Rainmaker

Rainmaker is one of the four Ranked Battle modes in Splatoon and Splatoon 2, alongside Splat Zones, Tower Control and Clam Blitz. Rainmaker was the third Ranked Battle mode introduced in the series, and the last mode introduced in Splatoon.

Splatoon
Rainmaker was first announced in the Splatoon Direct on May 7, 2015. However, its description was extremely vague and only a picture of the Rainmaker itself was released. The weapon was later shown in action in a Japanese Splatoon commercial that was released in late July 2015. A few months before the mode was released; a general gameplay description for it was leaked on Twitter. Rainmaker was then released on August 14, 2015.

Splatoon 2
Rainmaker was first confirmed to return for Splatoon 2 on June 2, 2017 in a Nintendo YouTube video. The weapon was changed to fire a ball of ink rather than an ink tornado. The Rainmaker is also used as a weapon during the final phase of the final boss.

Description
"In Rainmaker, both teams compete to snag the Rainmaker. Once you've got it, the goal is to carry it into the other team's base! So as soon as the battle begins, grab that Rainmaker! It's guarded by a shield, though, so you'll need to bust it out first. Once you snag it, head for the other team's base. And be quick about it! If you run out of time or get splatted, the Rainmaker will be dropped. Its shield will also reactivate. The Rainmaker is crazy heavy, so you can't Super Jump while carrying it. Your teammates will have to watch your back! The Rainmaker can also shoot ink like an Inkzooka, so you can clear a path! The closer you get to the enemy base while holding the Rainmaker, the lower your goal distance will drop. If the battle ends without anyone carrying the Rainmaker to the goal, the team with the lowest goal distance will win!"

- In-game description



Rainmaker is similar to Tower Control in that it requires teams to move a certain object to a point in the other team's base. However, in Rainmaker, only one player may have control of the Rainmaker, and they themselves must control where it goes. The device is encased in a shield similar to a Zapfish's bubble in Octo Valley, and must be freed before it can be captured. If one team bursts the Rainmaker Shield, all Inklings of the other team caught in the blast radius are instantly splatted. Touching an intact shield causes a small amount of damage.

Rainmaker explosion timer
The player who holds the Rainmaker must carry it to the goal in the other team's base within 60 seconds or the Rainmaker will explode, splat the carrier and every friendly player in the blast radius, and cover the ground with enemy ink. The marker displaying the time remaining will appear above the carrier's head. Retreating with the Rainmaker to the player's side of the stage past the enemy team's lowest goal distance will cause the Rainmaker explosion timer to tick faster than normal until the player returns to the enemy team's lowest goal distance. The Rainmaker explosion timer will also tick faster than normal when the carrier is in a prohibited area.

Firing the Rainmaker
The Rainmaker itself is capable of shooting large twisters (in Splatoon) or bursts (in Splatoon 2) of ink, similarly to an Inkzooka. The Rainmaker has similar attributes to a Charger-class weapon, due to it having a charge mechanic. The shots that it can fire range from a small twister or burst to a large tornado-like twister or big, explosive burst depending on the length of time that the button is held down by the player. At maximum charge, the shot is lethal, allowing the Rainmaker carrier to have a form of defense against enemy fire.

The Rainmaker carrier should note that shots from the Rainmaker will not consume ink, and therefore they will not need to consider refilling their ink tank when defending or attacking.

Tracking the Rainmaker
The player holding the Rainmaker has the mode's icon marking them for everyone to see above their head alongside the explosion timer, making them a huge target. This even applies when swimming in ink, with additional glow where the carrier swims, so carriers must be cautious of their surroundings.

While the player or other friendly player has the Rainmaker, the mode's icon will appear on the Wii U GamePad at all times. While the enemy team has the Rainmaker, the mode's icon will appear and disappear in one second intervals, on the GamePad and, and on the TV screen whenever the player does not have a line of sight to the carrier.

Rainmaker effects on the carrier
Because the Rainmaker is so heavy, the player holding it cannot Super Jump, nor can they use any of their sub or special weapons. The player's Movement Speed and Swim Speed are reduced by 20%. The Special Gauge does not charge while carrying it. If it is dropped, the Rainmaker Shield will reform around it. It can then be recaptured by any player on both teams.

If the player has the Rainmaker and splats themselves by falling off the map while behind the halfway point, the Rainmaker will reset its position by respawning in the center of the map. This will not happen when the player splats themselves by falling of the map over the halfway point and the Rainmaker will regenerate its shield where the player fell from.

After firing a twister of ink, the Rainmaker has knockback effect on the player. The pushback from firing the Rainmaker can be used to go through enemy ink reasonably quickly, so if the player is stopped without a chance of making a new path, firing the Rainmaker behind repeatedly can get the player a little extra push before being splatted.

Overtime rules
Overtime will begin when:
 * The winning team loses control of the Rainmaker less than 15 seconds before end.
 * The losing team has 10 seconds to pick up the Rainmaker after the winning team loses control of it.
 * The losing team is in control of the Rainmaker.

Overtime will not begin when:
 * The winning team is in control of the Rainmaker.
 * The winning team loses control of the Rainmaker more than 15 seconds before end.
 * The losing team was in control of the Rainmaker and loses control of it, less than 15 seconds before end.
 * The Rainmaker has not been touched for the whole match (in this case, Random team will win).

Overtime will end when:
 * The winning team gains control of the Rainmaker.
 * The losing team loses control of the Rainmaker.
 * The losing team carries the Rainmaker past the winning team's score, giving them the victory.

Other info:
 * The status of the Rainmaker's shield (popped or not) does not matter.

Prohibited Areas
Prohibited areas are areas in certain stages that penalize the wielder for entering while carrying the Rainmaker. As the penalty, the Rainmaker explosion timer will tick faster, just like when retreating with the Rainmaker behind the enemy team's lowest goal distance.

If the player runs out of time or gets splatted in the prohibited area, the Rainmaker will respawn in the center of the map.

Stages that have prohibited areas are Walleye Warehouse, Saltspray Rig, Arowana Mall, Flounder Heights, and Piranha Pit. The prohibited areas in these stages are shown in the following overviews, indicated with the icon.

Trivia

 * The Rainmaker weapon resembles a tiger/fish with a nozzle in its mouth, known in Japan as a Shachihoko.
 * Details of Rainmaker were datamined on June 21st, 2015.
 * Images of Rainmaker being played on an unnamed stage were revealed in the July 24th Japanese Splatoon trailer detailing future updates.
 * The Rainmaker itself is the only weapon that cannot be bought or equipped.
 * After 60 seconds, or when a player approaches their own base, the Rainmaker will explode and it will say "The Rainmaker Inksploded"❌/"Splatted when the Rainmaker exploded!".
 * A player going towards their own Spawn Point with the Rainmaker brings up a "Warning! Don't Retreat!" message and causes the Rainmaker's explosion timer to decrease more quickly. They cannot enter their own Spawn Point, bouncing off the surrounding force field as if they were an enemy. If they get splatted while behind their team's goal, the Rainmaker will reappear at the center of the stage.
 * When in motion, the Rainmaker carrier will be expressionless. When still, they make a big smile.
 * Rainmaker bears a strong resemblance to Team Fortress 2's Capture The Flag mode, where a team needed to grab the objective from enemy's base and bring it to their base. However, in Splatoon they need to grab the objective in the middle and carry it to the enemy's base onto a goal. Some maps include a custom-version that functions identically to Capture The Flag, with a intelligence in the middle that needed to be carried to enemy's base.
 * It is possible to get splatted by the Rainmaker Shield. This happens by an Inkling getting squished between the shield and a wall as the shield expands or when the explosion timer ticker runs out and the wielder and those in the player's team who are around the blast radius will get splatted.