Note:  We've had multiple reports that Epic Games are experiencing some issues with their 2FA linking process at the moment. Please remain patient and try again a little later. RL Garage has no affiliation with Psyonix or Epic Games (apart from our creator code) and are in the same situation you are.

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Hey everybody, as of yesterday’s Rocket League patch, you now need two factor authentication to be enabled on your Epic account in order to trade Rocket League items. 

Two factor authentication, put simply, is a system to help ensure that you are actually you. There are three basic means of authentication. First is something you know (for example, a password), then something you have (a mobile phone, or email account), and lastly something you are (fingerprints or retinal scans). 

While I love the idea of having to have a fingerprint scan to trade, Rocket League’s new patch only requires you to have set up the first two. This ensures that should your Epic password fall into the hands of a disingenuous person, they still won’t be able to log in

The official Epic Games website has a guide on how to enable two factor authentication, including a step by step YouTube video which walks you through the entire process. It’s intended for Fortnite, but the process is the same. That said, here’s a brief overview of the process to point you in the right direction:

First, you need to visit epicgames.com and sign in to your account. You need an Epic Games account to trade, so you should already have an account set up here. Use your preferred way to log in - if you’re on console, this may be through a Playstation Network or Nintendo account.

Once you’re logged in, hover over your username in the top right and click on “Account”.

On the next page you’ll be presented with some account options. You need to click on the “Password & Security” button on the left hand menu.

Scroll down on this tab and you should see a “Two Factor Authentication” section at the bottom of the page. You’ll be offered three options, all of which are fairly self explanatory. To turn any of them on, click the switch next to it and follow the instructions.

The Authenticator App option will require you to use something like Google Authenticator or Authy to log in. You’ll have to scan a QR code with the app, and this will generate a new code every thirty seconds that will let you prove you are you.

The SMS Authentication option requires you to enter a mobile phone number. Epic Games will then send a six digit code to your phone to verify that you’re you.

The Email Authentication option is similar to SMS verification, but codes will be sent to your email address instead.

At RL Garage, the team is very happy that Epic are enforcing two factor authentication for trading. Our moderation team see far too many attempts by scammers to gain your account details through fake giveaway websites, and we hope that this change will make this vector of attack a lot less dangerous.

My personal preference is to use the Authenticator App option using Google Authenticator (or, if you want to take it to the next level, something like a YubiKey). Unlike email verification, these methods require you to have a physical device in your hand, and are close to impossible to hijack without physically accessing the device that generates the codes.

It’s always a good time to remind you of some basic security principles - never use the same password for multiple accounts. If somebody tricks you into entering your password on a fake website, change your password immediately. If you have set up two factor auth and people ask you to give them an authentication code, don’t. 

Also make sure that you use strong passwords everywhere. Use lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, symbols, and the longer it is the better. Avoid using dates such as your birthday or anniversary, parts of your email address, or any other information that’s easy to guess. Password manager apps like Keepass and Lastpass are great for generating and managing strong passwords if you find that you have too many to remember.

We’re working on adding two factor authentication support to RL Garage, we hope to have an update on that soon. 

As an extension to this article, we’re compiling an article that lists the common scams that disingenuous users use to try and get you to give up your account or your items. Until then though, this post on the Rocket League Exchange subreddit is well worth getting familiar with.

Just as a reminder, apart from our creator code (which is RLGarage, by the way - #EpicPartner), RLG has no association with Psyonix or Epic Games. If you need support adding 2FA to your account, please go to Epic Games' support page.