Hi!
My IGN is Best At Me. I'm currently an A-ranked player who (mostly) plays roller.
This is my first guide ever, so bear this in mind when reading and sorry for the lack of pictures (I'm not that technical yet).
Ever since i've started playing Splatoon i found the roller to be great fun.
A lot of people complain about rollers being "op". But in reality, the rollers are designed according to the "Easy to learn, hard to master" philosophy.
Because it's very easy to just try to run over people, as I see many new people do. But that's not a very efficient way to play the roller. You got to know what you can and what you can't do. When you can go in for the kill and when you need to retreat.
In this guide I am going to share some tips and thoughts on how I believe the roller is best utilized and what roller, paired with what gear i find to be best.
First of all, what roller should you choose?
That's a question I can't answer for you. Every roller has it's own weaknesses and strengths. There is also a big difference in how you should be playing the different rollers. So theres no "best" roller. You just have to try them out and see what roller matches your playstyle best.
Personally I like the Krak-on roller or the Carbon roller.
Let's start with the Krak-on roller.
The Krak-on roller have satellites for sup weapon and kraken for special.
What role does the Krak-on roller fill?
The Krak-on roller is more of a supportive roller, since the satellites are great for your team. The satellites is very underrated since it's so important that your teammates can get to the battlefield fast. Though it's also important that they dont superjump to their death, so place the satellites in safe spots that's not too far from where the action is. Usually I place the satellites just around a corner, where it's easy for the enemy to pass them without seeing them.
When I play squadbattle with my team, I always pick the Krak-on roller, mostly because the satellites provide so good utility for the team.
The Kraken special weapon might seem like a really overpowered special at first glance, but if you know how to play against it, it will be one of the weaker specials in the game.
One of the downsides to it, is that the kraken can be pushed back if you shoot at it, making it close to useless. But what I like about it, is that it let's me overextend into enemy territory without dying. So if you get yourself into a bad spot, you can always use that kraken. Maybe you can get a kill or two, and then get out alive.
This is also why the Krak-on roller is a great weapon for flanking and ambushing,
becuase if you come from behind, chances are you'll get one or two kills before the enemy realise that you are there. And that's when you bust out the kraken.
If you play Tower Control you can also push the tower with the kraken. That means that you can get on the point, activate the kraken, and just lay on the point for some easy and safe pushing. The only thing to keep in mind is that the enemy can push you off the tower by shooting you.
A downside to the kraken is that it's very easy to juke. Let's say you're being chased by a kraken. All you have to do is lose line of seight with the kraken, and then stand still. The kraken will keep running the direction he think you ran. And a few seconds later, the kraken will wear off, and bam. The easiest kill of your life :)
In conclusion, the Krak-on roller is a very solid weapon with a easy-to-use kit. This is the roller I would recommend to new players, or players that want to learn how to master the roller.
Next up is the Carbon roller. The Carbon roller is an more advanced roller to master. It's high mobility makes it very easy to get around the map fast. But this high mobility comes with the price of reduced roll damage, because you can't oneshot people by rolling them over. When playing as the Carbon roller you have to rely a lot on playing sneaky. You can't extend far into enemy territory as you can with the Krak-on roller.
Of all the weapons in splatoon the Carbon roller is the weapon that kills an enemy the quickest, by 11 frames. This makes the Carbon roller a very powerful weapon if you have good reflexes. Because when you flick ink, you do it close to instantly.
The Carbon rollers supweapon is splatbombs and it's special is Inkzooka.
The splatbombs are nice for so many situations. The thing abouth splatbombs paired with the carbon roller is that there is so many effecient combinations to kill an enemy.
1) Flick ink on close range = enemy dead.
2) Flick ink at medium range + splatbomb = enemy dead.
3) Roll over someone + splatbomb = enemy dead.
4) Flick ink at medium range then roll them over = enemy dead.
5) 2 direct splatbombs (only if you are out of flick range) =enemy dead.
Well... I think you get it. The combinations of lethal combos are endless with the splatbombs.
They also have some utility purposes. If you suspect someone is hiding around a corner, throw a bomb first. You'll see/hear if you hit anyone.
The Inkzooka is probably one of the most powerful specials in the game IMO.
If you have a good aim, and know where the enemy is, you can easily wipe out the whole enemy team.
What abilities to go for?
When playing as the roller, ink-resistance on shoes is a must. It really helps you not being pinned down by enemy shooting at the ground around you.
For the 2 other mains I recommend cold blooded, as echolocator is one of your worst enemies as a roller. You have to rely on being sneaky, so if the enemy know exactly where you are you'll be dead in no time.
For the last main ability you should go for Special charge up, as it fills up the special gauge 10% faster.
These abilities are pretty good for all of the rollers.
For the sup abilities you should go for whatever you like the most. But DO NOT get damage up or runspeed up, because most of your attacks will kill in one shot anyway, and when you roll with the roller, you have have a fixed speed. Runspeed up won't make you roll any faster.
And remember, in Splatoon there is diminishing returns, which essentially means that the more of the same abilities you have, the weaker each ability will be.
But that's something that you can find a lot of information about on youtube or google, so I will not go too much into detail on that one.
General tips and strategies
As mentioned earlier in this guide you have to rely on being sneaky. You can't
charge directly at the enemy, as you'll die in no time. I see too many people doing this. You have to find a way around the enemy team, so that you can flank them or come from behind.
A thing i like to do (which seems to be pretty effective) is to rush to the left (or right) middle of the map as soon as the game starts. When i get there i try to spot where the enemy sniper or other longrange weapon is, and go directly for them. If i succeed in killing one or two of the enemies without dying, i typically see if my team got the remaining two. If not, go kill them... If they kill the remaining two i rush to their base and camp in a corner (a bit boring, i know, but in the end, it's about winning). Here I'll wait for them to pass by. Patience is key here. Because if the enemy team spawn at the same time, you dont just wanna kill the first person you see... You wanna wait for the last man to pass before you get those easy-peasy four kills.
Why is camping in a corner such a safe way and effective way to win the game? Because if you play splat zones and your team got the zone(s), the enemy team will rush directly to the battlefield without thinking two times about a pesky roller lurking in a corner.
Though it's fun to kill enemies and have a beast score, you also have to play the objective. It doesn't matter if you go 20-5 if your team loses big on you just camping the enemy in cheeky spots. You have to be a teamplayer.
Another thing I've noticed is that some players like to just run to the enemy base and gain turf. And that's fine in turfwar, but when you play towercontrol and the enemy is
near your base, it doesn't matter if you claimed a lot of turf near the enemy base thinking, "this area is sooo ready for when my team pushes back the tower". Because your team will stand no chance 3v4 and lose in an instant...
A third thing I've noticed a lot of players do, is that they just try to roll people over. That's fine if they have not spotted you. But as soon as the enemy see you try to roll them over, you shouldn't continously try to run the enemy over. You should either flick ink and hope for a kill before you die, or retreat. Never keep going at them while rolling.
Any feedback, corrections or things to add is welcome. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me about it.
Thanks for reading.
My IGN is Best At Me. I'm currently an A-ranked player who (mostly) plays roller.
This is my first guide ever, so bear this in mind when reading and sorry for the lack of pictures (I'm not that technical yet).
Ever since i've started playing Splatoon i found the roller to be great fun.
A lot of people complain about rollers being "op". But in reality, the rollers are designed according to the "Easy to learn, hard to master" philosophy.
Because it's very easy to just try to run over people, as I see many new people do. But that's not a very efficient way to play the roller. You got to know what you can and what you can't do. When you can go in for the kill and when you need to retreat.
In this guide I am going to share some tips and thoughts on how I believe the roller is best utilized and what roller, paired with what gear i find to be best.
First of all, what roller should you choose?
That's a question I can't answer for you. Every roller has it's own weaknesses and strengths. There is also a big difference in how you should be playing the different rollers. So theres no "best" roller. You just have to try them out and see what roller matches your playstyle best.
Personally I like the Krak-on roller or the Carbon roller.
Let's start with the Krak-on roller.
The Krak-on roller have satellites for sup weapon and kraken for special.
What role does the Krak-on roller fill?
The Krak-on roller is more of a supportive roller, since the satellites are great for your team. The satellites is very underrated since it's so important that your teammates can get to the battlefield fast. Though it's also important that they dont superjump to their death, so place the satellites in safe spots that's not too far from where the action is. Usually I place the satellites just around a corner, where it's easy for the enemy to pass them without seeing them.
When I play squadbattle with my team, I always pick the Krak-on roller, mostly because the satellites provide so good utility for the team.
The Kraken special weapon might seem like a really overpowered special at first glance, but if you know how to play against it, it will be one of the weaker specials in the game.
One of the downsides to it, is that the kraken can be pushed back if you shoot at it, making it close to useless. But what I like about it, is that it let's me overextend into enemy territory without dying. So if you get yourself into a bad spot, you can always use that kraken. Maybe you can get a kill or two, and then get out alive.
This is also why the Krak-on roller is a great weapon for flanking and ambushing,
becuase if you come from behind, chances are you'll get one or two kills before the enemy realise that you are there. And that's when you bust out the kraken.
If you play Tower Control you can also push the tower with the kraken. That means that you can get on the point, activate the kraken, and just lay on the point for some easy and safe pushing. The only thing to keep in mind is that the enemy can push you off the tower by shooting you.
A downside to the kraken is that it's very easy to juke. Let's say you're being chased by a kraken. All you have to do is lose line of seight with the kraken, and then stand still. The kraken will keep running the direction he think you ran. And a few seconds later, the kraken will wear off, and bam. The easiest kill of your life :)
In conclusion, the Krak-on roller is a very solid weapon with a easy-to-use kit. This is the roller I would recommend to new players, or players that want to learn how to master the roller.
Next up is the Carbon roller. The Carbon roller is an more advanced roller to master. It's high mobility makes it very easy to get around the map fast. But this high mobility comes with the price of reduced roll damage, because you can't oneshot people by rolling them over. When playing as the Carbon roller you have to rely a lot on playing sneaky. You can't extend far into enemy territory as you can with the Krak-on roller.
Of all the weapons in splatoon the Carbon roller is the weapon that kills an enemy the quickest, by 11 frames. This makes the Carbon roller a very powerful weapon if you have good reflexes. Because when you flick ink, you do it close to instantly.
The Carbon rollers supweapon is splatbombs and it's special is Inkzooka.
The splatbombs are nice for so many situations. The thing abouth splatbombs paired with the carbon roller is that there is so many effecient combinations to kill an enemy.
1) Flick ink on close range = enemy dead.
2) Flick ink at medium range + splatbomb = enemy dead.
3) Roll over someone + splatbomb = enemy dead.
4) Flick ink at medium range then roll them over = enemy dead.
5) 2 direct splatbombs (only if you are out of flick range) =enemy dead.
Well... I think you get it. The combinations of lethal combos are endless with the splatbombs.
They also have some utility purposes. If you suspect someone is hiding around a corner, throw a bomb first. You'll see/hear if you hit anyone.
The Inkzooka is probably one of the most powerful specials in the game IMO.
If you have a good aim, and know where the enemy is, you can easily wipe out the whole enemy team.
What abilities to go for?
When playing as the roller, ink-resistance on shoes is a must. It really helps you not being pinned down by enemy shooting at the ground around you.
For the 2 other mains I recommend cold blooded, as echolocator is one of your worst enemies as a roller. You have to rely on being sneaky, so if the enemy know exactly where you are you'll be dead in no time.
For the last main ability you should go for Special charge up, as it fills up the special gauge 10% faster.
These abilities are pretty good for all of the rollers.
For the sup abilities you should go for whatever you like the most. But DO NOT get damage up or runspeed up, because most of your attacks will kill in one shot anyway, and when you roll with the roller, you have have a fixed speed. Runspeed up won't make you roll any faster.
And remember, in Splatoon there is diminishing returns, which essentially means that the more of the same abilities you have, the weaker each ability will be.
But that's something that you can find a lot of information about on youtube or google, so I will not go too much into detail on that one.
General tips and strategies
As mentioned earlier in this guide you have to rely on being sneaky. You can't
charge directly at the enemy, as you'll die in no time. I see too many people doing this. You have to find a way around the enemy team, so that you can flank them or come from behind.
A thing i like to do (which seems to be pretty effective) is to rush to the left (or right) middle of the map as soon as the game starts. When i get there i try to spot where the enemy sniper or other longrange weapon is, and go directly for them. If i succeed in killing one or two of the enemies without dying, i typically see if my team got the remaining two. If not, go kill them... If they kill the remaining two i rush to their base and camp in a corner (a bit boring, i know, but in the end, it's about winning). Here I'll wait for them to pass by. Patience is key here. Because if the enemy team spawn at the same time, you dont just wanna kill the first person you see... You wanna wait for the last man to pass before you get those easy-peasy four kills.
Why is camping in a corner such a safe way and effective way to win the game? Because if you play splat zones and your team got the zone(s), the enemy team will rush directly to the battlefield without thinking two times about a pesky roller lurking in a corner.
Though it's fun to kill enemies and have a beast score, you also have to play the objective. It doesn't matter if you go 20-5 if your team loses big on you just camping the enemy in cheeky spots. You have to be a teamplayer.
Another thing I've noticed is that some players like to just run to the enemy base and gain turf. And that's fine in turfwar, but when you play towercontrol and the enemy is
near your base, it doesn't matter if you claimed a lot of turf near the enemy base thinking, "this area is sooo ready for when my team pushes back the tower". Because your team will stand no chance 3v4 and lose in an instant...
A third thing I've noticed a lot of players do, is that they just try to roll people over. That's fine if they have not spotted you. But as soon as the enemy see you try to roll them over, you shouldn't continously try to run the enemy over. You should either flick ink and hope for a kill before you die, or retreat. Never keep going at them while rolling.
Any feedback, corrections or things to add is welcome. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me about it.
Thanks for reading.
But i don't think that the dmg up help you very much, as the carbon roller typically kill on 2 flicks anyway. You have to be pretty far away to not kill in 2 flicks. And if you are so, you're much better off to pick a different fight, or find another angle to attack from.
And for the splatbombs. They doesn't change the amount of splatbombs it takes to kill an enemy. It might amp up the splash dmg, but i find many other abilities to be much more usefull.