extended period of time in order to maintain a fair critique of the vehicle.

The Scarab is a DLC car that released in the Revenge of The Battle Cars DLC alongside the Zippy. It did appear in the original version of Super Powered Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars as well. As many people will point out, which is why you don’t see much of the Scarab, the car has some definite weaknesses associated with using it. Some are pretty critical to the way people play at higher ranks. We will start out by listing some cons associated with this car.

Cons

Banter and Grief
The first thing that hinders the Scarab is other players’ reluctance to play with the car. Tons of players after noticing the car is on their team give up almost immediately just for this reason. There’s just a general malcontent or assumption the player is trolling rather than optimism this car has potential.

Flight
This is the biggest mechanical flaw of the Scarab in my opinion. The flight paths and trajectories in the air are really hard to read compared to a Dominus or Octane. Firstly, where as many other cars have a point on the front you can focus on in order to aim at the ball, the Scarab is very ball-shaped and lacks that luxury. The Scarab also has no flat edges in order to judge trajectory for shots and passes. It feels like trying to play tennis more so with a baseball bat than a tennis racket. It’s doable, just not ideal. Seeing as how much of the game is played in the air, I would say this is the biggest reason players avoid this car.

Unusual/Unfamiliar
With Octanes dominating the competitive meta alongside the Dominus, synergy between vehicles isn’t something we usually notice. That being said, with the Scarab people seem to be super unfamiliar with its trajectories, speed, and game flow. This may seem cliche, but the biggest thing people critique about having this car on their team is not being able to tell which side is forward. Every Scarab player hears this constantly and it does cause some minor mishaps when it comes to rotation. Discerning if the car is backpedalling or going back entirely seems to be a pretty common complaint amongst players I have played with. Nothing that can’t be ironed out throughout the course of a game, but it does need to be calibrated quite often, especially if you swap teammates frequently.

Now that we’ve talked about what problems the Scarab has, let’s talk about the reasons the Scarab is such a fun car to use.

Pros

Good Height/Weight
Now as many people know, most Rocket League cars have extremely similar hitboxes. Even with that being true, when you see certain cars in matches, there are certain play styles that are associated with said cars. For example, Merc players are generally seen to demo or crush 50/50s. The Batmobile and Dominus are usually really good at using their cars as paddles for insane wall tech. The Scarab, besides just being seen as a weird car, doesn’t really exhibit a playstyle, but feels like it identifies most similarly to a Merc. It’s a pretty big car, not quite as long as a Merc, but right up there with height. Just like using the Merc, there’s just a feeling with the Scarab where if you’re challenging a 50/50, it’s more of a 60/40 in your favor. The other thing that really helps with this car’s shape is being able to visualize a really good catch or cradle. Unlike other cars where you’re trying to catch a high ball with a flat surface, the Scarab’s round roof makes it much easier to visualize the ball softly rolling onto the ground from the roof. It’s like catching an egg with a spoon versus catching an egg with a spatula. Both difficult, but it’s easier with the spoon.

Small Turning Radius
Much like we just talked about the hitboxes of car being similar, the same can be said about different cars’ turning radiuses. The Scarab has a very, VERY small turning radius allowing for lightning quick turns and contests. The sense that the Scarab’s forward orientation is hard to establish only helps when the Scarab needs to do a quick 180 degree turn and slow down a play or contest a hit while the other team is a bit confused on which way you’re heading.

Dribbling/Ball Control
This, in my opinion, is what makes the Scarab so fun. Whereas the Scarab’s aerial control is weak, the Scarab’s ground game is insane. This is in terms of catching an airborne ball, dribbling with quick turns, and unpredictably flicking the ball as your car does not have a flat back. To me, as well as others I have had use the car, they said catching the ball was much easier, as it just rolls off the top with no corners to worry about. With such a tall front, the Scarab can immediately accelerate with the ball and create some sick dribbles.

By no means is this article intended to say that the Scarab is the best car in the game. In fact, due to the aerial deficiencies and unfamiliarity, it is probably mid-tier at best. That being said, I would say the Scarab does have a good amount of potential players can unlock with some practice and is worth a look when deciding which vehicle to use.

Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shop