Topic: Splatoon 2

I'm a big fan of the new Sting Ray, even though I never use it (and thus usually end up on the receiving end of it). A lot more people are using it how I feel it was originally intended to be used, and it generally feels like a more fully realised concept.

The Baller I feel is almost too unstoppable, but maybe that's for the best. Before the update I'd make a habit of shooting every Baller I'd see until it rather pathetically evaporated, then finish off the poor stranded Inking inside. It wasn't a very special Special. I wouldn't mind if they slightly increased the knockback from shots in it, even if they kept the damage, range and durability buffs it's received. But it definitely deserved a make-over, and it's definitely got one.

The game is definitely more varied and balanced since the update arrived.

I still haven't tried Kelp Dome yet! Need to give that a go.

I've switched to the Aerospray RG lately, mainly for the Baller - not because I think it's OP or anything, I just think it's so much fun! I keep meaning to switch things up again and try a new weapon out...but I'm just enjoying the Aerospray/Baller/Sprinkler combo far too much at the moment!

@Maxz Agreed, yesterday I got splatted by it multiple times, it's closer to the Killer Wail now. After our session I bought the Sloshing machine and I tried it out for one TW match. Although the Stingray is still very unwieldy, I actually managed to make two splats with it, which is a notable improvement.

I probably still won't end up using it that often, but at least I will be able to enjoy the Custom Jet Squelcher set more (whenever it arrives).

Meanwhile, I definitely have more fun with the Baller (mainly on the .52 gal and Nozzlenose) but I don't see it as such a big threat when I'm facing it. Sure, sometimes I might get splatted, but most of the time I either try to quickly destroy it or just evade.

Yeah, that's certainly possible - I'm sure a lot more players are using mobile networks/public Wi-Fi hotspots to play the game than with the original Splatoon game, which probably does have some sort of impact When I'm playing at home, I do get this from time to time...

...no more or less than I do on my PS4 though to be honest - but if more people are using less stable networks to access Splatoon 2 online, it probably does lead to lobbies being a bit less reliable in-game

Haven't picked this up yet but still thinking about it, how is the learning curve on this game? I pick up most shooters pretty quick but this one is a little different and I only played the first one a little bit

@SMODomite It's quite simple on the surface, but surprisingly deep too! I'm a long time fan of shooters as well and managed to pick up the basics quite easily - but I'm fast approaching 100 hours with the game and I still feel like I'm learning! 'Turf Wars', kind of the default multiplayer mode, is quite a low-pressure affair - a great place to just drop in to, have fun & get to grips with the controls, maps, weapon loadouts etc...but the game has plenty of depth too - from the high-pressure 'Ranked' modes, to building the perfect outfit with abilities to suit your style (and much more beyond!) - there's layers of complexity (that you can learn at your own pace) that really adds to the replayability factor as well...it's accessible - but it's also deceptively complex - which I've found to be a near-perfect combination!

Just had a game of Salmon Run at Marooner's Bay. The first wave was down at the shoreline behind the spawn. The next was at normal tide up on the ship. Somehow one of my co-workers ended up standing on the closed egg basket of the shoreline, surrounded by water. Don't know how he ended up down there but he seemed rather excited about it. I took a screenshot of him, initially don't minding him goofing around and responding with a 'Booyah!'. But when the three of us got ourselves splatted, he ended up jumping into the water voluntarily so we wouldn't have to wait for the timer to count down.

Did something like that happen to you as well? He must've jumped down from the spawn soon enough to make it there since you're returned to spawn after every wave.

Btw, why do I, whenever the Super Prize are Ability Chunks, get such useless chunks? Sometimes I wished there was some kind of trading system where you could put up the chunks you know you will NEVER use and give them to somebody who'll have more use for them in exchange for some chunks I'd like.

@SMODomite Well if you have a Switch, I'd say it's a must-buy.

I think the learning curve is different for every person.
For example, some people (like me) adjust quickly to the motion controls, while for others it takes a bit longer.
Have you been playing shooters with a Gamepad or keyboard+mouse? If the latter, than getting used to the controls should be a bit easier since it's similar to aiming with a mouse.
Otherwise, you learn the basic mechanics pretty quickly, but as NaviandMii said, you still learn new things after hundreds of hours of playtime (especially in ranked).
All the different weapons, content updates and balancing updates also keep the game fresh, so the game never gets boring.

@GoldenGamer88 I've seen this all over reddit, but it hasn't happened to me yet. Basically if you are quick enough, you can jump down there before the tide rises and jump on the the closed basket so the water doesn't splat you.

As far as the rewards, I took a screen shot of were I got all death perk tickets. Ugh, so useless for the most part. I guess special saver is okay.

Finally broke my streak of flip-flopping between S and S+0 in Tower Control to reach S+1! It's not exactly S+50, but it's on the right side of 0, which means I'm out of the 'hanging on my the skin of my teeth' zone and can probably consider myself a proper-ass S+ player. Yay!

I need to get back onto Salmon Run, as I've been neglecting it recently. I managed to somehow miss out on the super secret special Salmon Run weapon (as well as Kelp Dome). Is it still available?

Also, have anyone managed to use the Bubble Blower effectively? Normally when I see it used, the bubbles just end up sadly piling up in the corner where people give up on them because they're not worth the ink necessary to pop them any more. Either people need to get better at them, or the amount of ink needed to pop them should be reduced. They seem a bit limp at present.

@Maxz Even if you can't get them to detonate on people, they can still be helpful by taking hits from the enemy (it takes an equally hefty amount of shots on their part to reduce them to non-threats), whereupon you can try to splat them while distracted. If they try to ignore the bubbles instead, they'll slowly prime themselves to the point where it'll only take a couple of shots on your part to blow them.

Basically, don't try to force the detonation. Just keep an eye on your opponent's reactions and act accordingly. Concentrating your fire in a single location can also be more effective than spreading them out, as opponents are hard-pressed to defuse all of them before a chain reaction occurs. Not to mention just getting bumped by the bubbles is harmful too. Gotten a few splats like that.

@GoldenGamer88 I saw someone do this too:

Seems this was found recently and now it's the hot new Inkling trend. It's rather irresponsible, of course; we wound up barely missing our quota because this guy wasn't helping for half the wave. It'll be patched out, maybe?

Is the superbonus currently chunks for you, then? I've been wondering if it's the same for everyone. I've got drink tickets this time, which kinda seems preferable since there are more chances to get what you want.

@Maxz What I typically do with the Bubble Blower is send the bubbles out in different directions, shoot them a bit to make them more durable and threatening, and use them as shields or obstructions. Actually popping them is kind of an afterthought. I haven't mastered this yet though, and I'm not sure if it's really a good special or not. It does also benefit from Special Power Up more noticeably than anything else, although still not enough to make me run that ability.

Salmon Run's back to normal until whenever that happens again. Random weapons were a hoot, though a potentially frustrating hoot: you could get three of the special weapon (which wasn't really that exciting, but was certainly powerful)... or you could get three chargers. Probably there will be a different special weapon next time.

@Zyrac @meleebrawler Two quite different approaches by the sound of it, but both seem to have sound merits in principle. It's not something I've been personally very frustrated by, as I'm pretty much married to my S'Pro (something I spend a lot of the early game trying break away from). However, in a number of games I've just noticed the bubbles accumulating in some corner looking a bit pathetic, and I've always felt a sorry for whoever built up their special meter enough to launch them. If people launched them a bit higher, I think there might be more opportunity for their explosions to actually damage the enemies underneath, but I usually see them blobbing around on the floor where people tend to give them a wide berth.

@Maxz Now that you mention it, launching them from high places is something I need to try more. The one time I've had real trouble against the Bubble Blower was when someone on Inkblot Art Academy kept standing on the central tower and sending bubbles down onto our side of the stage.

This isn't the only special people aren't using to its full potential. I've started following through on my plan to explore the Super Jump Splashdown, and it is as fun and effective as I imagined. I've put on two mains of Quick Super Jump (so much faster!) and I'm just divebombing people whenever I see an opportunity. It's the most satisfying thing to pull off, and often earns a "booyah" from someone. Just jumping off something and using Splashdown is good too. We shouldn't be seeing the grounded version so much more often than its other uses.

While I'm at it, did you know you can hold R to throw further with the Bomb Launcher? Or that you can still swim while using the Inkjet (although it takes a moment to flop to the ground)? Don't see people doing those things either.

@Zyrac Can you cook curling bombs with the launcher? And while we're talking about untapped special potential, the Baller can really benefit from more sneaky play. Specifically, hiding under ledges that Inklings like to jump down from, or merely acting like you intend to explode on them while your teammates take potshots or push forward. The inksplosion is unlikely to splat unless the opponent is distracted, unaware or incapacitated, but just the threat of an explosion can be just as powerful a tool.

@meleebrawler The curling bomb rush works opposite to its sub counterpart. Meaning you can't cook it. It works like the other rushes. The longer you hold the button the further it will go (though the special being held will go further than the sub version of the curling bomb).

Note to self: I'm okay with E-liter in SZ, but RM is a big NOPE! I need to stick to practicing a weapon in TW since I'm not in C rank. I'm sure I made some people mad yesterday XD

That's my general sentiment about using the Splashdown, not just during Superjumps or jumping from high places (but I agree, it's even more fun from a higher starting point ).
Recently I even managed to get some surprise triple-kills (because some of my opponents were hiding in ink) with the Splashdown, I really love this special!

I knew about swimming with the Inkjet, but not about holding R to throw further with Bomb Launchers. Thanks for that tip!

Yeah I made similar observations. Tbh I thought the BB would be more effective, but unless someone actually figures out a way to use the bubbles as a shield (which is almost impossible since they move randomly and don't stay in front of you), I fear they might not be that useful after all.

That said, there were a few instances in tight spaces (like Port Mackerel) where I deliberatedly activated my Splashdown near a bubble and caused a chain reaction.
At least this felt like a somewhat viable use of the bubbles as it inked a lot of turf and created a temporary wall of ink.
Maybe one ought to combine the BB with bombs and other exploding stuff to unlock its true potential. And maybe it makes more sense to burst the bubbles while they're still next to each other. But then again, I haven't really tried the BB a lot myself.

I still feel like there are only three specials that I really use often: Splashdown, Inkjet and Ink Armour (in that order). The Baller and Ink Storm aren't bad either though.
I'd also like to use Bomb Launchers as the Bomb Rush was one of my favourites in Splatoon 1, but sadly they are only available on short-range shooters so far...

@shani What's random about bubble movement, other than bouncing off curved wall? They move straight in the direction you fire them, in a downward trajectory if fired from the air. They're no more random than a curling bomb.

@meleebrawler Oh really? I hadn't really tracked their movements during battle (too much distraction), but I always assumed their movement would be random, just like real-life bubbles.

Just thought I'd post this for any fellow newbie squids out there! I've just discovered a really handy 'ability calculator' website called loadout.ink where you can see how each ability (mains/subs) affects your in-game stats - a great tool for building your perfect outfit! ..enjoy!