Splatling

"Say hello to our little friends."

- SplatoonUK on Splatlings

Splatlings are one of the five main weapon classifications in Splatoon and one of the seven main weapon classes in Splatoon 2. These gatling gun or rotary cannon-style weapons are somewhat similar to chargers, in that they must charge for a short time to increase effectiveness. However unlike chargers, all splatlings have 2 levels of charge. The first level increases the range and firing duration, while the second level is faster to charge and increases the firing duration even further, but has no effect on range. While their stats do vary, they all have a high fire rate (equal to the Aerospray), low damage (equal to that of the Splattershot Jr.), and impressive range.

The first weapon in this class, the Heavy Splatling, was released in Version 2.0.0 of Splatoon.

Strategy
The long range and high rate of fire make Splatlings great at turfing and providing support fire from a distance. They turf more quickly compared to other long-ranged weapons, such as Chargers and the. This makes them a popular weapon of choice for backline anchor players.

Countermeasures

 * Chargers generally defeat Splatlings in 1v1 situations; they both outrange and overpower Splatlings with a one-shot splat.
 * Something to watch for is the sheer strength of the Mini Splatlings, as even a quick Charger can get pulverized in-range.
 * The and  both outrange most Splatlings and tend to be more mobile.
 * However, given the slow rate of fire of the far-reaching Squelchers, quickly extinguishing the Splatling wielder is instrumental to avoid being splatted mid-chase.
 * Any mobile frontline slayer weapon, such as the, can harass a Splatling user as long as the user avoids running head on into the barrel of the Splatling. Try to catch the Splatling player when he or she is busy charging his or her next shot.
 * Short range can be any newcomer's issue, however, as the more bright-eyed of Splatling users will see you coming to the aid of your fallen comrades. Visibly Super Jumping to their aid, if you can reasonably guess that it's that one Heavy Splatling wielder, won't work without Drop Roller shoes or a Splashdown ready--a Splatling user is more aggressive against a 'Spawn Jumper' than a Charger user!
 * Surprisingly, a strong-armed Brella user can make quick work of any Splatling handler! An Undercover Brella is even better at this than a Splat Brella, as a rapid-fire with a shield can decimate a Splatling user who didnt see you swimming lightweight-fast into battle.
 * However, any Brella user is very exposed to those they don't see coming. Utilize your sub weapons and specials or you'll find yourself (even with the huge Tenta Brella) on the other end of the counterattack.
 * Not very ironically, bombs are a great handicap to the slow-moving, charge-and-strafe Heavier Splatlings(ba dum tss), so a quiet bomb like a strategically placed Suction Bomb (as the Splatlinger advances, the suction sound is a dead giveaway) or an Autobomb where there's no room to climb can prove to be an absolute harassment to a Splatling user, as bombs are not hard to master at times.
 * Open-eared Splatlingers wont be easy to fool, however, so be careful. They know as well as you do, if not more, that theyre open to Sub-assault. Example: the sheer sound of a Bomb Launcher makes most players swim away, so try to employ entrapment.
 * Splatling users are their own worst nightmare. Using either Nautilus gives you several legs up on other Splatlings, granted you slip in quickly.
 * This can result in the Splatling equivalent of a Splat Roller collision. Also note; the Nautilus 'family' fires very loudly and metallically for a close-range weapon.
 * Ninja Squid and Stealth Jump can leave any charging weapon shaking in their boots. Using this tactic is one for speed players who can outspeed the charge time: an unfinished charge doesnt hit hard.
 * They can do this too - and moving silently isn't new to players with bulky weapons. Another thing to note is that these buffs don't hide you in Inkling form, so don't get cocky.

Splatoon

 * There are no splatlings with the Seeker, Ink Mine, or Squid Beakon as their sub weapon.

Splatoon 2

 * There are no Splatlings with any kind of Bomb Launcher as their Special weapon.