Indication that You've Learned a Weapon Well

[Dessgeega]

I guess while this thread is going I would also like to ask how to do better in Rainmaker and Clam Blitz. I'm (slowly) making my way up in Clam Blitz's rankings but Rainmaker I've been walled on A- for months now. Any advice would be helpful.

For Clam Blitz, you use squelchers, so you could try the tactic that carried me to S+; Custom Jet, special charge, holding the line with defensive play and sting ray-ing every time the enemy gets a power clam and hoping solid map control is enough to get my allies to do their job. It works.

As for rainmaker, there's a few different approaches to take, but watch where your allies go at the start of the match and attempt to flank them to make unfair fights. One good fight at the start of a match can give you the chance to grab the rainmaker and take a solid lead. Be cautious, but if you see an opening don't be afraid to suicidally charge into enemy ink to get the counter down to, say, 20 and possibly secure the win right then and there. It's hard to get more descriptive without the sort of info Ansible asked for, but there's something for you.

 

[ChaosChao]

For Clam Blitz, you use squelchers, so you could try the tactic that carried me to S+; Custom Jet, special charge, holding the line with defensive play and sting ray-ing every time the enemy gets a power clam and hoping solid map control is enough to get my allies to do their job. It works.

As for rainmaker, there's a few different approaches to take, but watch where your allies go at the start of the match and attempt to flank them to make unfair fights. One good fight at the start of a match can give you the chance to grab the rainmaker and take a solid lead. Be cautious, but if you see an opening don't be afraid to suicidally charge into enemy ink to get the counter down to, say, 20 and possibly secure the win right then and there. It's hard to get more descriptive without the sort of info Ansible asked for, but there's something for you.

I can give those a shot. I'm far more aggressive in Rainmaker anyway than I am in any other mode.

 

[ChaosChao]

Another question (sorry about all the questions): Is it possible to run a sniper role with a long ranged shooter and not a charger? I've had a request to possibly join a squad provided I could be a sniper, however, I've never used/learned a charger.

 

[Ansible]

Personally, I would say "yes" with your best candidates being Jet Squelchers, Heavy and Hydra Splatlings, and the Rapid Blaster Pros.

 

[Dessgeega]

Another question (sorry about all the questions): Is it possible to run a sniper role with a long ranged shooter and not a charger? I've had a request to possibly join a squad provided I could be a sniper, however, I've never used/learned a charger.

Yep. The sniper role can be filled by the weapons Ansible mentioned. They may not be 1-shot kills but they handle the same duties of pressuring and support.

 

[Spaceswitchmars]

Without knowing anything else about the player, I'd rather have a good custom jet on my team than a good charger. That doesn't mean that people who are good chargers should switch to jet. It just feels more flexible to me.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

It takes some time to really know what you're doing with a weapon. But once you're done with that training, you'll start to notice a couple things.
1. Your play will become more consistent. You won't start going into games getting completely crushed at this point (I hope), and you won't popoff one game to find yourself lose the rest. Since you finally learned the weapon.

2. This applies more to "aggressive weapons", but winning more ditto matches (you vs the same weapon) constantly.

3. Finally this is a bit more important, you start to exhibit more traits of what most people consider a good user of the weapon. For example, if you're a charger main, you start hitting shots against dualie users more frequently. You effectively space yourself. You don't get flanked much, since you're watching and regulating the flanks effectively.

However, that last tip really depends on the people who are saying it. If a level 2 player tells you that, yeah it's probably not good advice. But if someone who's been in competitive, and knows what they're doing says that, I'd take their word for it.

Mastering a weapon is vague, but rewarding when it finally happens. And even when you master that weapon, there's always more to learn with that weapon. Like:

What maps suit this weapon the best? What's my matchup against this weapon? What's my role on the team? And more.

 

[ChaosChao]

Now I'm really second-guessing my capabilities on all fronts. I've been on a mass losing streak today in all modes. :(

 

[Ansible]

Squit happens. Proficiency is never going to be a straight line progression. It will forever look like one of those success/perception vs. reality memes, like this one:

 

[ChaosChao]

...And now I have another question: How do I know what abilities best suit the weapons I use as well as my playstyle?

 

[Spaceswitchmars]

...And now I have another question: How do I know what abilities best suit the weapons I use as well as my playstyle?

That's personal for everyone. There are certain abilities that people consider "strong" on certain weapons or "weak," but it really comes down to what feels right to you. The way I like to handle that is that I constantly ask myself the questions: "What feels off here?" "What could this gun do better?" "What are the things I can live with if I don't fix them with my gear?"

Pay attention to how it feels to play the gun and go from there.

But if you need some help, describe here how you play and give examples of what feels wrong and what feels good about the gun. I'm sure this board can figure out some abilities that may work.

 

[Dessgeega]

...And now I have another question: How do I know what abilities best suit the weapons I use as well as my playstyle?

Abilities in this game have been weakened to the point where they're impactful but not game-changing, so everyone has their opinions but it's largely a matter of personal choice. Looking at your signature, you use several ink-heavy weapons like the squelchers and the .96, so 1 main 3 subs of ink recovery would likely help you out a lot. Swim speed's always a safe bet, and Comeback is a fine choice for any frontline fighter.

 

[ChaosChao]

That's personal for everyone. There are certain abilities that people consider "strong" on certain weapons or "weak," but it really comes down to what feels right to you. The way I like to handle that is that I constantly ask myself the questions: "What feels off here?" "What could this gun do better?" "What are the things I can live with if I don't fix them with my gear?"

Pay attention to how it feels to play the gun and go from there.

But if you need some help, describe here how you play and give examples of what feels wrong and what feels good about the gun. I'm sure this board can figure out some abilities that may work.

Outside of Ink Saver Main and Ink Recovery Up I don't really go out of my way to stack abilities. As for main abilities that are only main abilities, the two I gravitate to the most are Last-Ditch Effort and Tenacity. The former I prioritize for Turf War because, in my opinion, the last 30 seconds are far more important than the first. Tenacity I use in Ranked to keep my special meter moving throughout the entire match (for the most part, kind of doesn't work if I'm on the side that's winning and it's kind of a curbstomp). It lets me charge a special without as much ink consumption and pocket a special faster if too many teammates are down and I need some sort of offense from a safe distance. Judging by my signature, you could probably see that I prefer longer ranged shooters (with a couple of exceptions) and I'd rather not fly into direct combat. I prefer a support role to assist my team and that ranges from picking players off from a distance (Jet Squlcher) to sniffing players out (Dualie Squlchers) for my whole team (via Point Sensor) or sometimes just for myself (Tenta Missiles, which also pressures the opponent to move/retreat, potentially into another harmful situation for them). I don't know if that's a good mentality to have in battles though but that's usually how I play. Heck usually I like to hang back in Turf War when time is low to make sure no one squeezes through the cracks so to speak and starts inking area my team has safely secured.

 

[Mar$el]

Just going to say some stuff fro Dualie Squelchers fi you don't know what to use. It sounds like Tenacity is a good bet for you, you can decide to keep that if you want. Personally I don't care for Last Ditch Effort but turf doesn't really matter so I'm gonna ignore that. I will recommend to you Sub Power Up for your point sensors. This increases the time people are tracked, and if you use these more than a little it'll be super beneficial to you and your teammates. I don't use the DS but some other good abilities are Swim Speed for general mobility, and ink recovery up. IRU will mean you don't have to be useless restoring ink for as long and you can get more ink back for quick swims. You'll be more ink efficient and a sense and you can recover for more point sensors faster. You may also use main saver or run speed. Some people like special charge up and special power up. I wouldn't bother with special power up on missiles quite frankly, but some special charge is fine, but don't use too much or else it becomes useless. But I would 100% go for sub power up and swim speed up.

 

[ChaosChao]

Got another question: since I do try to keep out of direct combat as much as possible, how can I improve those moments where confrontation is unavoidable?

 

[Dessgeega]

Got another question: since I do try to keep out of direct combat as much as possible, how can I improve those moments where confrontation is unavoidable?

Well... get used to direct combat. Confrontation is unavoidable no matter what, you need to be ready to fight people anytime, anywhere. If you're not yet confident fighting people head on, practice flanking and ambushing instead.

 

[Spaceswitchmars]

Well... get used to direct combat. Confrontation is unavoidable no matter what, you need to be ready to fight people anytime, anywhere. If you're not yet confident fighting people head on, practice flanking and ambushing instead.

I second this. I’d also try practicing with aggressive weapons. You may not get good at being aggressive, but practicing it may get you over your nerves in a fight.

 

[ϛ(°³°)/`]

I second this. I’d also try practicing with aggressive weapons. You may not get good at being aggressive, but practicing it may get you over your nerves in a fight.

This is an important suggestion. Throughout all of Splatoon 1 I played defensive and long ranged weapons, but when I felt out of place and stagnating in Splatoon 2 I tried picking up the splat roller, dapple dualies, and clash blaster, and I've been slaying since then. Even further to this point, I feel like I know how to juke and deal with people rushing me down better now. I've shared this video before, but it illustrates my point.

 

[ChaosChao]

I've been considering trying out a roller just to see how it feels so I'll do that.

Also to everyone in this thread, thank you so much for the advice. :) I hope I'll be up at everyone's levels of play here eventually. ^_^