lucariojr
Inkling
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2017
- Messages
- 10
- NNID
- lucariojr
- Switch Friend Code
- SW-8346-4998-0485
I used to do these for Pokemon, and they were pretty fun and sparked discussion, so I thought I'd try it out for Splatoon. Better competitive players than me have made Ranked tier lists, so I thought I'd do Salmon Run!
Some points before I begin,
S-Tier
These weapons can do it all. Turf, mowing down mooks, handling (most) bosses, you name it. They may have one or two drawbacks and may have a learning curve, but these flaws are minor. Weapons here fulfill 4-5 of the criteria above.
A-Tier
Weapons here Fulfill 3-4 of the criteria, and excel in certain aspects, though they do have one or two noticeable flaws. These flaws rarely get in the way of using the weapon, however.
B-Tier
Weapons here fulfill 2-3 of the criteria, but do so well enough to forgive their flaws and often are welcome addition to team compositions.
C-Tier
Weapons here fulfill 2-3 of the criteria, and may be overshadowed by stronger options. In certain, niche aspects they may be better than B- or A-tier weapons, but generally are weaker options.
D-Tier
Weapons here fulfill only 1-2 of the criteria. There may be events in which they excel, or have certain quirks that can be useful, but are held back by crippling design flaws.
Untiered - I actually don't know how these weapons interact with salmonids. Discussion welcome on these weapons in particular.
Some points before I begin,
- This is based on personal opinion and experience. Please don't just post "you're not using x weapon right, it should be higher," without explaining yourself.
- I am accounting for viability on all current stages, not just one particular stage.
- Weapons I haven't used, or have not been in the rotation yet will be marked with a *.
- Weapons are listed in no particular order.
- Weapons that are NOT available in The Shoal (LAN mode) are listed in Bold.
- Turfing Ability
- Wall Painting
- Mook Management (Cohoks, Chum, and Small Fry)
- Boss Management (mainly Steelheads, Stingers, and Drizzlers)
- Support Utility (i.e., movement, team revival, and egg carrying)
S-Tier
These weapons can do it all. Turf, mowing down mooks, handling (most) bosses, you name it. They may have one or two drawbacks and may have a learning curve, but these flaws are minor. Weapons here fulfill 4-5 of the criteria above.
- Heavy Splatling
- N-Zap
- Splattershot
- Splat Dualies
- Splash-o-matic
In general, shooters are the best weapon class for Salmon Run. They offer mobility, continuous fire, and painting.
- Heavy Splatling - Turfs well, and absolutely mows down everything. In a mode where enemies approach slowly, the Heavy has enough time to charge at least partially and splat large numbers of mooks. It deals with troublesome bosses thanks to its range and firerate, paints walls with ease, and can really only be faulted in the difficulty of painting your feet and splatterhopping, which can lead to you being cornered.
- N-Zap - Great fire rate allows it to paint and kill mooks with ease, and can usually reach high enough to paint walls. Its strafing speed is excellent for dealing with cohocks, as you can walk backwards out of their hitbox easily. Its range is decent, allowing it to hit Steelheads and shoot down Drizzler missiles. Mobility and fire rate also mean that it can splatterhop out of tight situations and quickly paint escape routes.
- Splattershot - Similar to the N-Zap, but its shots are stronger and larger and it has less strafing speed. Has slightly better ink management than either the Splash or N-Zap, making it easier to deal with Maws.
- Splash-o-matic - Similar to above; it is the best painter of the three and lacks N-Zap mobility.
- Splat Dualies - Very similar to Splattershot, and is in fact practically identical to it, however it is worse for painting because it cannot effectively jump and spray (jumping and spraying covers more ground), but dodge-rolling is effective for escaping a gang attack. Dodge rolling is also effective for quickly approaching and chasing bosses such as Steel Eels and Goldies. Having two reticles may also affect accuracy, but this is less of an issue in Salmon Run, with the possible exception of Drizzler missiles.
A-Tier
Weapons here Fulfill 3-4 of the criteria, and excel in certain aspects, though they do have one or two noticeable flaws. These flaws rarely get in the way of using the weapon, however.
- Dapple Dualies
- Jet Squelcher
- Splat Charger
- E-Liter 4K
- Slosher
- Tri-Slosher
- Mini Splatling
- .52 Gal
- Splattershot Pro
- Dapple Dualies - Offers greater mobility than the Splat Dualies and paints better in shorter distances (ideal for painting around spawn), however the lack of range makes it less effective at taking down bosses, mainly Steelheads and Motherships.
- Jet Squelcher - Its shots aren't as strong as other shooters, which is to be expected of something that rivals chargers in distance, but can become a problem against Steelheads, which are usually left to the long-range class in a composition. It is however, more effective than chargers at dealing with Stingers at a distance.
- Splat Charger - Does not paint as well as shooters, and is quickly overwhelmed if too many bosses are on the map. It is effective in the Spawning Grounds and Marooner's Bay as they feature higher ground to snipe various bosses, revive teammates, and paint walls, though should be less effective on Lost Outpost and future maps that lack higher ground. The ability to store charges is also essential and in fact is why it is ranked higher than scoped chargers; unlike in regular/ranked battles, the charger should be expected to re-position often, and having to re-charge a shot is time consuming. There is a technique that allows you to be much more mobile while storing a charge, and should be used for re-positioning against Steel Eels and Drizzlers in particular.
- E-Liter 4K - Is slower than the Splat Charger (both swim speed and charge time), but has more range. The added range is particularly useful during low tide to snipe Steel Eels before they come too close to the basket. Storing charges is more important here.
- Slosher - Its range isn't much better than the S-tier shooters, and does not paint nearly as well as those options. It is more effective at painting walls and its individual shots are powerful enough to deal with Steelheads without much need for timing. Sloshing mooks over walls, or sloshing over cohocks to deal with chums behind it makes it effective at thinning crowds in a straight line. The quirk of being able to shoot enemies above or below you and over walls is the main reason to use it and gives it more utility on Marooner's Bay. The west side of Lost Outpost during mid tide and the low tide area as a whole are areas where the Slosher is more effective than the Tri-Slosher on that stage.
- Tri-Slosher - Higher rate of fire than the Slosher, and wider spread make it more effective at turfing. Less range is more noticeable when painting walls and attacking Steelheads, but other than that is more effective than the Slosher on stages where mooks are less likely to line up, notably the Spawning Grounds and within the main area of Lost Outpost.
- Mini Splatling - Its shots are larger (making it easier to paint in shorter distances) and is less likely than the Heavy Splatling to get cornered, but is ultimately outclassed. It is a great weapon in its own right however, offering decent mobility, turfing ability, and high killing power.
- .52 Gal - Operates similarly to S-tier shooters, but is held back by its mobility, poor(er) ink efficiency, and lower rate of fire. Its shots are stronger however, making it easier to deal with Steelheads, Steel Eels, exposed Scrappers and Drizzlers, and cohocks.
- Splattershot Pro - Good accuracy and range, combined with decent killing power and painting ability make it a solid all-around weapon. It is more or less held back by its poor ink efficiency and sometimes leaves gaps in its ink trails that can slow you down.
B-Tier
Weapons here fulfill 2-3 of the criteria, but do so well enough to forgive their flaws and often are welcome addition to team compositions.
- Sploosh-o-matic
- .96 Gal
- Splat Roller
- Flingza Roller
- Inkbrush
- Blaster
- L-3 Nozzlenose
- Squiffer
- Aerospray
- Splattershot Jr.
- Dualie Squelchers
- Sploosh-o-matic - Offers impressive killing power and mobility, but its abysmal range is noticeable when painting walls and dealing with Steelheads. In fact, Sploosh cannot hurt Steelheads at all, and can have a hard time with Drizzlers on uneven ground. Its range also hurts its otherwise good turfing potential, though it is great for painting around basket and spawn.
- .96 Gal - Its shots are powerful (it can solo Steelheads easily) and accuracy is less of an issue in Salmon Run, but it is held back by its low rate of fire and poor ink management. Notably, it is harder for a .96 to deal with Maws or damage a Flyfish and continue firing. Mobility is also an issue here.
- Splat Roller - Excellent for painting the main area and basket, especially as it leaves no gaps in its trail while rolling. Squashing mooks (besides cohocks) makes it the ideal weapon for Glowfly swarms and generally clearing out hordes. It is let down by its range and rate of fire, making it harder to deal with Stingers and Steelheads, and is outclassed in regards to damaging enemies over walls by the Sloshers. Vertical flicks help with its range, but end up doing less than enough damage. Note that Rollers can conserve ink and serve as a wall of death during Glowfly rushes by rolling only slightly by tilting the control stick and not entering a full roll. Spinning in place is also effective at clearing an encirclement of mooks.
- Flingza Roller - Essentially similar to the Splat Roller, but is more effective on Marooner's Bay thanks to its long vertical flick being able to paint the main area more easily.
- Inkbrush - Mostly let down by its poor wall-painting, lacks the ability to hit Steelheads effectively, and in general has low killing potential. It is however, the fastest egg-retriever in the game and has better ink efficiency than the Octobrush, making it effective in dealing with Flyfish as well. A good strategy to adopt is to avoid most fights altogether and focus on reviving teammates and retrieving eggs. This is counter-intuitive to other objectives (clearing hordes, beating bosses), but the Inkbrush makes up for this by being what is possibly the best Salmon Run support weapon. It is especially effective on the grates of Spawning Ground and Lost Outpost (it can continue running on grates even if it does not paint them), and is effective at dealing with Griller rounds thanks to its mobility and ability to squash smallfry.
- Blaster - The best weapon to deal with Stingers, and is in general one of the better weapons in terms of killing potential. However, while its low rate of fire doesn't seem to hamper killing, it does make it a poor turfing weapon and lacks mobility while shooting. It can't quickly paint high walls, but is serviceable for making large blots to swim up lower ledges, such as the main platform of Spawning Grounds and the windows of Lost Outpost.
- L-3 Nozzlenose - While effective in painting in straight lines and covering turf well while strafing, it cannot paint walls effectively. In a similar vein, it is effective in dealing damage to bosses with its burst shot, but isn't as effective at killing mooks, especially when smallfry are nibbling your toes. Possibly more effective than the .96 Gal given its similar range and power combined with strafing speed on Lost Outpost, and any other area with grates.
- Squiffer - More effective at clearing mooks and is less likely to be cornered than the Splat Charger and E-liter thanks to its fast charge time. Its range is also less of an issue during high tide. It still suffers from being relatively useless during Glowfly swarms and is less effective during mid-tide where range makes more of a difference.
- Aerospray - Exceptional turfing ability, even if its range makes it hard to paint walls. Exceptional ink efficiency makes it easier for this weapon to deal with Maws and Flyfish and continue firing afterwards, and high rate of fire makes it a fine Stinger killer. Against other bosses however, it is less effective because of the low power of an individual shot.
- Splattershot Jr. - Similar to Aerospray, except it trades some turfing ability (its spread is less wide) for boss management (individual shots are more powerful).
- Dualie Squelchers - More range than Splat Dualies, but lacks mobility compared to Splat and Dapple, and its shots aren't as large (leaving gaps in ink trails that can slow you down). Its accuracy is hindered by having two reticles, which is a problem for a mid-range weapon. It is better for dealing with pressure than the Jet Squelcher given dodge rolling, and dodge rolling to get over grates is most effective on Spawning Grounds and Lost Outpost, making it a stronger option on those stages.
Weapons here fulfill 2-3 of the criteria, and may be overshadowed by stronger options. In certain, niche aspects they may be better than B- or A-tier weapons, but generally are weaker options.
- Splatterscope
- E-liter 4K Scope
- Clash Blaster
- H-3 Nozzlenose
- Rapid Blaster
- Luna Blaster*
- Carbon Roller
- Octobrush
- Splatterscope - Simply put, this is outclassed because it cannot hold a charge. Scoping in to make more accurate shots is less important as well, since most if not all enemies will be stationary or follow a slow, predictable path. This is still an exceptional weapon for dealing with Steelheads, knocking back Drizzler missiles, and of course Mothership events, simply a slightly worse alternative to regular chargers for the purposes of Salmon Run.
- E-liter 4K Scope - Same as Splatterscope, but not being able to hold a charge hurts the E-Liter especially because of its long charge time.
- Clash Blaster - Under-powered alternative to the Blaster, marked by a direct hit not instantly splatting Chum. It is only slightly more effective at turfing and is about the same at killing Stingers. It does paint walls more effectively, though.
- H-3 Nozzlenose - Its direct burst shots deal more damage than the L-3 (important against Steelheads) and has longer range, making it arguably better for turfing long, vertical areas. Lower rate of fire hurts most of all though, especially when dealing with the Smallfry in Griller rushes.
- Rapid Blaster* - Arguably more effective at dealing with Stingers and hordes at a distance than the Blaster, but it remains a poor turfing weapon and is more easily overwhelmed than the regular Blaster.
- Luna Blaster* - Shorter range and effectively the same killing power against mooks makes this a less useful option than the regular Blaster. Its nerfed ink efficiency compared to Splatoon 1 means it can fire less shots after bombing Flyfish and Maws.
- Carbon Roller - Faster rolling speed makes it a slightly better turfing weapon than the Splat Roller, but it cannot roll over mooks as effectively and its fire rate is practically the same against larger numbers of mooks. It remains a poor Stinger killer, for instance.
- Octobrush - Essentially a poorer choice than the Inkbrush simply because of its worse ink efficiency. It still has trouble dealing with large groups of mooks, but does have more power to each swing. It also has a wider trail allows teammates to follow, and is better at squashing Smallfry.
D-Tier
Weapons here fulfill only 1-2 of the criteria. There may be events in which they excel, or have certain quirks that can be useful, but are held back by crippling design flaws.
- Goo Tuber
- Dynamo Roller
- Goo Tuber - Being blunt here... Who thought slow charge time plus low range was a good idea?! You can already carry your charge all over the stage with the other chargers, and ideally in Salmon Run you want to be spraying ink nonstop. Additionally, its fully charged shot is the same base damage as the Splat Charger (160), and is outdamaged by the E-Liter (180), which charges at about the same rate, which is important for damaging Drizzlers and Steel Eels. If you're playing LAN mode, stay away from the Goo Tuber unless you feel like challenging yourself. Here's to hoping it doesn't frequent the rotation in online Salmon Run.
- Dynamo Roller - Has a niche with its absurdly powerful rolling ability, notably being able to crush cohocks and near-instantly kill cornered Goldies during a Goldie search. Likely effective against Glowfly swarms as well. What kills the Dynamo's viability however, is its absolutely horrendous rate of fire and ink management. While in regular/ranked battles this can be mitigated by Ink Saver Main and Ink Recovery, it is absent in Salmon Run. Even while rolling it requires a lot of ink, and combined with low rolling speed and slow flicks, ultimately makes it a poor turfing weapon and a poor boss killer. It also is a heavy weapon, meaning that its swim speed is slower than most other weapons (it shares this classification with the E-Liter for instance), hampering its ability to play objective in gathering eggs.
Untiered - I actually don't know how these weapons interact with salmonids. Discussion welcome on these weapons in particular.
- Splat Brella
- Sloshing Machine
Last edited: