What Am I Doing? Part 1: Weapon Roles

[@preyingshark4878]

I saw -5 motion used once. It was a Japanese e-liter and they had over 2500 power so it was clearly working for them so I will forever agree that the best motion setting is "whatever you hit things with" lol

[@skyeguy7914]

I think this is actually because long range weapons need more precision, and lower sensitivity makes aiming more stable and precise. E-liter’s range means also that it doesn’t have to respond to dangers in its peripheral nearly as much as other chargers, and will only be in an unsafe position for that if their team is unaware. In which case, I’m willing to bet that said player probably had his stick sensitivity up pretty high so that he could still flick around with the stick in the rare event of getting flanked. Edited because I forgot to complete a thought in one sentence there.

[@TGCPhilip]

Lower sensitivity would be extremely handicapping with something like a Squiffer though.

[@skyeguy7914]

@@TGCPhilip right. Though squiffers aren’t quite as effective at the anchor role as other chargers. I feel they are more like slayers dressed as anchors. And generally if you’re getting into closer range engagements, you do want to be able to react quickly.

[@TGCPhilip]

@@skyeguy7914 of course. Squiffers are aggressive Chargers. They require skillful aim (or as you or we'd say, luck) but also reaction times. I'd argue that Squiffers possess more skill than Chargers like myself. I used to be one but I'm no longer skilled with it anymore, I now specialise in the Regular Charger.

[@sealedtugboat9965]

Them trying to flick: 💃

[@marcostoad1]

What am I doing here I don’t even own splatoon 3

[@trema1626]

yet.

[@dieseldan2562]

Fix that

[@tallnerdgirl]

You'll be ready when you do

[@LARKXHIN]

Well go get it.

[@Zero-ontheleft]

Same

[@aegisScale]

Damn, now I understand the Brella's true strength. It's not the best for killing, *_but it's excellent for asserting dominance._*

[@_Strawberry9]

No replies? Anyways, this is a super funny comment :)

[@こう空太]

Even though I can read Japanese tutorial. I still prefer watching lessons at here. Your guides are really easy to understand. Good luck

[@snivzy2156]

I'm not him but this comment made me happy, just wanted you to know! Keep doing you, I also agree that his guides are easy to understand.

[@CHROME_SQUID]

頑張って!!!

[@neB282]

What rank are you in splatoon 3?

[@こう空太]

@@neB282 Only S in this season. Still got a long way to go

[@jonservo]

I played in a match where the opposing team had a bow user with tentamissles. I don't know how much special charge up he was wearing but he used that special at least 14 times in that match, I remember because I took note of it after the game was over. They were averaging about three to four special usages per minute and our team never got a chance to stop running from missiles long enough to play the objective at all. Was it fun, no. However I can't deny that it was effective lol

[@pest174]

Could be a glitch. There's a glitch to get endless missiles.

[@NorthSudan]

reef lux moment

[@38mb.]

certainly a reeflux moment

[@dmsviola1]

As a newly christened Reef Lux user, I acknowledge that we are basically Fly Fish cosplayers, and no. I will not apologize for it.

[@HeartAce59]

Today I had 3 Reef-lux on the opposing team. I don't think they were even a comp, they were just matched together. I don't blame people for playing what they enjoy, but maaaaaan I wish the matchmaking was better.

[@phillyairsoft6372]

Love how serious and technically complex this game is at its core. You are one of the few that realizes, embraces, and shares it with us. Thanks

[@LDAR]

Few? It's just the competitive side, even tho yeah, it is small

[@epickittymonster4435]

Squid School - There's the anchor, the support, the skirmisher and the slayer Me, looking at my death count - I'm the distraction 😅 Jokes aside, this is very helpful! Thank you 😊

[@GanondorfKingofEvil]

Honestly I use Sploosh-o-matic to purposely be the distraction in turf wars. I even sometimes survive the push with curling bombs and Ninja Squid. Now if only my rando team could make use of my successful attempts at diving deep into enemy territory. And not drop the ball and let the opposite team bully them backwards towards our spawn.

[@Nokyyyyy]

I'm the distraction too, sometimes. And after fighting 3 opponents in their base for 30 seconds, I realise my allies didn't do much to turf like I hoped

[@DeathOfDelta]

Honestly being a distraction can be handy. I’m a dualie squelchers main who plays a lot of tower control. Some of my best work happens because I can pull enemies away from the tower long enough to give my team an opening.

[@Sparkle8205]

Honestly i feel like im the distraction too lmao

[@jeremiahszabo823]

As a dualie main, being the distraction is the most fun, most hilarious thing you can be, I once made some brella user chase me down for 30 seconds, its a fun time

[@Joob_Toob]

Slayer and skirmisher having alliteration just feels nice and anchor keeping with splatoon's nautical sea theme makes these feel like official terms. Good job 👍

[@SquidSchool]

I didn't invent any of these terms, they're all coming from flc

[@BraviaGames]

@@SquidSchool What a happy coincedence lol

[@Joob_Toob]

@@SquidSchool oh right, either way they're good

[@Randomest_king]

All of these are “primary” roles, but there are tons of “secondary”roles. Distractor, Bodyguard, and saboteur are a few examples with “jack of all trades” being it own category. 25 likes and I dedicate time to explain these roles.

[@savionmcqueen8944]

I think the most impactful lesson of this was the skirmisher role. Even though it seems like common sense, sometimes long range pushing or just simply annoying an opponent with shots but not necessarily needing kills is something I never realized. I always just played a slayer to go for trades but in reality I should just be threatening them and going, and killing when I can. thank you.

[@Nokyyyyy]

As a melee weapon, I can confirm I hate this

[@cromanticheer]

It's also kinda reassuring to have a formal classification if you're playing a weapon that's great at threatening players but not always great at killing. Even if you can't *quite* land that magic 4th hit from Jet Squelcher to splat a far-off enemy, you're still dividing their attention and making them panic. EDIT: It's also quite reassuring for Specials too! Maybe you didn’t get a kill or got killed yourself, but causing chaos and distracting the enemy team can be just as valuable sometimes.

[@UltimateLink1]

"What role should I fill/What role does this weapon best fill" is always the first question that comes to mind when I've been trying out all the weapons in 3. Having a targeted idea of what you should be doing also allows you to have a better idea of how good you are with a weapon AND what areas you need to focus on to improve. It's why when I was struggling with the Splatanas, my question to the Splatoon reddit was "I'm having trouble understanding what niche the Splatanas fill" - I got some good advice that helped me figure out why I was struggling with it (namely I was treating it as a rushdown close range weapon like the brushes and rollers instead of a midrange poker) and I got better with em

[@SquidSchool]

Yeah, Splatana's a weird one. It can play at close range but not as well as a brush or roller (slower ttk) and it can also try to kite but not as well as, say, dualie squelchers (slower ttk, worse range, worse mobility) so my best guess has been it'll choose between the two playstyles depending on the situation since it's at least capable of playing both ways.

[@HeartAce59]

I had a similar experience! During the testfire, my friends who prefer slaying (dapple and roller main respectively) were eager to try the Splatana, but they couldn't play it well and couldn't quite understand what they were doing wrong. Later I get to try it (I play Dualie Squelchers, VSlosher and Squeezer, mostly) and I surprisingly had fun with it! My mindset was immediately to poke with it. I'm glad the weapon which looks closest to the Brush class is nothing like the brushes. And I'm glad to have found a new midrange option to enjoy! I'm currently trying the Stamper, as it's pretty much ink hungry like the DS, but can't play the zoning game and instead try to chase people down a little more. Which is something the DS can actually do, but my playstyle doesn't stick to. I want to try more approaches in S3, so I think playing more midrange options might be good. Also to learn how to counter my midrange rivals >:3

[@skyeguy7914]

Watching Squid School in general made a lot of learning weapon roles much more intuitive. I personally found that splatana is at its best in close range fights when using the stamper and it’s ziplash special. Since the special can quickly flank, and deal damage, you can easily get the drop directly on the target you want, get a quick whack, and escape, or etc. which is especially fun considering that ziplash can travel the entire map in seconds, AND does the ink jet return jump when it runs out. Otherwise, sticking to pokes and staying back works way better.

[@OneRadicalDreamer]

Same. I find the wiper is really inconsistent at close range too (ie. Charge attacks missing/I panic so I freeze and mash ZR lol) That said, I started with the stamper, but overtime went to the wiper, mainly cause I'm too defensive to play with the zipcaster. And I love baiting people with the ultra stamp.

[@superninja_youtube]

I genuinely love how you stated "all weapons play all roles sometimes" at the start of the video. I'm a roller/splatling player since splatoon 1, and you would not BELIEVE how many players in low ranks look at my weapon, say "oh, I'll just stay away from him!" or "oh, I'll just wait out that charge!" and get called out by something unorthodox. One of my more recent matches I would use to summarize that concept: I was playing the nautilus splatling (is that the name? The one that looks like a frisbee and holds charge through swim) and intended to play my usual turf control, backliner style, keeping enemies at bay. The enemy team was 2 chargers and 3 REALLY aggressive players. Just because I'm using a "backline weapon" doesn't mean that's ALL I should consider - I was able to trade with those aggressive players well by acting like a duelist, conserving charge and using quick swims, alongside using cheeky flank routes or just brute force aggression to stave off the chargers focusing another player. Was I the best for those roles? Absolutely not, painting turf for those flanks was a pain and if it weren't for my splatling choice I would have suffered to those rushdowns. Did it work? We won the game for it, so yes! I've seen chargers spam hipfire dualies and win because of it and aerosprays wipe entire teams left unchecked - take your archetype, keep it in mind, then do what you need to succeed in a match - leave the "only max range charger anarchy battles" for a challenge youtuber.

[@skyeguy7914]

Oh! A random thought occurred to me, and I wanted to share. A lot of what I’ve learned about how to use certain weapons came from paying attention to how other players use them! I’ve picked up on tricks like using the big bubbler on the tower, or rolling bombs off edges to catch players hiding from you in places that would leave you vulnerable if you try to peek down from them. And the options for movement or unique ways to use bombs you can learn! If there is anything that proves my point here, it’s this: Nothing teaches you to respect a roller’s range quite like finding out the hard way just how far away they can actually hit you from!

[@seabirdflutter]

I got nailed by an offensive roller a few times in a match and that stopped me from ever charging into an empty area again. dualies has nothing on the ol vertical flick.

[@jenkinsjrjenkins]

As a roller I can confirm nothing is more satisfying than splatting someone who thought they were hiding/safely recharging 😌

[@TatooPedigree]

Thanks Gem! My favorite take away from this video is stressing how even people who might be familiar with these roles can fall into the trap of playing the same role all the time. It’s important to always consider what are the needs of my team right now? What are our numbers like? Who’s in position and who isn’t? Who’s splatted and who’s not? What’s risky and what’s safe? And what’s the best use of my time right now? Great video and looking forward to more on the subject.

[@kiranearitachi]

Good stuff here as someone who played Splatoon 1 and played like only a few games of Splatoon 2 I'm taking it more seriously this time around and these ideas and such help alot

[@Justin_Bandi-Dragon]

what the heck? At 6:55 and 11:45 I see me (B-Dragon) and my friend (PyraEnjoyr) in the background footage. I remember playing those games too. How did I not notice I was playing with you lol. Either way, great video. very helpful.

[@fezthedracky8468]

Thank you for explaining why high ground matters, I've been playing FPS games casually for years, and never understood why people would always shout for high ground, thinking that it would just make your head easier to hit. Great video, please keep more coming!

[@grimey3480]

The skirmisher/slayer explanation is so good. I've been playing frontline since the first game and have hit X rank, and you still managed to improve my gameplay with such a simple yet effective explanation of the weapon's role.

[@Fleetwood_Talks]

New to the series but absolutely loving splatoon 3 and your videos have been a godsend. I tend to play hyper aggressively getting myself into situations where I either pull off a hero play or get splatted immediately, but listening to your videos has made it a lot easier to think about the game in a thoughtful and strategic way. You also are like the most level headed person I’ve heard talking about disagreements in the community and I have to say bravo. Anyway, I’m enrolling in the school from here on out

[@mavohq]

my college has a splatoon club and is trying to build more comp teams (of all levels), i was quad s+ in splat 2 but i’ve never done comp before so your videos are going to help a lot!

[@phleepmorr5347]

thanks gem. i’ve found myself never knowing what i’m doing, but after this, I do!

[@gabriel912]

This video is so helpful. I was genuinely hoping for a video like that. The way you explain things is very motivating. I wish I had a community to play that strategically with.

[@SquidSchool]

I can point you in the direction of a bunch of Discord servers with recruitment channels if you'd like! The Squid School server has one, and there's also a lot of servers like that which you can find in Inkopolis Crosswalk, which is this link: discord.gg/4zpNM9JcSq

[@Medik]

Really phenomenal video and I love the credit being given to that document about fluid roles in Splatoon! Phenomenal video I can’t say it enough, great quality and I wish you all the best! Thank you for doing this for the Splatoon community.

[@fyooshmcdonald5340]

As someone who plays a lot of competitive fighting games (street fighter and the likes) I am trying to get into splatoon 3 competitively because it is so unique and fun to practice. I have noticed when researching guides and other sources that they never talk about fundamentals like this channel has. You are doing an amazing job and from what I can tell you are going to get a lot better. keep it up 👍

[@Spectacular66]

I pretty much play the Sloshing Machine to put pressure on the enemy advances. The current kit is very good at doing this. Never realized how useful the fizzy bombs were until now!

[@ShadowSkyX]

Shakeshakeshake! Throw! 2 circles - or would they be considered reticles? - means it'll pop/explode three times when it hits the ground after tossing them. This is the maximum it can do; the bombs flashing a second time is when its ready. One circle is 2 explosions. Immediately tossing without shaking has it explode once. Hold down R to power it up. Sitting still for that takes a bit of time, but the better option is to shake the controller or move the left stick back and forth or up down to reach full strength much faster. Maneuvering the controller doesn't have be extreme. Even if you know this, there's someone who might not. I didn't know fizzy bombs worked this way until 3. I knew about them in 2 but I thought they were already shaken up and tossed them whenever i felt the need. It never occurred to me they could be shaken up more by the player. I got splatted by a fizzy bomb a few times and didn't understand how they got it to explode multiple times. Now I know and deemed one of the cooler subs in my book.

[@thebear8326]

Being a massive Dynamo Roller fan, the Skirmisher/Slayer section really helped me understand my role more thoroughly. I kinda knew what to go for, but that was the extra explanational push I needed to feel a bit more confident in using my main. Thank you, Squid School!

[@KyoWantsCute]

I'm an Inkbrush main who's transitioning to Splatana (I'll still use both.) I never really thought of roles being in the game, I just always had fun taking the opponents attention, or finding a way into their base to attack them from the back. Never gave the game much thought since I'm pretty casual. Now that I've watched this video, I'll value staying alive rather than going for kills. Can't paint if I'm respawning, and can't be a distraction either. Thanks for the video! Going to try out some ranked modes now. Wish me luck! Sorry to all of the people in ranked who will see that I'm using a melee weapon...I promise I'll get better one day!

[@deadwhitedragon9751]

I've always mixed skirmishers and support together, and honestly both roles can be filled by the same weapon, like the n-zap or dualie squelchers. I've noticed that with those kinds of weapons, it's good to take safe fights where you have an advantage/can retreat from, yet they still kill just as much as slayers These weapons usually outrange, outmaneuver or outpaint other weapons, but have lower killpower than slayer weapons, and can usually take map control and build up special very well as they can survive a long time compared to slayers (not as long as anchors though)

[@pyroshi-zoey-7840]

this video singlehandedly made me realize I've always been best with the weapons considered to be in the "slayer/skirmisher" category, and I've been doing much better in splat 3 by focusing on that playstyle now!

[@Sqwivig]

1:29 lmaoooo what even IS this clip!? He turns around so fast you can't even see him get the kill! I rewound the clip like 3 times and I still can't even see what happened! What a shot!

[@arlen7726]

Still waiting for the day an Undercover Brella with Ink Mine is a bit competitively viable. I enjoy the ambush playstyle for it SO MUCH, I just wish it got an actually reliable special for once.

[@X-35173]

Discussing skirmishers was a huge eye opener for me. I know about the other 3 but I find myself bouncing between skirmusher and support in most modes but never understood that I was even being a Skirmisher. Going forward I will have a much clearer idea and what I'm doing.

[@prometheus5345]

This video really helped my perspective on how to take certain encounters and how roles can constantly change despite using the same weapon

[@skyeguy7914]

Gem has been insanely helpful to my improvement at the game. Small things like doing drills alone has helped me a lot. But I wanted to drop a few pieces of mini advice, both plagiarized from Gem’s wisdom, and just from me picking things up on my own as I play that will very much help just about anybody who is still learning, and may just be watching this one video by pure chance. First off, as I said, and as Gem often says, aim is an absolute must to improve. Time, patience, and practice really is the only way. But here is what I do thanks to these videos as a general through line for my drills. I try to take note of what I’m struggling with the most in a match, especially when using a new weapon, or a weapon I rarely use. Am I firing too early and missing from being out of range? Am I not reacting to their dodges and strafing fast enough? Am I forgetting to keep subs in mind during engagements? Am I just straight up not hitting things at all? Once I have the answer, I’ll do drills based on what the problem is. If I don’t know my range, I’ll run drills by watching the crosshairs and trying to shoot the moment the range indicator pops up. Am I missing shots? I’ll practice moving onto targets from different angles and shooting when the crosshairs highlight. Forgetting subs? I’ll practice when and where I’m throwing them while shooting. Etc. Most importantly, if you’re practicing on the moving targets and just can’t hit them, there is no shame in practicing on the immobile ones until you can. It will come to you. On the topic of sensitivity with the motion controls, I suggest starting around a lower setting and training yourself by gradually raising it up. There is not a perfect setting, but if I had a big piece of advice, it would be that the longer your range, the lower your settings need to be generally. Lower settings allow for more precision control, while higher settings compliment faster reactions. Thus, close range weapons, especially skirmishers, will get the most from being able to flick their aim around with minimal movement. Lastly, while I’m not the best at the game, I think that makes me kind of perfect for this last one, as I can give a starting through line of how to think during matches, which can help people get into a mindset closer to what gem has. As a rule of thumb, I never try to do something significant without a team at the ready. So I’m always taking a glance at the Splat feed at the top of the screen. I keep specials on reserve whenever possible, and throw one out only when I have a team to back it, and only if it furthers an advantage, or will definitely give one. Enemy team is tunneling on objective? Perfect opportunity to disrupt that with a special. Pushing a choke? Special. Etc. If my team is ever down two players, I will almost always retreat. It’s better to avoid having a staggered team. I may also use a special if it can help delay the push in these situations, but only in the case of things like tentamissle or killer wail. Something that can be used safely in these situations which can delay the push passively. if I am ever downed, I always check the feed to see if anyone else on my team is down. This is so that I know to play safe and focus on building special on the way back. Once the team is up though, I’ll go back in, as even if I don’t have special ready yet, I can build it up elsewhere, and if we lose teammates on the way, they will need things to turf for special too. I check the map whenever I am returning often, to help me get an idea of where we need more offense or defense on the map, and try not to let enemies get free flank routes. If the team is up two (I.e. 4v2 or 3v1, or even a wipeout) I will immediately check the map for anything that needs turfing then and there, and use that as an opportunity to jump to, and regroup with the team for a push. Lastly, if it’s clear the team is going to lose, I shift focus from winning, to doing everything in my power to make sure that my team doesn’t lose in a knockout. Sometimes you just can’t win, and that’s okay. There is always the next match. Focus on getting your team the most out of the match, don’t throw and get a hard loss just because you’re desperate for a win. Above all else, enjoy the game, try out all kinds of weapons, and remember that improving at the game is fun on its own. I cannot tell you how happy I was the first time I was able to consistently land charged shots, or the first time I was able to hit a flick shot off of instinct. Or the first time I ever went 20/0 on my K/D purely because I was tearing up the match. Specifically because I’ve been there. I’ve been on the receiving end of that 20/0 player. It feels good to get there and experience it for yourself.

[@mothmage9121]

I’m grateful to have this video recommended to me by YT. The way you explained everything was clear, concise, & had me thinking which roles I was already playing without knowing it. As a first time Splatoon player, I found this very helpful & look forward to more videos!

[@isaacbenjamin8462]

First time player of splatoon. I come from Team Fortress 2, where roles like Medic, Sniper, Soldier etc are defined by the nature of the class. Been plugging at splatoon for a few days and was definitely in the position of trying to draw role parallels - this video majorly sped up the process and the linked Google Doc is a very well done bible for people researching the game. Thanks a lot!

[@MatildatheMoonwolf]

As someone who has the Ink Brush as the only weapon I have 4 stars on, this is useful as I’m still trying to find more weapons to be good at as I feel like I need to find another weapon to be good at in areas where Ink Brush struggle at.

[@georgesaliba8876]

You have impeccable vision my friend. First game of the Splatoon series, but I come from other games where I understand roles and game sense. Well said and keep up the amazing content!

[@XadexSquared]

I tend to view support as the role who is supposed to keep and push for control of the objective. Whereas the slayer tends to push into the enemy backline a but more to actually seek out kills, I always play directly around the objective killing people on tower, painting zones, or fighting to get the rainmaker as a support. It obviously leads to fights as the enemy team will also be pushing for the objective, but that's why I think Nzap and the Kensa Splattershot were such good supports, because they could take those fights when they needed to, but were also great at fighting over the objective and giving aid to the slayer and skirmisher if they're struggling.

[@davidrichards4826]

Thank you I love this playlist before its even a play list

[@happyboy7860]

I have a new role to throw in here. Glass cannon. They go in, draw attention from opponents for teammates to play off of, and never run from a fight

[@crimtsun]

That's such a perfect thumbnail. That inkling is just like "what is this thing, why am I here?"

[@SquidSchool]

Credit to John Sandwich, fantastic animation channel. Highly recommend checking it out, I've linked it in the description!

[@crimtsun]

@@SquidSchool oh yeah, I've seen this guy before!

[@arcanerite7428]

Love the thumbnail reference; just watched that video again today :p

[@caveot7672]

Love the new intro!

[@Pichu1232]

*Me when I become a Slayer when you're playing the skirmisher bucket* "Oops"

[@toripng]

Just wanted to stop by to give another comment of praise and encouragement! This is basically the best kind of "SparkNotes" of that roles document you mentioned. I had read it a while back and now that I'm coaching a PlayVS (high school esports) team, I find that this video would be 100% more effective if linked to them. Squid School was something in my resource pool for them for this year and I'm honestly blown away at how accessible every video is (honestly for me as well! I'm not incredibly seasoned with tournament experience yet). Will definitely take a look at your Patreon since I would love to see this channel thrive! Thanks so much for making this guide :)

[@SquidSchool]

PlayVS is running Splatoon stuff? That's awesome, so glad to hear there's enough interest in it! I'd love to do analysis or commentary for one of their events, maybe if there's some kind of regional finals or something

[@toripng]

@@SquidSchool Yeah! I was surprised too, I had found out about it from my little brother. If I can find out more, I wouldn't mind sending info about finals type things your way (I gotta hop on the Discord eventually).

[@shame2189]

One tactic i love is tag teaming as a skirmisher and a slayer playing two inkbrushes. The mind games have never been more insane!

[@kingcrimson4504]

"do I really look like a guy with a plan" me every game

[@thatweirdanimator8158]

Squid School: You will have to play every role with every weapon *me with an E-Liter playing frontline*

[@criley0007]

the youtube members and patreon list at the end is so long now!! we love to see it

[@SquidSchool]

Y'all made me learn new things about Premiere, making that credits roll at the end is way more complicated than it should be

[@criley0007]

@@SquidSchool lmao

[@Chara-yp6zj]

Oh. My garbage. As a slayer and blaster player I have never had the understanding or opportunity of a coordinated environment on a team, despite being on teams, and I finally, finally understand. I get jumps to people when everyone just died and we get a second to regroup before continuing a push, I chuck autobombs whenever I can't get in, and you bet I can litter the battlefield with directs, but having Skirmisher explained to me right now is gamechanging. I understand the slayer-skirmisher duo now, thank you.

[@mouthfulacoque3580]

you just won me a losing match. props.

[@SnaksiXD]

Holy shit, I don't even play Splatoon and as you were descriving how The Skirmisher works gave me shock with how I play a certain character in another game exactly like that.

[@PupperinACupper]

I’m glad to know I’m playing my weapon correctly

[@dari_702]

15:56 the notification 💀

[@SquidSchool]

They're a viewer haha

[@GacLosen6556]

I'm a hydra main in Splatoon 3, and honestly, I see what you mean by needing to play every role. Obviously, I'm the best as an anchor or backliner, as others call it, but I can also do many of the roles when the time is right. Knowing your role in this game isn't so much about only doing that role, it's about knowing where you shine the most, but still make up for your teammates if they're struggling, or changing your priorities depending on the map or game mode. I watched this to get a better understanding of the roles, as skirmisher and slayer were the most confusing for me, but once I understood, it was pretty easy to think about how I should play. Awesome video.

[@Weebdotexe]

can i say, this is an amazing video, holy squid. I love using explosher to punish enemies over extending by cutting off escape options until a slayer comes, no way im gonna hit someone who knows im here.

[@Pauli-dg2yv]

What am I doing? Me a doom player: if it shoots, it is meant to kill things

[@kylemckell]

Thanks for the video! I've always heard of these terms, and taken some small amount of results from that, but it's nice to actually hear what things are supposed to do. Especially the distinction between skirmisher and slayer. I'm starting to try to fit myself into different playstyles, and deviate away from my comfort pick with Splattershot, so this will be helpful to feel somewhat useful to my teams without the playstyle that I've been using for the month that this game has been out.

[@MrQwint22]

Thanks for this, I hadn't played 2 for the better part of a year and have gotten rusty. A quick refresher like this realy helps.

[@Dolphindan]

As a newbie to Splatoon in 3, this sort of content is super helpful, keep it up and thanks!

[@EmFoxx]

I've really been struggling to find my role in the team so this was EXTREMELY helpful

[@thefurrydevil4283]

A strat I use sence I use a short range blaster. Is during the final minute/30 sec's I stay in front of the enemy base. And ink the ground when enemy's come to get rid of me a splat them. Their ego keeps them from ignoring me and helping ink the middle.

[@shinkoryu14]

I'm brand new to the franchise with Splatoon 3 so take me with a grain of salt, lol, but I honestly find that a lot of times "support" ends up in a skirmisher role just by dint of the fact that they ARE playing objective, which draws enemy aggro. I've been maining reeflux for a while and I'm consistently getting #1 splat assist and #1 overall splatter just from unintentionally drawing aggro to myself by being the person running around painting the map, or by firing a wide poking spray into an ongoing skirmish to distract an opponent and help a teammate.

[@Vel_Vivi]

Really great video. I’m a new player maybe 70 hours in S3 and I hit S+ maining heavy splatling. I often struggle to balance between being too passive and too aggressive, and the slayer/skirmisher framework really helps here.

[@Kuriso2]

This was an extremely interesting and informative video! Splatoon 3 is the first one I play and I've been having tons of fun, but I still know very little. I've been analysing the game to form my own strategies, and thanks to the tips from my veteran friends, I have been able to come up with some understandings you have mentioned in the video, and now I have vocabulary to more correctly express my ideas, along with much more food for thought, so thank you very much!

[@mooj.]

as someone who's been in comp for a while now, and who's read the flc doc a couple times ages ago, this was a really nice refresher on it all I'm very glad I watched it. keep up the good work Gem (:

[@sleepyyy2]

Hi Gem, thanks for making this video! I'm new to Splatoon, and I was wondering just the other day if you had a guide about general weapon roles. It's a lot easier for me to learn the theory by watching other people play and talk about the game (rather than trying to think in the middle of a battle), so I really appreciate it :)

[@SquidSchool]

Glad you found it helpful, and thanks for sharing!

[@marlenapowers478]

As someone who played overwatch competitively for like 5 years as a healer this really helped me understand that the same kind of “support” role doesn’t really exist here

[@ClockManOffical]

Finally, I can know what I am doing!!

[@_alremeithi8931]

wait the video just came out

[@Raine_A.I.]

Just joined my Schools Splatoon E-sports team! Taking notes >:)

[@hunkyfunkyletsgetmonkey7464]

please please continue this series!

[@arizonat669]

Fun fact: The splatana stamper is such a unique weapon that it can play anchor, slayer, and skirmisher. That's due to its range. I like to think of it as a weird hybrid of everything.

[@arizonat669]

I wish it had a better kit though 🫠

[@ammakko]

Golden video and a much needed refresh on Fluid roles for me!

[@fizzyb0mb]

A lot of people hate flingza or at least they did for 2, but it's one of my mains for a reason. In many situations I can fill all of these roles. Flingza has about the same range as any charger EXCEPT for eliter meaning it's good for hunting down and displacing chargers from their perches. In the same way it has about the same range, it means I can pull back a bit and hold ppl off until my mates can jump back to me. It's got a wicked vertical fling that can be camera flicked last second to take people out, and has a quick horizontal for close range. A substrafe dodge and smack with flingza is a sure death. Depending on who I'm playing with, I will juggle between skirmish and slayer. Obviously it's a roller so it lays down ink, and does its work as support with both missiles and mines (I miss my sticky bombs for displacing and guiding reasons, but mines are also good in their own ways - I never use mines for myself, always for others). Flingza, to me, is highly versatile. It's not quite the slayer that a dynamo is, but it's quick and hefty and in the right hands it's a menace. I hate going against good flingza players, cause I know what I'm against haha.

[@Antasma1]

Actually, the tri-stringer makes more sense as an anchor and the sloshing machine makes more sense as a slayer

[@skyjumper4097]

I am an Inkbrush Anchor that throws Bombs at tower & spawn and suddenly turns into a speedy slayer when it gets bored

[@tacenda3250]

Thank you so so much. I already improved dramatically just from watching this because I switched my strategies to being more useful

[@CobiaCrossink]

I am going to call this now, Gem. you will be at 50k subs + by the end of the month or sooner. The rate of growth is very impressive.

[@TybudX]

Where were you guys when I was endlessly grinding B+ in the first Splatoon? The only advise I could find back then was along the lines of "if you find yourself stuck in one bracket you're prbably not the carry"... like yeah, no shit. What lanes should I be pushing? How do I approach this map? Is there a better wasy to do anything? AT ALL? No, just some random zen-ass shit telling me to figure out for myself why I couuldn't stay in A. Your great! Keep up the good work!

[@7Mel0dy7]

nZap +1 Stick camera main here I wouldn't consider myself a pro, mostly playing turf, but having normally +1300p and around +8 kills with maybe 2 deaths, I can't stress this enough how important it is to switch roles! I always switch from support to slayer, it's not only important, but also a lot of fun Amazing video!

[@superbodoque7860]

Me with Splatana Stamper: "I am ALWAYS the Slayer"

[@Blueturtle1]

Holy crap squid school you blew up! I remember you had about 3/4k before splatoon 3 came out. That’s incredible!

[@adveloss]

tysm for this!! it really helped, i love support weapons!! cant wait to see more of this series

[@akirachisaka9997]

As a lower rank player, I do feel that a lot of times the Support, Skirmisher, and Slayer role blends together a lot. As in, when using weapons like Splattershot/Jr/Nzap, it feels like you need to be able to frontline, paint turf, and also flank quite well. I guess this is what fluid roles mean?

[@SquidSchool]

Exactly, you do what your team needs of you at that moment, whatever your weapon can do to accomplish it.

[@akirachisaka9997]

​​ @Squid School Thanks for the reply Gem! But yeah, I do feel like in the pug nature of Anarchy Series, the 4 roles really blend into each other a lot. Like, you always need to anchor, and skirmish, and slay, and provide support whenever possible. I guess viewing it in a priority angle like FLC says so helps? The 4 priorities of "Don't team wipe", "Engage the enemy", "Win fights", and "Accelerate". So viewing it on a micro personal level, it becomes: First, try not to die, especially if you are the last player alive, or you think your last teammate will feed if you die. Second, try to always apply pressure onto the enemy, be it threat to splat, grabbing turf control, or grabbing attention. Third, whenever an opening for a splat presents itself, try to grab the kill if you can. Finally, when you can win fights, try to make see if you can pressure the enemy enough so that you can snowball them. I guess my understanding do have some parts a bit confused. But I do feel like I'm learning the basics now. I do also think this is what Gem you talked about in your "Get out of X rank" videos. A and S rank ones often mention the important of staying alive a lot.

[@100chocobo]

Okay I've been playing anchor this whole time cool this was helpful

[@blurbier]

15:55 BIG GAY HUNK JUMPSCARE

[@NourishingMystic]

I'm still unclear on what the role is for the standard roller.

[@SquidSchool]

Rollers and brushes are very similar. Flank and shark relentlessly and threaten the other team with fast ambushes, but realize that at a competitive level, players are very aware and won't be caught too often, so you're sometimes going to have more of an impact by threatening to flank than you will by actually taking the risk of going for it. The stealthier you can play the better because them not knowing where you are gives you a lot more power. When you have advantage, get under ledges and hit over the top of them if anyone gets too close.

[@NourishingMystic]

@@SquidSchool Thank you! That was very helpful!!

[@DragonOfSummer]

Thanks for the video! Trying to get just a little better at Splatoon and learning about these roles helps a lot. Especially skirmisher, I know I've heard of similar concepts but this put it into actual words. It's gonna be a while before I learn how to properly play close-range weapons, but starting that journey not focusing on splats but just trying to control the flow of the battle sounds more doable. Also reminds me of a turf battle I had the other day. I was testing out the Undercover Brella and got paired with three chargers. Looked at my team and went "welp... my role will be bait". We won, so guess I did something right (though afterwards I realized jumping in front of a charger trying to protect them with my brella when an enemy shoots in their general direction is not gonna shield them so much as mess up their sight... sorry team mates!).

[@keavinmurcia7026]

15:53 Best username 👌

[@SquidSchool]

Yeah, they're a viewer and that's just their tag lol

[@MoonyTheBat]

Great video, and excellent resource for newer players (and just anyone who might need a refresher).

[@greninjaguy5264]

Great necessary vid. Not many players from what I've seen understand their roles. Hopefully this fixes that. The only issue I have is that the music in some parts of the video is distracting and louder than it should be, and my adhd/ocd doesn't help with that.

[@xoiyoub]

Very interesting and insightful, this is definitely helpful, playing the game is more fun now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing

[@lunarkomet]

6:48 since I mostly play backliners, I often dismissed gear with qsj but this kinda opened my eyes about the defensive uses of that ability

[@mclovin8360]

10:23 Its not even much but this little 2 crit with the angle shift between was quite nice to watch.

[@luigio8484]

I like the way you snuck in the passive control topic from last video, felt nice. as if these videos are all connected, which they are I think I had a cool observation here...

[@2003212]

Thanks I am so confuse in rank right now and this is helping!!

[@myrealusername2193]

Interesting! I’ve been playing Tenta Brella as support mostly, since the shield is useful for everyone around you and so is the ink vac. Plus it has decent paint output. But skirmisher also makes sense for it. Being able to one hit kill is pretty useful for that.

[@lee430]

I finally started ranking up after watching your videos for awhile so I'm super excited for the rest of this series! I'll finally be able to stop struggling to figure out what to do in Clam Blitz OTL

[@merge9585]

Despite getting into some upper ranks, I still don't know what I'm doing, so thank you. I really struggle in Tower Control so I'm looking forward to it!

[@albinokiwidog]

I’m watching u instead of paying attention to my reading teacher. I like ur school more