The new specials are not overpowered.

[aceofscarabs]

Naturally, but it becomes even less useful if only one person can get hit with a stray or targeted shot before the entire team loses their armor.

Still not as humiliating as being temporarily invunerable to damage but not knockback. The shame of being pushed off the stage on Moray Tower Rush because a pointblank Luna Blaster shoved you off the tower when it was suspended over the gap...

 

[Silentium]

Yeah, all of these specials seem pretty balanced so far. Not only just balanced, but completely toned down from what we got in the first game. Which is nice, since more emphasis on player skill, and less on the specials. The specials in 1 were fun, but the specials in 2 look to be more fun, since they require more interaction this time.

The bubble blower special looks interesting to me though. Really want to see how that feels like in actual gameplay.

Good to feel I'm not the only one. It got to a point where it feel that half of the specials were panic buttons, and the other half were situational at best.

But due to the decreased power overall, it means there is less of a reliance on the specials. Dying wont be as harsh of a penalty, since you're missing out on a special that requires elbow grease instead of a bubble or kraken, for example. This may decrease the snowballing effect in the game as well, meaning it will be harder to assert map dominance with the reliance of specials alone.
EDIT: For example, remember being spawned camped by that one kraken, bubbler, or inkzooka before?

 

[RespawningJesus]

Good to feel I'm not the only one. It got to a point where it feel that half of the specials were panic buttons, and the other half were situational at best.

But due to the decreased power overall, it means there is less of a reliance on the specials. Dying wont be as harsh of a penalty, since you're missing out on a special that requires elbow grease instead of a bubble or kraken, for example. This may decrease the snowballing effect in the game as well, meaning it will be harder to assert map dominance with the reliance of specials alone.
EDIT: For example, remember being spawned camped by that one kraken, bubbler, or inkzooka before?

The snowball nature will be there due to difference in skill or disconnects, much like the first game. This time, it should just be a bit more manageable.

 

[Dessgeega]

This time, if a match snowballs it'll be because of a skill gap and not because of nonsense like this classic:

 

[Silentium]

Oops, I didnt mean to state that snowballing was solely based off of the items, just reduced because of the decrease in overall powers of them.

 

[Dessgeega]

Oops, I didnt mean to state that snowballing was solely based off of the items, just reduced because of the decrease in overall powers of them.

At the same time, you weren't exactly wrong :P

 

[Hero of Lime]

I loooooooove that the specials in this game will be more tactical than super weapons to pull out to try and change the whole direction of the battle. This will allow players to focus more on how their specials can affect their team, and their role in the match over getting a quick krill or two..(sorry had to do it)

 

[bbninjas]

I actually feel that the Baller is a bit underpowered, to be honest, or at least as a special to be used for killing. The time it takes to charge and explode seems tediously long - I'd expect that in higher level play, your opponent would have very likely noticed you and managed to escape before you explode. This would be different if you could charge in intervals, of course, or hold the charge a bit like a sniper. It should definitely be an effective panic button though (unfortunately).

 

[Dessgeega]

I actually feel that the Baller is a bit underpowered, to be honest, or at least as a special to be used for killing. The time it takes to charge and explode seems tediously long - I'd expect that in higher level play, your opponent would have very likely noticed you and managed to escape before you explode. This would be different if you could charge in intervals, of course, or hold the charge a bit like a sniper. It should definitely be an effective panic button though (unfortunately).

Game's not out yet my friend, and people have a tendency of coming up with surprising tactics. If it truly is less useful than other specials, it'll get slammed with the patch hammer.

 

[Cyan]

I actually feel that the Baller is a bit underpowered, to be honest, or at least as a special to be used for killing. The time it takes to charge and explode seems tediously long - I'd expect that in higher level play, your opponent would have very likely noticed you and managed to escape before you explode. This would be different if you could charge in intervals, of course, or hold the charge a bit like a sniper. It should definitely be an effective panic button though (unfortunately).

I doubt it's underpowered, it (like many other specials) will need to be co-ordinated with other specials to cause a bit of mayhem and get splats. If you view 2 with the mindset of 1's stupid snowball specials (looking at you Inkzooka, Kraken and Bubbler), then yes, all these specials are trash. If you look at the specials for what they are you can see their true potential, but if you want the "I want to change the tide of battle in 2 seconds" special, you'll be disappointed here. Baller can be used for stealth splats, and used as a distraction in conjuction with Tenta Missiles/Sting Ray/Splashdown to get a few splats. You can't have a special like this explode too quickly at your discretion, as that's what causes these ridiculous specials like Inkzooka and Kraken in the first place. One special should not give you a triple or quad for free (as the Inkzooka can do fairly easily), specials should give you an advantage and the opportunity to take objective/get lead/get a splat or 2, but not flip the table and make you lose because all of a sudden you've been wiped and get locked out permanently for the rest of the match. Only weak special right now is Sting Ray, easy target for every other special with range, weak attacks and just generally useless. The only thing I see use for is not firing it and calling out the enemy team like a pseudo Echo.

 

[Dessgeega]

I'll have to disagree about the sting ray, since that opens up a whole lot of possibilities. Sure, it seems to kill in about the same time as a jet squelcher, but a well-positioned sting ray user can put their opponent between a rock and a hard place - I've seen Salmon Run footage where players got pinned by a sting ray as the small swarming enemies closed in, and it's feasible to imagine players doing the same. Kinda like the Killer Wail without being as unbalanced. Tracking the tower is also a valid tactic that we saw in the E3 tournament. If Special Power Up enhances the aiming speed of that weapon, it could be a terror.

 

[Cyan]

Oh for sure for sure. It just didn't seem encouraging seeing how easily players who used it were steamrolled in the E3 invitational. Seems vulnerable to a lot of things (most notably Tenta Missiles), and seems a bit too weird in the effects it gives out. I would prefer it if people who got hit by it were slowed down a bit, because the fact you can swim/run through it like it doesn't exist is a red flag for the long term prospects of the special. Unfortunately it seems Special Power Up only enhances the duration of the special, and why you want to be vulnerable for longer I don't know. I know this because some of the competitive players were at E3 and got to ask Nintendo staff a few questions about the game, and Special Power Up makes Ink Storm, Inkjet and Sting Ray last longer, Tenta Missiles gets the larger viewfinder and Splashdown gets a larger blast radius. I think Tower is the best attack strategy it has, since it can force people off, and coupled with something like Tenta Missiles and Bubble Wand it's a great way of leading people into traps. It just seems for every other mode people won't fear it unless it's a map with tight spaces. Hopefully if it is still underwhelming at launch it'll get a nice buff with the balance changes that'll make it good without being too powerful, because it's concept is definitely one of those specials where if you get it wrong it'll be too strong or too weak. The chasing strat where you push people into a trap could work and cause assists that way. I guess we'll see in 11 days' time :P

 

[Dessgeega]

Fair points. Also, consider point sensors (and possibly thermal ink), particularly in league mode. A lot of weapons with the sting ray are chargers and the like, so if they're on the other side of the map and an ally paints foes for them, there could be fun times. Like you said about the other specials, a bit of coordination will do wonders. As mighty as the players at the E3 invitational were, they were still new to all this, I'm quite interested to see the tactics that arise after we've all logged dozens of hours with the special.

 

[bbninjas]

Game's not out yet my friend, and people have a tendency of coming up with surprising tactics. If it truly is less useful than other specials, it'll get slammed with the patch hammer.

Nothing wrong with some healthy speculation!

I doubt it's underpowered, it (like many other specials) will need to be co-ordinated with other specials to cause a bit of mayhem and get splats. If you view 2 with the mindset of 1's stupid snowball specials (looking at you Inkzooka, Kraken and Bubbler), then yes, all these specials are trash. If you look at the specials for what they are you can see their true potential, but if you want the "I want to change the tide of battle in 2 seconds" special, you'll be disappointed here. Baller can be used for stealth splats, and used as a distraction in conjuction with Tenta Missiles/Sting Ray/Splashdown to get a few splats. You can't have a special like this explode too quickly at your discretion, as that's what causes these ridiculous specials like Inkzooka and Kraken in the first place. One special should not give you a triple or quad for free (as the Inkzooka can do fairly easily), specials should give you an advantage and the opportunity to take objective/get lead/get a splat or 2, but not flip the table and make you lose because all of a sudden you've been wiped and get locked out permanently for the rest of the match. Only weak special right now is Sting Ray, easy target for every other special with range, weak attacks and just generally useless. The only thing I see use for is not firing it and calling out the enemy team like a pseudo Echo.

I'm more trying to get at that the Baller seems weak if you consider it an offensive special, simply due to the time it would take for the Baller to charge and explode once in position, which should be enough time for players to escape in higher level play. As such, I'd consider it playing different roles that I feel it would be more viable at, such as chasing opponents into your team's setups, or simply as a safe means of escape. I don't actually think the special is underpowered as a support or defensive weapon - just as an offensive weapon (even in taking a single kill), which is something I'm completely fine with.

Fair points. Also, consider point sensors (and possibly thermal ink), particularly in league mode. A lot of weapons with the sting ray are chargers and the like, so if they're on the other side of the map and an ally paints foes for them, there could be fun times. Like you said about the other specials, a bit of coordination will do wonders. As mighty as the players at the E3 invitational were, they were still new to all this, I'm quite interested to see the tactics that arise after we've all logged dozens of hours with the special.

I thought it was interesting to note that during the finals of the invitational, Dynamon (running the Dynamo set) seldom used his Stingray throughout the matches; in fact I often noticed him picking up the rainmaker while having it charge. I find this a curious play; perhaps he had figured it was too high of a risk to use with the amount of experience that he had?

 

[Dessgeega]

The Baller also makes an ink trail as you move, so you're kinda like a manually controlled seeker when using it. I can see the potential there.

You have a point about Dynamon there - he's very aggressive with the Dynamo and the tourney wasn't a good time to experiment.

 

[Astral]

Baller has been confirmed via testfire data that it is not actually invincible. not sure if this has been pointed out yet im too lazy to read everyones comments lmao

 

[Dessgeega]

Baller has been confirmed via testfire data that it is not actually invincible. not sure if this has been pointed out yet im too lazy to read everyones comments lmao

Yes, it was pointed out immediately, in the third post. At least you admit your profound laziness, but maybe try to contribute to the conversation next time.

 

[bbninjas]

I do wonder about the power of the Raincloud if multiple were to be released at the same time. I believe it's possible to get KOs from it already; so having multiple raining down should certainly double, or triple those odds. Combine that with other objects that give splash damage, such as Sprinklers, and you could be getting consistent KOs just from that.

On that note, I like how quickly the missiles can be deployed, as shown in the invitational. Often it was just an aim, activate, fire process; I didn't really see any of the players wasting time trying to lock-on to other players.

 

[Ansible]

Though no longer showstoppers as in the first one, I'm liking the new specials! And I'm thinking they have many uses than merely trying to splat the foe like everyone wants them too, such as gaining initiative, claiming territory, and manipulating opponents.

For instance, I wonder, if a teammate gave you Ink Armor, would activating your special cancel it? Would a superjump cancel it? And how long does it last if no one hits you? I can see a number of team combos you can create with Ink Armor in the chain. Like say~ in Splatzones you give the Luna Blaster Ink armor, followed by splat bomb and blaster shot, go into Baller, explode in splat zone, ending into splat bomb and blaster shot. If you didn't splat anyone after all that you've at least manged to stop the clock or claim the zone for a brief moment as you chased them away.

But I'm just doing guesswork, it needs to actually be performed to see if it works.

 

[Momo]

I think of all the specials that have been shown so far I'm most interested in the potential of the bubble blower.

From what we saw in the direct, it sends out a few huge bubbles filled with ink that presumably will eventually detonate on their own if not activated by someone on the user's team. What it didn't show was if you could send the bubbles in different directions and such, since in the direct all the bubbles were placed in the same area. If the way it works is that you get one bubble per swipe, and you get say 3 swipes, I could see this special being really useful for controlling space on maps. This is just speculation though of course.