Support Roles?

[Drip Bam Boozle]

I was wondering if anyone here has ever experimented with a build that doesn't reward raw stats or a top tier weapon. I personally started using a standard dynamo roller with a "meter gain" build for Tower control. It was after I started to notice how hard it was to move around the map while the enemy was pushing forward.

I can safely say I secured a lot of games for my team with this strat and was wondering if you squids have done similar things.

 

[BlackZero]

I don't bother too much with builds beyond a tendency towards speed. As for support, I use the Heavy Splatling, .52/.96, and chargers for zone denial and coverage. SZ and TC are great for this type of play imo because you have a pretty good idea of where the enemy is going to be going. If you've got good situational awareness and pick up on any flanking patterns they use, you can get a lot of kills or force them away from areas you want to keep clear. If you're teammates cooperate that is. Support play is very much dependent on other players realizing what you're doing and taking advantage of it. If they don't, you'll find yourself spending a lot of time trying to fend off enemies with little gain or having to play offensively with a defense-oriented weapon with mixed results.

I don't play RM much, as I've had a lot of bad luck with it and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I pretty much focus on flanking and making sure my half of the map is covered. I also watch back-doors that the other team can use to slip past.

For TW, I just focus on zone denial and coverage. I usually try to get to key areas first to start covering the map and hold enemies back so my teammates can approach these areas without getting killed.

 

[LMG]

For support I'd suggest either the standard Heavy Splatling, the Zinc Mini Splatling or any of the Hydra Splatlings, with Haunt and some Special Charge Up. The longer ranged Splatlings can work as a defensive line to keep the enemy on their side and the Mini Splatling can play as an offensive support by creating pushes with the Bubbler and the Disruptors.

 

[Vitezen]

The dynamo already is a fairly high tier support weapon.

 

[Drip Bam Boozle]

For support I'd suggest either the standard Heavy Splatling, the Zinc Mini Splatling or any of the Hydra Splatlings, with Haunt and some Special Charge Up. The longer ranged Splatlings can work as a defensive line to keep the enemy on their side and the Mini Splatling can play as an offensive support by creating pushes with the Bubbler and the Disruptors.

Definitely going to be trying out those gatts and hopefully I can get some good haunt gear to go with it :)

The dynamo already is a fairly high tier support weapon.

I think so too. It's hard to get a grasp of how good support weapons are. The safe bet is to go with popularity, unless someone can point me to a tier list somewhere on the boards. I would really like to see the breakdowns of weapons and maybe even a support tier list.

 

[LMG]

Definitely going to be trying out those gatts and hopefully I can get some good haunt gear to go with it :)

I use Haunt mostly to warn my team about enemies attempting a backdoor attack since I tend to stay in the far back with everyone else in the front lines, so it's not required, but useful nonetheless

 

[Of Moose & Men]

Not entirely sure if you are posting the Gas Mask to show us that you're planning on using it, but Forge doesn't really help towards Echolocator as it's always Capped at either 10 or 2.5 Seconds. If you're planning on using Tenacity however, I'd recommend either the Bobble Hat or Black Arrows to either Keep that special somewhat charged when you do go down, or come back quickly to build it back up. With that said, I'm not entirely sure what you're planning on running, but I'd most certainly suggest Ink Recovery Up and Damage Up for the Dynamo.

I actually play almost exclusively as a Supportive player with the Hydra, Vanilla Dynamo, and ELiter, only coming off when in Solo Queue and I get fed up with people not knowing how to push worth a crap. Too often I see people running head first into matches with Hydras and Dynamo and it is SO cringe worthy. I mean, you don't get kills by the numbers all too often, but it is a VERY amazing feeling knowing you prevented the opponents push thus winning you the game. I love being a supportive player, and the people I play with love me playing as such. It's an awesome role when played correctly.

 

[Drip Bam Boozle]

Great to here all these tips from fellow support enthusiast. I do want to optimize my dynamo play, so if you have any more recommendations I'd love to hear 'em.

I was using the gas mask in my meter build. So I lazily threw it up there in the op.
But there is something you wrote that I don't understand:

Forge doesn't really help towards Echolocator as it's always Capped at either 10 or 2.5 Seconds.

You mentioned the brand forge specifically and you imply that it affects the echo somehow? Help me understand this, I'm actually bewildered by what this means.
I appreciate any new knowledge. :)

 

[Jocarifeta]

You mentioned the brand forge specifically and you imply that it affects the echo somehow? Help me understand this, I'm actually bewildered by what this means.
I appreciate any new knowledge. :)

They're referring to the fact that the Forge line has 5x more probability of having Special Duration Up as its sub abilities, thus, being pretty much useless for a special that is not affected by it. It doesn't mean that you cannot use it with it, but you won't take the most advantage of the gear's brand ;)

As for the question, I also like to use the Heavy Splatling (Deco) when I feel the need of playing a more supportive role (even though I consider myself to be more of the aggressive kind of player). The point sensor specially is a very good sub weapon for it, as you can be constantly spoiling the other team's position throughout the entire match. I also like the Tri-slosher for this role, as it has the disruptor and bubbler, both very suited for support.-

 

[SquiliamTentacles]

Great to here all these tips from fellow support enthusiast. I do want to optimize my dynamo play, so if you have any more recommendations I'd love to hear 'em.

I was using the gas mask in my meter build. So I lazily threw it up there in the op.
But there is something you wrote that I don't understand:



You mentioned the brand forge specifically and you imply that it affects the echo somehow? Help me understand this, I'm actually bewildered by what this means.
I appreciate any new knowledge. :)

It's not the brand forge itself, but the ability bias. Most brands have a sub ability that is 5 times as likely to appear when a slot is rolled. Forge itself, has a higher chance for rolling Special Duration Up. As that is the easiest to gain ability on it, most gas masks would have it, and it would be the easiest ability if you wanted to get 3 of the same ability. Anyway, Special Duration Up actually does help the echolocator, making it slightly longer. However, I would not recommend it, since usually by the end of an Echolocator time span, around half the other team has either been splatted before you used the special, splatted while the echolocator is active, or has Cold-Blooded and negates the effect. It still has some useage on Echolocator, and can be used effectively.

If you are curious, here is a list of all the brands and their ability biases.

Spoiler: Brand Ability List

Firefin - 5x Ink Saver (Sub), 1/2 Ink Recovery
Forge - 5x Special Duration Up, 1/2 Ink Saver (Sub)
Inkline - 5x Defense Up, 1/2 Damage Up
Krak-On - 5x Swim Speed Up, 1/2 Defense Up
Rockenberg - 5x Run Speed Up, 1/2 Swim Speed Up
Skalop - 5x Quick Respawn, 1/2 Special Saver
Splash Mob - 5x Ink Saver (Main), 1/2 Run Speed Up
Squidforce - 5x Damage Up, 1/2 Ink Saver Main
Takoroka - 5x Special Charge Up, 1/2 Special Duration Up
Tentatek - 5x Ink Recovery Up, 1/2 Quick Super Jump
Zekko - 5x Special Saver, 1/2 Special Charge Up
Zink - 5x Quick Super Jump, 1/2 Quick Respawn

 

[Jocarifeta]

Special Duration Up actually does help the echolocator, making it slightly longer. However, I would not recommend it, since usually by the end of an Echolocator time span, around half the other team has either been splatted before you used the special, splatted while the echolocator is active, or has Cold-Blooded and negates the effect. It still has some useage on Echolocator, and can be used effectively.

Didn't know the echolocator was indeed affected by Special Duration Up! The more you know! Thanks! :)

 

[Quilavaflare]

I basically consider support my definite niche. It's an especially rewarding position if you have a good team to do the aggro stuff for you (and a good defensive player backing you up), but in Solo it can be rough as I tend to find myself defending against flanks alone against two-three enemies or even just one that has an invincibility special charged.

The Dual Squelcher is my main and I would consider it a pretty great support weapon. Range + Splat Bombs forces enemies to stay back or retreat if they try to get into your zone, and Echolocator is a god send for helping your team push against sneaky players or making sure you aren't about to be hit by a huge flank when things seem too quiet. (especially since teams in solo que rarely ever take the time to spot these things themselves) It's definitely no slacker at covering turf either, but I think one of its best attributes is mobility. Not strafing speed, although it has that too, but being able to move around the map and set up faster than other support weapons. It can defend itself much better than some of the slower support weapons that will have to charge up or have long wind ups, so you can move with the battle to support your aggro players or fall back to defend pretty easily. It's also not terrible at playing a cautious front line if you have good aim and use it properly. I would say some of its weaknesses are a somewhat slow time to kill (compared to other things like tentateks or gals.) and an ink efficiency that, while on paper sounds fine, realistically I find myself running out of ink too often while constantly trying to push others back. However, that may just be my own fault and both of these can be countered with good zoning and ink abilities.

Abilities: A mixture of: Tenacity or Special Charge Up, Cold-Blooded (not necessary, but always a nice pick), Bomb Range Up, Ink Resistance Up (another one not completely necessary), and as many Ink Saver Main and Ink Recovery Up subs as I can get. Run Speed Up also works well with this.

wow wall of text

 

[BlackZero]

Another important thing: make sure you're in a good position with some breathing room from the enemy. Part of being a good support is serving as a jump-point for your teammates if they get wiped out. Make sure you're close enough to the action that they can pick up where they left off, but far enough away that they don't spawn into a firefight with four opponents.

If you have a charger or Splatling, you can also make an ink trail for your teammates right at the beginning of the match. This is great for maps like Kelp Dome where you can literally make a trail right to the middle of the map in the first couple of seconds. You can also make quick access routes for teammates that have to respawn or swim back to another area. Chargers/Splats are also useful for creating escape routes for teammates surrounded by enemy ink who need to get away from an opponent. Of course, your teammates have to be smart enough to use it, but at least you've done your part.

 

[Drip Bam Boozle]

Ahh, I see what you're all saying about the gears and rolling. I also can see how the special duration up isn't as good for echo. Lucky for my gas mask is lookin' like this:

Didn't know the echolocator was indeed affected by Special Duration Up! The more you know! Thanks! :)

I was actually unsure about this myself. At the very least it is nice to hear someone confirming it.

The Dual Squelcher is my main and I would consider it a pretty great support weapon.

Will try.

 

[Quilavaflare]

Another important thing: make sure you're in a good position with some breathing room from the enemy. Part of being a good support is serving as a jump-point for your teammates if they get wiped out. Make sure you're close enough to the action that they can pick up where they left off, but far enough away that they don't spawn into a firefight with four opponents.

If you have a charger or Splatling, you can also make an ink trail for your teammates right at the beginning of the match. This is great for maps like Kelp Dome where you can literally make a trail right to the middle of the map in the first couple of seconds. You can also make quick access routes for teammates that have to respawn or swim back to another area. Chargers/Splats are also useful for creating escape routes for teammates surrounded by enemy ink who need to get away from an opponent. Of course, your teammates have to be smart enough to use it, but at least you've done your part.

Sooo much this too. Support should pretty much be avoiding close up, direct conflict if at all possible. Losing a little bit of map is ten times better than getting splatted and leaving the whole thing to the dogs. I like to think of support as basically in charge of map control. At least, that's the main goal anyway. If you're getting a ton of splats every match, you're probably not playing support, you're playing aggro. Unless the enemy team just really likes jumping right into your clutches, which doesn't seem entirely uncommon either.

 

[LMG]

Sooo much this too. Support should pretty much be avoiding close up, direct conflict if at all possible. Losing a little bit of map is ten times better than getting splatted and leaving the whole thing to the dogs. I like to think of support as basically in charge of map control. At least, that's the main goal anyway. If you're getting a ton of splats every match, you're probably not playing support, you're playing aggro. Unless the enemy team just really likes jumping right into your clutches, which doesn't seem entirely uncommon either.

Some weapons do inebitably end up in the line of fire even though you're not really focusing on the fighting itself, like the Zink Mini Splatling or the Custom Splattershot Jr. In these cases I call it "offensive support" if you're mostly trying to keep the enemy at bay (not necessarily splatting them) while keeping your team alive or at least in a good position to fight (by using Point Sensors, Disruptors, Splash Walls, Bubblers, etc).

I've also been the top in both splats and turf covered through sheer defense, without moving past 1/3 of the map throughout the whole round o_O

 

[Quilavaflare]

Well, right, and that's what I mean: You should avoid conflict, but I'm not saying you'll never be in it. That's pretty much an unstoppable factor. What I'm trying to say is that if you're at a disadvantage it's better to fall back then instigate agression from the other team in this case.

And to the second, that's what I meant by "they like to fall right into your clutches", as in they keep running into the firefight instead of trying to gain better control first, continually making easy to counter plays, etc. And like I said, I was mostly referring to if this was a consistent thing.

 

[BlackZero]

I've also been the top in both splats and turf covered through sheer defense, without moving past 1/3 of the map throughout the whole round

Well, right, and that's what I mean: You should avoid conflict, but I'm not saying you'll never be in it. That's pretty much an unstoppable factor. What I'm trying to say is that if you're at a disadvantage it's better to fall back then instigate agression from the other team in this case.

Both good points. You definitely need to learn how to run away. One good trick is to throw a splatbomb at your feet and bolt. You can also try to hit people with splatwalls, which will either kill them outright or hold slow them down.

For Splatlings and chargers, you want to attack from high places to take full advantage of your range. With that said, do not try to hold a central platform on maps like Museum, Blackbelly, or Kelp. Defensive weapons don't deal well with melee/contact range attackers, and those centerpoints offer them several approach vectors to take you out from the sides or behind. Those platforms aren't usually very large, which also gives melees/aeros a huge advantage over you. It's better to find a high place further back with only a couple of approach vectors where you can see enemies coming. You can risk it if you have another charger or a melee covering you, but it's just too easy for enemies to pop up and splat you before you can react.

Don't be stingy with your sub-weapons and specials either. With the Heavy Splat, your wall can really help your teammates out a lot if they're under fire in tight spaces. Make sure you chuck one if you see an enemy coming up. If they're alone, you shouldn't have any problem. If they're in a group, you've bought time for your team to react before getting shot. I've managed to hold out a long time near the SZ in Flounder Heights by backing into a corner, firing across the central mesh bridge, and keeping walls up so that I get in a good salvo before the other team could hit me. This did a few things: 1) gave my teammates a safe jump point right next to the SZs, kept enemies from crossing into our side of the map, and allowed me to cover the SZ on their side from my side while also making it too risky for them to push forward. We ended up losing because my teammates would run head-first into the other team and actually let them attack from the bridge AND come up our ramp to flank me, but I held out for a good long time and served as a pretty reliable spawnpoint.

For weapons like the Squelch/Gal, I usually play sniper-killer. Just patrol your turf and look for any chargers. Wait until they aim at someone, swim up and splat them. Both weapons have the range to hit them up on platforms, and the Gals can usually take them out before they can react. That takes a lot of zone denial pressure off your own team and gives them more freedom of movement. Fighting Splatlings is usually best left to melee attackers, though Gals can do alright if you flank them. The .96 can usually kill them before they get a wall up.

 

[SupaTim]

I honestly love the support role: helping with map control, cutting off flanks, taking out people from a distance. This is why I fell in love with the dual squelcher and custom jet squelcher. Keep people at range, get kills, and keep control. I love the CJS on blackbelly as I can control the whole right side by myself.

I also feel like the vanilla splattershot is an awesome support weapon. It kills well at mid-range and the burst bombs make for a great pressuring tool. It is a really versatile support weapon as it can go on the offensive if needed, something that I struggle doing with the CJS or DS sometimes.

However, on some maps I really have a hard time playing this role, which is pretty frustrating. Museum last night was painful.

 

[Silentium]

I may just be being an idiot, but what would you guys define as being a support in Splatoon?