Staying fresh is an aspect of Splatoon 3 that gamers are constantly reminded of. Ultimately, this is a way to get players to level up through the game's multiplayer in order to unlock new game modes like the co-op horde mode Salmon Run as well as new gear at the vendors in and around the city known as Splatsville. In fact, customization and choice are a major part of Splatoon 3, not only for making a character look a certain way, but also the loadout that is used in the various multiplayer modes as well.
Continuing to level up adds to the options and choices players can make, with new weapons becoming available to purchase at Sheldon's as well as various shoes, shirts, and headwear being offered as well. While players can opt for a specific style, the gear itself comes with preset abilities already available. In addition to primary weapons, they also come with secondary and specials, while Splatoon 3 gear has passive abilities like faster ink recharging, lowering the cost of using ink, better maneuverability, and more.
Though many may assume that the abilities are randomized on gear, most items are impacted by what brand name is associated with them. Not just for show, brand names like SquidForce, Tentatek, and others actually have an impact on what sort of ability gets assigned to the empty secondary slot of gear. So while a lot of it is randomized, players can focus on certain brands to potentially find abilities that fit a certain play style by purchasing certain ones over others.
Splatoon 3's Many Clothing Brands
Splatoon 3 has no shortage of brands inside of Splatsville, bringing along most of the ones found in the earlier games while also adding in a couple new ones. Here is every brand in Splatoon 3 and what sort of abilities they favor.
Annaki
Seen within all three Splatoon games, Annaki is said to feature gear inspired by post-punk culture and according to the game's lore, fashion that's commonly associated with anarchist movements.
Favored Ability: The Annaki brand has a 5x chance to roll Main Power Up, which impact each of Splatoon 3's main weapons in various ways. For example, weapons may get increased damage, increased ink coverage (allowing for faster specials), increased speed when holding the weapon, increased damage from higher ground, and more.
Unfavored Ability: Special Saver ability, which protects the amount of Special meter lost when being splatted by an opponent.
Barazushi
New to Splatoon 3 is the brand known as Barazushi, a company in this universe that creates high-quality gear for deserts and colder regions.
Favored Ability: Intensify Action. This ability lowers the charge time for Squid Surge, keeps momentum after performing consecutive Squid Rolls, reduces the accuracy penalty after using Squid Surge or Squid Roll, and increases weapon accuracy while jumping.
Unfavored Ability: Sub Power Up, which enhances sub weapons.
Cuttlegear
Another classic brand from the entire franchise, players may be familiar with this gear as it comes from Octo Valley and given by Judd. The name itself is a reference to Cap'n Craig Cuttlefish who is typically seen in the single player side of the Splatoon franchise.
What's unique about Cuttlegear, besides the fact that it is more military inspired, is that it does not give increased or decreased chances of getting any specific abilities. As such, it's the go-to gear for those who want a more randomized experience.
Emberz
Inside of the Splatoon universe, the Emberz brand is more on the rebellious side and creates its gear from a mixture of materials due to believing in denial and destruction of order.
Favored Ability: Intensify Action.
Unfavored Ability: Special Charge Up, which increases the rate at which players charge their special gage inking turf.
Enperry
Enperry is a common brand name seen throughout all three games and is more sportswear focused. Longtime players may recognize their gear having the "King" label or featuring a crown design on the various basketball shoes, tank tops, and jerseys.
Favored Ability: Sub Power Up
Unfavored Ability: Ink Resistance Up. For those who want a bit more defense, this perk reduces the negative effects from touching opposing colored ink. This includes jump height, movement speed, and damage uptick.
Famitsu
An original Splatoon brand, as well as a real world Japanese video game magazine, Famitsu is another neutral style that does not have a favored or unfavored ability set.
Firefin
The longtime brand Firefin is a street wear company that has also been known to collaborate with "Splat" on the Splatterscope and Splat Charger weapons in Splatoon 2.
Favored Ability: Ink Saver (Sub). Essentially reduces the amount of ink needed to use a sub weapon like a Splat Bomb, Sprinkler, and others.
Unfavored Ability: Ink Recovery Up. This increases the speed at which players refill their ink tank.
Forge
Forge is another longtime brand in the Splatoon series, though their style has been tougher to place than others. Forge appears to be big on headgear, especially those with practical uses like football helmets, goggles, and headphones.
Favored Ability: Special Power Up. Improves the performance of special weapons, having unique effects on each one from damage, duration, and radius.
Unfavored Ability: Ink Saver (Sub).
Grizzco
Run by Mr. Grizz, Grizzco is commonly associated with the Salmon Run cooperative game mode. As such, it is another neutral company, though it does have gear that can have the same primary and secondary ability. With strong links to Salmon Run, Grizzco gear is traditionally seen as protective, being based around safety equipment like helmets, life vests, and parkas.
Interestingly enough, Grizzco featured one unique piece of gear called the Online Jersey which could only be acquired through an online code previously received when redeeming a 12 month membership subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. The rare uniform is also the only Grizzco piece to not have a random primary ability, but utilize Swim Speed Up when moving through ink.
Inkline
Another outdoor brand, Inkline's style is more rugged and features clothing one would typically associate with hiking or camping.
Favored Ability: Bomb Defense Up DX. As the name suggests, this ability reduces the damage taken from enemy sub weapons by up to 50% and 35% for special weapons. While great for general survivability, this ability can also stop the tracking effects of certain weapons like Ink Mines, Thermal Ink, Haunt, Sting Ray, and Point Sensors. Stacking this ability increases the effects.
Unfavored Ability: Main Power Up.
KOG
A legacy brand from the original Splatoon, KOG or King of Games, shares its name with a line of Nintendo-related products sold by Editmode. This is another neutral specific brand that is no longer available.
Krak-On
For the Splatoon series, Krak-On is a retro-inspired brand of footwear featuring quirky or alternative styling. Players will find all sorts of shoe types from clogs, high-tops, and slip ons. In Splatoon 3, Krak-On has expanded a bit, adding retro flavored shirts and hoodies as well.
Favored Ability: Swim Speed Up. Increases movement speed while swimming through ink.
Unfavored Ability: Bomb Defense Up DX.
Rockenburg
For players who want to add a bit of a western flair to their outfit, Rockenburg creates all sorts of clothing from motorcycle boots, leather jackets, and aviator sunglasses. Its gear is said to be rugged, yet stylish.
Favored Ability: Run Speed Up. Unsurprisingly, this ability increases the run speed for players while in humanoid form. However, it does not help when rolling or stuck in the opponent's ink.
Unfavored Ability: Swim Speed Up.
Skalop
Similar to Forge, Skalop is primarily a headgear focused company, though it does have a few simple shirts on sale as well. Players will likely find baseball caps, cycling helmets, and more when shopping Skalop.
Favored Ability: Quick Respawn. Players who have gotten splatted by an opponent can return to the match faster with this ability equipped. Many fans have found this to be an important ability when in Ranked Matches, especially objective modes like Rainmaker or Splat Zone.
Unfavored Ability: Special Saver.
Splash Mob
Unlike the other brands currently, Splash Mob seems to specialize in more formal and school style gear. Items include a shirt and tie, Velcro canvas shoes, college sweatshirts, and much more.
Favored Ability: Ink Saver (Main). Reduces ink usage for main weapons, letting them fire or to be used longer.
Unfavored Ability: Run Speed Up.
SquidForce
Known as the official brand of Turf War battles, SquidForce is known for its simple designs and practical functionality.
Favored Ability: Ink Resistance Up.
Unfavored Ability: Ink Saver (Main).
Takoroka
Takoroka is an active wear brand with fitness forward designs like running shoes and mesh caps. Takoroka also produces a few sports related clothing as well with Rugby shirts and soccer (futbol) cleats.
Favored Ability: Special Charge Up.
Unfavored Ability: Special Power Up.
Tentatek
Tentatek is a versatile brand in the Splatoon franchise as not only does it produce weapons like the Splattershot and both Dark/Light Tetra Dualies, but it produces sportswear and athletic shoes. Its items typically feature bright and bold neon colors.
Favored Ability: Ink Recovery Up.
Unfavored Ability: Quick Super Jump. Reduces the duration of the super jump, letting players get back into the action faster.
The SQUID GIRL
Another Splatoon legacy brand, The SQUID GIRL brand features gear based on the outfit of the main character from the Japanese comic manga of the same name. It is also neutral in terms of potential abilities.
Toni Kensa
Originally introduced in Splatoon 2, this brand is known for simply designs that stick to monochromatic colors. This gear also tends to be very expensive, and weapon ink barrels do not change color based on the user's current ink color.
Favored Ability: Main Power Up.
Unfavored Ability: Sub Power Up.
Zekko
Players looking for more skate-friendly designs should check out Zekko. The street-style clothing includes backwards caps, hoodies, lo-top sneakers, letterman jackets, and more.
Favored Ability: Special Saver.
Unfavored Ability: Special Charge Up.
Zink
Finally, there's Zink, a brand that focuses on sportswear like basketball shoes, cycling shirts, and other jerseys. Zink has also collaborated with Splat to create the Mini Spatling Gun main weapon.
Favored Ability: Quick Super Jump.
Unfavored Ability: Quick Respawn.
Splatoon 3 is available for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Inkipedia
