Competitive:Sloshing Machine
- For information about the Sloshing Machine, see Sloshing Machine.
Splatoon 3
| Abbreviations | Machine, VMachine |
| Sub |  Fizzy Bomb
|
| Special |  Booyah Bomb
|
| Base damage | 38 (Splash) 76 (Direct hit) |
| Ink consumption | 8.4% |
| Special points | 220p |
| Role | Slayer, Skirmisher |
| Strengths | Splatting, high damage, better range than most slayer weapons, large hitboxes, good synergy with Fizzy Bombs |
| Weaknesses | Slightly slower firing rate than most slayer weapons, less ink efficient than other slayer weapons with comparable firing rates, lower special output |
The Sloshing Machine returns in Splatoon 3, sporting a kit similar to that of the Kensa Sloshing Machine in Splatoon 2. However, it trades the easily countered Splashdown for the Booyah Bomb, offering it survivability.
Use
The high rate of damage, medium firing rate, and moderate mobility of the Sloshing Machine make it a slayer weapon:
- The aggressive kit of Fizzy Bomb and Booyah Bomb helps the weapon utilize its capabilities by extending its range and its splash damage overall.
- The 76 damage with a direct hit and 38 damage with a splash hit makes the weapon's potential to two-shot splat, or three-shot splat with splash hits.
- While not as mobile as some other slayer weapons, it can still be devastating to the opponent when either flanking or sharking, thanks to its high rate of damage.
The Sloshing Machine has a few notable benefits:
- The splash damage of a trajectory projectile can hit more than one opponent, making it useful against sticky situations of being outnumbered by the opponents.
- The projectile flies through a ballistic motion trajectory like other sloshers, making it useful for hitting opponents behind walls or ledges.
- The range of the shots are slightly above the average slayer weapons, making it useful for spacing out any close range weapons.
- The trajectory of the sloshing machine allows the user to block some visibility, including your own team.
- This will also likely take your opponent's eyes away from their target, even if just for a bit.
The Sloshing Machine has a few notable drawbacks:
- Its slower firing rate leaves it vulnerable at close range to more rapid-firing weapons, such as a Splattershot or Splash-o-matic — especially if the opponent lands the first shot. Always be alert of the opponents' flanking and sharking attempts to avoid being caught.
- It has similar ranged to other mid-line slayer weapons – notably the Splattershot Pro, other sloshers, and the Dualie Squelchers – and, unlike slayer weapons of comparable range, does not have as much mobility.
Fizzy Bombs can provide great coverage and pressure with splash damage, even in stages and areas that are more open:
- The Fizzy Bomb can create combos of splash damage (35) with the hits from the main weapon (76 with a direct or 38 with splash hits), allowing for faster splatting times and allowing the Sloshing Machine user to play more aggressively.
- Defensively, it can provide great pressure on the objective or onto opponents trying to take control over areas. It can also provide distance between a rushing opponent when thrown towards the ground.[1]
- Offensively, it can create paths with its ink trail that lead to up and tight close confrontations.
- Ink Saver (Sub) or Last-Ditch Effort can reduce the ink consumption needed to throw a Fizzy Bomb to below half of a full ink tank, making it possible to throw two Fizzy Bombs one after the other. This provides great pressure through ink coverage and splash damage hits.
The Booyah Bomb can either turn the tide of a battle or fully tilt it in its user's team's favor, but only if used properly.
- In general, activate the Booyah Bomb in a relatively safe place, as even an opposing Aerospray user within range can break the Booyah Bomb armor.
- The Booyah Bomb can force opponents – particularly anchors – to move out of position or delay an opponent's offensive push.
- The explosion of the Booyah Bomb often places enough ink to uncap most Splat Zones and single-handedly capture some smaller Splat Zones.
- Sometimes, a Booyah Bomb cannot fully capture or uncap a zone. There may also be two separate Splat Zones. Coordinating with teammates and their specials, such as Triple Inkstrike and Tenta Missiles, can better ensure capturing a zone or two.
- When deployed, the Booyah Bomb is capable of protecting oneself and one's teammates from attacks - including bombs - and clearing an area of opponents, whether forcing them to flee or splatting them outright.
- When aimed at the Tower in Tower Control, a Booyah Bomb covers a large area around its point of detonation for a brief amount of time, as opposed to a Triple Inkstrike, which covers multiple areas for a shorter period, or a Killer Wail 5.1, which fires in narrow lines and will follow opponents as they leave the tower.
- Since special weapons are also free ink tank refills, a Sloshing Machine user can use its Booyah Bomb to stay alive and throw Fizzy Bombs after throwing the Booyah Bomb, keeping up the pressure for a longer amount of time and having solid turfing output. Due to the weapon's decent turfing from Fizzy Bombs, a Sloshing Machine user will often have a Booyah Bomb at their disposal.
Synergy
While Fizzy Bombs turf an area relatively well, the Sloshing Machine itself is poor in turfing an area. Its user will have to rely on their teammates to maintain map control. Not having enough turfing ability – usually from having too many blasters and chargers – presents its own set of problems:[2]
- A team whose composition lacks enough turfing ability can be rendered immobile if the other team dominates map control.
- A lack of turfing also makes it difficult to alter the course of a game, even after wiping out the other team.
The Booyah Bomb is a unique special weapon that enables its user's teammates to directly assist in powering it up. However, some considerations need to be taken regarding this trait:
- If you are advanced into the opponents' territory or are either flanking or sharking, refrain from charging a teammate's Booyah Bomb to avoid exposing your position to the opponent.
- It is also generally advised to refrain from charging a teammate's Booyah Bomb while in the middle of a confrontation with an opponent.
Countermeasures
- Any weapon that outranges the Sloshing Machine without sacrificing too much mobility can counter it easily.
- To successfully confront a Sloshing Machine with a weaker or shorter ranged weapon, rely on flanking or sharking to safely approach the opponent, try to land the first shot, and exploit either the opponent's lower firing rate or slower mobility.
- In case of the Sloshing Machine user is aware of your location, fast movement and misleading directions can help shorten the distance for up close confrontations.
- Any long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or most splatlings, can attack a Sloshing Machine from long distance with impunity until the latter gets too close.
- The weapon suffers from high ink consumption of 8.4% per shot. Long confrontation might make the opponent weary and low on ink for taking the upper hand.
- A Sloshing Machine user will likely go for both flanking and sharking to maximize the use of their weapon:
- Keep track of all four members of the opposing team – which ones are present, which ones are splatted, and which ones are back at their spawn point.
- Check the map periodically for opposing ink forming around flanks to anticipate a flanking attack.
- To prevent sharking, check suspicious puddles of the opponents' ink, preferably with a thrown sub weapon.
- Weapons that track opponents, such as Point Sensors, temporarily prevent an opponent from sharking and makes them an easier target for long-ranged teammates to pick off.
- An opponent's Fizzy Bomb is often a hindrance, but it can be worked around:
- Shaking Fizzy Bombs for multiple explosions takes time and effort that makes the Sloshing Machine user busy, exploiting that time to engage the opponent can be tricky but can be rewarding if approached successfully or from an unnoticed direction.
- Fizzy Bombs prevent pathways with their splash damage hits, taking different route or higher platforms to engage can help break choke points or bomb spam.
- Fizzy Bomb takes 60% ink consumption from the ink tank (when used without Ink Saver (Sub)), so paying attention to when one or two were thrown can help ease battles against the Sloshing Machine user when they are low on ink and unable to respond.
- Regularly watch the HUD to know when the opposing Sloshing Machine user's Booyah Bomb is fully charged, and both watch and listen for when it is activated.
- If they activate a Booyah Bomb in an unsafe position, try attacking them, particularly with bombs and chargers.
- Whenever an opposing Sloshing Machine user charges a Booyah Bomb, any of their teammates – whether active or splatted – who help in powering up the special might expose their positions. Use this opportunity to locate, call out, and – if possible – splat any active opponents who are powering up their teammate's Booyah Bomb.
- A Booyah Bomb turfs surfaces starting from the center before spreading out. If your weapon has the range to maintain a safe distance from the explosion of an opponent's Booyah Bomb, it is possible to maintain possession of a Splat Zone by turfing the center of where the Bomb landed.
- The Sloshing Machine user might go for risky plays as they know they have the Booyah Bomb ready as a safety net. It is possible to bait them to take control of an open space and surprise them with a teammate to force out a Booyah Bomb, shoot it with a teammate, and cancel it.
Gear abilities
Gear abilities provide different effects in battle that benefit the player with their equipped weapon. This is a guide to gear abilities in relation to the weapon. Strategy, synergy, viability, and purpose may be written here.
A Sloshing Machine user can expect to come in contact with the opponent's ink on various surfaces, which can both be damaging and reduce mobility - especially since this weapon has poor turfing ability. Ink Resistance Up not only partially offsets the reduction in mobility but also delays the damage taken from contact with opposing ink.
- Just three ability points, or one sub,…
- …delays the damage taken from opposing ink by 10 frames.
- …reduces the damage taken from 0.3 HP/f (health points per frame) to 0.2 HP/f.
- …lowers the limit on the amount of damage opposing ink on surfaces can inflict from 40 HP to 38 HP.
- …increases the normal running speed in opposing ink from 0.24 DU/f to 0.33 DU/f.
- …increases the jumping height in opposing ink from 0.8 to 0.854.
- Six ability points, or two subs,…
- …delays the damage taken from opposing ink by 15 frames.
- …reduces the damage taken to 0.2 HP/f.
- …lowers the damage limit of opposing ink to 36.2 HP.
- …increases the normal running speed in opposing ink to 0.39 DU/f.
- …increases the jumping height in opposing ink to 0.888.
Ink Saver (Main) reduces the amount of ink used by the weapon, which notably helps the Sloshing Machine user with its high ink consumption allowing for less downtime and getting caught without ink.
Last-Ditch Effort is a Headgear-exclusive ability that, under specific conditions, grants its user 1 to 24 ability points each of the following abilities:
These abilities only begin to take effect under either of the following conditions:
- There are at most 30 seconds remaining on the game clock, or Overtime has begun in a Ranked Battle, at which the maximum 24 ability points will be granted for each of the above abilities.
- In a Ranked Battle, the opposing team's countdown has at most 50 points remaining. The effects of Last-Ditch Effort increase as the opposing team's countdown decreases from 50 to 30 points remaining, starting with 1 ability point for each ability and maxing out to 24 ability points.
The Sloshing Machine can greatly benefit from both the overall reduced ink consumption and quicker ink recovery, allowing its user to more freely use either the main weapon or Fizzy Bombs during either a crucial defensive stand or a late attempt to reclaim the lead.
Run Speed Up increases the movement speed when firing the weapon. With the Sloshing Machine's already decent mobility, Run Speed Up helps allow the user to more quickly follow up on opponents, or evade enemy shots.
The high special cost of the Sloshing Machine's Booyah Bomb (220p) means the user will not be getting it often. Special Charge Up can help get more frequent Booyah Bombs, allowing for more survivability or displacement.
A self-explanatory ability, Swim Speed Up enables an Sloshing Machine user to more rapidly close the distance towards an opponent, more quickly respond to an opponents' push, or even escape unfavorable situations.
Super Jumping to a teammate after respawning carries the risk of getting splatted upon landing, due to the appearance of a Super Jump indicator. When equipped, Stealth Jump better covers this indicator from long distance opponents, allowing its user to more safely return to the front lines and maintain pressure on the opponent.
References
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