Anyone else think chargers are the least viable class?

[HappyBear801]

Yeah, I can see that. I tried not to say definitively that more than 1 charger hurts your chances, but generally they do. Saltspray is a pretty unique stage though, so I can see unorthodox team compositions faring better on it.

I think that when it comes out, Camp Triggerfish will be a level where a team can win a Turf War with 2 or even 3 Chargers. There's sooo much advantageous high ground on the stage that can claim so much territory.

 

[meleesplatter]

http://www.mmcafe.com/nico.html#http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm26699020
If anything that's advantageous for chargers. They can easily fool opponents into thinking they've snuck by unnoticed by you (the charger) and they then become more comfortable and they let their guard down and then it's easy pickings for a good charger.

The laser sight can be useful for the psychological effect it has on the opponent, for example staring down one avenue with an opponent hiding behind
a wall while a teammate flanks.

 

[correojon]

The thing about chargers is that you depend a lot on your teammates to do the "real work". I mean, a good charger can dominate the whole enemy team, but his paint output will not be enough to paint the SplatZone. So if his teammates keep dying or doing stupid things, he will end with a very nice K/D ratio and a loss. It´s the same in Tower Control: the moment a Charger has to get on the tower he is loosing his biggest advantage, distance between him and the enemy, so even if he can get some kills from there and advance the tower a bit it won´t be long before someone gets him. A teammate must ride the tower so he can provide cover from a distance.

On higher ranks where almost everyone knows what they´re doing it´s very viable and fearful, but in lower ranks without the right teammates it isn´t enough to carry a team to victory.

 

[Recettear]

http://www.mmcafe.com/nico.html#http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm26699020
If anything that's advantageous for chargers. They can easily fool opponents into thinking they've snuck by unnoticed by you (the charger) and they then become more comfortable and they let their guard down and then it's easy pickings for a good charger.

Calling it an advantage is a bit of a stretch. I can see it being a good tool for mindgames and scaring opponents off certain areas, ala using it showing your position to your advantage, but at the end of the day what you're describing is a way of working around the disadvantages of the weapon. "You aim at the ground to the right of them so they get relaxed and you can snap to them," or, in a world where there wasn't a laser showing where you were aiming you wouldn't have to do that at all to get a kill. People wouldn't be aware of where you were aiming so you wouldn't have to deal with these mindgames to begin with. That's how snipers have typically worked in shooting games. This is just extra work to get the effect you'd normally get for free in other shooters, describing it as an advantage is misleading.

 

[Manta]

Calling it an advantage is a bit of a stretch. I can see it being a good tool for mindgames and scaring opponents off certain areas, ala using it showing your position to your advantage, but at the end of the day what you're describing is a way of working around the disadvantages of the weapon. "You aim at the ground to the right of them so they get relaxed and you can snap to them," or, in a world where there wasn't a laser showing where you were aiming you wouldn't have to do that at all to get a kill. People wouldn't be aware of where you were aiming so you wouldn't have to deal with these mindgames to begin with. That's how snipers have typically worked in shooting games. This is just extra work to get the effect you'd normally get for free in other shooters, describing it as an advantage is misleading.

but then they'd also be more cautions and it'd also be harder to get the kill and you couldn't snap them as easily. An advantage gained via mindgaming is still an advantage. I dunno 'bout you but in other shooters, I'm generally cautions of the fact that a sniper could be aiming at my head everywhere I go, with that mindgame, instead of wondering if they see me, I think they don't and then proceed to get out of squid form thinking I'm safe and start shooting making me an easy target to snap.

 

[Recettear]

but then they'd also be more cautions and it'd also be harder to get the kill and you couldn't snap them as easily. An advantage gained via mindgaming is still an advantage. I dunno 'bout you but in other shooters, I'm generally cautions of the fact that a sniper could be aiming at my head everywhere I go, with that mindgame, instead of wondering if they see me, I think they don't and then proceed to get out of squid form thinking I'm safe and start shooting making me an easy target to snap.

Still a stretch. The laser is a huge disadvantage no matter how you try to twist it. If I walk into a room and pronounce that I'm going to toss a rock somewhere into the room (I'm bad with analogies I know), just because I didn't tell you where I'm aiming it doesn't change the fact that I told you what I'm going to do and you're taking precautions towards it. You're aware of my presence the moment I aim in your general direction, and that completely removes the element of surprise generally associated with sniper rifles, which is also one of its biggest assets.

Just for the sake of further establishing my point, let me just explain for a moment what I do when I see a charger. Whenever I see a charger, the laser informs me of their position, and I just simply do not head anywhere within their range and line of fire, at all, and if I pop out to shoot I do so from behind cover. Maps typically provide plenty of cover. Even in the center of Arowana Mall there's a portion of cover behind the sign in the center that you can stand behind and shoot the walls to flank around from if there's a sniper covering the center. All you have to do to counter this is not head within their line of fire, and be quick on your feet when moving within it. That's how you deal with snipers holding down a position in other shooting games and that's how you do in this game as well. I think the mindgame stuff and whatnot is cool and all, but it still makes chargers in this game worse than snipers in almost any other given game.

Furthermore, (actually this is something I just realized after thinking for a bit), warding players off certain areas is still worse than players being unaware of your presence, walking into your line of fire and getting killed. Them being forced to flank around is still better for them than if they had walked out, died, and had to wait to respawn. Nothing about this weapon is good or beneficial. I literally can no longer think of any reason chargers accel over snipers in other games in any particular way, although they still serve their purpose well enough. You just have to work harder for a result that's less beneficial than the alternative.

 

[Inyo]

I have lost many, many games due to a good charger being on the Bad Guys and shutting us down totally, especially on the Rig where they can pick you off as you come down from your spawn area, even.

As for the laser, it is there for two reasons:

1) So that, in a third person shooter without aim assist, you can tell where you are shooting more easily than relying on the reticle which barely gives you any information about depth.

2) To balance out the Charger's power. All Chargers are one-hit-splat at full charge no matter where you hit the target (snipers in other games need headshots for that, usually). Without that laser, it would be way too difficult to counter something that is really, really strong, like if Bowser suddenly turned invisible and teleported around during his forward smash.

It does add the fun psychological effect to the Charger, as well, because dodging that laser is much more fun than dodging invisible death beams...of course, in bad lag, the laser could be behind you about two meters and then BOOM, you're laundry.

In summary, the Charger is very powerful in the right hands and very bad in the wrong hands. Just like several top-tier Smash characters I know...

 

[winner133]

In summary, the Charger is very powerful in the right hands and very bad in the wrong hands. Just like several top-tier Smash characters I know...

Sonic.... Shiek..... rosalina..... diddy kong!!!!!!

 

[Inyo]

Sonic.... Shiek..... rosalina..... diddy kong!!!!!!

I would add Villager to that list. A bad Villager (me) is garbage. A good one is a terrifying hellspawn.

Back to Splatoon, though! : P

 

[Feryn Hyrk]

Wait, i thought the laser was only on the regular chargers, weren't the ones with scopes laserless?

 

[Szion]

I wouldn't say Chargers are any less viable than other weapon types, but they hinge the most on good team support. You can have an absolutely amazing game with any kind of charger, if your team can't capitalize on that, it may end up being for naught. While it can certainly have varying degrees of utility on the basis of level and mode, a lot of weapons also contend with this, so I don't think this is a unique problem to chargers.

The exception to what I said above might be the Squiffer, due to its unique properties making it more of a mid-range weapon and playing completely unlike other chargers, but I'm not an expert on the weapon so I won't say anything definite.

that happens to be my main weapon. I find it to be the only charger that really functions well outside the splatterscope for turf war and splat zones. the rest dont seem to get anything done..

 

[Hinichii.ez.™]

Look at it this way, its not the ink brush.

 

[Mr_Destiny]

2) To balance out the Charger's power. All Chargers are one-hit-splat at full charge no matter where you hit the target (snipers in other games need headshots for that, usually). Without that laser, it would be way too difficult to counter something that is really, really strong[...]

I thought of that too as I was reading through all the replies. I'm sure I would almost never get Sniper kills in TF2 despite his infinite range and lack of laser sight. Sometimes I try to get a full charge while aiming at a wall and then peer around a corner and take out an enemy before they can react.

Another thing to keep in mind is the secondary and special weapons. Sometimes I've saved myself with Splat Bombs tossed into chokepoints, and a few times the Bomb Rush special has come in handy when my team's trying to siege the upper level on Saltspray.

I've played over thirty hours online almost exclusively with Chargers, so I definitely have room to improve, and now that I've thought about it more (and read all these replies--I didn't expect so many!), they seem much more viable to me now.

 

[Freelance Spy]

Least viable? Maybe...

Most satisfying? Absolutely.

I tend to do ridiculously well every game and oftentimes whether my team wins or not hinges on my ability.

I am a damn good sniper in this game. More so than any other shooter I've ever played.

I can consistently get 20-0 in ranked with my sniping on a good day. (In tower defense, the other modes tend to see me killed more often than not)

Even if chargers have the most weaknesses of all the weapons, it all hinges on player ability. Sure I often get outperformed by dynamos or .gals, but I've never seen a sniper do as well as me. So I feel like if you love sniping as much as I do and can back it up with skill you can be quite effective.

Less viable? No, they're massively powerful when given a good vantage point, and can ink big areas of turf.

Less versatile? Yes. You have less options when using a Charger, and you're not able to respond to changing situations as easily. They're good now, but I think they'll really come into their own in August, when we can plan ahead and there's less improvisation involved.

What happens in August and why am I so far out of the splatoon loop?

 

[River09]

As a charger main they certainly require a different way of using them. Going ahead gun blazing won't get you anywhere. They are primarily a support and hassling weapon. Long ranged chargers are insanely good at lock down with a good aim. Opponents will really have work to get past skilled chargers although its not like they can't play offensively either. They can really easily just break up enemy ink from a safe distance. Just watch out for your ink reserves.

Chargers have been called underpowered when that is simply not true. They just have the most blatant weakness; they suck close range. It might not always help to have more than one on a team though (except for maybe Mackerel, Arowana and Moray).

 

[Freelance Spy]

I have changed my opinion, I started watching videos and reading statistics and OVERNIGHT I've decided my weapon choice is much stronger than I had previously thought.

Not the best in the game, but certainly not deserving of this thread. In fact, I feel that soon people will see the need to have one on their team at all times. Or two, if you can find a squiffer user (Y'ALL SLEEPING ON ONE OF THE BEST WEAPONS HERE!)

I have said elsewhere that I liked the squiffer's different charger style, but now my theories have been confirmed by hard evidence you can find right here on the boards. Not to mention top players opinions on squiffers.

There are only 3 chargers in the game. (More or less). Liter for maximizing range and coverage. Squiffers for high mid range OHKOs and kiting, specials, etc. Then finally Scopes for being good all around, and a little better than that.

I feel stupid for not noticing my own results. Going 20-0 consistently is not possible with a bad or even mediocre weapon. In the right hands, a charger is a deadly force to be reckoned with.

 

[meleesplatter]

I have changed my opinion, I started watching videos and reading statistics and OVERNIGHT I've decided my weapon choice is much stronger than I had previously thought.

Not the best in the game, but certainly not deserving of this thread. In fact, I feel that soon people will see the need to have one on their team at all times. Or two, if you can find a squiffer user (Y'ALL SLEEPING ON ONE OF THE BEST WEAPONS HERE!)

I have said elsewhere that I liked the squiffer's different charger style, but now my theories have been confirmed by hard evidence you can find right here on the boards. Not to mention top players opinions on squiffers.

There are only 3 chargers in the game. (More or less). Liter for maximizing range and coverage. Squiffers for high mid range OHKOs and kiting, specials, etc. Then finally Scopes for being good all around, and a little better than that.

I feel stupid for not noticing my own results. Going 20-0 consistently is not possible with a bad or even mediocre weapon. In the right hands, a charger is a deadly force to be reckoned with.

The e-liter is not good at coverage (even though it's really good at hallways), because it's ink capacity is terrible.
The best charger for coverage is the squiffer due to it's charge speed and not using too much ink per shot.

 

[Freelance Spy]

The e-liter is not good at coverage (even though it's really good at hallways), because it's ink capacity is terrible.
The best charger for coverage is the squiffer due to it's charge speed and not using too much ink per shot.

Alright, when I said coverage I meant how much ink gets laid down in one shot. As you can block people's paths or cause people to stay away from areas they may need to be with the threat of an e liter.

Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with the terminology of competitive splatoon, so I didn't know the word coverage was being used for, well, coverage.

Maybe I'm just tired from staying up all night.

 

[Sol64]

Again, as much as snipers are satisfying, they're only as great as your team. Apart from the occasions where 3 snipers on a team somehow beat a bad team I happen to be on, a sniper is a support class and it only hinges on how good your team is.

From looking over the thread, all that I keep seeing is "I want to get a big K/D" when that portion isn't even recorded in the game itself and is only for internet glory (take your biggest K/D match and parade it as if how ALL your normal games go
Unless you happen to be in A rank rooms or higher, it isn't really worth using. Sure they can be annoying to face and may make you want to take it up but eventually you will see them losing because you're too busy tryin to kill other active people and the sniper is wondering how the heck there's no support (and it's funny to see snipers squirm at close range).

That said, whenever I try to snipe, I end up being the major target; people keep coming up to me and putting inkstrikes on my locations...

 

[Freelance Spy]

Again, as much as snipers are satisfying, they're only as great as your team. Apart from the occasions where 3 snipers on a team somehow beat a bad team I happen to be on, a sniper is a support class and it only hinges on how good your team is.

From looking over the thread, all that I keep seeing is "I want to get a big K/D" when that portion isn't even recorded in the game itself and is only for internet glory (take your biggest K/D match and parade it as if how ALL your normal games go
Unless you happen to be in A rank rooms or higher, it isn't really worth using. Sure they can be annoying to face and may make you want to take it up but eventually you will see them losing because you're too busy tryin to kill other active people and the sniper is wondering how the heck there's no support (and it's funny to see snipers squirm at close range).

That said, whenever I try to snipe, I end up being the major target; people keep coming up to me and putting inkstrikes on my locations...

Eh, the only weapons (good) snipers have trouble against are .gals or Squelchers. Call it a support class if you think long range OHKOs are not capable of not only carrying a team, but also being a serious mass killing threat.

Then again, since its wholly dependant on the skill of the sniper they are either the best or the worst thing at any given time. Rapid fire guns should always do good if not piloted by handicapped grandmas, so they are a more consistent threat obviously.

Whether a sniper is support or the star is also dependant on what game mode is being played. That should factor in as well.

My point is I should be able to do fantastic with 4 snipers on a team on a consistent basis. Create a crossfire scenario where we all have each other's backs...