Sting Ray

The Sting Ray is a special weapon in Splatoon 2.

Splatoon 2
When activated, it allows the player to fire a continuous laser that shoots through walls. To balance this, its turning is slow and delayed by 0.7 seconds. However, the user can stop firing the weapon to move the camera freely. When not firing, the player can see silhouettes of opponents on the map as if Thermal Ink was active, ostensibly for ease in targeting. The player can then continue firing.

The Sting Ray's laser deals 1.8 damage per frame while it makes contact with an opponent. While it has excellent range and can hurt players hiding behind cover, the beam is narrow and easy to evade. Players using the Sting Ray can move normally while firing it, but they turn very slowly when doing so. After about three seconds, the Sting Ray's range gets larger and it moves even slower. This is reset after the player stops firing or turns into a squid or octopus.

Use

 * Before starting the Sting Ray, it is advised to keep a safe distance from battles, as firing a Sting Ray too close to an enemy can leave one vulnerable to attack.
 * The Sting Ray has poor ink coverage and is generally better for splatting enemies.
 * The player can change into squid or octopus form while using the Sting Ray, allowing for more mobility. This can help to escape from Tenta Missiles or other players. However, it is impossible to Super Jump while the Sting Ray is active.

As a Sting Ray user

 * The Sting Ray excels on stages that are long, narrow, closed, and relatively flat, especially Port Mackerel and Walleye Warehouse. A Sting Ray can also come in handy on large stages, depending on the mode. The wider and more open a stage is, the less effective the Sting Ray will usually be. However, note that some stages that are normally less suitable for the Sting Ray might have locations from which it can be effective, such as atop the booth in Humpback Pump Track and from the court in New Albacore Hotel.
 * When firing the Sting Ray, if you lose track of the opponent, bring up your map with . If an opponent has taken any damage, they will be visible on the map until they completely heal. Redirect the Sting Ray until you hear the popping sound.
 * Using the Sting Ray on an enemy player either riding the Tower or carrying the Rainmaker, or on the Rainmaker shield, allows for better objective control. If a team has a lead near the end of a Tower Control or Rainmaker match and one of its members has a Sting Ray, they can focus on building up their Special gauge to provide an instant win. Note that if the Rainmaker carrier is hiding in their ink, the user cannot see the Mode Icon Ranked Battle 2.png Ranked Battle symbol on their screen.
 * The Sting Ray is less effective against an enemy carrying a Power Clam than against a Tower rider or Rainmaker carrier because of the greater mobility of the former. A single Sting Ray will also have trouble stopping multiple Power Clams.

Versus a Sting Ray user

 * The most effective way to counter Sting Ray is to prevent it from being fired. Recognize which players on the enemy team have a Sting Ray in their weapon sets and focus attacks on them when making a push.
 * You can fight fire with fire by using your own Sting Ray against the opponent's one. On Tower Control and Rainmaker, in which each team typically has at least one Sting Ray user, Sting Ray battles are common, especially if the team on the offense is trying to splat the defending team's Sting Ray user.
 * The is an effective special against the Sting Ray. A properly launched and piloted Inkjet can splat an enemy Sting Ray user while being relatively safe from the beam.
 * are a quick way to either counter or dissuade a Sting Ray user if the attack is anticipated. The Sting Ray user will be forced to either delay or interrupt the Sting Ray to avoid getting splatted by the missiles.
 * Quickly swimming away from the Sting Ray's beam is generally the best way to avoid getting splatted without using Specials, as users turn relatively slowly while the Sting Ray is active. This is a useful tactic in Tower Control to maintain a Tower push.

Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOHWM2tFP74

Trivia

 * Sting Ray is made by the brand.
 * The Sting Ray's English name is a reference to the real-life marine animal of the same name. It could also be a reference to a ray gun, which would shoot a laser-like projectile.
 * The Sting Ray appears to be based on a water jet cutter, particularly a gas powered one, hinted at by the ambient sounds the weapon makes when not firing.
 * There are no dualies or brellas that have Sting Ray as their special.