Splatoon 3 does a lot of things right when it comes to the elusive art of ‘game feel’. What can we say, covering things in Ink and splatting squids just appeals on a spiritual level. What if we told you there was a Weapon Type that perfectly encapsulated both of those mentalities whilst being a perfect jumping-on-point for beginners?
Enter the humble Roller. Rollers are devilishly simple to use, very powerful in the right hands and get players stuck into the action right away thanks to a close-range playstyle combined with multiple forms of engagement. Rollers have it all and are an absolute blast to play. Perfect for newcomers and seasoned pros alike.
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What Are Rollers?
Rollers are quite literally super-sized paint rollers that you’d find in your local supermarket. They are positively dripping with Ink, and are more than happy to cover huge sections of the map for your team whilst also providing utility and a combat punch.
Shockingly deadly at a number of ranges, Rollers can fill a lot of roles without demanding too much from players. Aiming is a thing of the past when you can squash your opposition.
How To Use Rollers In Splatoon 3
Rollers, like many weapons in Splatoon 3, have multiple modes of fire. The defining characteristic of the Roller, however, rolling, is performed simply by holding down ZR and moving. This allows you to leave a trail of Ink and effortlessly move through enemy territory. Rollers, despite their size, are surprisingly nimble as a result. If you just so happen to collide with an enemy whilst rolling, they will instantly be splatted by most Rollers.
For a bit of a ranged kick, you can fling Ink by tapping ZR. Depending on the Roller, this will send a horizontal, arcing splash of Ink varying distances and can very easily splat an enemy in a single hit if enough Ink lands on them.
Jumping and tapping ZR will cause you to do an overhead fling that sends Ink further in a straight line. This can also be lethal if enough Ink hits your enemy. All three forms of combat should be used depending on the scenario, but one thing is certain – Rollers are lethal once you get in range of them.
How To Use The Splat Roller
The Splat Roller is the first Roller you will gain access to. It unlocks at Level 2 and can be bought, like all other weapons, from Sheldon. The Splat Roller is perfectly balanced and capable of covering every base the Roller hits – and covering it well. It’s lethal on collision, its Ink has great damage, your movement speed is solid, and the width of the Roller is great.
This is a fantastic Roller to start with, but can easily carry you for the entire game because it is so versatile.
Sub Weapon
We love the Curling Bomb on most loadouts, and it’s no different on the Splat Roller. The Splat Roller already has great pushing potential thanks to its rolling abilities, but this allows you to push turf, get a sneaky trail into the enemy backline, or simply get splats with a sneaky throw. A wonderful, long-range compliment to your typically short-ranged Splat Roller.
Special Weapon
Rounding off the Splat Roller, and solidifying its playstyle, is the Big Bubbler. The Splat Roller wants to get into combat, push flanks, and get behind the enemy. This often requires operating on dangerous turf, and the Big Bubbler helps alleviate that. You deploy this, and suddenly you and your teammates have a temporary safe zone from which to fight.
Sure enemies can just walk through the shield, but this is a death sentence when you have a monstrous Splat Roller ready to swing for the instant kill. A great tool in many scenarios.
How To Use The Carbon Roller
The Carbon Roller takes what the Splat Roller does, and then pushes one aspect of the play at the cost of another. In the cast of the Carbon Roller, you have less Ink coverage when rolling and your collision damage does not splat in one hit. The trade-off, however, is speed. You move much faster with the Carbon Roller, allowing you to be more aggressive and do what Rollers want to do with more haste.
Despite losing your OHK potential when rolling, your fling damage is still very high, and at close range, you are more than capable of landing a cheeky splat in a single swing.
Unfortunately, the Carbon Roller doesn’t see much play, and this is largely because it is overshadowed by every other Roller in the game. Sure it’s quick, but it’s not quick enough to justify losing out on those rolling splats.
Sub Weapon
Autobomb is a great Sub and gives the Carbon Roller some range. You throw this out, the Autobomb scans for enemies, and then it chases them down. This won’t often get your Splats, but it will frequently force enemies out of hiding, disrupting them in the process.
Special Weapon
Zipcaster is another great Special, but we don’t feel like it benefits the Carbon Roller all that much. The Carbon Roller is already very quick, and whilst Zipcaster can deal damage, it’s hard to shake the feeling that a more impactful Special would have made the Carbon Roller a bit more of a threat.
How To Use The Dynamo Roller
The Dynamo Roller is a monster of a weapon. Where the Carbon Roller was quick and a bit weak, the Dynamo Roller is slow, but dishes out serious damage. The Dynamo Roller has massive coverage potential thanks to its larger roller, and this coverage even extends to its flings.
The Dynamo Roller is an excellent pick for covering large areas with Ink whilst also retaining its signature Roller combat style. It has some drawbacks of course, with movement speed being one of them. This trade-off isn’t too bad, however. The biggie is the slower swing speed. This makes the Dynamo Roller less adept at reacting to enemies who get the jump on you.
Still, this thing has the potential to splat multiple enemies at once, which makes it a massive threat once it gets into position.
Sub Weapon
To aid in the Dynamo Rollers cover game, you have access to the Sprinkler. Whilst not massively damaging or game-changing as other Subs, the Sprinkler is the perfect Sub when you want to cover multiple areas at once. It’s simple, but it’s effective nonetheless.
Special Weapon
For a weapon with such devastating kill potential, you’d think a powerful Special would help complement that. Splatoon 3 had other ideas and instead gave the Dynamo Roller the Tacticooler. Whilst this deals no damage, it does provide a very powerful buff to your team, and more importantly, yourself.
The Dynamo Roller is pretty slow compared to other Rollers – not anymore. Chug a can from the Tacticooler and you can zip around with the best of them. A fantastic utility pick that helps round out this solid weapon.
How To Use The Flingza Roller
Finally, we have the Flingza Roller. This thing is a beast of a weapon, and often tops the charts when it comes to ranking Rollers in Splatoon 3. This is for several reasons, the biggest being it has a shocking amount of range (for a Roller), and its damage when flinging Ink is second to none.
The Flingza doesn’t skimp when Rolling either, still packing the punch of heavy rollers, although it does sacrifice movement speed (similar to the Dynamo Roller). Do be aware of the slow swing speed of the Flingza, however, especially when doing your powerful jumping fling. This can very easily get you killed, even if the damage and coverage are excellent.
Sub Weapon
This is the worst aspect of the Flingza Roller in our opinion. Ink Mine is a fine enough Sub, but we often find it not pulling its weight with the Flingza. So much so that we often forget it even exists. It provides utility and can help you shore up your flanks, but that’s about it.
Special Weapon
Tenta Missiles are one of the more desired Specials. This is because it deals a lot of damage, can target multiple players, requires no skill, and disrupts everyone every time it’s fired. It’s a wonderful ‘fire-and-forget’ special that lets the Flingza Roller reach out and touch anyone, from anywhere.
And that’s it for the humble Roller. Keep an eye out for future Splatoon 3 weapon guides. Until then, happy rolling!
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