Knockout City: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Knockout City is the new "dodge-brawl" multiplayer PS4 game from EA and Velan Studios. It's available now, and if you ask us, it's well worth checking out for its simple but super-fun gameplay. If you're just getting started in the dodgeball-obsessed world of Knockout City, you might find yourself struggling against more skilled players. With this guide, we aim to help you out with some handy hints, tips, and advice so you can hop into matches more prepared.

Knockout City: Basic Information for Beginners

Below, we're going to outline some useful tips and tricks to get you started on the right footing in Knockout City. Firstly, we'll go through the basics of what you need to know before diving into some more advanced words of wisdom.

Controls

Here are the default controls for Knockout City. It's worth noting that you can remap the below control layout in the Settings menu.

Throwing

Your offensive move in this game is to throw dodgeballs at your opponents. To throw a ball, you can press R2 for a slow shot, or hold it down for a faster moving projectile. The game auto-aims for you, so you don't need to worry about accuracy — just hold R2, and let those balls fly.

Catching

Catching balls is just as important as throwing them. When you catch a ball, you stop the incoming attack from dealing any damage, and it means you now have a ball with which to retaliate. You catch by pressing L2, but you'll need to time the button press so the ball lands in your character's open arms. If you time your catch perfectly (just before it hits you), the ball will build energy, and you can throw it much faster back at your opponent. This is known as Overcharge, and the ball can speed up in this way numerous times.

Dodging

With a press of Square, you'll initiate a generous dodge move. Press the button and hold a direction to dodge whichever way you need. This gets you out of trouble in a pinch, and you can also use this move to tackle opponents if they're too close.

Passing

You can pass the ball you're holding to a teammate. Press L1 with a teammate in sight, and you'll throw it over to them. This lets you get a dodgeball into the hands of an ally who might need one, and passing comes with other benefits too. Passed balls will travel faster when thrown at opponents!

Becoming the Ball

A quirk of Knockout City is that you can become a ball. Hold down R1, and you'll turn into a ball, which your teammates can pick up and throw like any other. This is useful in situations where your team doesn't have any dodgeballs to hand. Enemies hit by a balled-up teammate will be instantly knocked out! Be careful, though — if an opponent catches you in ball form, you'll need to mash X to escape.

A teammate can charge and throw you like any other ball, but they can also continue the charge to prepare an Ultimate Throw. This launches you into the air, and you explode on impact with the ground, knocking out any opponents in the blast radius!

Trick Shots

Throwing in a straight line will work most of the time, but sometimes you'll need to make lob or curve shots. Don't worry — doing so is easy. Charge up your throw as usual with R2, but just before you let the ball go, press Triangle or Circle to put a spin on the ball.

Press Triangle before a throw, and you'll send the ball arcing upwards before it comes crashing down. This lets you hit opponents above you, or throw a ball over a wall.

Press Circle before a throw, and you'll add a horizontal curve to your shot. This can really catch opponents off-guard, and lets you throw balls around obstacles.

Gliding

If you press X while in mid-air, you'll pull out a glider. You can use this to get across the map and access higher platforms, and even get the drop on unsuspecting enemies. You can throw balls while gliding too. If you want to stop gliding, press X once again and you'll fall to the ground.

Knockout City: Tips, Tricks, and Advice

How can you up your game in Knockout City? There are a number of ways to get the edge on opponents. Below, we've outlined some useful tips and tricks we've learned from our time playing the game.

Pass the Dang Ball

It's easy to forget it's there, but you can pass a ball you're holding to a teammate, and you absolutely should be doing so. Press L1 to throw your ball to a friend. This is most useful when your teammate is in a tight spot and needs a weapon, but there are other benefits. When you pass, the ball is going to travel faster when thrown at an enemy. If your teammate is already holding a ball, pass your ball to them anyway, as it will return back to you with that same speedy energy. Pass, or you will fail!

The Red Border Warns You of Danger

While playing, you might notice a red border on the perimeter of your screen. This appears because an opponent is targeting you. A white spot on the border will tell you which direction the shot will come from. If you see this red border, be prepared to either dodge out of the way, or catch an incoming ball.

Be Unpredictable

The best thing you can do to improve your play is to switch things up. Don't let an opponent figure you out. You have several manoeuvres and abilities to keep people guessing.

Fake throws are a great example. Click in the right stick (R3) and you'll perform a fake throw, which may trick the opponent into trying to catch a ball that isn't coming. Similarly, you can simply hold R2 for longer than usual to throw off the enemy's timing. Use the flip and spin abilities (Triangle and Circle) as additional fake-outs too. There's plenty of room for you to mix things up, so experiment, and don't rely on a single tactic.

Slow Can Be the Way to Go (Sometimes)

Related to the above point — you don't always have to throw a ball at full pelt. You can hold down R2 to throw the ball faster than if you just press the button, but that doesn't mean it's always the best option. The thing is, players are generally expecting attacks to come in at that charged-up speed, because that's what the game's tutorials teach you. Because of this expectation, it's best to vary things up and make your shots less predictable. Mix in some slow balls to your strategy — you'll be surprised how often they connect.

Ultimate Throws Aren't Always Best

If a teammate is in ball form, it's tempting to just charge up an Ultimate Throw and send them hurtling into the sky for that satisfying explosion. The truth is, while this move can be powerful in the right circumstances, you don't always need to throw a teammate in this way.

In a skirmish, sometimes it's more to your team's benefit to just throw a ball form ally like a regular ball, rather than trying to charge up an Ultimate. Yes, you might get a double or even triple with a well-placed Ultimate, but that's probably overkill, and you'll likely end up knocked out before you can charge the shot anyway. Think about when and where to use Ultimates most effectively.

You Can Dodge into Danger

You can catch a ball, but you can also just dodge out of the way in a tight spot. If you see that telltale red border and don't know where a ball is coming from, dodging is more effective than catching. But did you know you can also dodge into an incoming throw? If you press Square to dodge towards a ball hurtling towards you, you will cancel out that ball's momentum and bounce it away.

Crew Up

If you're enjoying the game, consider joining a Crew. Doing so means you'll have some in-game buddies to play alongside, and there are even Crew-exclusive cosmetic items to unlock. It pays to play together!

That about does it for our beginner tips and tricks for Knockout City. Have you been playing this dodgebrawler on PS4? Share your own advice in the comments section below.