Hi there, Rapid Blaster has been my favorite weapon ever since I got the abilities needed for it(read below) and now it is my dedicated main weapon when playing online, I could say it's pretty underestimated and rarely do I see players use it correctly. I'm currently A rank by using the Blaster and it's brothers.
This will be quite long, but it should cover most of what you need to know about it and get started. (Booya!)
[Advantages]
Damage:
To start, the core abilities you MUST get with Rapid Blasters is 3 Damage Up Mains and at LEAST 4+ Damage Up Subs. The reason for this is that instead of having the regular 3-5 hits per kill on splash damage without the Damage Ups, you now have an increase of 2-3 hits per kill on splash which is significantly better, so the more subs the better. Also tested it in the training room where having 3 Damage Up Subs rarely left the 49.0 damage benchmark (damage is random as Blaster weapons tend to shoot around the area) while having 4+ of them rarely left the 50.0 damage benchmark. This could be vital as it can be the difference between getting sent to oblivion... or getting away with a smile in your face when you lived and squished your enemy .w. (TL;DR get 3 Main 4+ Subs Dmg Ups, you will kill them fast)
Also, for those of you concerned about users with Defense Ups, in my experience, they are quite the counter to this. That is why I recommend having 4+ Subs so that you don't fear the worst.
Range:
Oho, do these things have quite the range, in fact, they are Thee Blasters that out-range their brothers and quite a few other weapons. Use this to your advantage when dueling by positioning yourself by using about the max range of it or looking up to the sun and shooting where enemies stand on platforms. The range is beyond amazing in Tower Control as you can shoot behind the tower in stages such as "Port Mackerel" and "Saltspray Rig", be sure to watch out for assassins on the sides of the area.
Walls:
As much as these can be of you're disadvantage, they can be to your advantage. Shoot beside them "Repetitively", seriously, they will score you kills. Don't be disappointed if you're being annoying or feeling n00by, you want to be annoying and how are you a nub for using such a underrated weapon? You will be scoring kills never before by shooting behind walls. Be sure to aim carefully, you don't want to miss an opportunity just because you were to close to a wall. Here's the some pictures for a better understanding:
"Rapid Blaster" or "Rapid Blaster Deco"?:
Imo, Rapid Blaster. But I guess it depends on which mode you're in. In ranked, Rapid Blaster is great in both Splat Zones and Tower Control while the Deco can be a better use on Splat Zones due to it's special and bombs being objective friendly. Deco doesn't have much use in Tower Control, but hey if you like using the thing go for it. I will always stick with the regular Rapid Blaster. The Rapid Blaster bubble special will help you on both modes, my favorite time to use it the special is when I pin myself on the wall post of the tower in Tower Control when in a tight area such as in Port Mackerel. pic:
[Disadvatages]
Abilities:
You don't Really get to get to gear/socket yourself with different abilities when use these cute things, it makes them somewhat garbage without the Damage Ups. I mean with Rapid Blaster Deco, you can try 2 Ink Saver (Sub) to do a fancy bomb and normal shot combo to kill and save some ink, or you can slot in a Tenacity with Special Charge Up to give them a little taste of Suction Bomb city, just remember to hold ZL while shooting the bombs.
Close Combat:
Along with the Blaster family (bar short ranged Blasters such as Luna Blaster), they are beyond horrible when you're neck to neck with the enemy. Chargers are more safe then these things. IF you ever find yourself in this position, Bomb where you're standing, and hope you can duel the opponent close range.
Bombs:
Splat Bombs and other bombs will give you hell, weapons dedicated to using bombs to aid them can be annoying when trying to shoot with the max range your Blaster shot can handle. If you're using the Deco, try to combo them with a suction bomb and a shot or try to find a safer place to shoot them down.
[Tips]
edit#1: adding pictures very soon for clairity!!! :D
edit#2: pictures have been added!
edit#3: Guide has been re-created here from the original thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/3e18p9/how_to_dominate_with_the_underated_powerhouse/ ) for preference, enjoy .w. b
This will be quite long, but it should cover most of what you need to know about it and get started. (Booya!)
[Advantages]
Damage:
To start, the core abilities you MUST get with Rapid Blasters is 3 Damage Up Mains and at LEAST 4+ Damage Up Subs. The reason for this is that instead of having the regular 3-5 hits per kill on splash damage without the Damage Ups, you now have an increase of 2-3 hits per kill on splash which is significantly better, so the more subs the better. Also tested it in the training room where having 3 Damage Up Subs rarely left the 49.0 damage benchmark (damage is random as Blaster weapons tend to shoot around the area) while having 4+ of them rarely left the 50.0 damage benchmark. This could be vital as it can be the difference between getting sent to oblivion... or getting away with a smile in your face when you lived and squished your enemy .w. (TL;DR get 3 Main 4+ Subs Dmg Ups, you will kill them fast)
Also, for those of you concerned about users with Defense Ups, in my experience, they are quite the counter to this. That is why I recommend having 4+ Subs so that you don't fear the worst.
Range:
Oho, do these things have quite the range, in fact, they are Thee Blasters that out-range their brothers and quite a few other weapons. Use this to your advantage when dueling by positioning yourself by using about the max range of it or looking up to the sun and shooting where enemies stand on platforms. The range is beyond amazing in Tower Control as you can shoot behind the tower in stages such as "Port Mackerel" and "Saltspray Rig", be sure to watch out for assassins on the sides of the area.
Walls:
As much as these can be of you're disadvantage, they can be to your advantage. Shoot beside them "Repetitively", seriously, they will score you kills. Don't be disappointed if you're being annoying or feeling n00by, you want to be annoying and how are you a nub for using such a underrated weapon? You will be scoring kills never before by shooting behind walls. Be sure to aim carefully, you don't want to miss an opportunity just because you were to close to a wall. Here's the some pictures for a better understanding:
"Rapid Blaster" or "Rapid Blaster Deco"?:
Imo, Rapid Blaster. But I guess it depends on which mode you're in. In ranked, Rapid Blaster is great in both Splat Zones and Tower Control while the Deco can be a better use on Splat Zones due to it's special and bombs being objective friendly. Deco doesn't have much use in Tower Control, but hey if you like using the thing go for it. I will always stick with the regular Rapid Blaster. The Rapid Blaster bubble special will help you on both modes, my favorite time to use it the special is when I pin myself on the wall post of the tower in Tower Control when in a tight area such as in Port Mackerel. pic:
[Disadvatages]
Abilities:
You don't Really get to get to gear/socket yourself with different abilities when use these cute things, it makes them somewhat garbage without the Damage Ups. I mean with Rapid Blaster Deco, you can try 2 Ink Saver (Sub) to do a fancy bomb and normal shot combo to kill and save some ink, or you can slot in a Tenacity with Special Charge Up to give them a little taste of Suction Bomb city, just remember to hold ZL while shooting the bombs.
Close Combat:
Along with the Blaster family (bar short ranged Blasters such as Luna Blaster), they are beyond horrible when you're neck to neck with the enemy. Chargers are more safe then these things. IF you ever find yourself in this position, Bomb where you're standing, and hope you can duel the opponent close range.
Bombs:
Splat Bombs and other bombs will give you hell, weapons dedicated to using bombs to aid them can be annoying when trying to shoot with the max range your Blaster shot can handle. If you're using the Deco, try to combo them with a suction bomb and a shot or try to find a safer place to shoot them down.
[Tips]
- Rapid Blasters are supportive weapons, they enjoy tagging up with your teammates (if any LOLOLOL) as the damage can help them score a kill.
- Don't go Rambo and solo everyone when everyone of your teams died off, this hardly ever works, only do this when you're really feeling it. You're better off waiting for everyone or a few of your teammates respond.
- Don't hide/assassinate, always be an active fox (or squid for that matter) as trying to be an assassin will most likely make it hard to position yourself and scoring a kill. This will make you faceroll when the enemy makes a fool of you, try this with Rollers/Brushes, they're quite the assassins.
- Don't jump shoot the enemy, as much as I love doing this (and really love doing this with blasters <3), their firing rate isn't quite suited for this. Only jump shoot when you're trying to help your team reach the main area at the start of the match, jump and not jumping is pretty much the same when the area isn't covered in ink.
- Have fun, experimenting with different weapons can be both difficult and fun, even you know it might be hard learning different weapons and you're off using the weapon you're used to. We all know inside that with the proper use of your weapon, you can be a monster that enemy team is terrified at.
- Blasters are not recommended for beginners, they're really quite difficult to use in general, start using it once you played an experienced Blaster user. (might not be Rapid Blasters though as very few use it)
- Walls are your enemies, avoid them unless you're trying to climb them.
- Place them mines.
- In Tower Control, look for opportunities to pin yourself to the wall of the tower ( ), in positions such as this keep on shooting at enemies, remember to place an Ink Mine for full protection of the tower.
edit#1: adding pictures very soon for clairity!!! :D
edit#2: pictures have been added!
edit#3: Guide has been re-created here from the original thread (https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/3e18p9/how_to_dominate_with_the_underated_powerhouse/ ) for preference, enjoy .w. b
