H-3 Nozzlenose D: Analysis and Thoughts

[HappyBear801]

Sure, it has not been too long since the release of the original weapon, yet regardless, here is the H-3 Nozzlenose D! The dolphin variant has the same stats as the normal H3NN, but with Point Sensors and Inkzooka added for precise ranged kills. A very defensive setup and best for those who make every shot and can aim with ease of precision (the skill cap will be strong with this one).

Shop Description: The H-3 Nozzlenose D is an H-3 Nozzlenose decorated with badges from its manufacturer. The badges don't actually affect its abilities, but it does include a Point Sensor and the mighty Inkzooka. In the right hands, this interesting combination of abilities may give rise to many unique strategies!

Shop Cost: 8,300

Sub Weapon: Point Sesnors

Special Weapon: Inkzooka

So now, please leave your thoughts on the H-3 Nozzlenose D.

 

[Joseph Staleknight]

I really like this thing. It's got the OHKO possibility of the original H-3 and combines it with the Inkzooka and Point Sensors. While I haven't really used Point Sensors much, I think this weapon might give me a good reason to learn how to work with that sub. And of course having an Inkzooka to finish off foes from a long distance works wonders.

Granted, I might try to use it throughout Splatfest but there's no guarantee that I won't also switch out to a good Dual Squelcher, N-ZAP or Splash-O-Matic. Still, being able to splat opponents with a single burst is a plus.

 

[HappyBear801]

I really like this thing. It's got the OHKO possibility of the original H-3 and combines it with the Inkzooka and Point Sensors. While I haven't really used Point Sensors much, I think this weapon might give me a good reason to learn how to work with that sub. And of course having an Inkzooka to finish off foes from a long distance works wonders.

Granted, I might try to use it throughout Splatfest but there's no guarantee that I won't also switch out to a good Dual Squelcher, N-ZAP or Splash-O-Matic. Still, being able to splat opponents with a single burst is a plus.

Using it for Splatfest depends on the stage. If Saltspray Rig, Arowana Mall, and Camp triggerfish are the stages, for example, this weapon could wreck all, but on more compact maps like Blackbelly Skatepark, it might not do so well.

Point Sensors on this weapon are mainly used for locking the targets down. Concerning the main weapon and the Inkzooka, no shot can miss. Presicion is absolute key with this weapon, which Point Sensor helps with tremendously. It would also probably be a good idea to stack some Bomb Range Ups, in that case.

 

[LMG]

Point Sensors on this weapon are mainly used for locking the targets down. Concerning the main weapon and the Inkzooka, no shot can miss. Presicion is absolute key with this weapon, which Point Sensor helps with tremendously. It would also probably be a good idea to stack some Bomb Range Ups, in that case.

Although it's very hard to miss with an Inkzooka (coming from someone who used the Mini Splatling before the patch that added the Inkzooka's crosshair), this weapon set's definetly a Sharpshooter's dream

 

[HappyBear801]

Although it's very hard to miss with an Inkzooka (coming from someone who used the Mini Splatling before the patch that added the Inkzooka's crosshair), this weapon set's definetly a Sharpshooter's dream

Yes, and it makes me think that this will probably be one of the hardest weapons to learn in the game. It allows for no mistakes. This is going to be right up there with the RB, CS, IBN, and such.

 

[AspireArt]

I know RB is a rapid blaster, but CS and IBN?

 

[magfive]

It's slow rate of fire still hampers it and the poor ink distribution make it easy for enemies to close the gap, so keep your distance and use the point sensor to give you enemies to aim at. It's definitely a support weapon and boy does it feel good to see all 3 bursts hit an opponent square for the kill, but usually not all 3 hit so use damage up to increase the damage done if only one or two bursts make contact. It's a high risk, high reward weapon that will require great aim and precision to play it well.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

No thanks, Forge Pro exist!

 

[HappyBear801]

I know RB is a rapid blaster, but CS and IBN?

CS=Classic Squiffer
IBN=Inkbrush Nouveau
And yes RB is the Rapid Blaster (normal one). All of these are very difficult weapons.

 

[Reset Bomb Jigglypuff]

I..... I didn't think this weapon would click for me..... I can confirm that taking advantage of the point sensors is ABSOLUTELY necessary.

 

[meleesplatter]

H-3 Nozzlenoze is absolutely killer for picking off opponents on grates.

 

[1o2]

CS=Classic Squiffer
IBN=Inkbrush Nouveau
And yes RB is the Rapid Blaster (normal one). All of these are very difficult weapons.

Classic squiffer is indeed a difficult weapon to learn. IBK is simply a bad weapon, those are entirely different things. RB is a niche weapon, it's nice on TC/RM and getting assist kills.

As for the nozzlenose, it just seems like a worse Forge Pro. The Forge Pro does everything this weapon does, but better.

 

[meleesplatter]

Classic squiffer is indeed a difficult weapon to learn. IBK is simply a bad weapon, those are entirely different things. RB is a niche weapon, it's nice on TC/RM and getting assist kills.

As for the nozzlenose, it just seems like a worse Forge Pro. The Forge Pro does everything this weapon does, but better.

As far as I recall, Pro is pretty bad at inking. H-3 isn't great either but at least they have a decent splash. And the burst fire certainly helps conserve ink better.
Honestly they both seem equally effective, H-3 just has a higher learning curve.

 

[1o2]

As far as I recall, Pro is pretty bad at inking. H-3 isn't great either but at least they have a decent splash. And the burst fire certainly helps conserve ink better.
Honestly they both seem equally effective, H-3 just has a higher learning curve.

Not to get into an argument, but burst fire may help conserve ink better, but it also makes you instantly lose to anyone strafing. Pro is meh at covering turf, but it still isn't even a huge flaw of the weapon. Certainly H-3 is awful at covering turf as well, as there is so much time in between the bursts that it's essentially like covering using the Forge anyway.

H-3 may have a higher learning curve, but you can l say that about Mini Splatling vs Tentatek. Tentatek is still better, but you know, why not use a worse version of a weapon?This is like going into a knife fight with a 3 inch knife, or a 6 inch knife. Obviously the 6 inch knife is better, but you can say the 3 inch knife is harder to use and therefore it has a higher learning curve. At the end of the day it's still just a worse version of the 6 inch knife.

 

[doritos29]

This weapon kills faster than forge. It's perfect accuracy can consistently get kills if your aim is on point. It has way better ink coverage and efficiency than the forge.

 

[1o2]

This weapon kills faster than forge. It's perfect accuracy can consistently get kills if your aim is on point. It has way better ink coverage and efficiency than the forge.

This weapon straight up loses to anyone who strafes. Let alone something like a run speed Tentatek/N-zap.

 

[SquiliamTentacles]

Not to get into an argument, but burst fire may help conserve ink better, but it also makes you instantly lose to anyone strafing. Pro is meh at covering turf, but it still isn't even a huge flaw of the weapon. Certainly H-3 is awful at covering turf as well, as there is so much time in between the bursts that it's essentially like covering using the Forge anyway.

H-3 may have a higher learning curve, but you can l say that about Mini Splatling vs Tentatek. Tentatek is still better, but you know, why not use a worse version of a weapon?This is like going into a knife fight with a 3 inch knife, or a 6 inch knife. Obviously the 6 inch knife is better, but you can say the 3 inch knife is harder to use and therefore it has a higher learning curve. At the end of the day it's still just a worse version of the 6 inch knife.

The H-3 and Mini Splatling are not completely outclassed by their counterparts, they still have advantages and merits. Although it is hard to do, one burst kills can be highly useful and effective. Kind of like Blaster shots: You may not always hit spot on, but there is a bonus if you do. Also, I think the H-3 has a better run speed and it of course has better ink efficiency and coverage when you time the shots right. The Mini Splatling does have some charge time, but it has crazy fast time to kill and a bit more range to abuse. The fast firing makes covering turf easier, and the charge time is short enough to ambush with.

The Pro and Tenatek may be better weapons overall, but these weapons still have merits and strengths in their own right.

 

[HappyBear801]

As far as I recall, Pro is pretty bad at inking. H-3 isn't great either but at least they have a decent splash. And the burst fire certainly helps conserve ink better.
Honestly they both seem equally effective, H-3 just has a higher learning curve.

Agreed. This weapon is very hard. I tried it out for myself in Splatfest today, and I did fairly well with it all and all, but I found that my team, at least in Turf War, had a difficult time supporting me. This weapon is an actively defensive killing tool, made for the most skilled of players. This weapon is about precision, presicion, precision. I did have quite a bit of fun with it though, and I think that with a good team on your side, this wepaon is quite usable in Turf War, especially due to the recent range buff of the main weapon. However, this weapon will definitely be much more suited for Ranked. Splat Zones on Camp Triggerfish will be a particular strong set for this weapon, as will Tower Control on Flounder Heights. Anything that benifits from range and precise aiming. As for the sub and special, they work well with the weapon, a lot better than I thought they might. Point Sensors allow me to pinpoint my aim, while the Inkzooka ensures I get the kill in one hit. However, never get in close with this weapon or try to rush an enemy down, because this weapon has no close range options and is best siuted at a considerable distance. One for precise defenders, that's for sure.

 

[meleesplatter]

Agreed. This weapon is very hard. I tried it out for myself in Splatfest today, and I did fairly well with it all and all, but I found that my team, at least in Turf War, had a difficult time supporting me. This weapon is an actively defensive killing tool, made for the most skilled of players. This weapon is about precision, presicion, precision. I did have quite a bit of fun with it though, and I think that with a good team on your side, this wepaon is quite usable in Turf War, especially due to the recent range buff of the main weapon. However, this weapon will definitely be much more suited for Ranked. Splat Zones on Camp Triggerfish will be a particular strong set for this weapon, as will Tower Control on Flounder Heights. Anything that benifits from range and precise aiming. As for the sub and special, they work well with the weapon, a lot better than I thought they might. Point Sensors allow me to pinpoint my aim, while the Inkzooka ensures I get the kill in one hit. However, never get in close with this weapon or try to rush an enemy down, because this weapon has no close range options and is best siuted at a considerable distance. One for precise defenders, that's for sure.

Yeah, point sensors are kind of underrated pieces of equipment. Not only do they help you land your shots better but they can help your teammates by revealing their location in case you can't take them down. The duration is a lot longer than a disruptor without cold-blooded too.

I'd imagine a stealthy approach with ninja squid or cold-blooded can also do work with this weapon, since it's much easier to line up shots against unaware targets.

 

[Hawk Seow]

Disclaimer: This post isn't strictly about the H-3D and will bring in talk about some other weapons for comparison.

I haven't really played very much with the H-3D variation but I did sink quite a lot of time into H-3 (379378p inked as of now) although my L-3 sits at the top with 989870p currently. Point being, I've spent most of my Splatoon time in the past 2-3 months playing some form of Nozzlenose. It's not a testament to my skill (I think I'm above average at best) but to prove that I have actually spent a lot of time using them.

With that out of the way, I want to say that IMO the H-3 is a poor performer in ranked with randoms; I assume it can be excellent with a coordinated team thanks to the Echolocator. In stubbornly trying to make it work in ranked, I've went down from S all the way to A. Switching to the L-3D and playing in the right maps brought me back to S in about the same time it took me to drop to A.

I did manage to find quite a lot of success with the H-3 in Turf Wars on a variety of maps. My basic strategy is to ink paths (two well placed shots basically gives u a long path to swim in) and use them to swim around quickly, so I highly recommend at least one Swim Up main ability. It also works well to cut off enemy movement because of the thick path it inks. Eg. Try cutting off enemy movement in the central area on Moray Towers, it works well there IMO. Suction bombs also help a lot in forcing enemies to move in or out of areas or forcing snipers off their perch.

So...what does all that have to do with the H-3D?

Based on theory-splatting, the H-3D is fantastic if you can reliably get 2-3 Inkzookas per match, this would ideally allow you to pick off or harass enemies from far and thus would be great in ranked mode, especially TC and RM where enemy positions are a lot more predictable than usual.

The sticking point for me is the point-sensor because whilst it does good work at locating enemies, it assumes you can take them out when you do. This is where the main weakness (IMO) of the Nozzlenose family comes into play: it fires 3 pellets per shot and there's a high tendency that you will land 1-2 pellets per salvo. I usually experience this when the enemy is staying hidden in the ink or is strafing or just basically moving really quickly in some zigzag fashion.

That usually requires me to back off with the H-3 in a firefight and that's not really a plus point when compared to some of the other shooters. I mean, there have been firefights where I fire off 3 salvos and each time only one pellet touches the enemy. The L-3s don't suffer so hard in this area since the gap between each trigger you pull is a lot shorter than the H-3s.

Also, for people who think the H-3's range is amazing, do take note that you do lesser damage if you land all 3 pellets at maximum range. If anything I think the Bamboozler is now much better than the H-3 (it outranges it by a lot and two slightly-charged shots landed is a guaranteed kill). The H-3 is mainly superior at inking turf and creating straight paths quickly.

I'd love to write more about the Nozzlenose family but I'd rather do that as future replies :)