Rapid Blaster: Analysis and Thoughts Thread

[Yellowkirbyguy]

Phew~ Sorry i'm a "bit" late to the reply xD This is going to be a long post, but it should be riddled with bundles of helpful feedback. and/or opinions.

I honestly like Rapid Blaster for certain Splat Zone maps.

So the main question with this weapon and other rapid blasters: why would you ever use it over any of the other blasters?
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Nice! I like what your opinion on the weapon is! Now i'll try and convert you to the Rapid xD~

The reason I think it's okay is that being able to shoot splash damage at long range, quickly, with little ink usage helps to prevent enemies from taking positions. You can just blast at it from safety near a wall. If people are hiding behind a wall, you can just chip away at them with splash damage and force them into doing something. That tiny bit of damage you deal is enough to force others into acting, either to get away or move to a different place behind cover. It makes direct hitting slightly easier, since you can lay down some ink or splash near an enemy and predict where they'll move for the direct shot follow up. While directs with other blasters kill 100% of the time, if your teammates are able to deal 1 shot from almost any other weapon, a Rapid Blaster shot will kill. Also, the quick shot speed makes it slightly quicker to roll out to the middle of the map, as you don't need to wait as long to re-enter squid form. This obviously doesn't matter on more compact maps, like museum or skatepark.

This is all pretty much correct. I believe the Rapid blaster's main strong point as a weapon itself is devoted to quick Rapid fire blaster shots (Hence "Rapid Blaster") that can potentially overwhelm an opponent and/or forcing them to approach differently. And from a decent distance might i add.

Keeping in mind this weapon's sub and special.

needs no information. It's a given.

however. Is a very handy tool for the Rapid Blaster, I'm not saying this because it's getting a buff in 2.7.0 I'm saying this because it turns a death, into a trade. You can also captalise on this beforehand and run away as your opponent chases you, potentially running into your inkmine, and avoiding it, guaranteeing you escape, or a probable splat. It's all about the Minegames! (Geez, it's a terrible pun but i love saying it xD)

And something Unique to the Rapid blaster is that when you activate Bubbler, i'm not sure if you have played it enough, but generally, close range enemies of higher ranks will circle around you. And because the Main weapon is absolute putrid at close range, you can't deal with it. But if you put an ink mine behind yourself prior to the fight, your opponent will have a tough time escaping your mine. And if the enemy has Bomb sniffer, It becomes a viable Check so that your opponent will be forced to escape. It's a win win for the Rapid blaster with the Sub/special combo. well...Most of the time. As you might of guessed, Longer ranged weapons wont care about silly ink mines as they can easily reveal one without being anywhere near it. And forget about the chasing game if your in their range. Chances are, you'll be outranged, so you'll have to run away yourself, and long range weapons don't really like to chase that often. Unless you're the 96 deco.

Custom Range Blaster has a better damage and kill potential, a better sub-weapon in , and a similar invincibility special in . The rapid shots from Rapid Blaster can more readily deter enemy movement, as you can lay down ink to cut off enemies from moving forward or taking a position. Also, in splat zones and tower control, the ink mine can hold a more defensive position for you. To be honest, I prefer the custom range blaster, because I like the security of 2-shot kills.

The one main problem with the Rapid is that anything with long range and Kraken can easily counter the Rapid blaster, however, after having a couple of showdown's against a Custom Range blaster recently, the Main weapons of both weapons are equals, it's just a matter of who makes the first approach and how the other deals with that approach. The Custom Range Blaster can throw splatbombs to force the Rapid into a different location. And Kraken just eats Inkmines for breakfast along with Squids too. So the Custom Range blaster wont be getting too close to the Rapid anytime soon.
Unlike the Custom Range however, the Rapid blaster can maintain Ink territory with Ink Mines, They blow up and regain your turf, every ten seconds but that's better than what the Custom Range has. And because they both have around the same range the two are just firing at eachother without ever hitting the other, so play your cards right and you can never be killed by the Custom Ranged blaster itself, but more generally, by the Kraken. But Rapid Blasters should be able to get the bubbler ready more easier than the Kraken anyway so the two are actually pretty equal when you think of it like that.

A summary of that match up would be: Because they're both long range weapons with Invincibility specials , they're never approach each other for CQC. The battle is about who makes the wrong move first. Though the Custom Range blaster has more lee way than the Rapid due to 2-hit splash K.O's. So the Rapid blaster doesn't neccesarily have to retreat instantly, but it can halt the Custom Range's Progress a considerable amount.

Both roles of the weapons are pretty similar, The custom range is more suited to aggression while the rapid is suited more towards suppression. Though they can both easily play each other's roles fairly well too.

will chase away opponents, but is more focused towards K.O'ing one squid or those in the area.
will force you opponents to a different location. Or potentially Splatting them

Chases away CQC fighters, and forces mid ranged weapons to rethink approaches. Also great for breaking chases, and punishing slow shooters while also good at splatting those who come from above like in Saltspray or Bluefin. Also being helpful putting them in choke points. and easy on the Ink consumption compared to the Splat bomb.
is a general purpose invincibility special. Protects you from physical harm (minus pushback) and supports your team if near by. A free Ink refill, and no end lag unlike the Kraken.

Custom Blaster has short range, but has more damage, the , and . I feel like Custom Blaster severely out-classes this Rapid Blaster. It kills quicker, you can reveal locations of enemies to force them into acting or to give your teammates better idea of what's going on, and it has the same special. I like the rapid blaster in most situations though, because I like to keep myself a distance away from enemies and hold ground. Custom Blaster needs to be in people's faces.

I believe the Custom Blaster Hates the Rapid blaster. Purely because of Inkmines.

As you say, Custom needs to get close to be effective, but if a Rapid blaster makes full use of Ink mines, not only Does the Custom Blaster get out ranged, but it now can't approach due to the presence of the Inkmine. Yes i'm well aware that there needs to be a bit of distance from the weapons for Ink mine to work effectively not to mention Open Maps are a little tougher since the mine can be avoided But my point still stands.. Both weapons have bubblers, So once activated, the other one will activate theirs too or run away. In terms of Bubblers, they're even, but Main weapon and Sub weapon. The Rapid blaster has the Custom Blaster beat.

However, the Rapid blaster DOES need to play it safely should it be Point sensor'd as it could potentially lead into a flank. So the objective for the Custom Blaster, is for their teammates to capitalise on their point sensors against longer ranged weapons should the Custom Blaster have difficulty approaching. Against the Rapid blaster, using point sensors can halt the Rapid blaster's progress IF your teammates are likely to follow up. Otherwise the Rapid can beat the Custom Blaster without too much worry.

recommend these abilities, alongside the consistently amazing and

-- Damage up is basically a necessity if you aren't consistent with direct hits. One direct hit will do about 80 damage with no defenses, making a splash damage followup almost certainly kill any player. Otherwise, you're banking on some uncertain range of 2-5 splash damage shots. Damage-up will bring that to a more consistent shot-to-kill.

I do admit, without damage ups there are times when i feel that i should of gotten that splat when 4 splash hits never K.O'ed my opponent. But regardless of that, from my experience, I've got pretty well not using anyway. If i had to suggest, Keep it for sub slots, Your mains should (in my opinion) be devoted to Special brand abilities if you're Abilities over Fashion person.

So basically, yes. Run damage ups if you dislike the prospect of not getting consistent splash damage 3-4hit K.O's

/-- Getting the special up serves 2 purposes: 1.) this weapon plays more of a support role, as it can't kill by itself reliably. Being able to get a Bubbler for your more damaging allies is important for pushes. 2.) you need invincibility to keep from splatting to people who rush you. If you feel like you'll be dying a lot, consider saver.

If you're unlike me and could not care less about abilities, then this will be a godsend for you. will Rack up Bubbler far more faster than you would think for the Rapid Blaster. Always having a panic special at the ready is awesome not to mention team support. Is a great help for those who get splatted alot using the weapon. Once you start getting used to the weapon, you'll find yourself trying to zone out opponents and eventually, you'll only need Special Saver against Longer ranged weapons like E-litres, 96 gals, Splat-pros, Squelchers, the list goes on. It wouldn't hurt to run a bit of while you're at it too. More time spent invincible the better.

So yeah, you're right on the ball there. Saving your teammates from death is good too.

-- Swim up is necessary to be able to out-pace people who rush you. Anyone who's inside the range of your blast radius will quickly cause trouble, and being able to swim faster than them will make it easy to set up shots or get away. It also makes rolling out better. Being in a position to deny positioning with this weapon is important, and if you can't get into a safe spot at the start of the match, you'll find yourself playing too far back to deny sniping posts or keep the enemy from gaining middle/tower control.

is helpful on every weapon. Though the importance is raised with the Rapid Blaster. You're pretty much right if you're looking for a camping spot. This weapon is one of the best at straight forward movement. Probably only losing to the L-3 Nosslenose I have nothing much else to say here~ But Here's the set i run now adays~ (Just FYI I'm a player who reaches S rank on numerous occaisions, but i've never gone higher than S 45)

Fugu Bell Hat: |
Cycling Tee: |
Squid Girl Shoes: |

No real reason behind Spyke just sorta gave them to me xD. While yes i did mention i didn't care about abilities, I LOVE the Fugu Bell hat! It looks pretty funny on a squid while still looking pretty cool too! Not to mention it has !...And then Praise Spyke for giving me 3's on my second re-roll xD
with Squid girl Boots? I can't say no to that! xD

Okay, you caught me now xD It's just been a habit of keeping this on since before finding Coldblooded, i'd generally switch t-shirts alot because i liked their design. Generally it was the Squid girl tunic, traditional apron and the White Tee.

And uhh, to help me get around quicker.. Yeah xD

Defense is not amazing, as you out-range most weapons in the game if you play right, though 52gals can get pretty lucky shots sometimes. Ink usage rate isn't that bad. I can't think of any reason to use other abilities.

While other weapons may be able to do it better, the Rapid Blaster can fill out a defense of it's own. It certainly mustn't be trifled with...Unless you're a 96 gal/96 gal deco. Then well, Easy bait i guess xD

Sadly, I can't say I reached S rank exclusively with this weapon. It's too in-consistent. You need to rely on directs a lot to play consistently, and the rampant splat-walls and splattershot weapons make it less viable, as you can't get around those at all in some games.

As someone who made it their in game life goal to achieve S rank with it from week 2 of Splatoon's release, it does play fairly inconsistently, but perseverance is what got me into S rank with the weapon (Albeit with the help of with the Custom Range Blaster) you'll gradually get used to it and it wont become inconsistent if you know what weapons the Rapid blaster can and can't handle. Plus being weary of helps too for splash damage purposes.

Lemme know what you think.

TLDR (Although i would like you or someone with knowledge about the to read the whole thing >.< so I too can get feedback)
What you have said is solid and correct information about the Rapid Blaster, with the expection to the Custom Blaster And Custom Range blaster part, I agree with what you have said. Might i Add that the Rapid Blaster is based around Suppression, and not Aggression. Also please consider spending time using Inkmines, not just to prepare for the 2.7.0 patch, but it'll help you understand how Ink mines work and where they are most effective.


If anyone else is thinking of picking a blaster that doesn't want to be in your face all the time, and take a more strategic approach, pick the Rapid Blaster, give it time, and it'll be a great weapon for you. Just watch out for 96 decos.....xD Catch him/her off guard and get the first strike! That's pretty much the only way to beat them as the Rapid blaster. Thank you for taking your time to read this!

 

[ϛ(°³°)/`]

Might i Add that the Rapid Blaster is based around Suppression, and not Aggression.

I beg to differ. In all fairness though, it certainly does shine when holding an area down, but on Tower Control you can absolutely be aggressive.

Also mild necro.

 

[Yellowkirbyguy]

View attachment 3133
I beg to differ. In all fairness though, it certainly does shine when holding an area down, but on Tower Control you can absolutely be aggressive.

Also mild necro.

Fair enough xD Yet, Surpession in tower control is always clearing the tower, ready for your teammates. To add to that, you have to also prevent your enemies from attacking the tower, that's what Suppression is. To prevent or forcibly put an end to. Though i guess you can call it aggression when it's put like that.... So you're right xD

Any thoughts about the Rapid blaster on other modes?

 

[ϛ(°³°)/`]

Fair enough xD Yet, Surpession in tower control is always clearing the tower, ready for your teammates. To add to that, you have to also prevent your enemies from attacking the tower, that's what Suppression is. To prevent or forcibly put an end to. Though i guess you can call it aggression when it's put like that.... So you're right xD

Any thoughts about the Rapid blaster on other modes?

You can make do with it on Rainmaker, usually picking off any enemy that has it as they move so slowly. It's not tremendously good at popping the shield though, so for that mode I usually prefer a Bamboozler. It seems to flounder even more in Splat Zones, but that might just be because I'm terrible at that mode; the RBD might fare better. Tower Control really is where this weapon excels, especially if you stack the crap out of Damage Up to expand the effective radius of the AoE hit. I might write up a guide on it at some point.

 

[Yellowkirbyguy]

You can make do with it on Rainmaker, usually picking off any enemy that has it as they move so slowly. It's not tremendously good at popping the shield though, so for that mode I usually prefer a Bamboozler. It seems to flounder even more in Splat Zones, but that might just be because I'm terrible at that mode; the RBD might fare better. Tower Control really is where this weapon excels, especially if you stack the crap out of Damage Up to expand the effective radius of the AoE hit. I might write up a guide on it at some point.

I could not use a bamboozler even if it meant i had to quit the game I'm that bad with it xD, but that's a story for another day.

Yeah, i agree, the rapid blaster is at its best in Tower control, Rainmaker is average, the reason behind both these modes makes the Rapid play well (in my opinion) is because it's easy to predict where the enemy might be. And that's how blasters kinda work, i mean, as a blaster, you tend to shoot in the direction that you think your opponent might go right? As Playing towards the objective, it's easy to play the rapid blaster because you're simply preventing the enemy from gaining access to the road to victory (by that i mean you're blocking their path to the destination by clearing the tower, splatting the rain maker).

As for splatzones, now that you're defending an entire zone or two, it's a lot harder to guess where your bullets go. You can try and take out that E-litre silencing your team, but there's bound to be someone nearby to attack you. Not to mention that you shouldn't be inside your splatzone because if you get splatted, then it becomes easier for the enemy team to capture the zone. And the Rapid blaster isn't the best at taking zones. So the rapid becomes more of a "defensive" roaming weapon taking out any threat that might want to try and take the objective, But that's just my opinion on splatzones.

By no means i'm not the best with the Rapid Blaster, I'm still trying to understand the weapon, even as i've been through a lot with this weapon. So it's awesome that this weapon is getting more attention bit by bit!

A guide for this weapon would be really helpful too for anyone else wanting to learn the Rapid Blaster! So go for it i say!