INTRODUCTION:
Hey there everyone! It seems like there is a lot of confusion regarding the general rules of splat zones, specifically around the timing, so I thought I’d make a guide on the rules and general strategies around our first Ranked Mode in Splatoon.
MODE OVERVIEW:
Type: Ranked King of the Hill
Players: 8 (4v4)
Maximum Match Length: 5 minutes + Overtime
Victory: Knockout (timer counts to 0, 2000-4000p reward); Time Expires (lowest timer wins, variable reward + win bonus)
Rules are as follows:
STRATEGY:
Unlike Turf Wars, Splat Zones has a greater emphasis on splatting other players, as control is fought over a very small area of the map rather than the entire thing. It does not matter how much of the map you fill in, so don’t bother coating your own base. Focus instead on getting to the zone as quickly as possible and begin filling it in or stopping your opponents from doing the same. Each map is very different so make sure you take time to think about how you can maintain control over your opponent’s access to the splat zone.
Think about the bottlenecks on each map…where will your opponents be forced to come from? For example, on Urchin Underpass, your opponents have 3 paths of entry from their base. A primary path, and two secondary, elevated paths. Where can you hide and take them out from as they advance on the splat zone? Getting behind your opponents as they make a push is a very effective strategy. It’s a lot easier to find little corners since the focus on the splat zone leaves many places untouched by enemy ink.
Are there any places that you can go to get ink into the splat zone without endangering yourself? Can you shoot it off a cliff or over a wall? Is there an effective place to put a sprinkler or ink mine to keep control of the zone during battle?
Above all, if you don’t see any opponents, or better yet you’ve splatted them all, make sure the zone is as free of enemy ink as possible. Every tenth of a percent counts, don’t leave them any advantage when they come back with a vengeance.
For individual map strategies, take a look at my guides, which I will try to roll out once a week during the launch window, and a week after a new map is unveiled for the forseeable future.
WEAPONS:
Shooters: The kings of this particular game mode, in my opinion. The splat zone is a big rectangle, so covering it with a shooter is pretty easy. Also, shooters are by far the most versatile fighting weapon for this mode, as the splat zone often forces up close and personal confrontations. This is entirely up to personal preference, but I prefer the Aerospray RG. It's terrible in CQC, unless your opponents stink, but for taking territory quickly its brilliant. Plus the special builds up so quick you can spam inkstrikes all over the place.
Chargers: Great weapons for this mode, assuming you can find a place where you can shoot and not be shot at. Thus, it depends greatly on the map whether or not chargers are more or less effective than shooters. Some maps, like Saltspray Rig, have lots of verticality for Chargers to use. Others, like Walleye Warehouse, don’t really play well to the strengths of the weapon. I like the Kelp Splattershot.
Rollers: You’re not trying to cover a substantial area at once, and since the fighting is so fierce in a small area, you’ll need a lot of team support to make this weapon work. You can take a splat zone super quick on most maps, providing that you’re not splatted like the easy straight moving target that you are while you’re rolling. It’s definitely not a bad idea to have one on the team, but any more than that is a liability if skill level between teams is equal. There is only one roller worth using, and that’s the Krak-on Roller. KRAK KRAK MOTHERF***ERS.
Having recently tried out, and subsequently fallen in love with, the Gold Dynamo Roller I must also give a recommendation for you to at least try it out. It lets loose a torrent of ink that is impossible to escape.
SUBS:
Splat Bomb, Suction Bomb, Burst Bomb, Disruptor: These four are entirely up to personal preference, If you like splatting dudes with them and you’re super-efficient with them, then go for it. Otherwise, there are better options.
Seeker: Very map dependent. Could be great, could be useless.
Squid Beacon: Also very map dependent, if you can find a place near the splat zone to put one down in case you need to counter-attack, do it!
Ink Mine: Awesome for maintaining control. Look for great places to put these in the splat zone to kill rollers, and sneak up to elevated places where your opponents like to sit to keep them occupied.
Sprinkler: Fantastic depending on the map. Amazing in controlling one of the zones in Blackbelly Skatepark, great perch for the Kelp Splattershot too. Place the sprinkler on an elevated location to protect it from enemy fire!
Everything else: Don’t bother. Splash Walls are good on the chokepoint on Saltspray Rig, but nothing else. Not great for multimap rotations.
SPECIALS:
Anything you like using really. Inkstrikes are great for just straight up taking control of a territory, killing campers, and forcing a zone to become Contested right before the end of a match to put it into overtime. Bubblers are OP, Killer Wails are great for just straight clearing a zone. Echolocator is good for finding enemies waiting in ambush. Kraken is life. Inkzooka and Bomb Rush are meh in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat really.
That’s it for the guide! I hope you found it useful. Any feedback or additional strategies are appreciated. Happy Inking!
Hey there everyone! It seems like there is a lot of confusion regarding the general rules of splat zones, specifically around the timing, so I thought I’d make a guide on the rules and general strategies around our first Ranked Mode in Splatoon.
MODE OVERVIEW:
Type: Ranked King of the Hill
Players: 8 (4v4)
Maximum Match Length: 5 minutes + Overtime
Victory: Knockout (timer counts to 0, 2000-4000p reward); Time Expires (lowest timer wins, variable reward + win bonus)
Rules are as follows:
- Near the center of each map there is a rectangular indicator that surrounds an area called a Splat Zone
- The Splat Zone has 4 possible states: Empty (at the start of the match), Contested, Friendly Controlled, and Enemy Controlled
- When the splat zone is ~80% inked in one teams color, the rest of the zone will fill in and that team is said to Control the Zone
- If a team inks 50% of an Enemy Controlled Zone, that zone becomes Contested and the countdown timer ceases to move.
- If the zone is controlled until a team’s Primary Timer in the center of the screen counts down to 0 from 100 seconds, that team Wins by Knockout.
- If, after the Maximum Match Length of 5 minutes has passed and no team’s timer has reached zero, the game will go into overtime as long as the zone remains Contested + 10 seconds. If the Zone is Controlled at the end of the match, the team with the lowest timer wins.
- If a team gains Control of the Zone from the enemy team, then a Secondary timer will appear underneath the enemy team’s Primary Timer. This number a scaling percentage of the difference between the Primary Timers of both teams.
- E.g. if Team A has 1 second left on the Primary Timer when Team B, who has 100 seconds left on the Primary Timer, takes Control of the Zone, a 70 second Secondary Timer will appear under team A’s Primary Timer. If the difference were smaller, a larger percentage of the difference would be used.
- If a team has a Secondary Timer, this time will resume counting down if that team gains control of the zone.
- A team with a Secondary Timer must Control the Zone until it counts down to zero (not precisely seconds, it moves faster) before the Primary Timer will resume its countdown.
STRATEGY:
Unlike Turf Wars, Splat Zones has a greater emphasis on splatting other players, as control is fought over a very small area of the map rather than the entire thing. It does not matter how much of the map you fill in, so don’t bother coating your own base. Focus instead on getting to the zone as quickly as possible and begin filling it in or stopping your opponents from doing the same. Each map is very different so make sure you take time to think about how you can maintain control over your opponent’s access to the splat zone.
Think about the bottlenecks on each map…where will your opponents be forced to come from? For example, on Urchin Underpass, your opponents have 3 paths of entry from their base. A primary path, and two secondary, elevated paths. Where can you hide and take them out from as they advance on the splat zone? Getting behind your opponents as they make a push is a very effective strategy. It’s a lot easier to find little corners since the focus on the splat zone leaves many places untouched by enemy ink.
Are there any places that you can go to get ink into the splat zone without endangering yourself? Can you shoot it off a cliff or over a wall? Is there an effective place to put a sprinkler or ink mine to keep control of the zone during battle?
Above all, if you don’t see any opponents, or better yet you’ve splatted them all, make sure the zone is as free of enemy ink as possible. Every tenth of a percent counts, don’t leave them any advantage when they come back with a vengeance.
For individual map strategies, take a look at my guides, which I will try to roll out once a week during the launch window, and a week after a new map is unveiled for the forseeable future.
WEAPONS:
Shooters: The kings of this particular game mode, in my opinion. The splat zone is a big rectangle, so covering it with a shooter is pretty easy. Also, shooters are by far the most versatile fighting weapon for this mode, as the splat zone often forces up close and personal confrontations. This is entirely up to personal preference, but I prefer the Aerospray RG. It's terrible in CQC, unless your opponents stink, but for taking territory quickly its brilliant. Plus the special builds up so quick you can spam inkstrikes all over the place.
Chargers: Great weapons for this mode, assuming you can find a place where you can shoot and not be shot at. Thus, it depends greatly on the map whether or not chargers are more or less effective than shooters. Some maps, like Saltspray Rig, have lots of verticality for Chargers to use. Others, like Walleye Warehouse, don’t really play well to the strengths of the weapon. I like the Kelp Splattershot.
Rollers: You’re not trying to cover a substantial area at once, and since the fighting is so fierce in a small area, you’ll need a lot of team support to make this weapon work. You can take a splat zone super quick on most maps, providing that you’re not splatted like the easy straight moving target that you are while you’re rolling. It’s definitely not a bad idea to have one on the team, but any more than that is a liability if skill level between teams is equal. There is only one roller worth using, and that’s the Krak-on Roller. KRAK KRAK MOTHERF***ERS.
Having recently tried out, and subsequently fallen in love with, the Gold Dynamo Roller I must also give a recommendation for you to at least try it out. It lets loose a torrent of ink that is impossible to escape.
SUBS:
Splat Bomb, Suction Bomb, Burst Bomb, Disruptor: These four are entirely up to personal preference, If you like splatting dudes with them and you’re super-efficient with them, then go for it. Otherwise, there are better options.
Seeker: Very map dependent. Could be great, could be useless.
Squid Beacon: Also very map dependent, if you can find a place near the splat zone to put one down in case you need to counter-attack, do it!
Ink Mine: Awesome for maintaining control. Look for great places to put these in the splat zone to kill rollers, and sneak up to elevated places where your opponents like to sit to keep them occupied.
Sprinkler: Fantastic depending on the map. Amazing in controlling one of the zones in Blackbelly Skatepark, great perch for the Kelp Splattershot too. Place the sprinkler on an elevated location to protect it from enemy fire!
Everything else: Don’t bother. Splash Walls are good on the chokepoint on Saltspray Rig, but nothing else. Not great for multimap rotations.
SPECIALS:
Anything you like using really. Inkstrikes are great for just straight up taking control of a territory, killing campers, and forcing a zone to become Contested right before the end of a match to put it into overtime. Bubblers are OP, Killer Wails are great for just straight clearing a zone. Echolocator is good for finding enemies waiting in ambush. Kraken is life. Inkzooka and Bomb Rush are meh in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat really.
That’s it for the guide! I hope you found it useful. Any feedback or additional strategies are appreciated. Happy Inking!
