On Sept. 9th Nintendo released the newest game in the Splatoon franchise - Splatoon 3. Time will tell how this offering will stack up next to the two previous titles. Will this be one of the best in the series, or will players quickly move on to the next competitive online game?
One aspect of the Splatoon series that has remained is the abilities players can acquire. There are 26 abilities in Splatoon 3 for players to experiment with; a few of them are new to the series, but most are returning from the previous games. Sadly, the Main Power Up ability isn't one of the crossover abilities from Splatoon 2 to Splatoon 3. This list will identify and rank the best abilities in Splatoon 3.
10 Quick Respawn
Quick Respawn is exactly what it sounds like, the player respawns quicker after being splatted. There are a few limitations to Quick Respawn - otherwise, everybody would certainly have this ability. There is also a Respawn Punisher ability that lengthens respawn times to counter this ability.
As in Splatoon 2, the Quick Respawn ability shortens respawn time if the player is splatted before splatting an opponent. So long as the player keeps respawning without splatting an enemy they will benefit from a shortened respawn time. This is reset after splatting an opponent, and the player is eligible again after being splatted. Drowning and falling out of bounds does not reset Quick Respawn, but does not grant a quickened respawn either.
9 Swim Speed Up
Swimming through ink is not only a faster way to get around the battlefield than running but it can be used to facilitate effective surprise attacks. This ability makes the fastest (regular) mode of travel even faster. With Swim Speed Up the player is able to swim to safety faster, and has a better chance of sneaking up on unsuspecting opponents for a surprise attack.
This ability is stackable, so its bonus increases for each piece of gear that grants Swim Speed Up; though, as in previous games, the bonus lessens with each stack.
8 Run Speed Up
This ability works much like Swim Speed UP, just that it increases run speed instead. Moving faster is one of the more useful bonuses in the Splatoon games. Running faster lets the player get to where they are needed faster, makes the player a harder target to hit, and makes running away (or to an ink pool) much more likely to be successful.
This ability doesn't affect run speed while using a roller or when running through the enemy's ink. The bonus to movement speed when firing is different for each weapon. This ability is stackable.
7 Sub Resistance Up
This ability replaces the Bomb Defense Up ability from Splatoon 2, but the change was basically in name only as the effects of the two abilities are the same. Sub Resistance Up reduces the damage of the enemy's sub-weapons. This provides protection against some of the best weapons in the game and will improve the survivability of players during ranked matches.
In addition to blunting the damage of sub-weapons, Sub Resistance Up also reduces the ability of enemies to track a player via abilities like Thermal Ink and Haunt. This ability is never a bad choice.
6 Quick Super Jump
There are many uses for Quick Super Jump without many drawbacks. This ability is great for quickly getting back into the action after respawning; especially when used with the Quick Respawn ability.
The aerial view given to the player while mid-jump is incredibly useful during a fiercely competitive ranked match, and can give players a better sense of where they are needed. The only thing players need to keep in mind is that opponents are alerted to a super jump's landing spot. This can lead to being ambushed by campers.
5 Ninja Squid
Getting around by swimming in ink is the best way to move about the battlefield - with the possible exception of the super jump. The problem with swimming is that it leaves the player vulnerable to enemy attacks. This is because swimming players are visible to the enemy and are unable to use their weapons.
Ninja Squid removes this vulnerability by making the player (mostly) invisible while swimming. The benefits of this should be apparent, even to players new to the Splatoon games. This ability greatly increases a player's chances of escaping a dangerous situation and allows for some really nasty surprise attacks. This does make the player swim a little slower, but this penalty can be lessened with the Swim Speed Up ability.
4 Stealth Jump
Stealth Jump removes what is about the only weakness to performing a super jump - the player's landing spot is no longer visible to enemies unless they are really close to the landing area. This ability makes it much more difficult for the enemy to keep track of a player's location.
Squid beacons can still reveal the landing spot marker, but if this is destroyed before the player lands the landing marker is removed. An effective strategy with Stealth Jump is to land on an elevated platform near an enemy group and start raining paint on the enemy - with the right weapon, like splatlings, this tactic is devastating.
3 Ink Recovery Up
Ink is the ammunition in Splatoon. Fortunately, ink pools are usually everywhere shortly after the start of a match. Still, having to stop an attack to reload is beyond frustrating, and can lead to a player being splatted themselves. On top of that, the fastest way to reload is to turn into squid-mode and submerge into an ink pool. This leaves the player vulnerable.
Ink Recovery Up decreases the wait time for a player when they are in an ink pool reloading their ink supply. This equates to more time firing their weapon, and less time being in the vulnerable squid form. This ability also increases the fill rate of an ink tank when the player stops firing a weapon.
2 Ink Resistance Up
Enemy ink is something players need to avoid at all costs in the Splatoon series. Being in an area filled with enemy ink reduces a player's health, and dramatically slows their run speed. If there's one piece of advice a beginning Splatoon player should heed, it's to stay away from large patches of enemy ink.
Ink Resistance Up reduces the slowdown to run speed while on enemy ink; the swim speed in enemy ink is unaffected though. This ability also reduces the damage taken from running across enemy ink, and the penalty to jump height. This ability is always active and stackable.
1 Ink Saver
There are actually two Ink Saver abilities. One is for the main weapon, and the other is for sub-weapons. Both of these abilities are borderline necessary in ranked matches. The Ink Saver ability reduces the ink consumption of weapons. Some weapons, like sloshers and splatlings, benefit more from this ability due to their heavy consumption rate.
More time firing a weapon, and less time spent reloading, is one of the biggest factors that determines which team wins and which team loses. Players should use Ink Saver in conjunction with Ink Recovery Up to minimize reload frequency and reload time. This ability is stackable.
Splatoon 3 is available on Nintendo Switch.