The multiplayer shooter from Nintendo, Splatoon 2, is home to an extremely wide variety of weapons. There are seven different weapon classes in the game, each with largely unique mechanics, and dozens of different weapons that populate each of those classes, all with different stats. For the sake of balance, there are advantages and disadvantages to each type, which players need to take into consideration when choosing which class they’ll focus on.
Since choosing which weapon class to main is among the most important decisions that a Splatoon 2 player will make, try consulting these pros and cons for each type available.
Shooters (& Blasters), Best: Versatility
When used properly, shooters are capable of adapting to most situations that a game of Splatoon 2 will throw at the player. Decent range, mobility, damage, and ink coverage make these weapons perfect for frontline to midline engagements, and a great weapon of choice for players new to the game.
Shooters also have a great range of offerings within the class: the low rate of fire but heavy-hitting .52 Gal, the longer-range Splattershot Pro, and the up close and personal Splattershot. There’s something for everyone here.
Shooters (& Blasters), Worst: Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None
The downside to the versatility that shooters have to offer is that they often don’t excel in one particular category over other weapons in the game. They lack the mobility of Dualies, the high damage of Rollers, and the range of Chargers and Splatlings.
This means that if a Shooter isn’t used correctly the player can easily find themselves on the wrong end of a losing fight; being caught out of position, either too close or too far away from an opponent, is a surefire way to get splatted.
Rollers (& Brushes), Best: Burst Damage
Rollers (as well as brushes for the sake of clarity) excel at doing massive damage up close in a single strike. Popular tactics associated with this weapon class include lying in wait to ambush a hapless opponent or surprising enemies from unexpected angles.
Rollers are also great inking tools, and certain types like brushes have excellent mobility through ink as well, which gives the user a much-needed advantage in mobility that they can use to close in on their target.
Rollers (& Brushes), Worst: Zoning
That outstanding up-close damage potential comes at a cost, though. Although they can put down some serious hurt at close range, most Rollers are essentially melee weapons that cannot meaningfully contest ground outside of their immediate range (save for some with extreme stats, like the Dynamo).
This means that getting close can be a complicated and dangerous ordeal, and also basically necessitates that the roller has the element of surprise when trying to engage an enemy head-on.
Chargers, Best: Splat Potential
Very few weapons in the game are capable of scoring splats as quickly as chargers are, with nearly every charger offered by the game sporting a one-hit-kill level of damage. This makes chargers the perfect weapon for picking off opponents at range, and in the hands of a skilled player, they can be extremely deadly.
A skilled charger in a good position can turn the tide of a fight, ensuring that their team always has the advantage in a fight by sniping unsuspecting players to even the odds.
Chargers, Worst: Skill Floor
Despite the attractive advantages, chargers are among the most difficult weapons to learn how to use in the game. The skillful aim required to consistently land splats on the enemy time doesn’t come easily and requires hours of practice to perfect.
Furthermore, Chargers don’t have a lot of room for error. A single missed shot will alert an enemy player to the Charger’s position, which is especially dangerous because these weapons are extremely ineffective up close if the missed target decides to rush in.
Sloshers, Best: Aiming Is For Losers
Sloshers, bucket-like weapons that fling ink, are advantageous for two primary reasons. The first is that they are capable of splatting an opponent in around two hits, putting them high on the damage spectrum, and the second is that they project a large wave of ink directly in front of them, which makes them imprecise but deadly at close range.
Engaging a Slosher head-on is a recipe for disaster due to their superior frontal firepower, and players will almost always want to have a flanking route established before starting a fight with Slosher.
Sloshers, Worst: Susceptible To Flanking
Although Sloshers are extraordinarily deadly when attacking from the front, they aren’t quite as effective when they don’t have that kind of positioning advantage. If a Slosher is caught out of position by a weapon with superior range their options to fight back are limited.
Perhaps most importantly, though, is their susceptibility to well-executed flanks. The somewhat limited inking potential of a Slosher combined with their focus on forward firepower makes them weak to ambushes from the side.
Splatlings, Best: Ink Coverage
There is no weapon class in the game that is as good at covering ink from range as the Heavy Splatlings are. As the name implies, these are heavy weapons that take a while to spin up, but when they do they can let loose a torrent of ink at the enemy team from great range.
These are excellent rearguard weapons; capable of inking turf to give teammates an advantage and to block enemies from engaging. Unsuspecting players caught in the firing range of a Splatling will find it difficult to escape as well, giving these weapons great combat as well as support potential.
Splatlings, Worst: Mobility
The heavy suppressing fire a Splatling can put out doesn’t come for free, unfortunately. These weapons are as heavy as advertised: they take a while to start firing, and the player’s mobility is greatly restricted while engaging a target.
It’s easy to be caught out of position as a Splatling, and the prospects are not good for a player who’s been blindsided by an attacking enemy. It can also be difficult for a Splatling to maintain good positioning: a giant weapon spraying a huge amount of ink is a big target, which makes getting rushed common.
Dualies, Best: Mobility
Dualies have a unique movement mechanic called a dodge roll which makes them essentially the game’s most mobile weapon class in a fight. Players who think they’ve got a bead on a Dualie player are sure to be surprised, because they can dash out of harm’s way and into an advantageous position in the blink of an eye.
Because of this, Dualies are capable of taking and winning fights that would normally be off-limits to other weapons on account of a lack of backup. Dualies are a great choice for players who want to recklessly charge into enemy territory and start fights.
Dualies, Worst: Range
The downside to the superior mobility of the Dualies is that they need to get into close quarters with their target to start surprising them with their dodge roll. If a Dualie player is zoned out by players with superior range, or by someone with superior positioning, there isn’t much they can do.
This means that Dualies have to constantly be thinking creatively about how to close on an opponent. The problem is compounded by the fact that the primary function of these weapons is to get splats; they can’t cover turf or space out opponents as well as other classes.
Brellas, Best: Survivability
Brellas are shotgun-like weapons with the added gimmick of a deployable shield they can set in front of them to absorb enemy fire. Depending on the type of Brella being used, that shield can be large enough to provide cover for the whole team, or a smaller one intended for personal use.
Regardless, the shield function allows Brellas to absorb far more damage in a straight fight than any other weapon type. This means that Brellas can stay alive longer than many of their teammates, and use their shield to enable unconventional tactics.
Brellas, Worst: Fighting Without The Shield
Although the deployable umbrella shield that Brellas can project is a potent tool that can tilt the scales of a teamfight, just how and when to use that shield can be a difficult thing to discern. Furthermore, without a shield, Brellas are fairly helpless against better-equipped opponents.
Additionally, Brellas often work best when the shield is used to help the entire team. If a Brella finds themselves isolated and taking enemy fire, their shield will almost certainly break leaving them at the mercy of the enemy team.
