Custom Hydra Splatling: Analysis and Thoughts

[Award]

Very fun weapon. I first tried it out a couple of weeks ago as a joke and ended up having lots of fun with it. I used it through the entirety of the last splatfest and lost half of the matches but got good k/d's through out (I guess it's not the greatest for Turf Wars). The weapon has like double the charge time of the Heavy Splatling and not even an entire bar of extra range to compensate for it, but I think the recent buff might give it a reason to exist. Those 3-hit kills are brutal. I was hoping for a range buff, but I think that will do. And the kit is just about perfect for it: Sprinklers help with charging the Bubbler; mitigate the Hydra's weakness at establishing stage control; and can be used to bait opponents. As for abilities, Run Speed Up made a world of difference for me (I'm currently running the equivalent of 4 mains of it along with Ink resistance & Swim Speed Up). Before it just seemed like a fun weapon, but after stacking run speed it starts to actually feel viable on a competitive level. I think the weapon will ultimately have a place in the meta game. Where charger weapons have a definite advantage over it in terms of being able to one-shot opponents and being able to do it from greater distances, I feel that the Hydra can counter rush down tactics more effectively (especially when they're using ninja squid): a charger can be easy to bum-rush if they miss a crucial shot at close range, but a Hydra will rip the opponent to shreds. In short terms, the Hydra (and shooters in general) have the advantage of having a significant room of error while charger weapons have none (obviously the hypothetical e-liter user that has absolutely perfect accuracy will put the Hydra to shame, but it would put to shame every other weapon in the game as well).

For those who are new to the weapon I recommend 2 things:

1. Make a habit of charging up shots while hiding behind objects and try to surprise opponents by shooting at them from unexpected angles. Being unpredictable is key - especially for dealing with enemy chargers. But also be careful not to overextend yourself.

2. If you're not satisfied with it at first, try it out with stacked run speed if you haven't already. It will feel a lot less tanky.

Of my 3 accounts I played CHydra for 100% of my S Patrick account for Splatfest. It actually made for a pretty smooth path to royalty :) I tried it a bit on my Spongebob S account but things didn't go so well. But NO weapon went well for that one, it was constant losses whittling royalty 1-2 points at a time. After the success in splatfest, when my normal weapons were failing in ranked the day after I whipped out CHydra for AnchoV zones - and of COURSE it puts me against another hydra (it often does that when I take hydra) - so I was ineffective half the match. But toward the end a mix of skilled bubble and incredible luck really saved the day. That buff is beautiful. :)

Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only Hydra main who doesn't use Run Speed and doesn't see it as very necessary at all. xD I don't know. I never felt like the Run Speed Up made too much of a difference, so I abandoned it in favor of Ink Saver (Main) and Special Charge Up. :p The Hydra feels mostly just about adjusting to the speed and range. It's fairly similar to running a Heavy in a very defensive manner once you get used to the slower speed but longer range.

It's not just you! When I first started with hydra I focused on run speed and honestly I didn't find it helped much. It felt a little more mobile for dodging and weaving with close range enemies, but ultimately a hydra's still too slow no matter how much run speed I stack on it. I've been focusing on a mix of Special Saver and Special charge to just keep the bubblers churning out 24/7. It's the only weapon I do that. Most weapons I feel like I'm limiting the main gun to focus on specials, but for CHydra I don't think it hurts at all.

 

[karl childers]

Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only Hydra main who doesn't use Run Speed and doesn't see it as very necessary at all. xD I don't know. I never felt like the Run Speed Up made too much of a difference, so I abandoned it in favor of Ink Saver (Main) and Special Charge Up. :p The Hydra feels mostly just about adjusting to the speed and range. It's fairly similar to running a Heavy in a very defensive manner once you get used to the slower speed but longer range.

There's no single way to use a weapon. So just use the build that compliments your playstyle the most. I, for one, am no stranger to using unorthodox builds since I use no damage ups on the Octobrush and I just started using Ninja Squid on the Dynamo.

Of my 3 accounts I played CHydra for 100% of my S Patrick account for Splatfest. It actually made for a pretty smooth path to royalty :) I tried it a bit on my Spongebob S account but things didn't go so well. But NO weapon went well for that one, it was constant losses whittling royalty 1-2 points at a time. After the success in splatfest, when my normal weapons were failing in ranked the day after I whipped out CHydra for AnchoV zones - and of COURSE it puts me against another hydra (it often does that when I take hydra) - so I was ineffective half the match. But toward the end a mix of skilled bubble and incredible luck really saved the day. That buff is beautiful. :)

My Spongebob teammates, bless their hearts, kept racing to the center stage and dying, leaving me, the Hydra user, to paint our entire base (which often occupied nearly half the time of the battle lol). I think if I had teammates who understood the role of the Hydra (and long range weapons in general) and painted the base while I focus on center stage, things would have went a lot better, but it's ok. I had fun anyways.

 

[Award]

There's no single way to use a weapon. So just use the build that compliments your playstyle the most. I, for one, am no stranger to using unorthodox builds since I use no damage ups on the Octobrush and I just started using Ninja Squid on the Dynamo.


My Spongebob teammates, bless their hearts, kept racing to the center stage and dying, leaving me, the Hydra user, to paint our entire base (which often occupied nearly half the time of the battle lol). I think if I had teammates who understood the role of the Hydra (and long range weapons in general) and painted the base while I focus on center stage, things would have went a lot better, but it's ok. I had fun anyways.

On Patrick my teams handled the Hydra pretty well...even though we were mostly fighting other Patrick teams. On Spongebob it was the usual problem I have with chargers. Teams come in two flavors: They race to the center and die leaving me fighting 3-4 squids alone at center. Or they decide the spot of bare ground behind the spawn, and all the side ramps to all exits of the base REALLY need to be wall to wall yellow RIGHT NOW. So I rush out to a good perch, try to hold mid while the team makes their way to the front line, then realize "uh oh, I AM the front line and they're still waaay back painting the base..." :)

 

[Of Moose & Men]

Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only Hydra main who doesn't use Run Speed and doesn't see it as very necessary at all. xD I don't know. I never felt like the Run Speed Up made too much of a difference, so I abandoned it in favor of Ink Saver (Main) and Special Charge Up. :p The Hydra feels mostly just about adjusting to the speed and range. It's fairly similar to running a Heavy in a very defensive manner once you get used to the slower speed but longer range.

Yea, I've never, ever since even day one, ran run speed. It's not really necessary since you'll always be running slow as hell anyways. I opted for Ink Saver Main, and now Damage Up which is 100% necessary. Don't worry, you're not the only one.

 

[Award]

Yea, I've never, ever since even day one, ran run speed. It's not really necessary since you'll always be running slow as hell anyways. I opted for Ink Saver Main, and now Damage Up which is 100% necessary. Don't worry, you're not the only one.

dmg up on hydra? So far I haven't had a problem with the 3hko, though for the moment there's not TOO many def up stackers in the meta, so maybe that's why.

 

[Magnus0]

I tried the custom hydra in ranked today, and I have come to the conclusion that it is absulotely amazing on tower control. The hydra can charge bublers extremely fast with sprinklers and it's long range harrassment, which is great for pushing the tower. Sprinklers add some extra defense to the tower as well. I did great with the hydra, despite the fact that I have never used it before (heck, I have never used any splatling really).

I'm not too sure about rainmaker and splat zones though. The bubbler doesn't seem very usable in those modes because the hydra usually stays back to supress the enemy from range.

 

[Award]

I tried the custom hydra in ranked today, and I have come to the conclusion that it is absulotely amazing on tower control. The hydra can charge bublers extremely fast with sprinklers and it's long range harrassment, which is great for pushing the tower. Sprinklers add some extra defense to the tower as well. I did great with the hydra, despite the fact that I have never used it before (heck, I have never used any splatling really).

I'm not too sure about rainmaker and splat zones though. The bubbler doesn't seem very usable in those modes because the hydra usually stays back to supress the enemy from range.

I've used it in all modes, oddly least in TC though it makes the most sense in TC, mostly because that's also the best mode for my chargers :) It can excel in zones, and the bubbler is reserved for when you get surprise flanked. However it varies. Hydra and the bubbler has saved me in Zones having to go close-quarters with multiple squids who thought they could gang up on me. The trick is don't panic. Hit the bubbler, then use the time the bubbler bought you to charge up your full shot while invincible. Then let loose and take out everything that moves :)

For RM I only used it in squads when a squadmate and I were having trouble with various combinations and our team had awful turf control in several matches. We started doing really well once I took the CHydra in. It's great for popping the shield fast from a distance!

 

[Of Moose & Men]

dmg up on hydra? So far I haven't had a problem with the 3hko, though for the moment there's not TOO many def up stackers in the meta, so maybe that's why.

It's ran for the same reason Gals run their damage up investment. To Guarantee the 3HKO (in Hydra's case). In a competitive environment, people will very likely be carrying defense ups, which can be a pain in the butt. 1 Dmg Up main + 3 Subs guarantees you will always walk away with a 3HKO no matter how much Defense Up investment the opponent has. It's just a safety precaution.

 

[karl childers]

It's ran for the same reason Gals run their damage up investment. To Guarantee the 3HKO (in Hydra's case). In a competitive environment, people will very likely be carrying defense ups, which can be a pain in the butt. 1 Dmg Up main + 3 Subs guarantees you will always walk away with a 3HKO no matter how much Defense Up investment the opponent has. It's just a safety precaution.

Does it help with drop off damage?

 

[Of Moose & Men]

Does it help with drop off damage?

Yup, guarantees a 6HKO as opposed to a 7HKO. Though, as a Hydra that's giving someone an out either way.

 

[Skoodge]

My new build, that I am going to use most often is:




This makes most weapons need an extra shot to kill, even blasters at their max range will need 3 shots to kill you. Chargers will have to make sure to full charge to kill you, and generally people will need to think more when approaching you, and have to outplay you more often, than just relying on the strength of their weapon. They need at least some damage up to kill you in their normal amount of shots, and others need excessive amounts. Also bombs just tickle you.

This means to kill you:
Splattershot - 4 shots
Dual Squelcher - 5 shots
Splash-o-Matic - 5 shots
Sploosh-o-Matic - 4 shots
N-Zap - 5 shots
Splattershot Jr. - 5 shots
Mini/Heavy/Hydra(not full) Splatling - 5 shots
Hydra Splatling (full charge) - 4 shots
Chargers - full charge

Most can be negated back to their original with 1-2 damage up mains, but a .96 or .2 will need 3 mains of damage up not to 3 shot you, and the splattershots need 2 mains 2 subs not to 4 shot you. Other splatlings need 1 main 1 sub to negate the 5 shot. Overall really interesting build, that I am hoping will really annoy my opponents :D

 

[Award]

My new build, that I am going to use most often is:




This makes most weapons need an extra shot to kill, even blasters at their max range will need 3 shots to kill you. Chargers will have to make sure to full charge to kill you, and generally people will need to think more when approaching you, and have to outplay you more often, than just relying on the strength of their weapon. They need at least some damage up to kill you in their normal amount of shots, and others need excessive amounts. Also bombs just tickle you.

This means to kill you:
Splattershot - 4 shots
Dual Squelcher - 5 shots
Splash-o-Matic - 5 shots
Sploosh-o-Matic - 4 shots
N-Zap - 5 shots
Splattershot Jr. - 5 shots
Mini/Heavy/Hydra(not full) Splatling - 5 shots
Hydra Splatling (full charge) - 4 shots
Chargers - full charge

Most can be negated back to their original with 1-2 damage up mains, but a .96 or .2 will need 3 mains of damage up not to 3 shot you, and the splattershots need 2 mains 2 subs not to 4 shot you. Other splatlings need 1 main 1 sub to negate the 5 shot. Overall really interesting build, that I am hoping will really annoy my opponents :D

Either that's hacked, scummed, or from now on I'm going to have to pay you to buy me lottery tickets. :P

Seriously that's getting close to cheating. Though it seems like a horrible weapon for that build to shine - the hydra either has a charge and can kill extremely fast, or has no charge and is pretty much dead when confronted even with that build :P

At least you're not scumming special charge up for invincible bubblers non stop :P

 

[chrisblass1]

At least you're not scumming special charge up for invincible bubblers non stop :p

OMG i never thought about doing that, gonna start rerolling for that now.

 

[Of Moose & Men]

OMG i never thought about doing that, gonna start rerolling for that now.

Lol, really? I tried when the Custom first came out, but I just couldn't enjoy it lol.

 

[karl childers]

Seriously that's getting close to cheating. Though it seems like a horrible weapon for that build to shine - the hydra either has a charge and can kill extremely fast, or has no charge and is pretty much dead when confronted even with that build :p

It's actually a good build for it. I've seen a highly skilled japanese player use max defense up on the Hydra. It's true that there will be moments where it won't matter. Like any other build, it's usefulness will be situational. But you can get a way with a lot of stuff you normally couldn't without it. If I didn't like run speed so much I'd probably opt for defense stacking (that or special charge up).

 

[chrisblass1]

Lol, really? I tried when the Custom first came out, but I just couldn't enjoy it lol.

The first thing that came to mind was stack run speed and ink savier main and that just worked really well so i forgot to try different abilites with it. lol

 

[Skoodge]

So what's been happening with all you Custom Hydras? I've changed my playstyle and builds a lot, and maxed out the points on it, and I am loving it! I am working on a Custom Hydra guide, (3500 words so far, it's going to be huge!) I feel that Custom Hydra has planted itself in the meta at this point, and I see them fairly frequently in S+, which is great! Just in general want to spark some thoughts, so I make sure I don't miss anything in my guide, which I'll hopefully release before the end of the month, but I need to redo a whole section, and proofread everything, so there's a lot of work left.

Here's my current build, I've been experimenting with ink resistance for a while now, and I think that it is better than I originally thought, tenacity is always nice, since you should be dying a few times a match, run speed is pretty explanatory, some swim speed to compensate for the 10% reduction, and the damage to help with falloff and defense users.

 

[Smychavo]

So what's been happening with all you Custom Hydras? I've changed my playstyle and builds a lot, and maxed out the points on it, and I am loving it! I am working on a Custom Hydra guide, (3500 words so far, it's going to be huge!) I feel that Custom Hydra has planted itself in the meta at this point, and I see them fairly frequently in S+, which is great! Just in general want to spark some thoughts, so I make sure I don't miss anything in my guide, which I'll hopefully release before the end of the month, but I need to redo a whole section, and proofread everything, so there's a lot of work left.

Here's my current build, I've been experimenting with ink resistance for a while now, and I think that it is better than I originally thought, tenacity is always nice, since you should be dying a few times a match, run speed is pretty explanatory, some swim speed to compensate for the 10% reduction, and the damage to help with falloff and defense users.

Oh! This thread is back? Good. Well, so far, I have begun to modify my playstyle to act as more of a support role. Constantly placing sprinklers to claim turf, using bubbles to start pushes or saving teammates from death, and just being a defensive fortress, not letting the enemy come close to the objective. As for my builds, I've made a handful of builds, one that focuses on mobility, another on special, and another on ink recovery, so far I've been enjoying the ink recovery build. I could get a full tank in a very small time frame, so I'm always able to place more sprinklers and more full charges. It's great to see more people play Hydra, and by the way Skoodge, I can't wait to read your Hydra guide, it's bound to be good!

 

[ShinyTogetic]

Nice to know that someone is making a guide for this weapon any chance will you be making one for the vanilla too? or at least include it? (its good but lackluster...)

Weapon is still amazing to use despite being outranged the scary liters out there but I can manage... somehow just gotta pull them into the trap
I've been using something like this as of late and its amazing
because of two charge mains I can get bubbler more often (though tenacity can do the same job) and damage can help sometimes

 

[chrisblass1]

i've been using a lot of gear with ink savier main and ink recovery up with this weapon. People fear the hydra and almost never want to be caught in its line of sight while its fully charge. So i usually stay on the high ground with it fully charge and wait for some squid to think they can get past me rather than doing what their teammates are doing and avoid me, while they're avoiding me my team would hunt them down and either kill them or cause them to run out in the open and get splatted by me.