Tip #40: Tips for Starting to Pick Up the Heavy Weight Weapons
You ever look at someone using weapons like the E-Liter and the Dynamo Roller and they’re rocking out that weapon? Then you go try it yourself and realize you’re slow as molasses and your attacks are being outpaced by everyone else?
Using the Heavy Weight Weapons are somewhat different from how the rest of the weapons work because of their slower attack patterns and their speed penalty upon equipping. The weapons referred in this post today are the:
E-Liter 4K, Dynamo Roller, Hydra Splatling, Explosher, and Tenta Brella
I’m excluding the Rainmaker since it’s only available in the Rainmaker mode and in any Single Player mode. Anyways, these weapons can have a different learning curve since they don’t really want to play with the fast pace that a lot of weapons like to play at. Instead they play more reactively with a few proactive elements being watching for foes and predicting their movements. Here are some tips from me if you ever wanted to at least dabble with these weapons but didn't know where to start:
1) Practice with the less bulky version first to get a potential feel for the heavy variant
E-Liter 4K - Splat Charger
Dynamo Roller - Splat Roller
Hydra Splatling - Heavy Splatling
Explosher - Sloshing Machine
Tenta Brella - Splat Brella
Sometimes knowing how the base weapon works is a good way to transition into the heavy version of said weapon. Going in without any knowledge can be detrimental to starting to learn how a weapon works especially if you don’t know the fundamentals needed for that weapon. The base weapons help build the foundation for the heavy version and are more forgiving for those starting out.
2) Run Swim Speed Up/Run Speed Up to mitigate the speed loss
The speed loss can be detrimental in the long run since eventually opponents running lighter weight weapons will outpace you. Run/Swim Speed Up can greatly help mitigate the loss of speed, especially Swim Speed Up as of Ver. 4.3 and later. Run Speed Up helps the Hydra Splatling thanks to the buff that Splatlings got with Run Speed Up as of Ver. 4.3 and in a sense the Tenta Brella and Explosher can benefit from it too. Overall, dedicating some slots to mitigating and even gaining more speed and mobility will help you out in the long run since you can keep pace with the rest of the players.
3) Use your slower attack pattern to slow the game down
Rather than trying to play the game at the fast pace everyone wants to play at, play at a slower pace and at your own pace. Heavier weapons are just slower overall and have to make up for this in different tactics. Slow the game down with your overarching range or large hitboxes to keep the opponent at bay. Either you want to use your ridiculous range (in the case of the E-Liter and the Hydra) to keep walling out the opponent until they play into your hands or use ridiculously large and powerful hitboxes (a la Dynamo, Explosher, and Tenta Brella), to control the field, poke at certain areas safely and deny pushes that the opponent is trying to make. You’re more looking to respond to the enemy’s advances and countering them as efficiently as possible rather than taking the fight to the opponent and looking to win the skirmish as much as possible.
That’s it from me. These weapons can be bulky and unwieldly, but in the right hands they can range from being a nuisance that is hard to take out or an absolute terror that is a nightmare to even deal with in the first place. It also puts a spin on the game from paying more attention to what’s happening more closer to your character to looking more far out and making potential deductions/reads on the enemy’s movements.
Also fun fact: In Salmon Run, the Explosher can take out the Flyfish’s missile pods with a direct shot so it eliminates the need to throw bombs into the pod itself and having to coordinate with a teammate to take out both pods effectively. Two Explosher shots into the pods will do a Flyfish in for much less ink and manpower.
