With Splatoon 3 absolutely burning up the sales charts around the world right now, there may be some among you looking to enter the inky arena. But, never fear. We’ve got you covered. Here are just a few tips and tricks to get you started in Splatoon 3.
Play the campaign
This should honestly be first on any list of Splatoon 3 tips and tricks. Since Splatoon is a multiplayer game, a non-trivial percentage of its player base will go straight to the multiplayer. However, if you’re brand new to the game, multiplayer should not be your first time. Instead, play through the single-player campaign before you do anything else. It’s short enough to knock over in an afternoon or two, quite fun, and is designed to be a kind of Splatoon boot camp. The campaign gradually exposes you to every weapon, enemy, and mechanic you will encounter in the multiplayer. That way, you’ll know what to do when you run across them in multiplayer.
Motion controls are good, actually
I know a lot of first-time Splatoon 3 players will turn the motion controls off the second they’re allowed to do so. I get it. Motion controls take some getting used to, and you may feel you have everything you need with the standard movement-and-camera stick controls. But here’s the thing: when you turn the motion controls off, you are putting yourself at a steep disadvantage. Players who have learned to use the motion controls are far more accurate than players who don’t and can spread ink around the level much more quickly. If you’re getting rinsed by a player on the enemy team, they’re probably using motion controls. Play around with the gyro sensitivity until it feels right for you.
Use the Recon Officer in the Plaza to try out multiplayer modes before you dive in
Yeah, that’s right. The fish man in overalls standing in the Plaza is a recon assistant. You can talk to them to visit many of the game’s locations in a controlled environment and try out the game’s multiplayer modes in bot lobbies. Multiplayer modes include Turf War, Tower Control, Rainmaker and Splat Zones. Tower Control is a payload-style game where teams must ink and push a tower into the enemy base to win. Rainmaker involves taking a Rainmaker creature from the centre of the map and getting it to the goal. The team that gets this done wins the round. Rounds last five minutes, and if no one has successfully captured the Rainmaker by the end of the round, the team that got it closest will be declared the winner. Splat Zones is a king-of-the-hill game mode where teams must ink up different zones to capture them. The team that controls each zone the longest will be declared the winner. Try each mode out and get the hang of them before diving into the furnace of ranked multiplayer.
Cover your base in ink at the start of every Turf War match
The goal in Splatoon‘s primary multiplayer mode, Turf War, is to cover more of the map in ink than the enemy team. The team with the highest percentage of the map covered wins. Because Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter, it’s easy to think of Turf War as a team death match. Matches often begin with less experienced players charging into the centre of the map to find players they can shoot. The thing is, kills won’t directly help you secure the W. They don’t contribute to your score at all. And this centre-rush strategy might help you take and hold the map core early, but it exposes your base. People lose Turf War matches all the time because they get lost in the sauce and forget to paint their own base. Every little piece of inked surface adds up. Paint your own base. It’s free real estate.
If you find your enemy has left their own base unguarded, see if you can sneak in and do a little painting. Once they realise what you’re up to, it will likely draw the whole enemy team back into their base, creating an opportunity for your team to move up and take a massive bite out of the map in the process.
Get back to the front faster in Squid Mode
Holding the left trigger while standing on an inked surface will automatically cause your character to transform into their squid form and dive into it. Your squid form can move through the ink much faster than when on foot. So, if there’s a battle raging over the level’s core, become the squid and use the ink to get back to the fight that little bit faster. You’d be shocked at how many players I see that aren’t putting this extremely simple skill to use.
Don’t be afraid to use different guns, even if you don’t like them at first
File this under tips and tricks Splatoon 3 actively tells you about. In Splatoon 3, you can test drive every single gun in the game free of charge. You’ll be dropped into a blank arena environment full of dummies to smack around. This is great for getting a basic feel for a weapon, and if you like it, you can buy it with Sheldon Licenses and use it in multiplayer. Because the test range isn’t a live-fire environment, you won’t understand each weapon’s full potential until you use it in a real fight. You might think the Splatana is a cool weapon in principle, only to get into a game and find it very hard to use. Ultimately, the only way to figure out which weapons you’re best at is to try them all in the test range and in-game. Every time you level up, you’ll get a Sheldon License you can use to buy any new gun you like. Over time, you’ll learn your preferences — perhaps you’re happy with the standard Splattershot, or maybe you prefer something more technical like the REEF-LUX 450 bow. All you can do is try them out and see what feels right for you.
It’s worth noting that the longer you use a particular gun, the more it will level up. Likewise, the more it levels up, the more status effects it will unlock, conveying stat bonuses you can use in-game.
Consider your specials and subweapons too
Picking a weapon because you like the feel of it is one thing. Understanding the special moves and subweapons that go along with them is another. For instance, the dual pistol weapons have a special mode that puts your Inkling into a mobile tank that deals huge damage. Some throwable sub-weapons, like the fizz bomb, can actually be held for up to three ticks to increase their power. A fizz bomb held for three ticks drains a lot of ink from your tank, but it will also explode three times, making it incredible for crowd control. Just another reason to test every weapon thoroughly.
Try Salmon Run if you’re getting sick of PvP
If you need a break from the frenzy of Turf War, try the Salmon Run mode instead. This 4-player co-operative PvE game type has you blasting invading Salmonid enemies, and capturing golden eggs. You’ll have a golden egg quota you need to hit in each round, or the game will end. Cooperation and communication are essential in Salmon Run, so use the comms options on the d-pad. Golden eggs can also be thrown, so if you find yourself backed into a corner, fling your egg to a nearby teammate who can get to safety. In Splatoon 2, Salmon Run was only available to play at specific times. It has now been moved to a full-time game mode, so you can access it whenever you like.
And that’s all our tips and tricks for Splatoon 3 beginners! Have you got any of your own? Help your fellow Inklings out in the comments down below.
Splatoon 3 is out now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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