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The Rapid Blaster Pro

NeoSeth

Senior Squid
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
74
I discovered this weapon a month or two ago while watching ThatSrb2DUDE’s stream, and after playing it for a while it has become one of my favorite weapons in the game. I believe it has decent competitive potential, but I thought I would make a post here to see how other people feel about it or to get people who haven't tried it to try it out.

The Rapid Blaster Pro's main advantage over other blasters is its range. The range is pretty great as is the fire rate, and while it does take two shots to kill it usually isn’t hard to get a direct and an indirect (Or two indirects with enough Damage Up). I’ve also gotten more than a few one-shot kills, as stepping foot in your ink will put an enemy low enough to die to a single direct it. Two Damage Up mains and six subs (Or three mains and two subs) are required to deal 99.9 damage, but you don’t even need to do that much to get the one shot. The long, straight lines of ink trail it makes also allow for slick movement to and from positions.

The kits for both versions of the weapon are decent. The default has Seekers and Inkzooka. While Seekers are kind of weak, they do open up some mildly useful movement options and the Inkzooka is definitely insanely powerful. The Deco version comes with Disruptors and Killer Wail. Disruptors are a welcome improvement from Seekers, but I honestly still don’t get much use out of them. What I would do for a version with Splat Bombs! Then the Killer Wail is great for locking down an area or path, but I don’t find it quite as generally powerful as the Inkzooka.

I mainly use the Rapid Blaster Pro for Tower Control, as it can safely and easily pressure most of the tower and both the Killer Wail and Inkzooka are great specials in the mode. My playstyle is best described as “support,” so I usually play the weapon by hanging back and assisting the frontliners by laying down ink trails to trap opponents and using the bursts to pick up/assist with kills. The weapon also seems to lend itself well to slaying chargers, as the range makes it easier for you to get into position than shorter-range weapons and the bursts being able to hit over and around walls lets you pick up kills other weapons couldn’t. Inkzookas and Killer Wails are also great for killing chargers or at least forcing them off their perch. It is useful in other modes as well, but that can be map dependent. For example, it's great for Urchin Underpass and Saltspray Rig Splat Zones but I wouldn't use it on Bluefin Depot.

As for abilities, my build is pretty much just Damage Up and Swim Speed Up. I use Purple Casuals with triple Swim Speed Up, a Squash Headband (I only have one Damage Up sub right now, but I’m working on it!) and an Anchor Sweat with two Damage Up and one Swim Speed Up. Cold Blooded is great to make sure E-liters can’t keep tabs on you with Echolocator. Ink Recovery Up and Special Charge Up also have their merits, in my opinion. Ink Recovery Up lets you use your subs more effectively and Special Charge Up getting more Inkzookas can be devastating. Ink Resistance Up is another ability worth mentioning as the Rapid Blaster Pro doesn’t ink too well directly beneath your feet, but I wouldn’t recommend using it and Cold Blooded on the same set as you will need to stack Damage Up for this weapon to really shine. I personally run Cold Blooded, but Ink Resistance Up is very powerful as well.

So, that's pretty much all I have to say about the weapon. I would really like to hear other people's thoughts and questions, as I love this gun and even if people decide it's weak I'd like to at least see some conversation about it.
 

MSC

Inkling
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
5
NNID
qccmsc
Rapid Blasters are massively underrated weapons IMO. It takes a lot of damage up stacking to make them work, but once you do, they have an amazing ability to pummel the enemy team from a distance.

Personally, I find the original Rapid Blaster to be more effective than the Pro. My main complaint is that the Pro's long range actually works against you on maps that don't have much open space. Like all blasters, your opponent can slip right past your shot and take 0 damage if they get in too close. On the regular Rapid Blaster, it isn't too difficult to maintain your distance or just keep shooting until you hit, but the Pro has a much longer range and slower fire rate, so it can be difficult to manage. The other problem is that the longer range can make it difficult to hit sniper nests (since Blasters aren't affected by gravity) without putting yourself in the sniper's line of fire. Sometimes it's easier to hit snipers by jumping, but in general you really don't want to jump while firing a Rapid Blaster, because your shot will arc like crazy.

Still, when the Pro shines, it really shines. My personal favorites for it are Museum D'Alfonsino and Port Mac. Both are great levels for killer wails, and the long range combined with the blast radius allows you to completely deny the other team from reaching you. It's also excellent for countering both Splatlings and Dynamos, allowing you to prevent them from spreading their ink. I definitely think TC is its best mode because you can just shoot at the tower until everything dies, and since it's a blaster, they can't just dodge. IMO the Rapid Blaster Pro works best as a defensive/cornering weapon as opposed to front line, but you can still get a lot of kills with it if you know what you're doing.
 

Reath

Inkling
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
2
I actually found it easier to splat with the Pro instead of the regular Rapid Blaster. The extra range really helps in outranging the opponent.. I usually survive confrontations with the Pro while I often ended up trading with the Rapid Blaster. It's easier to survive when you can splat from so far away. You basically have to memorize the range and always keep the opponents at the edge of it.

The Pro does struggle on some maps. Blackbelly Skatepark is the worst one, because it's so cramped and there's many obstructions in the way. There's no room to use the Seekers, since they blow up on all the handrails. It does okay in Tower Control there, since you can fire high up on the tower. It's a poor choice for any other mode on that map, though.

I also wrote a guide earlier with more advice on how to use it.

http://squidboards.com/guides/in-depth-guide-to-rapid-blaster-pro.186/
 

jsilva

Inkling Cadet
Joined
Oct 30, 2015
Messages
262
I'm really bad at them personally (I can't seem to use any blaster well except the Luna), but I've played against a few really good Rapid Blaster Pro's and they are obviously a really good weapon in the right hands and conditions.
 

NeoSeth

Senior Squid
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
74
I'm going to agree with Reath, I think the range is soooo important to the success of the Pro and is what makes it better than the regular Rapid Blaster in general. The Rapid Blaster would be better on more compact maps though, I agree (Although often on those maps I might just use the Custom Range Blaster instead). I don't really understand the point about the Pro having a harder time hitting Sniper nests. The range is what makes it so good at taking chargers out imo.
 

JFL

Senior Squid
Joined
Sep 21, 2015
Messages
65
NNID
AldricJFL
l don't think Rapid Blasters are underrated anymore, l don't think the ridiculous idea that the regular RB is the worst weapon in the game is as common now as it was when the game was new. As for the RBP l think it's generally agreed it's a strong weapon. At least a few competitive players think it's good (Dude, LSDJ and Rocket from SND).

Personally l love the Pro especially the Deco version. lt's like the shooter equivalent of a zoning character in a fighting game, like Dhalsim. lf you can keep your opponent at bay there's very little they can do, if they can close the distance though you're probably done. lt's a tense sort of gameplay that forces you to use your optimal range more than any other weapon. Disruptors are immensely helpful as they can pretty much immobilize your target which makes the RBP's weakness (lack of movement options) less of an issue and the Killer Wail works well as another area denial tool.

Oh and another reason why RBP is one of my favorite weapons: Dynamos really don't like it. lt's not just an excellent charger hunter, it also eats Dynamos for breakfast. What more could you ask for really?
 

NeoSeth

Senior Squid
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
74
Oh and another reason why RBP is one of my favorite weapons: Dynamos really don't like it. lt's not just an excellent charger hunter, it also eats Dynamos for breakfast. What more could you ask for really?
Yeah, it's just great for slaying any opposing suppression-type weapons and can alleviate a lot of pressure for your team. Definitely a very aggressive support weapon, as opposed to more defensive options like the CJS (Which I also love!)

Also, did people really think the Rapid Blaster was the worst weapon in the game? Worse than the Custom Jr? Wow.
 

Noise Tank

Full Squid
Joined
May 19, 2015
Messages
47
Rapid pro is nice and all, being able to get easy kills from a comfy distance, but it takes too much effort to win uphill battles. For cqc fights, the seeker is a nice option to have in your pocket as a last resort if you're good at predicting movement, but if someone is rushing you, you have less chances to get your 2 shots in to kill because of the slower firerate.
As, exciting as I was for the rapid pro when it released, the rb is too much of a monster at getting kills for it to compete.

Also, did people really think the Rapid Blaster was the worst weapon in the game?
People on this site are funny when it comes to talking about things they have no knowledge of
 

spatchufu

Inkling
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
1
NNID
bdub1976
For snipers, while I can usually end up getting a kill or two on them, getting myself into range puts me at risk and I often either trade, or end up on the losing side in a tit for tat. I'm debating on whether or not I should even try to take out snipers in my strategy b/c of this, but sometimes I'm the only long range weapon and don't have much of a choice.

Probably the weakest part of the weapon, besides a slower rate of fire as was mentioned, is the narrow inkline it creates. It's just too narrow in my opinion and should be slightly buffed. I'm almost always the low man in terms of points b/c the coverage is so poor. And if I get someone rushing me and I need to retreat (deco version), and I'm in enemy ink and need to make a b-line, the inkpath isn't wide enough to move through without getting hung up in enemy ink. Another weakness is corners, slopes/hills and obstacles. I don't know how many times I've been ambushed by a roller sitting behind a corner or drop off.

Nevertheless, I feel like the mainers of this weapon have to be the best shooters in the game. You have to have mad skills to hit opponents twice. Snipers usually take one hit, but getting two hits is tough.
 

NeoSeth

Senior Squid
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
74
For snipers, while I can usually end up getting a kill or two on them, getting myself into range puts me at risk and I often either trade, or end up on the losing side in a tit for tat. I'm debating on whether or not I should even try to take out snipers in my strategy b/c of this, but sometimes I'm the only long range weapon and don't have much of a choice.

Probably the weakest part of the weapon, besides a slower rate of fire as was mentioned, is the narrow inkline it creates. It's just too narrow in my opinion and should be slightly buffed. I'm almost always the low man in terms of points b/c the coverage is so poor. And if I get someone rushing me and I need to retreat (deco version), and I'm in enemy ink and need to make a b-line, the inkpath isn't wide enough to move through without getting hung up in enemy ink. Another weakness is corners, slopes/hills and obstacles. I don't know how many times I've been ambushed by a roller sitting behind a corner or drop off.

Nevertheless, I feel like the mainers of this weapon have to be the best shooters in the game. You have to have mad skills to hit opponents twice. Snipers usually take one hit, but getting two hits is tough.
I agree, the ink path could use a buff like the one Seekers got. The coverage is really the RBP's biggest weakness. It makes it hard to fight back when your team is down. I've started using Tenacity on the regular variant so that if my team is getting mowed down I can spam Inkzooka to try and make up for it.
 

Hitzel

Inkling Commander
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
397
Location
South Jersey
NNID
Hitzel
I was talking about this the other day actually. I don't like the Rapid Pro because I feel like there's very little reason to use it over a good Burst Bomb support build with Bomb Range, Sub Saver, and at least a little bit of Damage Up:
  • Burst Bombs have more range than Rapid Pro
  • Burst Bomb weapons paint better than Rapid Pro (this is a big deal for a support weapon)
  • Burst Bomb weapons are more useful than Rapid Pro when forced to actually fight
  • Burst Bomb weapons with Inkzooka charge special faster than Rapid Pro
  • Burst Bomb weapons also allow you to use Kraken or Bomb Rush
  • Burst Bombs can hit snipers and throw off their aim
The only thing that the Rapid Pro has going for it is better sustain, which can be mitigated almost entirely with proper Burst Bomb throwing patterns. It does, however, have some maps with seriously good setups.

Overall, Rapid Pro is a support weapon that can't paint, and is generally inferior to a Burst Bomb support weapon in just about every way. A Burst Bomb support set can single-handedly cover all of the support needs of a team, usually with a special that fits the team's needs, all while holding its own weight. I'd much rather have a solid weapon with a "Rapid Blaster sub" than a Rapid Blaster by itself.
 

NeoSeth

Senior Squid
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
74
I do have to agree with pretty much all of your points haha. My primary weapon for some time (pretty much since I began to understand this game at a "competitive level") has been the CJS and it is difficult to justify using the RBP over it. I have a build with two Bomb Range Up mains and two subs with 1 main and four subs of Damage Up that allows me to pressure areas with Burst Bombs about as effectively as the RBP, in addition to all the perks of the CJS (including superior range, outclassing the RBP's biggest perk). I don't think it's as simple as "these weapons do what the RBP does better," but rather "these weapons can perform a similar function at least adequately, while also covering other bases."

I think the real problem with the weapon is the kit. Inkzooka is amazing but Seekers are probably the worst sub the weapon could have. Ink mines could be worse, but Seekers do nothing for the weapon. Disrupters are great, but the Killer Wail just feels lacking. I pretty much only like the Deco on Port Mackeral, but as good as it is I can't justify it over the CJS or Heavy Splatling for any mode if you want a longer range weapon.

While I maintain my belief that the RBP is a good weapon, it is outclassed by something in a lot of comps and map/mode combos. I do really like it for Moray TC/SZ, Urchin Underpass in general, and Flounder Heights SZ/TC. As I said, it's a niche weapon, but I think it can be a solid choice.
 

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