Painbrush
A power-type Brush. Its swings start slowly and use a lot of ink, but in exchange it has long range for a Brush and huge damage that splats in 2 hits up close. People call it "the Brush version of the Dynamo Roller," and the basic play is to lurk and get close enough before swinging, more like a Roller than a Brush. In the current meta, it isn't on GameWith's tier list for any mode.
Strength by modeTier and score (win-rate points vs. an average weapon).
| Mode | C–A | S–S+2 | S+3 and up | X Battle | Regular |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splat Zones | A +1.6 | B +0.9 | B +1.3 | A +1.4 | — |
| Tower Control | A +1.9 | A +1.7 | A +1.0 | S +2.2 | — |
| Rainmaker | A +1.9 | A +1.6 | A +1.2 | A +1.4 | — |
| Clam Blitz | B +0.3 | B -0.8 | B -0.4 | B +0.5 | — |
| Turf War | — | — | — | — | B +1.9 |
Best stages / Worst stages
Rainmaker
Clam Blitz
Turf War
Strengths
- Huge damage for a Brush: splats in 2 hits at close range
- Long range and wide swings for a Brush, and arcing swings easily hit enemies on high ground or behind cover and Splash Walls
- Strong burst painting when swinging repeatedly, so it can claim a small zone right away
- Lots of movement options, like brush-dashing, the shuffle step at the start of a swing, and Curling Bomb, so you have plenty of ways to close the distance
Watch out for
- The first swing is very slow to come out, so if you've been spotted, you often get splatted before you finish swinging in a head-on fight
- Very heavy ink use, plus an ink lockout after swinging, so you run dry easily
- Damage falls off sharply with distance; at max range it takes 4 hits
- You can only brush-dash a short distance, so it's bad at paint trading and holding the zone
- The attack is fan-shaped, so it's weak to enemies who circle around to your side
Tips
- Always lurk and get close enough; start swinging from close range, not at max range
- If you whiff at max range and the enemy is getting away, don't chase. Reset by hiding in ink or brush-dashing
- When you stop attacking, brush-dash for a moment before swimming to cut down your end lag
- Use arcing swings on enemies on high ground or behind Brellas and Splash Walls
Common gear
Ink Saver (Main), Swim Speed Up, Ninja Squid, Stealth Jump, Comeback, Quick Respawn, Quick Super JumpThis kit
Make a path with Curling Bomb to close the gap fast, then scout and slow enemies with Wave Breaker before ambushing.Recent changes
- 11.0.0: System change for all weapons: main weapons get bigger hitboxes against players (the shorter the range, the bigger the boost), squid form gets a smaller hurtbox, and the game adds "Flow Aura" (a temporary power-up when you keep performing well) plus a remaining-health display (source 10)
- 11.2.0: Special change, Trizooka: about 30% more damage to Big Bubbler (Painbrush BRN-Z) (source 11)
- 11.3.0: Special change, Trizooka: shot speed up about 13% (range unchanged) (Painbrush BRN-Z) (source 12)
- 11.3.0 Reaction: Lots of players were surprised the Trizooka shot speed buff is "faster than expected," and it has raised the rating of kits that carry it (sources 13, 14)