One of the most alarming things that can happen in your daily life is having something blow up in your face. Whether it’s a popping balloon or a shaken bottle of soda, a sudden burst in your immediate vicinity is guaranteed to throw you off your game. That, at least presumably, is the domineering design philosophy of Splatoon’s Blaster weapons. Here’s a guide to using Blasters in Splatoon 3.
Splatoon 3 Blaster Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks
Blasters are technically considered to be a part of the Shooter line, but their usage is distinct enough to warrant their own category. Their operation is delightfully simple: pull the trigger to fire off a sphere of ink that, after traveling a short distance, explodes in a small area. All Blasters have automatic action, so you can hold down the trigger to keep firing.
Blasters come in six primary variants:
- Blaster: Baseline Blaster, no gimmicks.
- Range Blaster: Same damage and fire rate as a Blaster, but longer range.
- Luna Blaster: Low range, higher damage.
- Clash Blaster: Lowest damage and range, but fastest fire rate.
- Rapid Blaster: Lower damage and middling range, faster fire rate.
- Rapid Blaster Pro: Same damage as Rapid Blaster, slightly longer range and faster fire rate.
While the explosive nature of Blasters brings offense to mind, they actually shine brightest as defensive weapons. The comparatively large bursts of Blaster shots are fantastic for area control and denial; opponents can’t very well rush in when there are ink balloons blowing up all over the place. When teammates need to make a getaway, Blaster shots make great suppressing fire.
Related: How to Use Smallfry in Splatoon 3
Blasters aren’t well-suited for aggressive players due to their low fire rates and weird ranges. Think of a Blaster as less like an explosive Shooter and more like a mid-range Charger. Your place is between the front and back lines, supporting the front and keeping the enemy out of your collective hair (or tentacles, I guess). You leave yourself wide open between shots, so employ sneaky, hit-and-run tactics to maximize your efficiency.
Have a Blast
Out of all of the Blaster variants, the most well-regarded would be the Range Blaster. The baseline Blaster duo both pack the highest damage out of all of the Blaster variants, so adding some extra range on top of that is pretty much just gravy. It does take a little practice to get the range and shot timing down pat, but once you do, you’ll create a virtually unassailable wall of exploding projectiles.
If you’re coordinating gear for a Blaster build, you’ll want these abilities:
- Intensify Action: Easier Squid Rolls plus steadied aim in the air give you a little extra defensive and offensive flexibility in the heat of a skirmish.
- Quick Super Jump: When your teammates are in trouble, you want to be able to reach them ASAP. Quick Super Jump helps to facilitate that, as long as they don’t get splatted before you get there.
- Quick Respawn: Don’t leave your team without their rear guard for too long if you get splatted. This ability will help you make a quick comeback.
- Special Charge Up: The Range Blaster’s Wave Breaker special can enhance your area denial abilities even further, so it helps to have it as quickly as possible.
- Swim Speed Up: Blaster shots are generally a bit slow, so you need to be able to quickly close the distance with your own movement skills to make up the difference.
Remember, even if you don’t land a direct hit with your Blaster shots, the burst deals damage too! Plus, y’know, the aforementioned “balloon-in-your-face” thing. Shakes ’em up something fierce.
