Are You Ready For The Splatoon 2 Splatfest?
We’re just 24 hours away from the first-ever Splatoon 2 Splatfest, and the game hasn’t even released yet! If you haven’t done so already, you can logon to the Nintendo Switch eShop and download the free demo. You won’t have too much to do right away, but you can select your character, get a feel for the controls via a training stage, and pick your side for Splatfest. Will you choose Ice Cream or Cake?
The Splatfest takes place on Saturday, July 15 from 3pm – 7pm PT / 5pm – 9 pm CT / 6pm – 10pm ET. According to Nintendo UK, the first two hours will be a Turf War (whichever side has more area covered in their color paint will win) that takes place on Starfish Mainstage or Inkblot Art Academy stages. The final two hours will take place in either Moray Towers or Humpback Pump Track stages. It’s unknown if the exact same stage rotation will be in place for North America, but it’s very likely.
Your available weapon load outs for this demo will be as follows:
Available Weapons
- Set 1
- Main Weapon: Tentatek Splattershot
- Sub-Weapon: Splat Bomb
- Special Weapon: Inkjet
- Set 2
- Main Weapon: Splat Roller
- Sub-Weapon: Curling Bomb
- Special Weapon: Splashdown
- Set 3
- Main Weapon: Splat Charger
- Sub-Weapon: Splat Bomb
- Special Weapon: Sting Ray
- Set 4
- Main Weapon: Splat Dualies
- Sub-Weapon: Burst Bomb
- Special Weapon: Tenta Missiles
According to Nintendo UK, the following tips should help you tomorrow as you play Splatfest:
Top 5 Tips to hit the ink swimming
1. Mark your territory
The classic Turf Wars of Splatoon are a battle to see which team can cover more of the floor with their team’s colour of ink than the other. With this in mind, as tempting as it can be to charge towards the middle of a stage to engage the opposing Inklings as soon as possible, you should try to cover as much of the floor on your side of the map as possible and then push forward as team! Just watch out for sneaky Inklings trying to slip past your lines…
2. Use your ink
With your territory clearly marked you’ll be able to get around much quicker by using the ZL Button to turn into a squid. Being a squid lets you swim through your own colour of ink, and doing this refills your Ink Tank meaning you’re ready to get splatting again as soon as possible. Ink and squid, ink and squid. Work to this mantra and you’ll be covering turf quickly in no time.
3. Know your weapon
All four weapons in the Splatoon 2: Splatfest World Premiere have their own advantages and disadvantages, and you should get used to the range and abilities of each one. The Splat Roller will do well between 17:00 BST and 19:00 BST, for instance, as the maps in rotation are more enclosed with plenty of obstacles. On the other hand the Splat Charger, with its impressive range, will help much more in the stages in rotation from 19:00 BST to 21:00 BST, as both Moray Towers and Humpback Pump Truck have more open lines of sight. Ultimately, however, it’s about using what you’re comfortable with, and learning how to make the most of your favourite weapon!
4. Use everything at your disposal
Alongside your main weapon you also have access to a Sub-Weapon and a Special Weapon as part of the available loadouts. Your Sub-Weapon can be thrown with the R Button, and the bombs available in the Splatoon 2: Splatfest World Premiere are very good at forcing enemy Inklings to move due to their big blast radius. Special weapons, meanwhile, charge as you cover turf, and you can see when your Special Weapon is charged by the gauge seen on the top right of the screen. Special Weapons vary in function, but often allow you to turn the tables against the opposing team with huge waves of ink! Just be careful, you aren’t invincible while using them…
5. Have an Escape Plan
In Turf War the goal is to cover the floor in your own colour of ink – splatting opponents will help but won’t guarantee a win, so don’t feel obliged to engage every enemy Inkling you meet. Knowing where you’ve spread ink, and thus where you can quickly escape in Squid form, could help you if an opponent surprises you, or if there are too many enemy Inklings to deal with! Remember, getting splatted not only knocks you out ofthe game temporarily, it also reduces your Special Weapon charge, so staying alive is a very crucial consideration for a cephalopod!
We hope these five tips help in your dessert defence in the Splatoon 2: Splatfest World Premiere! Happy splatting and remember, stay fresh!
[Source: Nintendo UK]
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
