There was some stuff I did not get to put into the video since its already quite long but for some extra notes/clarification... 1. This does not mean these weapons can't get any nerfs, toning them back in ways that keep them in their current spot is fine, mainly I would do this by slightly lowering their special outputs (210 bp/splash) or other very small nerfs. Nothing about their kits are unhealthy so just minimizing this would best in my opinion. 2. Splash was not like this until the most recent patch. While it always had potential the Crab nerfs in 3.1 are what made it have more healthy interactions. For example forcing it to ball form would not be a big deal with the decreased lag, same for breaking it. That patch is what made the counterplay to Crab really work. 3. Can other weapons fit with this pair? Yes, I mentioned 89 briefly but it fits a lot of the same qualities as splash with the main gun, just faster with less jumping. Autobomb doesn't spam too much paint and more is made to help fights and Chump is the only other special right now with potential to do as much as Jet/Crab without breaking things or being unfun to fight. I could potentially see future Shooters, Dualies, Splatanas, Splatlings, and maybe other weapons fit this kind of meta weapon style depending on kits and future balance changes. 4. I do think nerfing either of these 2 weapons right now would decrease overall weapon diversity, and most likely be replaced by something far less healthy to fight, such as Missiles. 5. The game still does need a lot of balance changes to mains, subs, and specials, these things should just be buff orientated, and can be around fitting in these many use cases working with or against these weapons. Things are not perfect but this video is more to say we should balance around these weapons, not replace them.

5:38 This aged well

Its so cool to see inkjet go from a mediocre special to a top tier

I would personally love to see something like the rock paper scissors meta in splatoon 3 like the one in splatoon 2, because a meta diverse game makes the game more healthy and easier to play

Ballpoint being a meta weapon opens up a lot of potential for Inkjet to be good again.

I don't remember who said it but someone pointed out how the big problem with the game was that every special had one or two weapons that represented it best and that made the comps be more repetitive; booyah has machine, stamp-wiper, crab-splash, missile -flingza and inkjet-bp etc.

He said “pencil can fight it too if they make it good” then the made pencil good 😂

Remember when this was meta. I miss this.

Kinda reminds me of Gen 2 Snorlax. Snorlax was considered the best Pokémon in that gen, including the likes of Mewtwo, Lugia and the like. Its used on pretty much every competent team. Despite that, it is surprisingly not banned to Ubers because of its versatility and its presence just having a positive presence on the meta as its presence keeps certain playstyles from getting out of hand

5:39 It’s so funny seeing how this has aged 😂😂😂

I just wanted to say how amazing these recent meta-centric videos have been lately. The topics are really worth bringing up and they're so well presented. Chara the Splat content king fr

thank youuuuuuu positive takes on the meta are few and far between and this is a great summary of it, i love the current weapon diversity we have as soon as some of the weaker weapons and specials get bumped up a bit, then the meta will be in a fantastic spot

0:02 Since when did Club Penguin have a meta💀

The only thing I’d want to see done to ballpoint and splash is give them slight points for special increases so there are more weapons able to compete as users for those specials. But yeah, both of them are fine right now. Crab tank and inkjet are fun specials to fight, with lots of options for both sides. And if any specials are going to be on top tiers, I’m fine with those.

Ok he’s gone insane pulll the plug

Nice to hear some positivity about the meta :) Although splash still should be 210

The little nerfs to Crab and the buffs to other specials have taken away a lot of the gripes I had months ago with the meta. It's been actually fun and worthwhile for me to go challenge Crabs to force them into ball mode and slow down, and I'm so glad we're seeing Ballpoint and Inkjet more. The versatility is fun! I hope we'll see some more niche picks to go with these weapons now.

0:02 Ah yes, the Club Penguin meta was so annoying back then, everyone adopting rainbow puffles just made the gameplay so repetitive! I'm glad they ended up adding more puffles as time went on though. We really needed some fresh new stuff to improve the game.

tbh crab and now inkjet are the biggest things _protecting_ us from history repeating i was really worried about nsplash botting strikes with how reminiscent it was of s2's lategame, but not even that cripples high-downtime weapons like missiles did. seems like you can use so much more in comp now, and people shouldn't be afraid to push what they want since so much of the meta is capable of _supporting_ them the double chump/tent vid made my day honestly. that looked so damn fun

I absolutely agree! I'm a huge fan of buffing weaker options instead of nerfing strong ones. I only feel like nerfs are warranted when there's little to no counterplay to an option. Otherwise, buff the weak weapons so that they can be played more commonly!

Ah yes, Club Penguin's meta. Cart Surfer and Puffle Roundup were the best ways to earn coins, with Cart Surfer's optimal coin farming strategy being doing 360s and backfli-

I’m so glad inkjet is back and strong again. So many memories of great comp matches with inkjet showdowns in S2

i want to see some more extreme weapons have a place in the meta, things that have very extreme attributes such as dynamo with its slow but powerful flicks instead of a bunch of jack-of-all-trades weapons that can do most things well like splash, machine, ballpoint is an exception because it makes so many comps work edit: splash should be 210p and bp should be 200p then i would be happy

I'm so glad to see this topic have some exposure, while their is a lot of balancing needed, *cough* brella, I think I like the direction the Devs are taking with the more gradual patches, tho I would like a one or two mid season weapons

I don’t understand why people equate “meta” to “broken.” It doesn’t, and meta weapons shouldn’t always be nerfed just because it’s meta

As somebody that hasn’t played the game in like 2 months, I am pleasantly surprised that Ballpoint is meta!

5:39 💀

Ballpoint is one of the coolest weapons just for the simple fact that it’s two weapons stapled together.

I did not realize the inkjet buff was enough to bring ballpoint to the top! Inkjet being strong vs crab feels like just the right kind of thing, and also the slight nerf to ball mode on crab really reined it in I guess!

I can see Emperry Splat Dualies will have a chance to be a meta weapon if it has inkjet with maybe splat bomb, if they add that weapon next season

This is an amazing video. It’s great that your putting this out there because most people usually associate META with restriction, bad, anti-fun etc. It’s nice to show what an ideal of a game’s balance actually would look like.

they hated jesus because he told them the truth ...... i miss inkjet & bp being meta so bad

5:39 Foreshadowing pencil?????????????

I feel like the main reason why people are hating on meta is because of public lobbies. People will always want to pick the "best" options, so you just see the top choices every match. I get frustrated over things like Krak-On Roller because in those public lobbies, Kraken is basically free. Other people get frustrated over Splash for the same reasons.

This was a really good video, great work! One thing i’ve really liked about the approach to Splatoon 3 nerfs is making other things better to counter the strong weapon such as Crab Tank. I hope they keep this approach throughout the game’s life as well as directly buff some things

This video was really refreshing. It’s been a very long while since I’ve heard anyone say anything positive about a meta in any game while it’s still the current patch.

I had gotten the idea that Ballpoint was meta, but after this, I understand why. Ballpoint seems like a fun meta weapon, hopefully it can stay this way.

This video is going to age like fine wine, or milk, whichever you prefer, after the sizzle season's mystery missile weapon takes over the meta.

YEYSH! That's what I've been saying! As abundant as Splash is, if a singular shooter was to be in the top tiers, it should absolutely be VSplash! Because let's be honest, there's always gonna be at least one meta shooter. Instead of nerfing the weapon and ruining its identity, opening up the spot for a more unhealthy shooter, I think making the other, weaker weapons better (and yeah ok, Crab needs more endlag) Ballpoint is just cool like, I literally don't have to bother making a point, everyone loves Ballpoint 💀

I’m so happy to see after 2 they made a meta splatling

I'm actually pretty happy with where splash is at right now, since crab isn't nearly as opressive as it used to be and burst bomb spam has also been nerfed. As for ballpoint, I'm glad its meta again. It's one of the most unique weapons in the game and it's pretty fun!

Holy moly thanks for enlightening me in this. Im wondering why I didn’t think of the game this way earlier

This video helped fuel my personal fantasy of Octobrush one day being top tier

Anyone here like playing Splash-O-Matic even if its meta? It’s not my main but I still like it, it’s fun ✋🙂

As a casual player, I've been saying that jet was the coolest special in Splatoon 2 and that it being on so many weapons made non competitive matches very fun. Hoping for enperry dualies in sizzle season, was one of my favorites

Thank you for making this video. It has helped me a lot with under standing why weapons being good can sometimes help the meta.

Tacticooler and super chump would be amazing if both those special can co exist in the meta also I feel once those two gets a good buff they need to be up there with crab and ball point we looking at the most diverse meta man and because they added kraken and chump last season I am actually hyped for sizzle season since we might get more diverse weapon kits.

Amazing vid, this topic is really important. It’s important that the top tiers are well designed, so that it paves the way for other weapons to be buffed to more closely match that quality, allowing a diverse and fun meta. This is so much better than the meta of late splatoon 2, and the last 2 patch notes have given me hope that the devs feel this way too.

I usually don't comment on videos, but I need to comment on your opening statement, and people's hatred of 'the meta'. EVERY GAME WILL ALWAYS HAVE A META. Regardless of genre, competitiveness, heck even singleplayer vs multiplayer: Every game will have players experiment and theorize with what's the most effective in order to play most efficiently, be it to show off and be stylish, to speedrun, to play multiplayer at the highest level, etc. Yes: I can agree in some cases that optimization can ruin the game's fun, but there will always be people optimizing, it's just human nature with games. Yes: Splatoon 3 is also doing less then it should to try and have all the weapons have an equal shot at being meta (Hi brellas and blasters), but that's also because metas are not something a good developer creates and enforces, a meta is what the players discover, and the developers look into to try and rebalance in an effort to make sure it is fun. Also: On the topic of balance: COMPLETE BALANCE IS IMPOSSIBLE. There will never be a game that has different options and perfect balance. In the case of splatoon, aerospray and sploosh by design will just never be as good as splash or Junior. Auto bomb, curling bomb, and the non-lethal subs (Except wall) Will never be as good as the bombs, because splatoon is a game about fast paced lethality, and the abilities afforded by a bomb are too good to want anything other then maybe a wall. Yes: it's unfortunate that angle shooter and point sensor are bad, but I think that's more a sign of poor design thinking then anything that statistical improvements can help with. Am I excusing the fact that brellas have been left out to dry, along with blasters, to an extent rollers, etc. No, not at all. The devs need to get on that better balance. But what I am saying is that inherently, it needs to be accepted that not all things can ever be balanced perfectly. A last statement: I vehemently disagree with the idea of being a 'meta slave'. If someone is playing meta, it's because they in part want to play it. Maybe a meta weapon isn't their main, but people don't like playing weapons they actively detest, and won't play them often if they dislike playing them. Yes, people will try to play what's better, but bashing people for playing meta, and saying they're a slave to it just feels like trying to admonish people that are trying to play the game at a higher level. If someone dislikes the meta that much, they won't play it.

5:39 this moment makes me so sad

This is an amazing video! It's got great editing and goes over some very relevant points. My favorite part was at 10:14 though XD.

This is a really interesting perspective on the meta right now, it's awesome!

THANK YOU SO MUCH I've been thinking about the meta not being that bad recently so much i love that you're saying it thank you so so much

having versatile weapons being meta is also a sign of balanced mechanics

REALLY good points throughout the video. I've personally been a hater of the splash o matic simply because of the crab, so i didn't stop to consider how healthy this meta is compared to Splat2's. Even if I'm primarily seeing double splash comps, not only does the splash itself open up much more fun playstyle like carbon, but it is just better than missiles and armor. Crab is still ridiculous, but that a while other can of worms. The fact that the current meta doesn't restrict other playstyles from seeing the light of day makes every thing much better.

kinda funny coming back and watching this with cooler meta rn and how everyone hates on pencil for doing the same points sploosh and ballpoint did

The same concepts apply to other meta options that have seen a lot of play: Stamper, Wiper, and Tetras are all regularly seen, but are not ubiquitous, and are also some of the best weapons for expressing skill and unique playstyle. I would take Stamper being an over-the-curve weapon over a Jet Squelcher or N-Zap variant any day. (To that end, I also hope that, should they give Super Chump a needed buff, they also give teams a weapon more interesting than N-Zap to run it.)

I really want to see more meta weapons; personally, I would love for at least one weapon of every weapon class to be meta in the way that Splash and Ballpoint are (If that's possible), so that no matter your favorite weapon class, you have one weapon that is consistently a solid pick. I think that could be really healthy both for the state of the game and for player enjoyment.

that area cup footage gave me ptsd thanks for reminding me this was a thing

The thing is, there was a point where I used splash a lot, but now it just doesn't seem fun to me since I'm more of a backline player, which I why I tried to give ballpoint a chance, but that weapon doesn't seem like my kind of thing. While it's good to have them on teams, the weapons don't seem like weapons I would use

I get what you're saying; I agree that these top tiers are comparatively healthy for the game alongside the top tiers of Splatoon 1 and 2. All three of these games have had crutches. In this case, Splatoon 3's crutches are the mere existence of Splash and Ballpoint. Now that's not a bad reason to be meta, but I do think it's important to acknowledge the inherit problem with there even being a blatant meta in the first place, being that at a top level, weapon comps become super monotonous and boring. If you can't make a weapon comp viable without having a splash or ballpoint, then yeah, I'd say there's a problem with the balancing.

Chara, the time and effort you put into making your analyses about Splatoon as accurate, well-informed, and entertaining as possible is rivaled by hardly anyone else - this video exemplifies that. I love watching your videos, and the Splatoon community is lucky to have such a dedicated content creator!

Been playing Ballpoint since splat 2, and boy do I love the love its getting now THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD

Interesting new persective. Ive always hated meta weapons but this helps me appreciate them in a new light. Many thanks!

Once upon a dark time, K-gal CJet, K-Shot and most notoriously, tenta missles ruled the meta of splatoon 2.

Reminds me of Leon Massey's vid "A Tale of Two Top Tiers". Talks about how melee fox speeds up melee's meta while brawl meta knight slows down brawls meta.

Yesterday I was in a battle and the other team had two range blasters and I think they were pretending to be storm and arashi one was just named storm with a star and the other was narashi or something along those lines.

Amazingly crafted script which stays positive and aims to improve peoples opinions on weapons being meta by making them think critically about the benefits they bring. Love to see it.

5:39 Looks around in 2024 nervously-

Ballpoint has been some of the most fun I've had with splatoon probably ever, and I hope it stays really good for a long time! It reminds me a lot of octo shot from splatoon 2 (Although if they nerfed the 190p jet down to 200p I'd understand, I get why they did it before and why they would put it back now)

I’m very happy you made this video.

Ah... the good old times... 🥲

Amazing video, want more like this!

While i do agree with the video for the most part i do think there are a few problems with the specials mainly. Crab is cool but i do think the range is really kinda oppressive on the maps, and makes the act of actually getting to it to fight it near impossible against a decent player. Also the endlag which i believe can be swam in, and since splash is a lightweight, it makes the punish window way smaller than it actually should be. I also think in the case of splash itself there’s one thing i would change: ink efficiency, with a slight nerf to it, it makes it way less strong at spamming specials, and subs, to make it play in a more healthy way than before. But other than those two things i really like this video as it is a problem with how many people complain, without actually seeing why something is meta.

Getting kinda poetic there towards the end, Chara 😂

Watching this changed my view on meta weapons. I still think we need more meta options, 89 would be perfect for a good meta weapon as you said, but i also wanna see blasters and mainly brellas in the meta. If we could have atleast one meta pick for each class Id be content with that, even if it meant shooters had more meta options. I also still think crab has too much range but its fine for now

I was going to ask what this means for solo queue considering how much chara was also talking about certain team comps, but come to think of it the fact these weapons are so versatile could help make up for splat 3’s bad team making system

I think this was my favorite vid by far

These weapons arent anywhere near the same level of problems. Splash does hurt weapon diversity but ballpoint doesnt at all. Ballpoint is a weapon that can do everything, yes, but when it does anything it has to also stop doing something else. Ballpoint adds to the game and no other weapon that does what it does is the same. When using painting mode you can't fire at long range, when using range it can't paint well, can't fizzy and shoot at the same time. This adds a lot to the weapon that doesn't take from anything else in the game. Splash is completely the opposite. This weapon does everything and it does everything at the same time. While other weapons can outfight splash that is a terrible arguement as the same can be said that splash can just outfight those weapons. Every weapon that falls into the catagories of: having crab tank (pro, l3), poking with burst bombs (mini, l3 again), painting (spray, jr, nova), anything with a somewhat similar kit (ttek), every one of them can fall under a single catagory; "Just play splash instead". If that isnt the definition of lowering weapon diversity I have been viewing the term wrong. Splash getting nerfed would only benefit the game and increase weapon diversity but the same can't be said of other meta weapons (maybe machine but machine is fine). Splatanas, ballpoint, tetras, liter. They all cover a role and have boundaries on what they can do at the same time, something missing with splash. To anyone who read to this point, thanks for allowing me to waste your time. Nerf splash.

Cool Crab nerf idea! Decrease its primary firing range, but add this: as the fire rate of the primary firing mode goes up, so does its range.

I'm interested in seeing a video where you make new weapon kits/buff weapons you could see also being a versatile top tier that opens up options.

ballpoint as a main weapon is insane i still cant believe its in the game

Another awesome vid. I’m really enjoying the state of splatoon and I think the devs are being a bit more thoughtful about the design of weapons

My idea of the "perfect meta" has at least one weapon from every class. But we all know that brellas will never get their time to shine again sigh

Its not that a meta exists its more that so many people follow the meta. Use whats fun not what the majority considers good and eventually you will get good with your fun weapon. Personally I see lots of splashs runnimg at me expecting to outdamage the .52 or casting crab in my weapon range (just aim slightly higher and kill)

A proper meta is one where the meta can be countered with many, many rogue options. That's balance.

I am getting into competetive play for splatoon for the fist time and i alreafy have a member but yet i am nervous to experiment with wepons my member wants to play any tips for this?

Yeah, in Splatoon 2, the top tiers felt miserable to play against, and had little counterplay. You were just being spammed by Missiles and Armors all game. In Splatoon 3, however, the top tiers don't just feel fair, but even fun to fight. When I see a Splash o Matic, it doesn't feel like an unfair match up at all. It's obviously a good weapon, but it still has weaknesses and counters. A few other weapons that could be mentioned here are both Splatanas. These weapons are also very good in the meta right now, but they feel really healthy and promote a fun aggressive playstyle that I love. Fighting a Splatana never feels unfair or annoying. It's just a good weapon, but it has weaknesses that you can exploit to win. Any good meta should have a good aggressive option, and Splatanas fit the bill perfectly, not being too overwhelming to the point of feeling unfair, but being good enough so that aggression is actually a viable style in competitive matches.

For those who haven't watched Leon Massey's recent video discussing Brawl MK and Melee Fox, I believe that video is an excellent companion piece to this one as it shows why having a top tier is good. This video absolutely explains what makes these weapons "good" top tiers, ones that encourage the niche weapons and those who main them to develop their play, but I do think that Leon Massey's video very clearly explains in a more general context why that's important. Also I think the video is really good, well written and easily can easily compare brawl to spla2n and Melee to spla3n, which gives me hope as to the continued success of Splatoon.

Amazing upload

Inkjet is amazing. Glad it's seeing more use this days. (Btw I main try-slosher)

I agree with all of this, its just the solo q doesnt always have your back

**Ah, yes, Club Penguin. My favourite meta**

I don’t mind meta weapons too much, I just don’t like seeing multiples of the same weapons in matches. Let the meta bring out other weapons or vice versa

I am waiting patiently for the dualie squelchers to make their return

i've been having so much fun with ballpoint recently. i'm definitely not at the level where the meta matters as much as it does for top players, but the versatility still feels great.

NAH FR YOU BE SPITTIN' ON THIS ONE

As a competitive Pokémon player and a more casual splatoon fans. It’s cool to see parallels in how metas develop and how things are considered healthy. For example, like these weapons Landorus-Therian is a good example of a glue member of a team that can help the team build more freely and play around with other ideas.

This has been something I've been figuring out recently as well, not only in Splatoon, but also in other games like Destiny 2. There are ways to tangentially buff or nerf weapons, specials, perks, etc, without completely changing their overall identity or how they can be optimally used. In Spatoon's case, I think the best evidence of that was the object damage buff to Inkjet, Ultra Stamp, and Trizooka against Crab armor. It didn't directly buff how all 3 of these specials are used in most cases, but they are now on a more even playing field when Crab Tanks are in play or could be in play, and Crab already has the necessary range to deal with them in return. Makes me interested to see how they could tangentially improve ones like Super Chump or Ink Vac without having to touch something like damage or HP.

How is Ballpoint vs Splatana? *Is the pen mightier than the sword?*