E-liter 4K
A backline Charger with the longest range of any unscoped weapon and very fast shot speed, so it can one-shot from outside almost every weapon's range. It has little lag after firing and rarely gets splatted, so just keeping your laser on a lane restricts enemy movement a lot, and it sees heavy use. On the other hand, it's not great at jobs other than splatting, and you need at least decent aim.
Strength by modeTier and score (win-rate points vs. an average weapon).
| Mode | C–A | S–S+2 | S+3 and up | X Battle | Regular |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splat Zones | D -4.5 | D -4.6 | D -4.2 | C -4.7 | — |
| Tower Control | D -6.0 | D -5.7 | D -5.4 | D -5.1 | — |
| Rainmaker | D -6.5 | D -6.0 | D -6.2 | D -6.1 | — |
| Clam Blitz | D -5.7 | D -5.1 | D -4.7 | D -5.0 | — |
| Turf War | — | — | — | — | D -13.2 |
Best stages / Worst stages
Rainmaker
Strengths
- The longest range of any unscoped weapon, so you can force one-shots on most enemies from outside their range
- Very fast shot speed, so you can snipe even small openings like the moment someone throws a bomb
- Almost no lag after firing, so dodging bombs and specials is easy and survivability is very high
- Paired with Ink Mine or Wave Breaker's marking and damage, it's easy to handle enemies who get close with partial charges
- High object damage; with Object Shredder you can break an enemy Wave Breaker in one shot
Watch out for
- The charge takes a somewhat long ~1.5 seconds, and if you miss, even short-range enemies can close in
- Each full charge costs a lot of ink, so you need gear to help with efficiency
- Little chance of winning once several enemies get close or surround you
- If you charge inside a Splat Charger's range, you lose on charge speed. The Rapid Blaster Pro Deco with Angle Shooter and Killer Wail, and enemies who spam Torpedoes, are also a pain
- Contributes little directly through painting, so it's hard to shine outside of splats and intimidation
Tips
- Once you take high ground with good sightlines, put Ink Mines at your feet or on flank routes to guard against ambushes
- Don't charge where enemy attacks can reach you. Against Splat Chargers and the like, back out of their range first, then use your range advantage to snipe them
- Prioritize splatting enemy long-range weapons. If it turns into a long standoff, target enemies fighting your teammates
- Use Wave Breaker when your team is pushing forward or when enemies are attacking, and finish damaged enemies with partial charges
Common gear
Ink Saver (Main), Swim Speed Up, Ink Recovery Up, Quick Super Jump, Respawn Punisher, Object Shredder, Sub Resistance Up, Last-Ditch EffortThis kit
Strong at defense and scouting: Ink Mine guards flank routes and your footing, and Wave Breaker flushes enemies out so even partial charges can finish them.Recent changes
- 11.0.0: System change for all weapons: main weapons get bigger hitboxes against players (the shorter the range, the bigger the boost), squid form gets a smaller hurtbox, and the game adds "Flow Aura" (a temporary power-up when you keep performing well) plus a remaining-health display (source 8)
- 11.3.0: Main weapon: Ink Saver (Main) effect reduced (source 9)
- 11.3.0: Stated intent: make it harder to keep painting the zone or keep up pressure from a safe spot (source 9)
- 11.3.0 Reaction: Testing shows that with the weaker Ink Saver (Main), firing 5 full charges now takes 16 AP instead of 10 AP, and 6 takes 30 AP instead of 22 AP. It's less effective, but still considered useful gear (source 1)