Hello everyone, I'm here to help out you new squiddos and even some veterans out there on how to use my all-time main, Blasters. Yes Blasters, probably my favorite weapon type for two years now. I've been playing blasters in S+ in Splatoon 1 and 2, and I enjoy playing the weapon type in solo and in competitive settings.
Why do I enjoy the weapon type so much?
"WHAT!?" You may shout angrily reacting to my last statement, "Blasters are for those who simply cannot manage to aim, they're so OP they can kill me behind cover." "They can't possibly have a downside."
Being on the ground and firing as a blaster user makes your movement rival a statue and doesn't allow you to strafe your opponents shots. Which is annoying as it leaves you vulnerable to opponent's attacks. The old "Bunny Hop" is used to remedy that horrid mobility, as your air mobility isn't touched as much when you fire.
How do you do it?
Easy: Just Jump, fire the weapon (preferably in your splash damage range), and when you're done with the shot, go back into squid form, and repeat the process again.
This is probably the most iconic technique blasters utilize, and it's something that every blaster main should know how to do.
"The Follow Up":
Whenever you get splash damage with a blaster, that's cool and all, but most opponents aren't going to stay in place so you can kill them. Your opponents are likely going to run from the awesome might of your blaster. This is done by trying to predict where your opponent is going to run off to (most likely to some cover) So shoot in the location to where you think your opponent will be.
This is an intermediate technique that just introduces some tracking to blaster users, enabling them to follow their prey and get the kill before they heal and retaliate. This skill varies on what blaster you use. The standard rule is: If you have more range, you have to predict more, as your fire rate and travel time to get splash damage is variable using different blasters. So, for you Luna players out here, I wouldn't worry much about this skill.
An important thing to know about a blaster is its splash radius is limited to its range. It's unlike other weapons were the shots aren't affected by gravity. How do you take advantage of this? The way you perform this technique is somewhat like a bunny hop, except fire the shot right above you. That way, you can reach heights to where your blaster would previously not be able to hit.
Why is this useful? This technique helps blaster players take advantage of the blind spot players have when on top of a cliff. And instead of waiting for the prey to come down to you, you can simply reach up to harass them before they jump. Meanwhile, they cannot shoot you in return.
Blasters, as stated before have a rather slow time to kill when they try to go for two indirect blasts. This window of time is extremely exploitable, which can turn a blaster's ambush into a trade, or if you engage fairly and your first shot is an indirect, you will die to the opponent, unless they're using a charger.
But getting a direct hit changes all of this. A direct hit allows you to kill in one shot, meaning the only thing that is slowing your kill is the travel time on your blaster shot. Even the fastest killing weapons in the game can't compete with this mechanic, as most of them are out ranged by your direct or the weapon is just slow of the direct's killing speed. And with a blaster, every one of your shots has a one-shot potential.
What maneuvers can you do with a direct's one-shot potential?
These are some what advanced techniques and should be practiced before constant use on the battlefield.
This direct involves you when you are sharking. (when your team has more ink on the ground than the opponents, and having the objective in your team's hands as well) This is probably the easiest way to get a direct, as the prey comes to you, so you don't have to strain yourself by moving. So simply wait in a corner by a hallway of sorts, (Think of Port Mackerel's hallways that lead from the spawn) peek out from the right side, and when you can hit them with your range, one shot them in the face. Even if you don't get a direct, chances are you got splash damage, so you can quickly follow that up with another blast.
This is just a technique blasters should try to implement while sharking. While higher level players won't be as predictable in their movement, it's still effective to get a pick on the opponent while sharking. Just be wary of variables that could reveal you, like Haunt, autobombs, and point sensors.
This is a harder technique to use, and it's uses aren't applicable in every scenario, unlike a bunny hop, you probably won't do this to start the fight at hand, this a more defensive approach to direct the opponent.
"180?" You say. "But where are the 720s and the 1440s? I want to be Pr0 m8." Unfortunately, this isn't really a trickshot, because it's actually useful for combat, and this will be the most degrees you have to spin to get a target.
If you've got someone behind you, causing a ruckus, and they're after you now. Why put up with them when you can simply snap your camera back and shoot them in the face. These are rather difficult to do period, so getting these off consistently takes time. Don't be frustrated if you played the blaster for an hour, and didn't hit one yet.
This takes precise aim to do, but once mastered, you will become a fearsome force for flankers, as advantageouspositions for them quickly turn into a lost fight.
What is each Blaster good at? Why should you use this blaster over the other?
Why is this weapon not seen in every single game at least 4 times?
When I said "range" in that last description, that was an overstatement to say the least. Your range with the Luna blaster is abysmal, with weapons like the splattershot jr. And the splash-o-matic being able to out range you easily. Even though your 2-tap splash damage kills are fast, some weapons can still exploit you for that and kill you in between blasts.
What is the weapon's kit good for?
Honestly, splat bomb and Baller are a great combination for the Luna. Splat bomb helps the Luna zone out opponents amazingly well, as the Luna blaster by itself doesn’t have the range to pressure an opponent, but a thrown bomb can easily make up for that. Be wary though, without sub saver, you are reduced to only 3 more shots in your ink tank.
Baller on the Luna is a great addition as well. With a Baller, you are take on the fearsome form of a hamster ball, and roll towards your opponents. When you decide that rolling isn't cool anymore,you get a large circle of map control, much like how a rainmaker shield bursts. Why is this special so good for the Luna though? The circle of ink that is left behind is perfect for the Luna to finish off any survivors with a couple bunny hops. Plus, with Baller's durability, you can charge head first into opponents before releasing yourself. Just be wary that people can break the shield, and if there are like three foes waiting for you to get out, you already died.
These are the Original Blasters. Their blast range surpasses the Luna's in an exchange for a slower fire rate. The range is enough to bunny hop easily against tentateks, .52s and Tri-sloshers. Even though they require more aim than a Luna, they can actually chase their prey when they land a hit. A Luna can't really do that, as the opponent can swim away easily. Hypothetically, you can still do the same kills the Luna can, just with the requirement that you need to hit directs more. A lot more.
This blaster is pretty much the "Jack of all Trades" Blaster, not too weak in one area, but not too strong in another either. And unfortunately, being well rounded is not what a blaster is supposed to do. A blaster excels in certain fields and is awful in others. It’s just the nature of this weapon type. However, it doesn't mean this blaster can't perform good. This blaster can kill at ranges and speeds that only this blaster can hit. It's more or less the mentality of "Oh, I wish I had the X weapon in this situation, it would've been able to handle the situation easier". Just remember it's still a blaster and it can't turf to save it's life and the blasts are exploitable to rushing enemies.
What are the kits good for?
For the vanilla Blaster, (or Hero Blaster because you like the design), Toxic Mist and Splashdown are your sub and special weapons respectively. Toxic Mist is a great tool for supporting your teammates. But if you like preying on the weak, throw toxic mist behind your enemy, closing off their escape, and making them succumb to a couple bunny hops.
Splashdown is a nice addition to this blaster, as you can use it to cover your superjump, and while that's cool and all. You can use this as a source of turfing your ground, allowing you to engage much like how the Luna engages with a Baller, and if you catch someone take damage from this and not die, a quick bunny hop blast should finish them off, as you canreach the edges of the splash down with this blaster perfectly, to the point you question if this special was custom tailored for the OG blaster.
For the Custom Blaster, you have Autobombs and InkJet as your sub and special weapons. Autobombs are engineered to annoy any opponent who wants to hide in their own ink. Therefore, throwing them around to find people around corners is pretty beneficial. But, on the custom blaster, they can be used in tandem with your blast radius to annoy people on perches, and higher platforms. As throwing an autobomb will cause the opponent to scramble and make their way closer to your blaster.
Inkjet can do a similar function, allowing you to get up on perches and rain sweet justice from above. And since you can reach new heights with the inkjet, the opponents go from having high ground, to you having the high ground with one press of the right stick. Making the opponent having to aim upward at you and causing them to scramble around their 'previously' safe place.
Much like the trend with the Regular and Luna Blaster, in exchange for more range, you get a slower fire rate. But this is exactly what you want. As the weapon class is specialized to kill. And having all the tools for winning fights is a big plus. As you have the reliable 2 shot at medium range for fights against weapons like the splattershot pro, the .96, and the Slosher. Plus you have the ever threatening one shot direct if someone wants to get up close.
So why isn't this the most overpowered weapon ever? (according to my bias)
Even though it accents the strengths of a blaster, it accents the weaknesses too. This weapon cannot turf at all. It is abysmal, and it should never be used for turfing, unless you have nothing else to do. Also, it's really slow. If this weapon gets stuck in ink, it automatically dies because there's nothing it can do to remove itself from the situation. Finally, this blaster is by far the weakest to getting rushed down, as it always has to resort to the direct to get a kill in that situation. So if your aim is off for even a second, you will pay the consequences.
Inkstorm is again, useful for painting, allowing you to cover a zone pretty safely while you go looking for a kill or check for a flanker. But the real benefit of inkstorm on this weapon is the chip damage it produces. As opponents can get combo'd with a blast into rain as they try and run away. It's not a consistent way to get kills, but it certainly has it's moments.
DISCLAIMER: *This guide will be dealing with standard blasters (blasters that one shot), so the Rapid Blaster and Clash Blaster will not be featured. I might make a guide based on these two, but I need to build up some more knowledge about those. Sorry for any inconvenience*
Why do I enjoy the weapon type so much?
PROS:
- Blasters are masters of getting kills, they can devastate teams once mastered.
- They do not have to risk much to get a quick pick (or kill) against another team
- A direct hit completely one shots opponents, allowing to mitigate your slow killing speed.
- Blasters are also extremely good at killing stealth players who like to stay in squid form around corners, allowing you to locate a sneaky opponent before they can surprise you.
"WHAT!?" You may shout angrily reacting to my last statement, "Blasters are for those who simply cannot manage to aim, they're so OP they can kill me behind cover." "They can't possibly have a downside."
CONS:
- Blasters, while being amazing at killing, cannot turf ground to save their lives. A blaster user usually has to resort to their sub or special weapon to cover turf, which can be a huge deficit to a team when playing splat zones.
- A Blaster who has an opponent in the middle of their splash damage range, must go for a direct, which can be hard to aim at times.
- Blasters have an incredibly slow time to kill compared to shooters and other weapons, when they try to kill with only splash damage. Meaning in a fair fight where both opponents do not miss a shot, the blaster will almost always lose.
- Blasters do not have that much range, making long range users simply a nightmare for a blaster user to face head on.
- The Ink Economy on blasters are terrible. Only allowing a couple of shots an ink tank, and only 2 or 3 after using a sub weapon.
Common Blaster Techniques:
"The Bunny Hop":
Why do blaster users seem like they hate being on the ground?
Being on the ground and firing as a blaster user makes your movement rival a statue and doesn't allow you to strafe your opponents shots. Which is annoying as it leaves you vulnerable to opponent's attacks. The old "Bunny Hop" is used to remedy that horrid mobility, as your air mobility isn't touched as much when you fire.
How do you do it?
Easy: Just Jump, fire the weapon (preferably in your splash damage range), and when you're done with the shot, go back into squid form, and repeat the process again.
This is probably the most iconic technique blasters utilize, and it's something that every blaster main should know how to do.
"The Follow Up":
Whenever you get splash damage with a blaster, that's cool and all, but most opponents aren't going to stay in place so you can kill them. Your opponents are likely going to run from the awesome might of your blaster. This is done by trying to predict where your opponent is going to run off to (most likely to some cover) So shoot in the location to where you think your opponent will be.
This is an intermediate technique that just introduces some tracking to blaster users, enabling them to follow their prey and get the kill before they heal and retaliate. This skill varies on what blaster you use. The standard rule is: If you have more range, you have to predict more, as your fire rate and travel time to get splash damage is variable using different blasters. So, for you Luna players out here, I wouldn't worry much about this skill.
"The Stretch":
An important thing to know about a blaster is its splash radius is limited to its range. It's unlike other weapons were the shots aren't affected by gravity. How do you take advantage of this? The way you perform this technique is somewhat like a bunny hop, except fire the shot right above you. That way, you can reach heights to where your blaster would previously not be able to hit.
Why is this useful? This technique helps blaster players take advantage of the blind spot players have when on top of a cliff. And instead of waiting for the prey to come down to you, you can simply reach up to harass them before they jump. Meanwhile, they cannot shoot you in return.
Why you need to aim with a blaster:
Blasters, as stated before have a rather slow time to kill when they try to go for two indirect blasts. This window of time is extremely exploitable, which can turn a blaster's ambush into a trade, or if you engage fairly and your first shot is an indirect, you will die to the opponent, unless they're using a charger.
But getting a direct hit changes all of this. A direct hit allows you to kill in one shot, meaning the only thing that is slowing your kill is the travel time on your blaster shot. Even the fastest killing weapons in the game can't compete with this mechanic, as most of them are out ranged by your direct or the weapon is just slow of the direct's killing speed. And with a blaster, every one of your shots has a one-shot potential.
What maneuvers can you do with a direct's one-shot potential?
These are some what advanced techniques and should be practiced before constant use on the battlefield.
"The Standstill":
This direct involves you when you are sharking. (when your team has more ink on the ground than the opponents, and having the objective in your team's hands as well) This is probably the easiest way to get a direct, as the prey comes to you, so you don't have to strain yourself by moving. So simply wait in a corner by a hallway of sorts, (Think of Port Mackerel's hallways that lead from the spawn) peek out from the right side, and when you can hit them with your range, one shot them in the face. Even if you don't get a direct, chances are you got splash damage, so you can quickly follow that up with another blast.
This is just a technique blasters should try to implement while sharking. While higher level players won't be as predictable in their movement, it's still effective to get a pick on the opponent while sharking. Just be wary of variables that could reveal you, like Haunt, autobombs, and point sensors.
"The Dunk":
If you've got a flanker or you have someone charging straight towards you, try jumping over them and shooting directly below you. It takes some practice to hit consistently, and even when mastered it can still be hard to land. But the satisfying taste of being able to hit your opponent with one shot is amazing.
This is a harder technique to use, and it's uses aren't applicable in every scenario, unlike a bunny hop, you probably won't do this to start the fight at hand, this a more defensive approach to direct the opponent.
"The 180°":
"180?" You say. "But where are the 720s and the 1440s? I want to be Pr0 m8." Unfortunately, this isn't really a trickshot, because it's actually useful for combat, and this will be the most degrees you have to spin to get a target.
If you've got someone behind you, causing a ruckus, and they're after you now. Why put up with them when you can simply snap your camera back and shoot them in the face. These are rather difficult to do period, so getting these off consistently takes time. Don't be frustrated if you played the blaster for an hour, and didn't hit one yet.
This takes precise aim to do, but once mastered, you will become a fearsome force for flankers, as advantageouspositions for them quickly turn into a lost fight.
What is each Blaster good at? Why should you use this blaster over the other?
The Luna Blaster:
A blaster capable of shredding targets up close without much hesitation. It's fire rate is so fast, getting a direct isn't as important when playing this weapon. With this killing speed, firing at the tower with two blasts is fatal to any objective player not wearing ink armor. Anything within your range dies immediately if it's in front of you.
Why is this weapon not seen in every single game at least 4 times?
When I said "range" in that last description, that was an overstatement to say the least. Your range with the Luna blaster is abysmal, with weapons like the splattershot jr. And the splash-o-matic being able to out range you easily. Even though your 2-tap splash damage kills are fast, some weapons can still exploit you for that and kill you in between blasts.
What is the weapon's kit good for?
Honestly, splat bomb and Baller are a great combination for the Luna. Splat bomb helps the Luna zone out opponents amazingly well, as the Luna blaster by itself doesn’t have the range to pressure an opponent, but a thrown bomb can easily make up for that. Be wary though, without sub saver, you are reduced to only 3 more shots in your ink tank.
Baller on the Luna is a great addition as well. With a Baller, you are take on the fearsome form of a hamster ball, and roll towards your opponents. When you decide that rolling isn't cool anymore,you get a large circle of map control, much like how a rainmaker shield bursts. Why is this special so good for the Luna though? The circle of ink that is left behind is perfect for the Luna to finish off any survivors with a couple bunny hops. Plus, with Baller's durability, you can charge head first into opponents before releasing yourself. Just be wary that people can break the shield, and if there are like three foes waiting for you to get out, you already died.
The "OG" Blasters:
These are the Original Blasters. Their blast range surpasses the Luna's in an exchange for a slower fire rate. The range is enough to bunny hop easily against tentateks, .52s and Tri-sloshers. Even though they require more aim than a Luna, they can actually chase their prey when they land a hit. A Luna can't really do that, as the opponent can swim away easily. Hypothetically, you can still do the same kills the Luna can, just with the requirement that you need to hit directs more. A lot more.
This blaster is pretty much the "Jack of all Trades" Blaster, not too weak in one area, but not too strong in another either. And unfortunately, being well rounded is not what a blaster is supposed to do. A blaster excels in certain fields and is awful in others. It’s just the nature of this weapon type. However, it doesn't mean this blaster can't perform good. This blaster can kill at ranges and speeds that only this blaster can hit. It's more or less the mentality of "Oh, I wish I had the X weapon in this situation, it would've been able to handle the situation easier". Just remember it's still a blaster and it can't turf to save it's life and the blasts are exploitable to rushing enemies.
What are the kits good for?
For the vanilla Blaster, (or Hero Blaster because you like the design), Toxic Mist and Splashdown are your sub and special weapons respectively. Toxic Mist is a great tool for supporting your teammates. But if you like preying on the weak, throw toxic mist behind your enemy, closing off their escape, and making them succumb to a couple bunny hops.
Splashdown is a nice addition to this blaster, as you can use it to cover your superjump, and while that's cool and all. You can use this as a source of turfing your ground, allowing you to engage much like how the Luna engages with a Baller, and if you catch someone take damage from this and not die, a quick bunny hop blast should finish them off, as you canreach the edges of the splash down with this blaster perfectly, to the point you question if this special was custom tailored for the OG blaster.
For the Custom Blaster, you have Autobombs and InkJet as your sub and special weapons. Autobombs are engineered to annoy any opponent who wants to hide in their own ink. Therefore, throwing them around to find people around corners is pretty beneficial. But, on the custom blaster, they can be used in tandem with your blast radius to annoy people on perches, and higher platforms. As throwing an autobomb will cause the opponent to scramble and make their way closer to your blaster.
Inkjet can do a similar function, allowing you to get up on perches and rain sweet justice from above. And since you can reach new heights with the inkjet, the opponents go from having high ground, to you having the high ground with one press of the right stick. Making the opponent having to aim upward at you and causing them to scramble around their 'previously' safe place.
(at long last) THE RANGE BLASTER
If anyone knows of the horrors of what a good range blaster player can do, you have a reason to fear this weapon as soon as it enters the battlefield.
Much like the trend with the Regular and Luna Blaster, in exchange for more range, you get a slower fire rate. But this is exactly what you want. As the weapon class is specialized to kill. And having all the tools for winning fights is a big plus. As you have the reliable 2 shot at medium range for fights against weapons like the splattershot pro, the .96, and the Slosher. Plus you have the ever threatening one shot direct if someone wants to get up close.
So why isn't this the most overpowered weapon ever? (according to my bias)
Even though it accents the strengths of a blaster, it accents the weaknesses too. This weapon cannot turf at all. It is abysmal, and it should never be used for turfing, unless you have nothing else to do. Also, it's really slow. If this weapon gets stuck in ink, it automatically dies because there's nothing it can do to remove itself from the situation. Finally, this blaster is by far the weakest to getting rushed down, as it always has to resort to the direct to get a kill in that situation. So if your aim is off for even a second, you will pay the consequences.
What are the kits good for?
The vanilla range blaster kit comes with suction bombs and inkstorm. Suction bombs help space out the enemy even further away from you, and are good defensive tools Suction bombs also help the range blaster paint miscellaneous turf, but for 1v1 engagements, a suction bomb isn't going to help you much there. And the ink effiecency coupled with the range blaster's awful main ink usage isn't extremely helpful.Inkstorm is again, useful for painting, allowing you to cover a zone pretty safely while you go looking for a kill or check for a flanker. But the real benefit of inkstorm on this weapon is the chip damage it produces. As opponents can get combo'd with a blast into rain as they try and run away. It's not a consistent way to get kills, but it certainly has it's moments.
In Conclusion:
The blaster weapon series is among one of the most powerful arsenals in splatoon. Their capability to effectively zone out targets and neutralize them with a couple blasts is astounding. And the weapon even rewards you for having good aim by gifting you the power to one-shot opponents. Truly a frightening thought. However, blasters still have shortcomings. Their awful mobility and poor turfing power makes them extremely easy to prey on once in enemy territory. Hopefully, the tips and tricks in this guide will help you to enhance those strengths, and help remedy the weaknesses. Thank you for reading.
