I want to do better with the Splatterscope.

[Spraylan]

Like in Splatoon 1, I main the Splatterscope, and once again I feel like I'm reaching my skill plateau. I want to overcome it this time around, and could use some advice out there from strong players who main the gun (firefin player advice is fine too). I'd rate myself as a B- to B splatterscope player.

 

[Dark Sage Walker]

I don't main the Splatterscope. Can't really say that I main anything, but if I had to pick something it would be the Splatlings. They function off of a similar principle to Chargers, not to mention that I have been practicing using a Charger for a while now. I feel as though I could say a few things.

First, make sure you practice aiming. It seems like silly, downright obvious advice but it is perhaps the most important piece of advice. When using a Splatling I fire many shots off of one charge so I have a bit of a margin for error. No such luxury with the Chargers. You need to have good aim. I would recommend taking some time to hit the testing area to practice your shooting and to get used to the idea of snapping your shots.

Which brings me to point number two. Snapping your snipes. The big negative to Chargers is that they have that nice, bright laser that just loves to invade people's privacy like an unwanted door-to-door salesman. To get around that, one method that I like to practice is to aim away from my intended target and then quickly turn my sights back to them so that they don't immediately know if I am aiming at them or not. It takes some practice to get right but it makes for at least a few better plays. This is easier to do with the normal Chargers in comparison to their scoped counterparts, but it can still be done.

Thirdly, pay attention to your surroundings! In OG Splatoon it was easy to find spots that were high up and hard to reach so you could get your snipe on in relative safety. Not really the case in Splatoon 2. Using a Charger requires that you be paying attention to what is going on around you at all times. Even the few sniper's nests that do exist in this game are easier to reach than they used to be. Make sure you are looking around between shots to make sure no one is sneaking up on your flanks or your rear. If you suspect that you are in danger in your current position, there is no harm in making a strategic retreat and finding a new spot to shoot from. Remember, it's the Inklings that survive the battles that get to write history!

Lastly, just keep practicing! Often as we practice something we will notice our improvements as we climb closer and closer to the skill ceiling. But the closer you get to it, the less room there is to grow. You will hit a plateau so to speak. A spot where you level off or seem to get worse. This is often the most difficult hump to get past when it comes to getting good at...well, anything really! Just keep at it and don't get too upset if you make some mistakes. Mistakes are going to be made. Everyone makes them, even the profreshional Inklings out there. But mistakes are meant to be learned from. Every bad shot will teach you how to make better shots. Every time you try to stand your ground and get a face full of enemy ink will teach you the most opportune times to retreat and the most opportune times to fight. The Charger is a weapon that requires some dedication. So stick with it! I know you can do it! :D

Thanks for sticking with me. I can get long winded sometimes.

 

[BBGrenorange]

I'm not a splatterscope main, but I'm fairly decent at the weapon, and although Dark Sage Walker has basically said it all, there are 2 more points I want to add.

1. Picking the right weapon for the right map.

If you want to use chargers, learn every single (or most of) weapon in the category, because it will make you a more flexible player who can benefit their team because their weapon suits the stage. There's a very good video on YouTube by ThatSRB2Dude (one of the top players in the western competitive scene and someone I talk waaaaaaaay too much about) on the subject called 'Drop Loyalty and Pride'.

A good example is HBPT, the stage that made me stop maining chargers. The stage is absolute murder for scoped chargers because there are literally no remotely safe sniping perches, however I personally believe that more mobile, unscoped chargers like the squiffer or goo tubef could work. This leads nicely on to my next point.

2. Mobility.

A charger's job is to maintain map control and pick off flanks and people trying to push the objective - especially the latter.

If the tower or rainmaker is in the enemy base, you're not helping anyone by still being in your safe little perch on your side of the map.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Spraylan]

I've watched Drop Loyalty and Pride and I think it's a fine video for people who want to amass a pile of Ws, but ultimately it's just Chase the Meta: Splatoon Edition.

I should have stated that this wasn't about winning matches. I'm not looking for "pick a different gun" advice. My goal is to overcome this skill plateau, not ditch it for a different one.

 

[Либра]

I've watched Drop Loyalty and Pride and I think it's a fine video for people who want to amass a pile of Ws, but ultimately it's just Chase the Meta: Splatoon Edition.

I should have stated that this wasn't about winning matches. I'm not looking for "pick a different gun" advice. My goal is to overcome this skill plateau, not ditch it for a different one.

First of all, that's a very cynical and downright rude way of looking at this video. Dude is right on what he's saying and he means well with that. The meta is there for a reason and it certainly doesn't hurt to look at mastering one or two weapons which are in the meta and will most likely stay there if you want to get into competitive Splatoon - but that's beyond your topic, so I will move on.

Now if you really want to hear something about getting better with chargers, buckle up and lean back and be confused:
... master a few more weapons. Or at least get them to a skill level where you can honestly use them in a league/ranked session.
"Wait whut, Libra are you crazy? Aren't you like a full-fledged charger main since S1?"
Yeah, but hang on there, I have a reason for saying this.

If you learn more weapon classes, these skills and movement patterns will transfer to your Splatterscope play. Like, play another long ranged weapon which is more flexible while still restricting in close-range combat (Jet, RPro, to name two) and learn range management with those. Play other weapons of shorter range to get a better feel for their effective range. Why is this important? So you will know, as a Charger, who is pretty pooped if staked against a high-level player in close-combat, when it's better to disengage and reposition before sniping them off. This is much easier done when you have a much better idea of what the effective range of these weapons is. Certainly can you learn that from fighting them too, but when have a larger pool of weapons at your disposal, you pick up even more. Like, say, their movement patterns and approaching routes. It sounds super counter-intuitive to go all out of your way just to overcome a skill plateau but hey, it worked for me to overcome my rust, so might as well share.

Other than that, anything else that I could think of has already been said. Practicing "quick" snap shots and "trick shots" is a must on certain maps to keep the upper hand since a few stages are really the horror for Charger mains (*coughs*Starfish*coughs*) but if you're really sure about this, you can get there. Best of luck to you!

 

[BBGrenorange]

What Libra (turns out his name is Libra, which took me way too long to figure out) said.

Also learn to use your sub weapon to its best effect. For example if you're retreating, and you have plenty of ink in your tank (which should always be the case), throw a bomb to cover your retreat. Also bombs are very good for controlling your opponents' movement, for example forcing them out from behind cover.

The Firefin makes mobility and map control much easier, with the bomb rush to maintain a presence on the map, and the splash wall to give yourself mobile cover so you can snipe more safely on these stages where there are very few perches.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

I've watched Drop Loyalty and Pride and I think it's a fine video for people who want to amass a pile of Ws, but ultimately it's just Chase the Meta: Splatoon Edition.

I think you got the wrong message from the video, while you should keep up with the meta, that doesn't mean that you just automatically conform to the meta. And if you're not confident of using meta weapons then you're putting yourself at a disadvantage by trying to use them over weapons you can clearly do better with.

Also, DUDE was saying that you shouldn't view meta weapons as "OP" they're just strong weapons in the competitive scene right now. So that shouldn't scare you into not maining a certain weapon because it's good.

 

[Dark Sage Walker]

I certainly agree with what the others have said about Dude's video. But I don't want to harp on about that.

Libra's advice on mastering other weapons is spot on. It will teach you faster and more thoroughly than just using the one weapon or even weapon type. Personally, I like long range weapons and have been playing Chargers, Splatlings, the Rapid Blasters, Squelchers, Splattershot Pros, you name it. I've tied it. Not just to say that I have, but also to learn what they are capable of. This is a good practice I can recommend not just forgetting better with Chargers, but to anyone really!