Splatoon 2 Why the Splat Brella is mediocre at best

[The Salamander King]

Now, before you come at me with your pitchforks, let me explain why.

The brella cycles between 3 modes, shoot, shield, and launch. These are activated when you hold the ZR button.

The first problem: The main, shotgun-like weapon does inconsistent damage, ranging from around 12 at it's longest range, to 90 (but only at kissing range). This makes the already slow killing time, which takes at least 2 hits, even slower when shooting from more than 2 lines away. This means that common weapons such as Ttek and Tri Slosher will out range you, kill faster than you, and paint better than you. The best way to fix this bad damage output would be to give it a sub or special that did chip damage, so you could confirm the kill with the rest of your main weapon's damage. The Brella can ALMOST do this with his Inkstorm, but like stated above, the weapon doesn't paint enough to rapidly build it.
This is when you might cry out, "But that's why it has the Sprinkler!" and yes, that's true. But the real question is, why would you try and give all these ways to get your well-combo-ing special when you could just give the Brella a Burst Bomb and give it a really easy and consistent way to Burst Cancel? This would make the damage problem go away completely, and potentially make the Brella a great weapon.

Problem 2: The shield. From the time you press ZR to the time the shield fully extends, almost every weapon in the game has killed you. Let me elaborate. If two players, one a Brella and the other a Splattershot, press and hold the ZR button at the same exact time, the Splattershot will get enough hits in to kill the Brella before it can open it's shield. But why stop at Splattershot? Switch Splattershot with any weapon with the exception of the Jet Squelcher, Dynamo Roller, and Rapid Blaster. You get the same results. The shield takes too long to open up.
Ok. Say, somehow, you get your shield up and are tanking damage. At this point, you have two options: Either stake your ground with your shield up, or pull down your shield and try and go in for another attack. If you hold your shield up for longer, it will either get destroyed within a couple of seconds or you will launch the shield, where it will inevitably get destroyed, offering little protection. If you pull your shield down to attack, you will likely get killed before you can get two shots off (or one, if they've already taken damage, in which you will probably trade).

Now you might be saying, "I see what you're talking about, but how would you fix it's problems?"

Well, first off, give the Brella a Burst Bomb. This would make the damage easy to combo into a kill with the main weapon.

Second, make the shield open up faster. Not too much faster, but maybe faster than the Inkbrush at least.

The Sorella Brella will almost completely fix the damage with Toxic Mist and Splat Bomb Launcher, but the shield will likely never be improved.

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Tell me your thought and opinions, I'd love to have a conversation about it!

 

[MINKUKEL]

The shield is only really useful if you use it strategically. You can't just whip it out and expect to be safe in the middle of battle. If you put up your shield while you're in the middle of a firefight you probably won't make it. And it would be very cheap if it would work that way in my opinion.

The reason the shield is so hard to use is because it's the only weapon with a shield. If they made it too good, it would've been a reliable weapon PLUS a reliable shield. So for the same reason a Dualie isn't OP because it adds a dash.

I always get about 4 Ink Storms with this weapon, and I find it by far one of the easiest weapons to kill with. So, neither inking nor killing is ever a problem with it for me. Even without Ink Storms, I can easily make the 1000p mark. TBH, I often time don't even bother to use the shield for an entire match, and it's still one of my best weapons. And I'm no pro, so if I can work it, so can anyone.

 

[AllToonedUp]

I'm actually really happy that the Splat Brella has glaring flaws given what it's capable of doing. It's fairly easy to break it.

"But how can they break it?" you may ask. It's the only weapon that is capable of shielding and it does high damage in exchange for mediocre fire rate and unreliable spread. If they tweak its shield/fire rate, close combat weapons will have a tougher time battling it, and that's not even taking account in sub weapons. It's too early imo to judge its state right now since there's only one brella atm and the future brellas could change the meta.

I do agree that the shield is slow, but that goes back to the point on how easy it is to break the weapon. The weapon itself is meant to be a "wall", it's hard to get around but once you break that barrier, that person is doomed. And the shield is fine the way it is because it can block specials such as Inkjet blasts and Baller's explosion, plus you can simply turn if a squid is trying to flank you. If anything, the Goo Tuber is way more fundamentally flawed than what the Splat Brellas could ever turn out to be.

 

[Elecmaw]

The launching ability of the shield can actually be helpful, but it's a shame that it takes so long for it to actually launch itself.

The shield itself is only useful for blocking lethal shots like bombs(and even then pulling it out takes quite some time). It's a very situational feature for the weapon itself and it'd really wish it'd be a little bit more useful, because right now the shielding ability doesn't have that much of a purpose.

 

[Flopps]

I agree with the above statements, especially when I'm trying to main the Brella. In the testing range, I noticed that I don't start to recover ink instantly after I shoot some shots from the Brella, it starts after like half a second. I tested with rollers, guns, blasters, dualies, and everything else, but they don't take 0.5 seconds to recover ink, they do it instantly! Well, except brushes, but that's for another thread. WTH NINTENDO? Why does the Brella take longer to recover ink that a gun? You may be like "But 0.5 seconds is nothing," but in the middle of a 1v1 and you run out of ink, it really makes a difference.

Also, with last month's data-mine, there are Grizzco weapons coming out. Does this mean that we can apply any sub and special to it just like how we can apply any main ability to Grizzco's clothing? Burst Bomb + Brella would be OP since I really don't use sprinklers, unless it's to fish out an opponent, which burst bombs can do.

I somewhat agree with the shield since sometimes I'm firing, but I need to put up the shield at that second. Oop, too late! I already died! Making it a little faster in the October weapon update would be phenomenal, by then Nintendo could balance it out by making the Shield have less health.

Talking about the Shield, why does it take up so much ink? I think it takes up about a third, but why? I know that it inks the ground that you're standing on, but it's not even that much. Even a fifth or a fourth would be a better ink consumption. Combined with the fact that it takes about 0.5 to start recovering ink again, launching the shield isn't that useful.

Overall, I like the concept of the Brella and it's shield, but I think that it could have been slightly better. :)

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

Yeah the inconsistent damage is what annoys me the most, for many times it looks like I got two good hits in, but the opponent isn't splatted. Thus I'm waiting on the the Compact Brella. It should hopefully be faster in all areas, namely attack speed n opening and launching the Brella, plus the alt version's kit gives a much needed offensive boost with Splat Bombs and Baller.

 

[Flopps]

Yeah the inconsistent damage is what annoys me the most, for many times it looks like I got two good hits in, but the opponent isn't splatted. Thus I'm waiting on the the Compact Brella. It should hopefully be faster in all areas, namely attack speed n opening and launching the Brella, plus the alt version's kit gives a much needed offensive boost with Splat Bombs and Baller.

Compact Brella? Was there a datamine that I didn't hear of?

EDIT: Never mind, I say the other thread. I'm just worried that the damage for the Compact one would be too low since I like my 90 damage Brella to finish off weak people

Also, I hope the Dynamo Brella has a large metal shield because admit it, that would look pretty rad. I don't like how it has point sensors since I find it useless, and it's alt has Splash wall, in which the Brella IS basically a Splash Wall.

 

[The Salamander King]

Compact Brella? Was there a datamine that I didn't hear of?

EDIT: Never mind, I say the other thread. I'm just worried that the damage for the Compact one would be too low since I like my 90 damage Brella to finish off weak people

Also, I hope the Dynamo Brella has a large metal shield because admit it, that would look pretty rad. I don't like how it has point sensors since I find it useless, and it's alt has Splash wall, in which the Brella IS basically a Splash Wall.[/Q

Yeah the inconsistent damage is what annoys me the most, for many times it looks like I got two good hits in, but the opponent isn't splatted. Thus I'm waiting on the the Compact Brella. It should hopefully be faster in all areas, namely attack speed n opening and launching the Brella, plus the alt version's kit gives a much needed offensive boost with Splat Bombs and Baller.

WAIT! THERE WAS ANOTHER DATAMINE?!?!

 

[The Salamander King]

The shield is only really useful if you use it strategically. You can't just whip it out and expect to be safe in the middle of battle. If you put up your shield while you're in the middle of a firefight you probably won't make it. And it would be very cheap if it would work that way in my opinion.

The reason the shield is so hard to use is because it's the only weapon with a shield. If they made it too good, it would've been a reliable weapon PLUS a reliable shield. So for the same reason a Dualie isn't OP because it adds a dash.

I always get about 4 Ink Storms with this weapon, and I find it by far one of the easiest weapons to kill with. So, neither inking nor killing is ever a problem with it for me. Even without Ink Storms, I can easily make the 1000p mark. TBH, I often time don't even bother to use the shield for an entire match, and it's still one of my best weapons. And I'm no pro, so if I can work it, so can anyone.

If you aren't supposed to take the shield out in the middle of a battle, where are you supposed to pull it out? If you aren't in a fight and you open the shield, what are you supposed to do with it? I don't know about you, but I don't generally pull out my shield when there isn't an enemy in a 50-foot radius.

And the second part. If you are always farming Inkstorms and killing fairly consistently, then why aren't you using a Custom Jr.? (I would have laughed at myself if I said that a year ago) CJr. paints more, thus farming more Inkstorms, and kills faster and much more consistently. It also has an arguably better sub (at least for a CQC weapon).

Just some thoughts.

 

[The Salamander King]

I'm actually really happy that the Splat Brella has glaring flaws given what it's capable of doing. It's fairly easy to break it.

"But how can they break it?" you may ask. It's the only weapon that is capable of shielding and it does high damage in exchange for mediocre fire rate and unreliable spread. If they tweak its shield/fire rate, close combat weapons will have a tougher time battling it, and that's not even taking account in sub weapons. It's too early imo to judge its state right now since there's only one brella atm and the future brellas could change the meta.

I do agree that the shield is slow, but that goes back to the point on how easy it is to break the weapon. The weapon itself is meant to be a "wall", it's hard to get around but once you break that barrier, that person is doomed. And the shield is fine the way it is because it can block specials such as Inkjet blasts and Baller's explosion, plus you can simply turn if a squid is trying to flank you. If anything, the Goo Tuber is way more fundamentally flawed than what the Splat Brellas could ever turn out to be.

This actually reminded me of another big reason why the Brella isn't good. Actually controlling the weapon is extremely slow. I'm sure you've seen this yourself (but I don't actually see anyone talk about it which is odd) but your crosshair has a lot of delay to it, especially when your shield is up. I understand why they made it so long in shield mode, but why in normal firing mode? No other weapon has this problem.

And the reason I was reminded of that was because, and I quote, "It's hard to get around but once you break that barrier, that person is doomed." I would argue that this is untrue because, like stated above, the shield moves slower than molasses. Almost any weapon (the exception is chargers that aren't named Squiffer or Goo Tuber) can easily rush a Brella and flank its exposed sides before it can turn around.

 

[Flopps]

WAIT! THERE WAS ANOTHER DATAMINE?!?!

No, my bad. I only heard of the website with all the old weapons, but I never read the article that showed the brellas and the new dualies.

 

[The Salamander King]

No, my bad. I only heard of the website with all the old weapons, but I never read the article that showed the brellas and the new dualies.

:(

 

[Flopps]

What the heck is this response.

 

[AllToonedUp]

This actually reminded me of another big reason why the Brella isn't good. Actually controlling the weapon is extremely slow. I'm sure you've seen this yourself (but I don't actually see anyone talk about it which is odd) but your crosshair has a lot of delay to it, especially when your shield is up. I understand why they made it so long in shield mode, but why in normal firing mode? No other weapon has this problem.

And the reason I was reminded of that was because, and I quote, "It's hard to get around but once you break that barrier, that person is doomed." I would argue that this is untrue because, like stated above, the shield moves slower than molasses. Almost any weapon (the exception is chargers that aren't named Squiffer or Goo Tuber) can easily rush a Brella and flank its exposed sides before it can turn around.

Yeah, I agree about the weapon itself being slow. I just tested the brella and the crosshair does have a high amount of lag for no reason. I think they should: Fix the crosshair, adjust the firing rate, and improve the shield (especially when you trying to take it off). And Burst bombs would be good but I think what I said before would help a lot more. It's not its kit that's the problem, it's the weapon itself. It could have Autobombs and Inkjet but it still would be so-so in terms of, well everything.

 

[calamaro]

Not sure how it plays in ranked/turf but it puts in work in Salmon Run I think.

 

[MINKUKEL]

If you aren't supposed to take the shield out in the middle of a battle, where are you supposed to pull it out? If you aren't in a fight and you open the shield, what are you supposed to do with it? I don't know about you, but I don't generally pull out my shield when there isn't an enemy in a 50-foot radius.

And the second part. If you are always farming Inkstorms and killing fairly consistently, then why aren't you using a Custom Jr.? (I would have laughed at myself if I said that a year ago) CJr. paints more, thus farming more Inkstorms, and kills faster and much more consistently. It also has an arguably better sub (at least for a CQC weapon).

Just some thoughts.

I definitely do better, both ink-wise as well as kill-wise with the Brella compared to the Custom Jr. That's why I'm not using the Custom Jr.

As for the shield, sure, you use it in battle, not outside, but what I mean is, there's not a lot of opportunities to use it. You can't just whip it out in any ol' firefight hoping you'll be safe just like that. That doesn't mean you can never use it. It wouldn't be right if it wasn't a thing to be used sparingly.

 

[The Salamander King]

I definitely do better, both ink-wise as well as kill-wise with the Brella compared to the Custom Jr. That's why I'm not using the Custom Jr.

As for the shield, sure, you use it in battle, not outside, but what I mean is, there's not a lot of opportunities to use it. You can't just whip it out in any ol' firefight hoping you'll be safe just like that. That doesn't mean you can never use it. It wouldn't be right if it wasn't a thing to be used sparingly.

True, but if you are never going to use the shield, what is the point in using Brella when CJr. is objectively better.

 

[MINKUKEL]

True, but if you are never going to use the shield, what is the point in using Brella when CJr. is objectively better.

Because the Custom Jr not objectively better.

 

[The Salamander King]

Because the Custom Jr not objectively better.

In what way is it not? It paints better, kills faster and more consistently, and has a better kit.

 

[Flopps]

In what way is it not? It paints better, kills faster and more consistently, and has a better kit.

Umm... Less Range?