Most of the characters duking it out in Rocket Arena‘s Crater are young, spry, and Instagram ready. Topnotch might have gone gray a long time ago, and may need a jet pack to get around, but he is arguably the fliest of them all. Sure, he can actually fly, but have you seen his mustache? He’s also a great and versatile character to play with, albeit one that can be hard to get a handle on.
Taking Topnotch to the top
Topnotch is a solid mix of speed, agility, and firepower, but he can be hard to use if you aren’t executing all his abilities with care. With his jet pack, though, he does exceptionally well in all arenas. In arenas with verticality, he can easily get to hard to reach areas. In more open environments, he can fly up and reign terror from above. Wherever it is that you’re playing, you’re going to want to always be using his jet pack to get around. You’re also going to want to always be using his arsenal of explosives fire power.
- Bouncing Beauty
- Topnotch’s primary rocket. Topnotch can fire six of these grenades before he needs to reload. This can easily do a lot of damage and quickly. You should be shooting these all the time as they can ricochet around and hurt folks you didn’t even know were there. While you can time the explosion by holding and releasing the primary rocket button, we found it works better just to try and get a direct hit and shoot off the grenades as quickly as possible. Delaying the explosion often ends up not doing anything at all. These grenades can travel some distance, but they do arc, so keep that in mind when aiming.
- Artillery Salute
- Topnotch’s special ability. This ability calls down a line of rockets that extends out from you. This ability strikes quickly and can really disrupt and damage opponents. You don’t need to be extremely accurate with this ability as it is best used to catch a foe that happens to move into the line of fire. Don’t worry too much about the line of rockets telegraphing the attack, either. They fall quick and hit hard, although they do take a 15 second cool down before they can be used again.
- Zephyr Strike
- Topnotch’s secondary ability, yet his most useful. Using this ability lets you lock on to an opponent and call in a giant rocket strike. It dishes out tons of damage and is extremely hard to avoid for an enemy that has been targeted. The main downside with this attack is that it takes about 18 seconds until you can use it again. That said, use it whenever you have a chance to lock onto an enemy. If your enemy is in the air when they get struck, it will “slam dunk” them, causing more damage and disorientation.
Strategies for Knockout/RocketBot Attack
Topnotch can be an especially effective choice for knockout if you feel comfortable with his arsenal. He can dish out plenty of damage and wreak tons of havoc with his impressive firepower. His jet pack and mobility will also let you get out of dicey situations pretty well, keeping down your opponents’ score. Keep in mind, though, if you fly too close to the top of the arena, it can be easier for opponents to knock you out. Don’t overextend Topnotch’s flying ability to your detriment.
Strategies for Rocketball
Topnotch is—shall we say—a topnotch rocketball player. If you’re playing as him in this mode, you’re going to want to be the one getting the ball and scoring the goals. With his jet pack he can easily get up and around the fracas. If you’ve got good aim—and depending on the arena—you can pretty simply fly as high as you can and toss the ball into the goal.
Strategies for Mega Rocket
Topnotch’s strengths are a little less suited to mega rocket. You’re not going to be flying around as much, although his jet pack can help him quickly get to new zones, or get back into the action if he gets knocked out. Regardless, his arsenal of heavy weapons does work wonders to quickly clear out the control zone when multiple opponents are crowding into the area.
Strategies for Treasure Hunt
Topnotch is just as good in this mode as all the others. If he gets the treasure chest, he can easily fly to safety. During the coin collecting phase, he’s great at picking up the scraps that others have missed.
All in all, you can’t really go wrong with Topnotch. It takes some time to get used to how to use his rockets most effectively, but his jet pack is simple to use and simply the best. he works wonders in all game modes and is a great choice for anyone looking to rack up those points for their team.
