Splatoon 2 Range Blaster?

[gummy_B]

the Range Blaster just came out and i'm wondering what ppl think of it. i tested it out at Ammo Knights and i think it's a good blaster. but i'm also not really a blaster player so i don't have the most informed thoughts on whats good and what isn't :^P

 

[precastzero180]

I don't use Blasters much either (so take my opinion with a grain of salt) but my brief experience with the Range Blaster tells me it has the same problems as the regular Blaster. It just can't seem to keep up with the pace of the battle. Other weapons tear it to shreds. Getting directs is great, but otherwise the weapon feels slow. The CRB is going to be killer though with Burst Bombs (and Stingray, so basically the same kit as the Grim from the original game).

 

[Sifu]

The weapon is slow, so you have to be careful with your aim, and the burst is a good ways away from your position, so CQC requires perfect aim. I don't see this weapon controlling the current meta, but it is fun to play with. I won most of the matches I fought with it last night, and it reminds me of using a short-range charger (slow fire rate, 1hko, medium range)

 

[ThatOneGuy]

This weapon was literally the weapon that I mained in my late splatoon 1 competitive career. This weapon has made me love the game so much more ever since I started playing it. Why this did I choose this blaster though? I could have been the best luna player in the world with potato aim. Or I could play the rapid for all my life and be a nerd about frame data. But I picked this blaster, and I'll tell you why I picked this absolute beast of a weapon.

The Range tier is golden​

The thing that doesn't keep the Luna or Vanilla Blaster from winning too many match ups is that they just don't have the range to do so. For example, a Splattershot Pro against a vanilla blaster is almost always a bad match up for the blaster player. As the vanilla blaster just can't fight a Pro at range, and even up close, if the blaster decides to go for a 2 shot, the Pro user can win the gun fight if they aim all 3 shots. But you may ask, how does a range blaster fight them? A range blaster can retaliate against a pro user. It doesn't have to close in nearly as much distance, as you can hit from 3 and 1/2 bars away. For reference, the pro user has 4 bars. So you're still outranged, but the distance is much easier to close. And for those fights the vanilla blaster had a tough time with, against tentateks, N-Zaps, and the like, are now blown away as they can't even touch you anymore. Also, remember when the opponent could run when you had puny range, or when you had to get 3 shots on them. With the range blaster just doesn't have this problem, it kills so reliably. Also remember snipers, they were funny while they could hide on their perches, now they quiver whenever they see a blast come out from you.

What happens when you get rushed down though?​

You give them the D, the direct you sick f***. A cheeky flanker must respect the ever present OHKO direct. A range blaster who masters this mechanic is simply one that never dies. This is the reason why rapid is so weak to getting rushed down. If you get a direct as a rapid blaster, you need to either get a spark or another blast on them. Which can be hard to do when the tentatek user already has 2 shots into you. As a range blaster, you get your nice direct, and you get a kill. You don't need to pull off some matrix level technique to get the kill afterwards.

But I'm not going to be ignorant and pretend my weapon is perfect.
This weapon cannot paint anything. It is the worst painting weapon in the game, and you should only focus on painting if you have nothing else to do. This weakness becomes especially notable when paired up with a sniper, as once the opponent gets paint on to your side of the field, you don't have the means to remove it from your side, and you're stuck in ink whenever you want to make a play (which often involves your demise).

Getting directs is the saving grace of this weapon.
If you miss a lot of your directs with this weapon, you lose half, if not more of the value it brings to the team. As without getting up close directs reliably will result in you dying. A LOT. And it can be challenging to get directs when you're tilted, or your aim is "off" for a bit. So, being inconsistent will kill your feel for the weapon.

The kit in splat one helped remedy mess ups because not every situation is goes in your favor. Splat bombs were great to roll on to your feet if someone was flanking you, and burst bombs allowed for quick reactions and follow up damage to flankers wanting to get close to you. Plus kraken, the famous panic button special fit with the weapon seamlessly.

But in this kit, suction and inkstorm don't allow for quick reactions, instead they're tools for maintaining control. Which is what the range blaster is good at. The range blaster just can't grab the momentum by itself to get in that defensive position. Which is why Grim was really successful. It had that burst cancel combo which was ideal for grabbing control through picks in the first couple seconds of a match.

Overall, I was very happy when this weapon got to be in my hands again. As I was waiting 3 months for this thing to come back. And it feels just like the reapers scythe in my hands.

 

[Spaceswitchmars]

This weapon was literally the weapon that I mained in my late splatoon 1 competitive career. This weapon has made me love the game so much more ever since I started playing it. Why this did I choose this blaster though? I could have been the best luna player in the world with potato aim. Or I could play the rapid for all my life and be a nerd about frame data. But I picked this blaster, and I'll tell you why I picked this absolute beast of a weapon.

The Range tier is golden​

The thing that doesn't keep the Luna or Vanilla Blaster from winning too many match ups is that they just don't have the range to do so. For example, a Splattershot Pro against a vanilla blaster is almost always a bad match up for the blaster player. As the vanilla blaster just can't fight a Pro at range, and even up close, if the blaster decides to go for a 2 shot, the Pro user can win the gun fight if they aim all 3 shots. But you may ask, how does a range blaster fight them? A range blaster can retaliate against a pro user. It doesn't have to close in nearly as much distance, as you can hit from 3 and 1/2 bars away. For reference, the pro user has 4 bars. So you're still outranged, but the distance is much easier to close. And for those fights the vanilla blaster had a tough time with, against tentateks, N-Zaps, and the like, are now blown away as they can't even touch you anymore. Also, remember when the opponent could run when you had puny range, or when you had to get 3 shots on them. With the range blaster just doesn't have this problem, it kills so reliably. Also remember snipers, they were funny while they could hide on their perches, now they quiver whenever they see a blast come out from you.

What happens when you get rushed down though?​

You give them the D, the direct you sick f***. A cheeky flanker must respect the ever present OHKO direct. A range blaster who masters this mechanic is simply one that never dies. This is the reason why rapid is so weak to getting rushed down. If you get a direct as a rapid blaster, you need to either get a spark or another blast on them. Which can be hard to do when the tentatek user already has 2 shots into you. As a range blaster, you get your nice direct, and you get a kill. You don't need to pull off some matrix level technique to get the kill afterwards.

But I'm not going to be ignorant and pretend my weapon is perfect.
This weapon cannot paint anything. It is the worst painting weapon in the game, and you should only focus on painting if you have nothing else to do. This weakness becomes especially notable when paired up with a sniper, as once the opponent gets paint on to your side of the field, you don't have the means to remove it from your side, and you're stuck in ink whenever you want to make a play (which often involves your demise).

Getting directs is the saving grace of this weapon.
If you miss a lot of your directs with this weapon, you lose half, if not more of the value it brings to the team. As without getting up close directs reliably will result in you dying. A LOT. And it can be challenging to get directs when you're tilted, or your aim is "off" for a bit. So, being inconsistent will kill your feel for the weapon.

The kit in splat one helped remedy mess ups because not every situation is goes in your favor. Splat bombs were great to roll on to your feet if someone was flanking you, and burst bombs allowed for quick reactions and follow up damage to flankers wanting to get close to you. Plus kraken, the famous panic button special fit with the weapon seamlessly.

But in this kit, suction and inkstorm don't allow for quick reactions, instead they're tools for maintaining control. Which is what the range blaster is good at. The range blaster just can't grab the momentum by itself to get in that defensive position. Which is why Grim was really successful. It had that burst cancel combo which was ideal for grabbing control through picks in the first couple seconds of a match.

Overall, I was very happy when this weapon got to be in my hands again. As I was waiting 3 months for this thing to come back. And it feels just like the reapers scythe in my hands.

I don't have anything to say because you just said it all, and you're a billion times better at this game than I am. But it's important to point out that even a low level Splatoon 2 player, like I am, can get a lot out of this gun. It has a learning curve, but those of us who are merely passable (and not BlasterGodTierThatOneGuy) are usually only playing against other merely passable people.

So for those who say this weapon is good or want to counter @ThatOneGuy by saying, "Yeah, but you're awesome at this game," this is a weapon you have to learn. However, it's fun and you can do well with it once you know how to abuse the strengths and and cover up the weaknesses (as ThatOneGuy outlined). So don't be afraid. If I can do well with this gun, anyone can.

 

[Mawnster]

This weapon was literally the weapon that I mained in my late splatoon 1 competitive career. This weapon has made me love the game so much more ever since I started playing it. Why this did I choose this blaster though? I could have been the best luna player in the world with potato aim. Or I could play the rapid for all my life and be a nerd about frame data. But I picked this blaster, and I'll tell you why I picked this absolute beast of a weapon.

The Range tier is golden​

The thing that doesn't keep the Luna or Vanilla Blaster from winning too many match ups is that they just don't have the range to do so. For example, a Splattershot Pro against a vanilla blaster is almost always a bad match up for the blaster player. As the vanilla blaster just can't fight a Pro at range, and even up close, if the blaster decides to go for a 2 shot, the Pro user can win the gun fight if they aim all 3 shots. But you may ask, how does a range blaster fight them? A range blaster can retaliate against a pro user. It doesn't have to close in nearly as much distance, as you can hit from 3 and 1/2 bars away. For reference, the pro user has 4 bars. So you're still outranged, but the distance is much easier to close. And for those fights the vanilla blaster had a tough time with, against tentateks, N-Zaps, and the like, are now blown away as they can't even touch you anymore. Also, remember when the opponent could run when you had puny range, or when you had to get 3 shots on them. With the range blaster just doesn't have this problem, it kills so reliably. Also remember snipers, they were funny while they could hide on their perches, now they quiver whenever they see a blast come out from you.

What happens when you get rushed down though?​

You give them the D, the direct you sick f***. A cheeky flanker must respect the ever present OHKO direct. A range blaster who masters this mechanic is simply one that never dies. This is the reason why rapid is so weak to getting rushed down. If you get a direct as a rapid blaster, you need to either get a spark or another blast on them. Which can be hard to do when the tentatek user already has 2 shots into you. As a range blaster, you get your nice direct, and you get a kill. You don't need to pull off some matrix level technique to get the kill afterwards.

But I'm not going to be ignorant and pretend my weapon is perfect.
This weapon cannot paint anything. It is the worst painting weapon in the game, and you should only focus on painting if you have nothing else to do. This weakness becomes especially notable when paired up with a sniper, as once the opponent gets paint on to your side of the field, you don't have the means to remove it from your side, and you're stuck in ink whenever you want to make a play (which often involves your demise).

Getting directs is the saving grace of this weapon.
If you miss a lot of your directs with this weapon, you lose half, if not more of the value it brings to the team. As without getting up close directs reliably will result in you dying. A LOT. And it can be challenging to get directs when you're tilted, or your aim is "off" for a bit. So, being inconsistent will kill your feel for the weapon.

The kit in splat one helped remedy mess ups because not every situation is goes in your favor. Splat bombs were great to roll on to your feet if someone was flanking you, and burst bombs allowed for quick reactions and follow up damage to flankers wanting to get close to you. Plus kraken, the famous panic button special fit with the weapon seamlessly.

But in this kit, suction and inkstorm don't allow for quick reactions, instead they're tools for maintaining control. Which is what the range blaster is good at. The range blaster just can't grab the momentum by itself to get in that defensive position. Which is why Grim was really successful. It had that burst cancel combo which was ideal for grabbing control through picks in the first couple seconds of a match.

Overall, I was very happy when this weapon got to be in my hands again. As I was waiting 3 months for this thing to come back. And it feels just like the reapers scythe in my hands.

Since you seem to have a lot of time with this weapon, do you have any gear reccomendations for it?

 

[Woomyapple]

I'm not a blaster main myself, but I'll express my thoughts on the weapon.

This gun is a force to be reckoned with thanks to it's range and it's damage. But it's fire rate is what makes it... balanced i suppose. But that doesn't make it a bad weapon to use.
Like most blasters, this is a weapon used for attacking instead of gathering ink. But luckily, it has Ink Storm. So you could easily get ink that way an focus down the enemy team at the same time. If used effectively, it could be used for both gathering turf and destroying the enemy team (Mental note to stay a certain distance away from enemy squids because that fire rate will ruin everything while using this weapon.)

Also, suction bombs are cool. I think I like the first game's counterpart more thanks to Splash wall, though. May take up a lot of ink, but it's saved me so many times when someone gets near me.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

and you're a billion times better at this game than I am.

Don't know where you got that from, but thank you.

Since you seem to have a lot of time with this weapon, do you have any gear reccomendations for it?

I have about 60,000 ish turf on it, and I've been experimenting with some builds. I can tell you that I like swim speed on it, as it helps in a lot of fire fights, and I've been running a pure of bomb defense on it as well, because it's been rather useful against the common splattershot user with the splashdown + burst bomb combo. Plus it's rather useful against inkjet and teams that want to spam bombs. Other than that, you can tinker with whatever you want. I would recommend some sub saver if you want to pressure with the suctions, or some special charge to get rain clouds consistently.

 

[Spaceswitchmars]

Don't know where you got that from, but thank you.

Rumors of your murder sprees have spread far and wide, hahaha.

 

[Mawnster]

Don't know where you got that from, but thank you.


I have about 60,000 ish turf on it, and I've been experimenting with some builds. I can tell you that I like swim speed on it, as it helps in a lot of fire fights, and I've been running a pure of bomb defense on it as well, because it's been rather useful against the common splattershot user with the splashdown + burst bomb combo. Plus it's rather useful against inkjet and teams that want to spam bombs. Other than that, you can tinker with whatever you want. I would recommend some sub saver if you want to pressure with the suctions, or some special charge to get rain clouds consistently.

I’ve playing around with it and I feel like ism is mandatory on it. But that might be due to my own inexperience with the gun, I never used it in S1. Whereas you’ve used it a ton more so you are probably comfortable with it’s base consumption rate.