The Mainless Experience

[OnePotWonder]

It's fairly common knowledge that I am one of few, if not the only active Squidboards member to not have a main weapon. I've never really elaborated on what it's like or how it affects me as a player, though, and I figure that it's long overdue.

I imagine that the way most people here found their main weapons was by experimenting until something clicked with a certain weapon, and it revealed itself to be perfect for their playstyle. A splatling player probably plays to a balance of defense and offense, whereas a dualie player prefers to disorient and outmaneuver their enemies. I have experimented, and experimented, and I still have basically nothing to show for it.

I want to make something especially clear; the reason I don't have a main weapon isn't because I don't want one. I very much do. The real reason is the role I prefer playing is so diverse, and yet terrible in the current meta: Defensive anchors. Support-focused weapons with the ability to fight up close when the situation demands it. In case my weapon tastes and personal branding haven't made it clear enough, my number one priority in a match is staying alive to keep tabs on the enemy team. My playstyle is vigilance and control, making sure the enemies stay out of areas where they shouldn't be, and cleaning up any messes my team leaves behind while they're off doing fighting.

My taste in weapons is ultimately very straightforward; good range, decent paint, and a fast, consistent time to splat up close. The problem is that it's very difficult to find strong options that fill all of these criteria. Another point of issue is lethal bombs. Even if they don't make a weapon's playstyle too aggressive to work for me, they are so unbelievably boring to use. Not to mention their existence on short-range weapons makes slow weapons far less feasible than they already are.

I'm currently focusing on Custom Dousers and Ballpoint, but neither is quite right for my tastes. Ballpoint struggles to deal useful chip damage and its Inkjet can very easily be shut down by AoE weapons and backlines. Dousers' paint is still mediocre and its dodge roll can leave it too vulnerable for comfort. Both weapons don't really work in competitive play thanks to Snipewriter. I don't imagine I'll be sticking with these two weapons for much longer anyway, since Heavy Edit is starting to show some promise again.

When one envisions the term "weapon pool" I would assume one imagines an inflatable kiddie pool of weapons, probably half a dozen at most. My weapon pool is about the size of an Olympic swimming pool. There are probably two to three dozen weapons I can play equally well, hailing from nearly every class in the game. Trying to thin it out can work in the short-term, but inevitably something unexpected pops up from its recesses seeming better than what I'm currently using, and my temporary paradigm gets pureed.

Now, I haven't exactly explained why having no main is a bad thing, but it's pretty straightforward. Investing time into a small handful of weapons is a lot more valuable for skill development than spreading time across many weapons. I've been stuck in S+/<2000 X for the entire lifespan of Splatoon 3 because I don't have and can't develop the level of weapon expertise that someone with a consistent main or even a set of mains would have. I am flexible in what weapons I play, and it's a useful trait for comp building, but it's no help for progressing in solo. Not to mention my team- (and therefore matchmaking-) reliant playstyle already making progression more difficult than usual; not having the skill to solo carry means I'm at the mercy of my random teammates, and that is, of course, not a great feeling.

This all sucks especially hard considering I don't have any Splatoon-playing friends in my time zone, and my college schedule prevents me from playing with other EST Squidboards members on most weekdays. I'm stuck playing casual Series and X and there really isn't anything I can do about it.

All I really want out of the game right now is change; something, anything to make something in my weapon pool clearly shine above the rest with regard to supporting my playstyle. My Splatoon experience isn't going anywhere until an opening appears somewhere, and trying to find an existing one only becomes more futile by the day. It's all so repetitive it feels like being stuck in a three-month time loop, each seasonal rank reset putting me back to square one with no new information on how to break out. I need patches, more than we're getting now. Needless to say I am waiting in antsy anticipation for the next patch to come out this month.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read through this thread. Hopefully it helps to explain my predicament.
Have a wonderful day.

 

[OnePotWonder]

For the record, here's a comprehensive list of the weapons I would consider potential mains for me, and the type of changes I would want to see to pick any of them up permanently:

• Vanilla Splattershot Pro and/or Rapid Blaster Pro Deco with a relevant Angle Shooter buff (trail damage)
• H-3 Nozzlenose D with a main weapon buff (less end lag)
• Vanilla Dynamo Roller with a main weapon buff (consistent paint)
• Vanilla Flingza Roller, Nautilus 47, vanilla Ballpoint Splatling, and/or vanilla REEF-LUX 450 with meta shifts
• Big Swig Roller or Dread Wringer with a strong third kit
• Vanilla E-liter 4K, vanilla Heavy Splatling, and/or Custom Wellstring V with a Wave Breaker buff
• Bamboozler 14 Mk II and/or Custom Dualie Squelchers with a Super Chump buff
• Vanilla Goo Tuber with a severe main weapon buff (10% range increase)
• Zink Mini Splatling and/or Splatana Stamper Nouveau with a relevant Toxic Mist buff
• Nautilus 47 also with an Ink Storm buff
• Vanilla Ballpoint Splatling also with an Inkjet buff (flight speed)
• Vanilla Heavy Edit Splatling*
• Vanilla Glooga Dualies with a main weapon buff (less turret mode startup)
• Custom Dualie Squelchers also with a main weapon buff (30 damage)
• Custom Douser Dualies FF with a main weapon buff (paint output)
• Sorella Brella with a main weapon buff (damage) and an Inkjet buff (flight speed)

*There aren't really any changes that make Heavy Edit better, but something just feels off about it.

 

[Algae]

If I find one thing "off" about Heavy Edit, it's that the main weapon barely stands out from other Splatlings. It has Nautilus's range, but can't store its charge. It takes from Hydra's DPS boost, but lacks the same versatility in range (only offset by the full charge being 0.5 sec faster and not starting off slower).

 

[isaac4]

If I find one thing "off" about Heavy Edit, it's that the main weapon barely stands out from other Splatlings. It has Nautilus's range, but can't store its charge. It tokes from Hydra's DPS boost, but lacks the same versatility in range (only offset by the full charge being 0.5 sec faster and not starting off slower).

Actually, Heavy Edit has less range than Naut so it doesn't even have that.

I don't find anything "off" about the weapon but I guess if there was anything for me to point to it'd be the lack of range.

 

[solz]

In case my weapon tastes and personal branding haven't made it clear enough, my number one priority in a match is staying alive to keep tabs on the enemy team. My playstyle is vigilance and control, making sure the enemies stay out of areas where they shouldn't be, and cleaning up any messes my team leaves behind while they're off doing fighting.

My taste in weapons is ultimately very straightforward; good range, decent paint, and a fast, consistent time to splat up close.

It’s regrettable to say but there is one weapon that meats these criteria: .52 gal (pls don’t torture us)

 

[QuagSass]

If I find one thing "off" about Heavy Edit, it's that the main weapon barely stands out from other Splatlings. It has Nautilus's range, but can't store its charge. It takes from Hydra's DPS boost, but lacks the same versatility in range (only offset by the full charge being 0.5 sec faster and not starting off slower).

Even before Edit came around, I was of the opinion that it's basically impossible to make a new Splatling that is unique. Unless you completely change up the charge mechanic again. But that also brings with it it's own balancing problems, for example: Naut being stuck with mediocre kits because the main is so cracked it'd break the game otherwise. Or launch Ballpoint that was so busted it only ever got nerfed in S2. S3 tried to give Ballpoint one little pfs buff, but was instantly reverted and then nerfed further. I will never not find that funny. They're so scared of BP lmao
For what it is, Edit is a very reasonable new weapon in the class. Basing it off of the arguably weakest weapon in the class to bring down it's power, but still giving the mechanic a new coat of paint. Edit feels like a more "user-friendly" Hydra Splatling. Less cumbersome and easier to learn.
I was gonna talk about Edit more, it's probably better if I stick to the topic. Didn't mean to go off-course, oops.


I thought a bit about how I came across my mains, and it kinda happened by accident? I picked up Octobrush in S1 because it could make up for my weaknesses as a player. And I got to Octobrush after trying out other weapons with invincibility specials. That experience is what made me remember S1 Zimi during the start of S3, which made me try out the only Splatling I had available at the time.
If I just played weapons I thought I'd like, I don't think I ever would've picked up Splatlings. I think in an alternate universe, I'm a Tri-Slosher main. Or I just remained an Octobrush main, who knows. Either way point is that how I got to my beloved Hydra was not how I thought I'd get there. I know you've experimented plenty Onepot, but I guess when you're up to experimenting again you could try going as far away from your usual weapons as possible? Like Luna Blaster or something, IDK
of course, the most awesome thing imo would be if you stick with BP >:)

And hey, if you ever want pointers on Splatlings, you know who to call. Even if you feel like there's something about the weapon that feels odd or some matchup that doesn't quite click. Maybe I could offer a point of view you hadn't considered?

 

[OnePotWonder]

Edit is an inherently strange main weapon, but the reason it doesn't vibe with me specifically is the thing I can't put my finger on. It's very flexible, has plenty of range to zone out enemies (more than H-3 going by pure stats) and paints extremely well. I think it's most likely the Curling Bomb that makes it feel weird. Either that or the same issue I have with Heavy, where after a while it gets kind of boring due to restricting the user's ability to swim while fighting.

I will continue trying it for now and get to a verdict later.

 

[sly_snivy]

My playstyle is vigilance and control, making sure the enemies stay out of areas where they shouldn't be, and cleaning up any messes my team leaves behind while they're off doing fighting.

My taste in weapons is ultimately very straightforward; good range, decent paint, and a fast, consistent time to splat up close.

This description perfectly fits vFlingza, and I saw it in your list of weapons you had tried. Sure it may not be the most meta weapon right now, but Missiles are not bad by any stretch of the imagination. A teammate and I were testing out Flingza with Edit yesterday, and it did surprisingly well considering that we were matched against tough players and didn't know the weapon too well. It might be worthwhile to select one weapon (Flingza or not) and push it for a good bit to see what comes of it. That's my two cents, at least.

 

[youre_a_squib_now]

I would encourage you to pick two or three weapons (probably from that list of ones you've tried) and try to stick to those for a while. A lot of the weapons I've played took a bit to get used to before I liked them. The best example s-blast. I gave it a try and gave up after a while because it didn't feel right. It didn't click with me. After its radius got buffed, I gave it another try and eventually figured it out, but looking back, the change itself really didn't do that much for how I was playing it at the time. It's just that I gave it another serious chance, and I got past the initial discomfort with it.

So maybe the patch will happen and you'll try one of the things that got buffed and stick with it, but I think even if that doesn't happen you should keep trying things. Here's what I would do in your situation: pick 2 or 3 weapons and at least 4 star them before moving on to a new set. If you get tired of one before getting 4 stars, switch to a different one of the three. The idea is that it forces you to keep going with a weapon through being uncomfortable with it to see if it feels better once you have more experience with it. I did a similar thing, although not intentionally, but just because I wanted to get 4 stars on a weapon before I moved on. I recall you saying that you have 4 stars on few to no weapons, so that's where this idea is coming from. You're free to try it or not.

All I really want out of the game right now is change; something, anything to make something in my weapon pool clearly shine above the rest with regard to supporting my playstyle. My Splatoon experience isn't going anywhere until an opening appears somewhere, and trying to find an existing one only becomes more futile by the day. It's all so repetitive it feels like being stuck in a three-month time loop, each seasonal rank reset putting me back to square one with no new information on how to break out. I need patches, more than we're getting now. Needless to say I am waiting in antsy anticipation for the next patch to come out this month.

A main is not at all a bad thing to want, but I think you're putting too much focus on needing one to improve. Yes, improving will be harder if the mechanics of the weapon you're using are inconsistent, but ther are other areas to work on. I'm not the best person to talk about this but game awareness is an example that comes to mind here and it's a huge part of playing the game well. If a top player switched to a weapon they had zero experience with and zero knowledge of, sure they would perform worse, but I can guarantee they'd still beat every person here, because there are a lot of skills that are not weapon-specific. You can still work on those without a main.

And even if you don't find a particular weapon that stands out to you, you can still limit the weapons you play for the purpose of improving. If they're all equal, than why not just pick one and focus on learning how to work around its flaws?

 

[OnePotWonder]

This description perfectly fits vFlingza, and I saw it in your list of weapons you had tried. Sure it may not be the most meta weapon right now, but Missiles are not bad by any stretch of the imagination. A teammate and I were testing out Flingza with Edit yesterday, and it did surprisingly well considering that we were matched against tough players and didn't know the weapon too well. It might be worthwhile to select one weapon (Flingza or not) and push it for a good bit to see what comes of it. That's my two cents, at least.

It might seem that way initially, but I've played a lot of Flingza, and it's important to note that the weapon's range is only really good for paint and chip damage. It has poor matchups into midlines due to the slowness of its swings and the limited one-shot range of its vertical flick, and therefore ends up playing more to backline positions. This wouldn't be inherently bad if it could do anything other than painting and landing 40 damage chips in those positions.

I know that my playstyle is very heavily focused on defense, but when a weapon is only good at defense, you really end up not doing much in a match until things are going wrong. I would say the perfect main weapon for my playstyle is Big Swig Roller, since it's very similar in nature to Flingza, but it can afford to play more forward and deal with enemy midlines. The problem is that it has no kits.

In any case, I am trying to take your guys' advice by sticking to Ballpoint and Edit. They don't quite feel right but they are at least able to keep a hold of my attention. I'll update once I've gotten either of them to four stars. I don't imagine it will take long since both are already quite close to the milestone.

 

[OnePotWonder]

So... I'm playing brellas now.

This thread has made me think a bit deeper into what weapons suit me best. Not dying is the most central aspect of my playstyle, so it would stand to reason that I play skirmishing weapons that can enhance and get the most value out of my slipperiness (I can safely say I find backlines boring at this point). There's one caveat that led to me avoiding the role in the past, that being most skirmishers run QR builds and thus have QR playstyles. Which are effectively the opposite of my own playstyle. So, what options are there for skirmishers that don't run QR? Brellas. That's about it.

Range isn't as much of an issue for brellas since their shields make up the lost defensive value. All brellas paint decently well, and they can also deny enemy paint by absorbing shots with their shields. Their fighting power is well above satisfactory.

I've been focusing on both Splat Brella kits and Recycled Brella's only decent kit (the first one). The kits are very not great and the main weapons are noticeably on the weaker side, but they're working decently well, they have near-unlimited room for improvement through balance updates, and most importantly, they're fun. I feel like I'll be able to stick with them this time since, as aforementioned, I've tried all of the better options and didn't particularly like any of them.

 

[solz]

It's great that you found something you like

 

[OnePotWonder]

I have decided that I will not be maining brellas. For two reasons.

The first reason I will not be maining brellas is because they are pathetically weak. They are super fun to play and have a lot of room for skill development and mastery, but you constantly have to deal with blasters and sloshers and splatanas and bombs and whatever else can ignore your shield when you play them, all while not even having good matchups into short-range shooters because they keep getting their shots buffed while all you get is slightly better shield recovery. Brellas deserve better, and need to be better before I can sanely play them.

The second reason I will not be maining brellas is because deciding on brellas as a main sapped away all of my motivation to play the game for about a week. And I'm starting to doubt that picking another wouldn't have a similar effect. I am not the type of player to play the same thing for more than a week or two at a time as is, and that probably won't change.

I don't even necessarily want a main. What I want is the consistency that comes with one. I want to be able to get my rank high enough in the span of a season to not have to deal with crawling my way back to S+ through the blaster- and brush-wielding S-rank masses.

I figure I might as well embrace my instability at this point. Thinking about it more, there seems to be no weapon in the game or in concept that I would ever deem truly perfect for me. I'm going to just try playing more often and see how that goes.