#weapon type

1) Practice with the less bulky version first to get a potential feel for the heavy variant

E-Liter 4K - Splat Charger

Dynamo Roller - Splat Roller

Hydra Splatling - Heavy Splatling

Explosher - Sloshing Machine

Tenta Brella - Splat Brella

Sometimes knowing how the base weapon works is a good way to transition into the heavy version of said weapon. Going in without any knowledge can be detrimental to starting to learn how a weapon works especially if you don’t know the fundamentals needed for that weapon. The base weapons help build the foundation for the heavy version and are more forgiving for those starting out. 

2) Run Swim Speed Up/Run Speed Up to mitigate the speed loss

The speed loss can be detrimental in the long run since eventually opponents running lighter weight weapons will outpace you. Run/Swim Speed Up can greatly help mitigate the loss of speed, especially Swim Speed Up as of Ver. 4.3 and later. Run Speed Up helps the Hydra Splatling thanks to the buff that Splatlings got with Run Speed Up as of Ver. 4.3 and in a sense the Tenta Brella and Explosher can benefit from it too. Overall, dedicating some slots to mitigating and even gaining more speed and mobility will help you out in the long run since you can keep pace with the rest of the players.

3) Use your slower attack pattern to slow the game down

Rather than trying to play the game at the fast pace everyone wants to play at, play at a slower pace and at your own pace. Heavier weapons are just slower overall and have to make up for this in different tactics. Slow the game down with your overarching range or large hitboxes to keep the opponent at bay. Either you want to use your ridiculous range (in the case of the E-Liter and the Hydra) to keep walling out the opponent until they play into your hands or use ridiculously large and powerful hitboxes (a la Dynamo, Explosher, and Tenta Brella), to control the field, poke at certain areas safely and deny pushes that the opponent is trying to make. You’re more looking to respond to the enemy’s advances and countering them as efficiently as possible rather than taking the fight to the opponent and looking to win the skirmish as much as possible.

That’s it from me. These weapons can be bulky and unwieldly, but in the right hands they can range from being a nuisance that is hard to take out or an absolute terror that is a nightmare to even deal with in the first place. It also puts a spin on the game from paying more attention to what’s happening more closer to your character to looking more far out and making potential deductions/reads on the enemy’s movements.