How to Succeed in Solo Queue- RANT GUIDE

Alright folks, I don't do this whole guide thing very often but I'm getting rEALLYYYY sick of seeing people complain about their TEAMMATES TEAMMATES TEAMMATES and about other menial things that are just plain silly.

Are you one of those people who likes to pin losing streaks on your teammates?

Maybe cry, "Lag!!"

Or even blame NINTENDO on your losses?

Well sit back and relax folks, cause I would like to shove some knowledge in your face.

Now, I'm no certified professional splat player or anything. My way isn't aLMIGHTY and my advice isn't flawless, BUT I do believe that all of what I'm about to share is fundamental in improving your play in Solo Queue. Stuff you might not consider. Stuff that might change your thought process when you're playing ranked. Stuff that might make you a little more open minded and considerate when it comes to the nitty gritty of teamwork and cooperation in Splatoon.

Update:

I got to S+50 following this mindset, I hope it works for you folks too! :+1:

I've had my fair share of salt and anger in both Splatoon 1 and 2, and I've learned things along the way that I would love to share with all my other ionate ranked squids out there looking to reach for the stARS!

Intro aside though, let's get to the advice.

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1st Piece of Advice:

, Splatoon Is Just a Game.

Your life doesn't DEPEND on your rank, how good you are, or how much you win. Your rank should never be something that tears you apart or depresses you. I feel like this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT things to keep in mind as you play.

Don't let your anger break you down.

It's alright to be ionate about the game. I'm ionate about the game! But I don't ever let my rank determine who I am or how I feel. Losing a lot is obviously salt-inducing, yes, but that won't make me break any of my things or ruin my day. It's a game. I'll move on. Everyone has good play days and bad ones. It's not the end of the world if your rank drops. Don't freak out about it.

I find that people who take the game way too seriously are the ones who struggle the most. Frustration, anger, and anxiety about the game clogs and hinders your ability to play. You'll worry way too much about how you're doing, if you're winning, and end up panicking yourself into losses.

Don't stress yourself out!

Have fun with it! Try out new weapons, play your favorites, enjoy your play time! You'll likely find yourself doing better when you don't stress as much.

Not to say don't take the game seriously, just don't make the game control your mood. There's a definite difference there.

Enjoy yourself, and you'll enjoy the game more, too.

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2nd Piece of Advice:

Stage Control Is The Name Of The Game. Don't Focus on Kills.

What makes Splatoon DRASTICALLY different from just about all shooters is that KILLS aren't the main focus... Stage Control is! Classic Nintendo, putting their charming spin on another game genre.

If you want to go on a kill frenzy and get the highest KD, I think you've got the wrong game.

NOW, don't get me wrong. I know what you're thinking... "BuT NACHO! If I don't kill anyone... How are we supposed to push the objective??"

The most important part about this wording is that you shouldn't FOCUS on kills. They're important to advancing, of course, but at the end of the day, your number of kills won't stand a chance against a team who's got a hold of the stage control.

Your utmost priority should be to gain stage control before you decide to go in for kills to keep the opposing team at bay.

Sometimes, getting kills does help to gain stage control. Killing an enemy expands your ink coverage, but don't just chase after any moving thing you see for the heck of it. Be productive, be contributive.

Don't go for kills just to "carry" the team. That's not the purpose of kills in this game.

Kills are meant to help keep the enemy team at bay so you can push, NOT to glorify your KD.

There are so many advantages to having stage control, you'd be silly NOT to make that you and your team's priority.

With stage control you have:

More mobility (ink to swim in)

More safe areas to scout (ink to hide in)

More space to refill your tank

More space to safely walk on

All of which are essential to helping you and your team do well.

This of course, doesn't mean to spend the entire match walking around painting.

If most of the opposite team is dead, take the opportunity to cover your flanks or any ink you see along your path.

If you're respawning, take some time to cover up your base a bit to help solidify your defense.

If you're trapped somewhere, try to flank and take back as much of the stage as you can.

Ranked isn't turf war, so you obviously shouldn't be solely focused on painting the stage, but always keep in mind that the more places you cover with ink, the BETTER!

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3rd Piece of Advice:

Adapt To Your Team. Don't Expect Them To Adapt To You.

:star2: First, Callouts :star2:

Splatoon is a team-based shooter. In Solo Queue, the only real communication you can have with your teammates are 3 callouts.

Booyah/Nice!

This way!

Ouch!

Pretty self-explanatory, right? You want to celebrate a mini-victory with your teammates, you give them a nice ol booyah. Trying to help direct your teammates a certain way? Shout "This way!" To em. Dead, and need to let your team know about possible danger? Ouch.

USE your callouts.

They're not there for no reason. LET your team know if you're dead. LET your teammates know that you created an opening for the objective. LET your voice contribute to the team.

But don't abuse the callouts.

On that note... LISTEN to your teammates' call outs!

Try to make an effort to help out or follow a teammate that is saying "this way!"

If you hear an OUCH, try to see where it's coming from. A fallen teammate could be alerting to an enemy on the move. This is ESPECIALLY important if the ouch comes from behind you. An incoming flanker could be on your tail. Trust your team and what they're trying to communicate to you.

MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH, BOOYAH BACK TO YOUR TEAMMATES DAMNIT, SHARE THE JOY WITH ME! BOND WITH ME! LOVE M--

I mean... It's just nice to build some kind of connection with your teammates if you share a booyah or nice. It shows that you both DO have a common goal and ARE working together to accomplish it. BONDING, YAY!

this being said though...

Don't expect your callouts to work 100% of the time.

Not everyone is a cooperation machine. And it happens. With few options of communication there's only so much you can convey to your teammates, and it's NOT always going to work. This is why adapting to your team is INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT! If you're sitting there spamming "THIS WAY!" hopelessly and no one is coming... You're wasting time. , you're not the ONLY one on your team. Maybe your teammates have another idea, or maybe they're in a sticky situation and can't get to you. Check on your team. Figure out ways to contribute to what's going on. Can't get your team to follow you across the map? That's fine. Don't sit there and wait for someone to follow you... Turn around and flank the enemy! Do what you can do to turn that lack of listening around and give your team an advantage. Never just waste your time and get mad at your team for not cooperating. No one is perfect and things won't always go as planned, so mix it up and adapt to what you can. You'll function a lot better as a teammate this way.

:star2: Second, Roles :star2:

There are generally 4 or 3 key roles that are important to a team composition.

:star2: Aggressive/Offensive (Kills to keep enemy team at bay)

:star2: /Objective (All-around, helps pick off enemies, maintain stage control, and more often than not pushes the objective)

:star2: Defensive (Helps prevent loss of stage control, fend off incoming flankers and enemies, and hold the team's ground in cases of majority deaths.)

But none of these roles are set in stone.

You don't HAVE to walk in and confine yourself to only one of these roles.

And really, you shouldn't. Especially not when you never know what weapons your team is going to have, or what roles your teammates might have in mind when they walk in to play, too.

Now of course, there are always weapons that slip in to certain roles naturally. Aggressive weapons like splattershots and gals will likely take a more aggressive role on the team, while chargers and splatlings are probably going to be defensive.

Some weapons might be able to take up other roles though, like an aggressive or ive zapper.

Don't limit yourself to one mindset or playstyle. Fit into the role your team needs.

If your team is lacking in offensive players, try to take up that role.

If your team has TOO many aggressive players... Be willing to step down to a role.

IF YOUR TEAM ISN'T TOUCHING THE OBJECTIVE... DON'T JUST COMPLAIN AND WAIT FOR THEM TO DO IT. TAKE INITIATIVE AND MAKE AN EFFORT TO PUSH OBJECTIVE YOURSELF, TOO.

That one is in caps AND bold bECAUSE PEOPLE COMPLAIN SO MUCH ABOUT IT.

Then they don't realize... They're doing the eXACT SAME THING AS THEIR TEAMMATES. NOT TOUCHING THE OBJECTIVE AND WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.

SheESH it's nOT THAT HARD GUYS, SERIOUSLY.

Don't be PART of the problem you're complaining about. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

You can always mix roles too by the way, or make your own roles! Those ones up above are just the generally accepted ones.

Make an impact on your team, consider the fact that your teammates might be thinking or complaining about the EXACT same things you are, and act on it.

You aren't a one-man team, so don't try to act or think like one.

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4th Piece of Advice:

Don't Just Complain. LEARN.

I'm constantly constantly constantly hearing people complain about the same things.

So I tell them the same thing every time.

"Git gud"

HAHA NO NOT REALLY SOB

I tell them to take a step back on what they're complaining about, and learn how to counter it.

More often than not it's complaints about specific weapons or specials in the game.

Just because you complain about something doesn't mean Nintendo is going to take it out of the game. Learn how to counter it, learn how to deal with it.

Blasters. Those pesky son of a guns sure know how to pull those nerves, huh?

Use your range if you have it. No range? Get right up in the blaster's face. Their shooting rate is too slow and their main hit box goes too far to allow them to react to and oppose you getting in their grill. Use it to your advantage.

A good blaster will know how to keep you from getting in and even killing you if you do manage to get close... But it's not IMPOSSIBLE. Learn the tactics and use them wisely when you can.

Melee weapons have weaknesses too. They're short ranged and struggle HEAVILY without stage control. They're smart and sneaky. If you ever see one, DON'T give chase. Keep your distance and paint as much as you can between you and the opposing weapon. Don't let them in. Once they're vulnerable and exposed, they're easy pickings. (Take it from a brush main.)

All weapons have weaknesses, and you can find them and easily counter them if you LEARN them, not just COMPLAIN about them.

Ask a person with a lot of experience with the weapon you struggle against. What are some weak points of the weapon? Strengths?

Better yet, take the weapon into combat yourself and learn what leaves you vulnerable. Utilize experience and employ it as you play. You'll better yourself as a player along the way.

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5th Piece of Advice:

Recognize That You Make Mistakes Too.

EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.

Not just your teammates, as some people like to stubbornly make themselves believe.

Reflect on decisions you made in a match once it's over.

Could you have made better calls? Done something more efficiently? Did you waste too much time doing something?

Maybe you threw the game and didn't realize it.

ALWAYS consider what you've done and what you could have done. You'll never improve if you don't think about how you played.

DUDE said something like this in his video about how to rank up a long time ago:

If YOU're on a losing streak, YOU are the problem.

Seriously, if you're experiencing repeated losses... HOW are you going to blame it on your teammates every time?? You're probably the only repeating variable in your losses, it doesn't make SENSE to blame other things.

OWN UP TO IT.

Honestly, after watching DUDE's Splatoon 1 video forever ago, I can honestly say that I did get to S+ after taking that advice into consideration. I still it and improved myself because of it.

Here's a link to the video if you want to check that out, too.

All you have to do is think a little differently and you can get where you want to go.

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PHEW alrighty folks, that's about enough outta me for one day.

I hope those of you who took the time to read my little rant guide thing start to take more things into consideration when you play. Have fun, be a thoughtful teammate, take the time to learn, and you'll do great out there!!!

If you have any questions, disagreements, or even advice of your own that you'd like to give, PLEASE feel more than free to share it in the comments!!

I hope you find this guide helpful in some way. Thanks for reading!!!

Nachie, out :'o

#CuratorReview