Octobrush Nouveau: Analysis and Thoughts

[HappyBear801]

"A BRUSH WITH BOMBS!" and everyone lept for joy. Last of the Rollers, and last of the three original weapon classes to be released, here is the long awaited (and long overdue) Octobrush Nouveau! As its name implies, this weapon has the same stats as the normal Octobrush with some new decorations. This version, however, is a much more offensive approach than the sneaky normal variant with its Splat Bomb sub weapon and its Inkzooka special. Everyone will finally enjoy throwing explosives with a brush and offensive users of these weapons will take a liking to this set for sure.

Shop Description: The Octobrush Nouveau matches the Octobrush in stats but features an all-new sub and special setup! More specifically, it comes with the versatile Splat Bombs and Inkzooka for maximum ease of use. Brushes are a fun weapon type to use, so I'd use this set to get the hang of using Brushes.

Shop Cost: 9,500

Sub Weapon: Splat Bombs

Special Weapon: Inkzooka

So, the wait for this thing finally being over, please leave your thoughts on the Octobrush Nouveau.

 

[Dark G]

Really solid Kit. Can definitely see people complaining about the Octobrush Nouveau like they did the Luna Blaster Neo. Another incredibly lethal close-range weapon that has its flaws minimalized by its sub and Special

 

[Vitezen]

Brush players who want to be more offensive will love this weapon.

 

[Azure J]

This brush is bae. <3 <3 <3

 

[PK21]

If only this was the set the Inkbrush Nouveau got...

 

[Award]

I love this bush, its what I felt ALL the brushes should have been from the start, and really should have been the vanilla octobrush. The standard kit always felt kind of "meh" for the power of the weapon, and I've been waiting to use the octo at all until the inevitable better version came out. I'm not disappointed. It's brutal close range, amazing for ink coverage and surprise attacks, and now serves to suppress and push as well. It's great, though it'll be annoying to go up against this thing for regular roller players now :(

I won't be using it though for the same reasons I avoid Nozzlenose, the button mashing to make the best of it is a bit much, both for the hands, and for the gamepad I'd prefer not to replace. Major respect for anyone who is willing to endure Nintendo repair/replace times/prices and possibly orthopedic surgery in order main a brush or Nozzlenose :D

It's really fun to use though!

Really solid Kit. Can definitely see people complaining about the Octobrush Nouveau like they did the Luna Blaster Neo. Another incredibly lethal close-range weapon that has its flaws minimalized by its sub and Special

I'd say octobrush is much more lethal than luna at close range. Luna is comparatively SLOW to get that second shot if you're using area effect. Slow enough to get killed by a decent player. Octobrush just spams that damage relentlessly keeping the opponent off balance. Luna of course has the ohko potential for those with good aim, but if you're that good at landing ohko's it's no better or worse up close than any normal blaster. When you get in range of someone's octobrush you're as good as dead. Escape is difficult, ,ttk is fast, and you can't see anything going on. Even if they have awful aim.

I'm still a luna neo fan though.

 

[Splatoon❤️]

Kinda sad bout the content stop and the fact that this is the last weapon that I have been constantly nagging for custom sloshing machine and hydra splatling are useless for me

 

[Airi]

Oh my. Oh my. Where do I start with this weapon? I'm really happy that Nintendo finally released it! I've been waiting for the Octobrush Nouveau to be released for quite some time now. It's one of the weapons that I was really excited to see released. The last weapon that I had this much excitement over was the Hydra Splatling. I can safely say that I'm not disappointed with the Octobrush Nouveau. It performs as good as I had hoped it would and it's quite a powerful weapon. I'm really happy to finally have it.

The Splat Bombs and Inkzooka cover the Octobrush's biggest weakness. The Octobrush was always weakened by its lack of range. It didn't have anything to defend itself from afar. Eve the Inkbrush had the Sprinkler for a momentary distraction but the Octobrush didn't have anything. So it created a big weakness and big opening for the Octobrush. A lot of that is remedied through the Splat Bombs and Inkzooka. They're good to use in order to chase away your enemies or even to take care of foes who are higher up where you can't reach.

It's definitely a very good weapon. I've used it during Turf War and Rainmaker. It did well during both modes. I'm quite fond of it.

 

[SkyBlue]

This weapon is so much fun! and it's really good too ^w^

Splat bombs are sooooooooooo good for this weapon. They let me make long ranged foes move and short ranged weapons stay back. Main weapon is already good up close, and to top it all off it gets inkzooka. Which is spectacular at taking out ranged enemies. Splat bombs are also really nice because for me they (and chargers) have it the easiest as far as killing dynamo rollers since dynamo rollers can't move much in the middle of a swing.

I might change it up, but this is my octobrush nouveau set

I've only done rainmaker so far, which it does well in, but I can see it working pretty well in all modes, but having trouble on some maps. I'm gonna put a lot of time into this weapon I just know it.

 

[Joseph Staleknight]

Heck yeah, a more offensively-minded Octobrush! Its loadout is really good for giving some range to the weapon which the original lacked (Kraken notwithstanding), and of course I can use the Splat Bombs in tight situations to take out someone if they try to rush me. Inkzooka's still awesome for taking down foes from afar so that you don't have to get up close to wreck them, which is really good when dealing with Chargers.

 

[Azure J]

OK, so after hosting a fun Private Lobby with friends from NeoGAF, I can make an even better post than my reactive one above. The Octobrush Nouveau is a breath of fresh air that opens up a lot more possibilities that didn't previously exist within the brush subdivision of the roller class.

Pros
- The weapon by itself is great for combat and coverage; retains all of the strengths of the core weapon but is really transformed by its sub/special combination
- The Octobrush, by virtue of being a brush, actually has no problem building its special which then means that...
-- Inkzooka is a BLESSING on this thing, giving you the ability to either instill fear in things at long range/displace chargers or outright splat them when necessary

Cons
- You'll need some time to develop small "isms" and personal approaches to combat people on different stages (moreso for new users or people who haven't played brush in a while)
- (?) You might want to pay attention more to how you ration your ink (either during combat or with gear perks) after using a Splat Bomb. (I personally didn't run into any issues here, but I use a pretty ink conscientious build most times.)

Neither here nor there
- The Octobrush by itself already had a lot of directions you could go in for gear configs to get the most out of it, but the Nouveau's kit actually ramps up the possibilities by a lot which could lead to some confusion on where to go. You will probably see a lot of folks talking up Bomb Range Up (it works, don't look at me funny), Special Saver/Charge Up (Inkzooka, while built up quickly, is still the most expensive special; it's nice having failsafes, Ink Recovery (in between rounds of Splat Bomb tossing), Swim Speed Up (immensely useful for closing distances or just general movement strats), and the ever popular Ink Saver Main. You might also see Damage Up just because of the absurd benefits one gets from it on this particular weapon when actually swinging on things, but I personally feel as though running a mix of abilities will be the way to go here versus over centralizing on one or two. What's more, I don't think Quick Respawn is going to be as big a deal with this one however as the goal of this kit is to be the front line offense versus a line breaker constantly setting up allies for advantages.

There is also a fun conversation going on where some folks feel the vanilla Octobrush is better, but honestly, I think they're both just as good as one another. It's really about player mentality and preference between the two. Do you like Base Invading™, want invul for pushing or retreats and an ability to come and go as you please? Pick vanilla Octo. Do you want to play any range and enjoy knowing you can eventually hand out OHKOs to that one E-Liter looking at you funny? Pick Nouveau.

I'll end this post with my current "default" gear config (I use it primarily with my .96 Deco and Tentatek/Octoshot) that wound up working great with OctoNov:

And a clip from earlier in the lobby I mentioned earlier, Team Octobrush Nouveau vs. Team Kelp Splatterscope:

(Try to watch it on YT for best quality)

 

[AriasFantasy]

The Octobrush was always an interesting weapon, but I think that the counterpart is my favorite of the two. Vanilla Octo is a sneakier set designed to infiltrate and get out once your work was done. The Nouveau, however, has a much more offensive take on it. The subs make up for its lack of range rather well, letting it fill multiple roles. The bombs really do cover for it, letting it either escape a sticky situation or pressure an area it couldn't otherwise.Having the almighty Inkzooka as its special is almost overkill. Almost. Overall, I think that Nintendo did a good job with this one.

 

[Azure J]

Another highlight from that stream:

 

[HappyBear801]

So I tried this weapon out right after making this thread, and I did like it a lot. Worth the wait in my opinion. I'm an okay Brush user, but my fingers are weak and tire easily which is why I never picked them up. I generally prefer the normal Inkbrush (the main weapon, the subs and specials are alright except the Nouveau's Bubbler with which I suck) because I like getting turf claimed more efficiently, but I have some nice fun with the more power-based play of the Octobrush main weapon. However, just from the perspective of my playstyle, I prefer this loadout to the normal verson. I'm a very grenade-y player, and although this sub is my least favorite of all the bombs (sorry Splat Bomb lovers; I just like my vertical combat and wall coverage! :3), I prefer using any bombs to Squid Beakons (not to dis Squid Beakons by any means; they're just not my thing). As for the special, my extensive time with the Carbon Roller has forced me into getting good with the Inkzooka, and at a wonderful result. The Kraken, even initially, I was never as good with and I prefered sniping foes from high and low with my giant ink tornado bazooka. I guess its whether you like staying back with your special or rushing in, because both yield the same 1-shot effect. I quite enjoy this setup and I will await seeing many squidkids adapt and learn its playstyle in the future. I also tested out some of my gear loadouts with this thing and I recommend the following with the weapon:

Stackable:







Main-Exclusive:

 

[HappyBear801]

OK, so after hosting a fun Private Lobby with friends from NeoGAF, I can make an even better post than my reactive one above. The Octobrush Nouveau is a breath of fresh air that opens up a lot more possibilities that didn't previously exist within the brush subdivision of the roller class.

Pros
- The weapon by itself is great for combat and coverage; retains all of the strengths of the core weapon but is really transformed by its sub/special combination
- The Octobrush, by virtue of being a brush, actually has no problem building its special which then means that...
-- Inkzooka is a BLESSING on this thing, giving you the ability to either instill fear in things at long range/displace chargers or outright splat them when necessary

Cons
- You'll need some time to develop small "isms" and personal approaches to combat people on different stages (moreso for new users or people who haven't played brush in a while)
- (?) You might want to pay attention more to how you ration your ink (either during combat or with gear perks) after using a Splat Bomb. (I personally didn't run into any issues here, but I use a pretty ink conscientious build most times.)

Neither here nor there
- The Octobrush by itself already had a lot of directions you could go in for gear configs to get the most out of it, but the Nouveau's kit actually ramps up the possibilities by a lot which could lead to some confusion on where to go. You will probably see a lot of folks talking up Bomb Range Up (it works, don't look at me funny), Special Saver/Charge Up (Inkzooka, while built up quickly, is still the most expensive special; it's nice having failsafes, Ink Recovery (in between rounds of Splat Bomb tossing), Swim Speed Up (immensely useful for closing distances or just general movement strats), and the ever popular Ink Saver Main. You might also see Damage Up just because of the absurd benefits one gets from it on this particular weapon when actually swinging on things, but I personally feel as though running a mix of abilities will be the way to go here versus over centralizing on one or two. What's more, I don't think Quick Respawn is going to be as big a deal with this one however as the goal of this kit is to be the front line offense versus a line breaker constantly setting up allies for advantages.

There is also a fun conversation going on where some folks feel the vanilla Octobrush is better, but honestly, I think they're both just as good as one another. It's really about player mentality and preference between the two. Do you like Base Invading™, want invul for pushing or retreats and an ability to come and go as you please? Pick vanilla Octo. Do you want to play any range and enjoy knowing you can eventually hand out OHKOs to that one E-Liter looking at you funny? Pick Nouveau.

I'll end this post with my current "default" gear config (I use it primarily with my .96 Deco and Tentatek/Octoshot) that wound up working great with OctoNov:

And a clip from earlier in the lobby I mentioned earlier, Team Octobrush Nouveau vs. Team Kelp Splatterscope:

(Try to watch it on YT for best quality)

Another highlight from that stream:

Oh boy I finally got a chance to watch those. Hilarious matches if you take my word. The OBN seems to do well there. Also thanks for the mention about these threads here, I feel quite honored. :)

But wait…did you just call a weapon IRRELEVANT?

 

[Karonax]

I'm a dedicated Octobrushinobi main, I got to S+ shortly before this weapon released using the vanilla version. Using this has been Octobrush heaven, after waiting nearly 7 months for it, I can say it's definitely everything I had hoped.

Splat Bombs are godly for spacing, or giving yourself options when it might be too risky to recklessly push forward. But as was mentioned, be careful about pushing immediately after tossing one or you'll find yourself ambushing on an empty tank.

Inkzooka is great for de-nesting snipers, even if you miss they'll back off for a bit. This is on top of it being a good all-around special. No more being hard-pinned by a sniper when they've got you behind cover. It also makes so many maps more viable for the Octobrush, I used to dread Port Mackerel, but with the Inkzooka you can quickly push through the center area and into their open court, where you have the advantage of movement.

Personally I run two Damage Up mains on it, it boosts the Octobrush into being a 2HKO most of the time and mitigating opponents who stack Defense Up. The extra consistency goes a long way when most your encounters are all or nothing engagements.

Cold-blooded is basically mandatory, a tracked Octobrush is a dead/useless Octobrush. With how widespread Echolocator is, you can't really afford to run anything else when a head-on confrontation will almost assuredly end in your death, it basically checks you for the full 12-seconds it runs if you don't run Cold-blooded.

The rest of my abilities I really chose for my playstyle, which is fast and loose aggression. I utilize Ink Resistance and two Swim Speed Up for this purpose. I've found that with the improved swim speed and the resistance to slow down in enemy ink, it's possible to suddenly push into enemy ink before getting hit by the slowdown. With that in mind, it's possible to rush forward into enemy ink enough to get into people's safe zones for the kill. Opponents tend to feel safest while surrounded by their own ink, and I've got countless kills taking advantage of that sense of security when I suddenly push into their safe zones. It's a risky move, as if you botch the spacing they'll retreat instantly, but the Octobrush itself is a risky weapon. ;P

Losing Kraken means easing off the carelessness, but once you master using the sub/special on the Nouveau the range of new options it opens up is far more valuable than a panic button.

Good luck to all you aspiring Octobrushinobis!

 

[HappyBear801]

I'm a dedicated Octobrushinobi main, I got to S+ shortly before this weapon released using the vanilla version. Using this has been Octobrush heaven, after waiting nearly 7 months for it, I can say it's definitely everything I had hoped.

Splat Bombs are godly for spacing, or giving yourself options when it might be too risky to recklessly push forward. But as was mentioned, be careful about pushing immediately after tossing one or you'll find yourself ambushing on an empty tank.

Inkzooka is great for de-nesting snipers, even if you miss they'll back off for a bit. This is on top of it being a good all-around special. No more being hard-pinned by a sniper when they've got you behind cover. It also makes so many maps more viable for the Octobrush, I used to dread Port Mackerel, but with the Inkzooka you can quickly push through the center area and into their open court, where you have the advantage of movement.

Personally I run two Damage Up mains on it, it boosts the Octobrush into being a 2HKO most of the time and mitigating opponents who stack Defense Up. The extra consistency goes a long way when most your encounters are all or nothing engagements.

Cold-blooded is basically mandatory, a tracked Octobrush is a dead/useless Octobrush. With how widespread Echolocator is, you can't really afford to run anything else when a head-on confrontation will almost assuredly end in your death, it basically checks you for the full 12-seconds it runs if you don't run Cold-blooded.

The rest of my abilities I really chose for my playstyle, which is fast and loose aggression. I utilize Ink Resistance and two Swim Speed Up for this purpose. I've found that with the improved swim speed and the resistance to slow down in enemy ink, it's possible to suddenly push into enemy ink before getting hit by the slowdown. With that in mind, it's possible to rush forward into enemy ink enough to get into people's safe zones for the kill. Opponents tend to feel safest while surrounded by their own ink, and I've got countless kills taking advantage of that sense of security when I suddenly push into their safe zones. It's a risky move, as if you botch the spacing they'll retreat instantly, but the Octobrush itself is a risky weapon. ;P

Losing Kraken means easing off the carelessness, but once you master using the sub/special on the Nouveau the range of new options it opens up is far more valuable than a panic button.

Good luck to all you aspiring Octobrushinobis!

Question: have you tried using Bomb Range Up? I found that it's a great way to give the Splat Bombs a ranged option while the Special Meter is still charging.

 

[Smashling79]

I am in love with this weapon

 

[HappyBear801]

I am in love with this weapon

Specify.

 

[Karonax]

I am in love with this weapon

Specify.

Yes! For... you know... science.