Splatoon 2 Heavy Splatling Talk

[Spenstar]

Until only yesterday, I absolutely loathed Splat Zones. Maybe I didn't quite understand it maybe my playstyle was just not conducive to the mode, but for whatever reason, I avoided it at all costs. What changed? The Heavy Splatling Deco.

I figured my problem (I was using the NZap as my main for ranked modes) was that I was too up-close, so I experimented with the splat charger, and then the Heavy Splatling. Despite the sub (sprinkler) being probably pretty good for that mode, I just couldn't do it. I could paint zones from a distance, but I had trouble killing, and I always got ambushed. For whatever reason, the Deco (and changing my sensitivity settings to be less sensitive in the motion and more sensitive in the analog) changed everything. I often have a very hard time using subweapons besides curling bombs (and suction bombs in tower control) but the combination of the main gun and the splash wall just clicked for me. Plus I love the bubble blower, both for its defensive value and for using it to snipe people from a distance using my range and the bubble's burst.

So now that I have a weapon that I newly love, I do what I always do and ask a ton of questions. Is the vanilla Heavy Splatling worth practicing more with, or should I just stick with the Deco? Are either Heavy Splatling set good in Tower Control and Rainmaker or am I better suited sticking with my ol' faithful NZap? (Also, I unlock the Mini Splatling in one level, in case that turns out to be an ideal middle ground) What about equipment? Right now (in part due to my mediocre RNG and dislike of salmon run making perfect gear setups impossible) my Deco setup focuses on both types of Ink Saver, Stealth Jump, and probably some Special Charge Up. (I have a 3 star Special Power Up shirt to level up (I know that's good with bubble blower) and a shirt that has 1 main of run speed up and 3 subs of special saver that idk the value of.)

Also, (sorry about all the freaking questions) how does one perfect the art of shot leading? I figure if I can master that, my splatling game will be 10000% better. That and of course the art of figuring out how much to charge. I'm still in that trap of waiting until a full charge most of the time.

 

[Goolloom]

Is the vanilla Heavy Splatling worth practicing more with, or should I just stick with the Deco?

As an avid splatling man, I say, yes. The normal Heavy Splatling with Sprinkler and Sting Ray works pretty well too. It has an easier time dealing with Chargers with this, and sprinklers are convenient at times.

Are either Heavy Splatling set good in Tower Control and Rainmaker or am I better suited sticking with my ol' faithful NZap?

Both sets work pretty well on Tower Control, as the vanilla Heavy can get people off the tower and stall it really easily with Sting Rays, and the Heavy Deco can place Splash Walls on the Tower, and cover it with Bubbles. For Rainmaker, it's the same deal, you can stop the rainmaker from pretty much anywhere on the stage and pick off distant targets during your push with Sting Rays, and slow the enemy's push or cover your own with Bubbles.

What about equipment?

This more about personal preference, but my splatling sets always have 1 main + 3 subs Ink Resistance, because with this you lose little to no mobility when you're holding a charge and firing while moving throught enemy ink. Stealth Jump isn't really necessary for Splatlings since they are more often than not on the backlines and supporting from afar, and they don't really jump to teammates that are on the front, either.

For the Heavy Deco specifically, I have that 1 main + 3 subs Ink Resist, 2 mains of Special Power Up, 3 subs of Special Charge Up and 3 subs of Ink Saver Main. That amount of Ink Saver Main gives you 5 full charges exactly and 2 charges after putting down a Splash Wall from a full tank. You can experiment with different combos of Ink Saver Main + Ink Saver Sub to find what's most comfortable for you, but for me, 3 subs of Ink Saver Main is optimal.

Also, (sorry about all the freaking questions) how does one perfect the art of shot leading? I figure if I can master that, my splatling game will be 10000% better. That and of course the art of figuring out how much to charge. I'm still in that trap of waiting until a full charge most of the time.

That's a hard one, for leading your shots, I beleive the most important aspect to know is your shot velocity.
There are moving targets in the training room, and this can be a good starting point to figure out at what speed your shots move and how much you need to lead your shots depending on the distance you're at and the speed of your target.

For charge times, again, the training room is a good place to find out how much you need to charge for close quarters, about 1/3rd or a 1/4th of a charge is enough to defend yourself from closer range weapons that try to get the jump on you. Another thing, don't be afraid to release your charge early, you'll still fire the volley but for a shorter amount of time (The first ring of your charge is the range and the second ring, is the time you'll fire, so if you charge only the first ring, you'll have max range, but shoot for a shorter amount.)

 

[Mar$el]

I never used a Heavy Splatling until the Deco came out and I absolutely loved it. In terms of how long to charge, know that the first circle is distance and the second circle is time. If you hold your charge a little longer than a tap you can kill anyone who tries to get in too close to ambush you assuming you have fairly good aim. At the time I was working on getting some sub saver pures (never got it) but I had 3 mains and 6 subs and I just stuck with it. I could throw down a splash wall and not even lose that much ink. It gave me time to get away in ambushes or to block off shortcuts at choke points. I could throw one and do 3 full charge shots. My other 3 subs were ink recovery, swim speed and ink saver main. I'll switch them later but for now it's what I've got. My reasoning for this build is because I don't have problems with anything else when I play so I don't need a bunch of ink saver main or special charge up or whatever. My only other thing I would consider running is special power up ( probably will) because the bubbles get pretty huge.
For you I would advise against special saver and stealth jump because as a ranged weapon you should really be behind the front lines offering map control and killing off anyone who gets on your side of the map. When you team pushes you should move up with them but pick your spots carefully if they die or if someone ambushes you so you have a chance. Lots of people say you should use run speed up but I don't mind the run speed while using the Heavy Splatling so I don't bother.

 

[IHaveAToaster]

Goolloom answered your questions pretty well, but I thought I'd throw in my 2¢ as well.

Is the vanilla Heavy Splatling worth practicing more with, or should I just stick with the Deco?

As a rule of thumb, you should probably use both kits of any weapon depending on the Map/Mode combination.

I unlock the Mini Splatling in one level, in case that turns out to be an ideal middle ground

I used both fairly regualrly in the first game and it sort of works like that - it's basically a Splatling with N-Zap stats (and a worse kit).

What about equipment?

I don't like suggesting complete builds because I find it comes down to personal taste, but I would suggest:

Spoiler: Suggested Abilities

• All Ink Usage abilities
  
• Run Speed Up
  
• Swim Speed Up
  
• Sub Power Up (Deco only)
• Tenacity
  
• Thermal Ink

how does one perfect the art of shot leading? That and of course the art of figuring out how much to charge. I'm still in that trap of waiting until a full charge most of the time.

The bare minimum you need to be able to kill is just over 1/8 charge (that's about a quarter of the first ring) but a 1/4 - 1/2 charge is best depending on how close the enemy is to you.

Shot leading is mostly just predicting enemy movement, so don't feel too bad if you miss a few kills - you are working with a 4HKO from a distance after all.

tl;dr just practice and experiment, really.

 

[Lyn]

Run Speed Up seems like a shoe-in for this weapon, although that might be obvious (or just not as good as I think it is.)

 

[Spenstar]

I really appreciate this! I've been using the Heavy more and more, and it's now my #1 go to weapon. I'm still trying to get a perfect gear setup (thinking Goolloom's recommendation sans Ink Res Up, in favor of ink saver sub and ink recoveru up... or maybe run speed up? idk) but the gear I do have helps a little bit. I have the two mains of special power up and one main of ink saver main for those 5 full charges on a full tank, which will do for now.

Still trying to get a feel for tower control and rainmaker. For rainmaker I think I'll give the vanilla a go (I've been only using the deco lately) because of the sprinkler bursting the shield and the chance that I might be able to get good with a stingray. For tower control.... maybe I can use the mini? Or just go back to the NZap. Thing is that I've been playing the Heavy almost like a charger (hanging back, at least at first, picking off enemies from a distance, getting long-range turf coverage in Splat Zones, etc) and that doesn't work as well for me in tower control. Also I'm noticing that variance between stages is higher with this kind of weapon. I love Musselforge Fitness and Humpback Pump Track now, but it's harder to get a feel for Kelp Dome and especially Inkblot Art Academy. Nothing a little practice can't fix, though my rank's probably going to take a hit until I figure this out.

Tldr: Thanks so much everyone! Still got work to do to make this weapon work but it's fun so Im not giving up! (plus any further advice on tower control and rainmaker specifically would be much appreciated)

 

[ThatSquidYouKnow]

This more about personal preference, but my splatling sets always have 1 main + 3 subs Ink Resistance, because with this you lose little to no mobility when you're holding a charge and firing while moving throught enemy ink

Ink Res doesn't affect strafing anymore, only damage taken in enemy ink and movement while not firing or charging, so if you're stacking Ink Res for that, you might as well just use Run Speed.

EDIT: I messed up :V
--
Alright, onto my recommendations.
Gear

Spoiler: Stock Gear

I run 1 main of swim speed, because without it I always feel sluggish, and it lets me play more aggressively. Also have 1 ink res main to help with my survivability when I do go aggressive.

Spoiler: Deco Gear

With the Deco, I tend to go for a more passive playstyle, so I have no need for the Ink Res or Swim Speed. Special Power Up is amazing for Bubble Blower, as it affects the bubble radius by a lot. I also like to keep that one little sub of Ink Recovery, as I just find it good to be able to recover ink slightly faster when opting for a passive playstyle like this.

For Splat Zones I've been running the Deco, Tower and Rainmaker, I've been running stock.
Splat Zones
For Splat Zones, I tend to just hang back and ink the zone, so I go for Deco. Typically what I do is throw a Splash Wall in a choke, ex. Musselforge's grates, and just spam down the zone with my barrage of ink. Once you have your special, you can just pop it and essentially take the zone instantly.

Tower Control
In Tower, I just try to give my team more mobility by inking the floor around the tower, and getting people off of it with stingray. Sprinkler is good for this, as I can just throw it on the tower and it'll ink around the tower. I'd recommend not getting on the tower with the Splatling, as you'll be very vulnerable if you don't have your charge ready at all times.

Rainmaker
The name of the game here is inking paths and popping shields. Thanks to the Splatling's incredible inking potential, you can hang back and ink a path for your RM carrier. If they go down, you can easily fall back, throw a sprinkler, charge up and either pop the shield or hold off the enemy until your team arrives. A Splatling can really be a nuisance in Rainmaker, because they can hold off a team's push for a long time. If they take the rainmaker, you always have your stingray to get the carrier.

Ending Words
I really love the Splatling because of how creative you can get with it. If you want to be a hyper mobile killing machine, throw on some Swim Speed and Ink Res and you can do that. If you want to hang back and Support, get some Special Charge. There are so many possibilities with this weapon, and so many ways to play it. Mess around a bit and figure out what your playstyle is. Lots of Splatling mains worship Run Speed almost religiously (I'm guilty lol), but if you find a way to make it work without it, then go ahead. Most importantly, have fun with this weapon, sometimes it'll feel like you're useless, but don't give up. Hope this helped, happy splatting!

 

[Goolloom]

Ink Res doesn't affect strafing anymore, only damage taken in enemy ink and movement while not firing or charging, so if you're stacking Ink Res for that, you might as well just use Run Speed.

Are you sure about that? I have made some tests and I do notice a mobility buff with Ink Resistance... It does not affect shooters while shooting, but it does affect Splatlings
Meanwhile, in my opinion, I feel like Run Speed you need to stack so much to notice a movement buff now, I feel like it's not necessary anymore.

 

[Dessgeega]

Goolloom just asked me about this so we went and tested, and he moved noticably faster charging and firing in enemy ink firing the splatling than I did with no resistance. Just throwing that in here.

Edit: And to absolutely no one's surprise, he likes my post! What a shocker!

 

[ThatSquidYouKnow]

Are you sure about that? I have made some tests and I do notice a mobility buff with Ink Resistance... It does not affect shooters while shooting, but it does affect Splatlings
Meanwhile, in my opinion, I feel like Run Speed you need to stack so much to notice a movement buff now, I feel like it's not necessary anymore.

Sorry then, my mistake!