Is .52 Gal "Broken" in Tower Control?

[bluekentuckyboy]

There are definitely certain weapons that are more useful in Tower Control. For example, I don't see aerosprays being as useful as a blaster or gal on tower control.

I don't think gals are broken, on any gamemode, but I do believe the .52 is the best all-around weapon in the game.

 

[Egregore]

All they need to do is hop out of the ink and kill you in less than a second, then pop back into the ink. The hiding mechanic is the main reason Rollers and Blasters are so powerful.

Same could be said for any weapon lol. That's very situational.

If you look at what the weapon sets are capable of as a whole then the Blaster by itself is just lesser than.

There are definitely certain weapons that are more useful in Tower Control. For example, I don't see aerosprays being as useful as a blaster or gal on tower control.

I don't think gals are broken, on any gamemode, but I do believe the .52 is the best all-around weapon in the game.

It's actually funny you say that because I was just thinking the RG might a good option to counter the .52. It builds special the quickest, and the Splash Wall is ineffective against Inkstrike. Though, I don't think a single RG is ultimately enough, but just a thought.

Also, I did not literally mean "broken", hence the quotes. I just think it is the best weapon for Tower Control.

 

[bluekentuckyboy]

Also, I did not literally mean "broken", hence the quotes. I just think it is the best weapon for Tower Control.

Yea I knew that, but I know some people see the .52 gal as being broken no matter what gamemode you are using it in. I guess I wasn't directly responding to you, but just generally that it isn't broken.

Interesting with the aerospray though, but hey the gamemode hasn't been out for any length of time so the meta may change. Kinda like how initially people thought rollers were over powered lol.

 

[ZainreFang]

Same could be said for any weapon lol. That's very situational.

If you look at what the weapon sets are capable of as a whole then the Blaster by itself is just lesser than.

Well then I respect those who dominate by hopping around and aiming in the general vicinity of the Tower to kill one half of the team with one shot and the other with a second shot.

 

[flc]

after using this for a second tower control session (in which I got a 11-0 perfect game in a generally A+ room)... it's actually even better than I thought

ink wall just breaks this mode completely. ink wall in front of the tower forces the other team to focus it down before they can move on, and as long as you keep putting them down (or, worse, have two people putting them down)... it's all over

that, and what I like to call the "52 gal gamble" almost always pays off just because of how easy it is to trade with people; a 52 gal in range that is shooting in your general direction has a very good chance of killing you no matter what you do.

52 gals also hard counter blasters just by themselves, and ink walls make dynamos cry salty tears. ink walls also help to block the suction bomb spam that the tower has to contend with.

the only downside to the 52 gal is that it needs very, very precise play to take full advantage of. if you mess up an ink wall or miss shots on the flank or trade with someone you shouldn't, all the power your team was riding to victory on evaporates for long enough to lose a ton of distance.

also

It's actually funny you say that because I was just thinking the RG might a good option to counter the .52. It builds special the quickest, and the Splash Wall is ineffective against Inkstrike. Though, I don't think a single RG is ultimately enough, but just a thought.

rg is one of the worst weapons in the game and having to use an inkstrike just to deal with ink walls is even more of a testament to how strong this kit is

 

[Jiggly]

I dont know I would call it broken, but it is the best weapon for the mode. Just because something is better than all of the other options, doesnt make it over centralizing. You can't just slap 4 52 gals on a team and call it a cake walk. It is decent, but can definitely be dealt with. It doesnt have amazing range, so it can easily be sniped or squelched. Ink wall is great, but when it is set on the ground, only part of the wall sticks up. It is easy to jump over and keep going. And like @flc said, jumping off the tower is an okay option. If you need to dodge a killer wail, so be it. If they use it as a defensive option, you can still be above on the sides, and shoot them. Killer wail isn't a great shield. So long story short, the 52 gal isnt OP. It has great options, but can be dealt with.

 

[Egregore]

Well then I respect those who dominate by hopping around and aiming in the general vicinity of the Tower to kill one half of the team with one shot and the other with a second shot.

Lol okay. I mean, hey, whatever works for those people. *shrug*

I dont know I would call it broken, but it is the best weapon for the mode. Just because something is better than all of the other options, doesnt make it over centralizing. You can't just slap 4 52 gals on a team and call it a cake walk. It is decent, but can definitely be dealt with. It doesnt have amazing range, so it can easily be sniped or squelched. Ink wall is great, but when it is set on the ground, only part of the wall sticks up. It is easy to jump over and keep going. And like @flc said, jumping off the tower is an okay option. If you need to dodge a killer wail, so be it. If they use it as a defensive option, you can still be above on the sides, and shoot them. Killer wail isn't a great shield. So long story short, the 52 gal isnt OP. It has great options, but can be dealt with.

Lotta situational talk there, aniki. Of course it can be "dealt with", but it requires that much more effort from the enemy team because it forces you to play at the .52's pace.

Also, I never said it was invincible, but it is light years above just "decent".

To address the bolded, well, I think I mentioned that the Wall negates incoming attacks, right? Then, how exactly is it that "it can be easily sniped or squelched"? Are you assuming that any given .52 player is just standing out in the open without an impenetrable hitbox in front of them?

If your opponent is taking the time, while on the tower, to actually jump up and over the Wall then they're making themselves vulnerable to any incoming attacks. This isn't just against a .52, but a rule of thumb in general.The tower can only help you avoid damage if your below the ink and behind the tower.

Lastly, the Killer Wail isn't exactly used defensively in this game type. On the contrary, it is an offensive special. As mentioned in the OP, because the tower is on a rail it means that all incoming attacks are from the front. Granted the positioning is on point, the Killer Wail can either A.) kill anyone coming toward the tower, B.) force enemies to idle until it ends, or C.) force enemies to "back door" or wrap around to attack from behind. All of these are more distance taken on your side.

Sure, we don't know what 4 .52s would look like, but I'd be willing to bet it'd win against any other 4 of the same weapon. :p

 

[correojon]

It´s the best weapon in the game for frontal assaults with it´s range, power, speed, Ink Wall and Killer Wail, but any weapon with longer range (dual Squelcher, Jet Squelcher, Splattershot Plus...) can easily take it down even in those situations if you make a mistake. The Ink Wall is a great sub as it can be used defensively, offensively and to set up traps. I love locking one of the enemie´s corridors to the base in Port Mackerel while I take care of the other one until I can throw a Killer Wail. I´ve managed to keep the whole enemy team at bay on my own more than once like this and push them back to their base.

However I don´t see the strategy with the Ink Wall in TC being reliable: when the tower changes direction (to go up, down or just turn left/right) it will avoid the Ink Wall. Also, I think it´s better to stand on the tower, get down to deal with opposition and then get up to get the tower moving again; you don´t have to stay on top of the tower all the time to get it to the enemy base. It could work great in some situations though, like the chokepoints just before the end in the Skate Park on in Kelp Dome, but I don´t think it´s an "easy win" strategy.

In fact, I´ve used the .52Gal a lot but yesterday I changed to Blaster for TC and am finding it much better: it´s easier to get people on the tower unseen from below, you can take 2 enemies at once easily and all the ongoing chaos is perfect for a 1 shot-kill weapon. I´m also loving splatting Lunar Blasters from just outside their range, gives them a taste of their own medicine :D

 

[Duster]

I wouldn't call it broken. Although it is one of the best weapons in the mode. Any weapon can be beaten with some skill or mindgames in terms of combat but it definitely has an upperhand against other weapons. It also does have an exceptional Sub and Special that you kinda can't disagree with...

 

[TheMH]

Stopping the tower with the ink wall is a huge tactical element. Why didn't I think of that myself yesterday... hmm, I probably was too salty, because I didn't manage to get an ink wall to stay on the tower XD
Especially Kelp Dome will be ruled by ink walls, as the tower stays on ground the whole time there... guess it's the right time to start using the .52 gal.

 

[UnLucky]

Kind of ridiculous that it can clip through the tower to kill people on top of it from the ground, but the whole tower mechanics are really awkward so I'm not surprised.

I still don't really like the .52 Gal due to its middling accuracy and middling range. If you're not even on the tower, then it's no better than in any other mode (which is still high up there).

Carbon Roller can splat lots of players successively both quickly and stealthily, while Blasters can splat either instantly or simultaneously from ridiculous angles. .52 Gal can win most 1v1s at close-medium range. I don't see how that strictly outclasses everything.

Splat Roller's got Killer Wail, too, along with Suction Bombs which do quite well in this mode. Coupling that with Jet Squelcher for long range and your beloved Splash Wall seems way better than multiple .52 Gals to me. Or just a lot of Tentateks. And Sprinklers are also funny jokes on the tower. And Bubbler.

 

[[EJ]_Locke]

Please avoid posts like these. This thread is intended to be a discussion, so I'd like to see some more meaningful responses as to "why" or "why not".

The appeal of Blasters is apparent, but does their damage ultimately make up for the fact that they're outranged and every option they have is negated by the .52? I don't see it.

Why do I have to state why they are clearly broken? Nobody here is an idiot and they have a perfectly clear picture in their brain of why the blaster is broken because it is obvious. Last time I checked, you are not a mod and your opinion on how can go unsaid and what can go said is nil. If you really want to explain why they are so obviously broken then here: blaster end of shot explosion radius 2HK's anyone on the tower so if your teammates are not watching the front of the tower like they are supposed to be, your streak will stop cold. Rollers are absolute monsters in the right hands in this mode. Leaping from high ground undetected will always catch someone off guard. There are more tricks they can do (besides the ink flick), but i fail to remember them at this moment.

 

[Egregore]

Why do I have to state why they are clearly broken? Nobody here is an idiot and they have a perfectly clear picture in their brain of why the blaster is broken because it is obvious. Last time I checked, you are not a mod and your opinion on how can go unsaid and what can go said is nil. If you really want to explain why they are so obviously broken then here: blaster end of shot explosion radius 2HK's anyone on the tower so if your teammates are not watching the front of the tower like they are supposed to be, your streak will stop cold. Rollers are absolute monsters in the right hands in this mode. Leaping from high ground undetected will always catch someone off guard. There are more tricks they can do (besides the ink flick), but i fail to remember them at this moment.

I have to be a mod to encourage meaningful discussion? If all you had to say was "hell no", then what exactly would you be contributing to the topic at hand? Good job writing more than one sentence this time, though.

Blasters are great for killing anyone on the tower because of their shot's radius, sure, but you ignored every point I made about it being easily outranged. If a Blaster's only focus is directly on the tower then their approach becomes very limited. My question is. . .what else are they contributing? Don't worry, it's a rhetorical question.

Not quite sure how your analysis of Rollers constitutes as brokenness considering what you said could be applied to literally every game type. You basically said "they can kill you".

 

[DaisyFan]

I can tell you Mackerel port is doing to be strong for this loadout. yet i do think the jet squelcher will be viable a lot too in this mode.

 

[Egregore]

I can tell you Mackerel port is doing to be strong for this loadout. yet i do think the jet squelcher will be viable a lot too in this mode.

Awesome demonstration, @DaisyFan! Great to have a visual to go with what I'm saying.

 

[Hinichii.ez.™]

Talrog has been streaming the blaster on this mode, as of late. So there's another example to go with what you're saying.

 

[Chocolil]

I can tell you Mackerel port is doing to be strong for this loadout. yet i do think the jet squelcher will be viable a lot too in this mode.

Watching your ink those small blotches for Wail was painful. Tenacity really is a game changer in this mode. Hell, in general.

 

[[EJ]_Locke]

I can tell you Mackerel port is doing to be strong for this loadout. yet i do think the jet squelcher will be viable a lot too in this mode.

Wow. That is actually quite terrific gameplay. I never thought of the gal as a support role. Thanks for the idea @DaisyFan , you just gave me a new formation.

 

[Egregore]

Watching your ink those small blotches for Wail was painful. Tenacity really is a game changer in this mode. Hell, in general.

I'm definitely using Tenacity in TC with the .52.

I'm thinking I'll probably shoot for triple Quick Respawn on the Sporty Bobble Hat, and triple Ink Saver (Sub) on Dark Urban Vest. Not sure about shoes yet. . .nothing stands out just yet.

 

[ZainreFang]

It's easy to see that Port Mackerel is the best map for Ink Wall classes. It's good for closing out small corridors. In those situations I can reasonably call it "broken".