Splatoon 3 is a deceptively difficult game. On the surface, it is all bloopy music, style, and whacky ink-based gameplay. Dive a bit deeper and there is a bottomless abyss of possibilities, complexity, and interwoven systems that elevates the game, for those interested, to the upper echelons of the competitive multiplayer space.
It’s a lot to take in all in one go, and even if you managed to absorb all of that information, there is a fairly high chance some of it fell out of your ears mid-way through a rant by some googly-eyed crustacean. That’s where we come in. We are going to break down some of the things you, as a beginner, should know and do when first starting out.
More Splatoon 3 content:
Super Sea Snails | Best Weapons | Brush Guide | Best Emotes
Mess With Your Controls
Motion controls get a bad rap. This is in part due to the 7th Generation of consoles burning just about every motion bridge imaginable. Let’s not forget the horrors of the Waggle Age of gaming. The thing is, motion controls are really good when implemented well, and the truth of the matter is, most games nowadays manage to achieve that.
Splatoon 3 is no exception to this rule, and whilst you are free to turn them off in your Settings, we would highly recommend you keep them on. They will feel awkward at first, but if you stick with them and use sticks for large movements and motion for tighter manoeuvring, you will be a monster of the battlefield. There is a reason why 99% of pro-Splatoon players run with motion after all.
Build Your Freshness
It can be tempting to jump to a new gun every couple of games. Each weapon in Splatoon 3 is a blast to use, so dabbling here, there, and everywhere is a natural response. We would recommend you don’t do that – not at first. Instead, you should focus on a small pool of weapons and aim to rank up their Freshness.
Ideally, you want every weapon you buy to reach Freshness 1. This will reward you with a valuable Silver Sheldon Ticket, which, in turn, lets you buy a new weapon. This way, you are spending a fair chunk of time with every weapon you buy, and your reward is literally more weapons to play with.
Use The Campaign For Practice
A Great way to get better at Splatoon 3 is to run through the campaign. Now, we aren’t saying complete the Campaign before you do anything else. But we are saying you should spend some time here to get to grips with the controls and basic mechanics in a relatively safe environment.
Once you have a grasp on how to move, shoot, and survive, you are all set to hop into a Turf War and at least have a chance at helping your team out. Oh, and whilst we are at it, don’t forget about Salmon Run! This cooperative mode is excellent for building up your skills and gives you plenty of hands-on experience in a more stressful environment.
Try Before You Buy
One of the best features in Splatoon 3 is the Practice Range – however, it is somewhat hidden away. To access it, all you have to do is go to Sheldon’s weapon shop, select any weapon (purchased, ready to purchase, or even beyond your level!) and his ‘Test’. Simple as that.
The reason you want to do this often is that it lets you get a feel for the weapon and its loadout. Sure, Sheldon will give you a brief rundown of how each weapon works, but actually getting a feel for them is way more valuable. This will help you spend your Tickets wisely, and even mess around with weapons far above your current level.
Visit Every Shop Regularly
The shops in Splatoon 3 sell all kinds of gear. This gear is very important later on in the game as each piece will provide powerful abilities. Buying lots of Gear will result in more options when going into battle, and this is only a good thing.
Shops run out of stock, however. So you can’t just buy whatever you want at all times. However, Shops restock at the start of every day. Because of this, you want to take some time out of your day when playing Splatoon 3 and just do a quick run by each Shop and see what they are offering. You never know what cool piece of kit you will find.
Spend Your Meal Tickets
Gaining money and EXP can be pretty slow in Splatoon 3. This is infuriatingly intentional, but there are ways around it. The best way to bypass this roadblock is to eat food – all of which are locked behind meals in the Lobby.
Meals can drastically increase how much EXP or Money you will earn per match, and some even boost your Team’s earnings, letting you help out other players too. Each meal is locked behind Tickets, and these are typically obtained through playing Salmon Run or playing the Gacha. You won’t always be able to buy a meal as a result, but when you can, you absolutely should.
Stick Close To An Ally
When first starting out, it can be quite daunting. Where do you go? How do you fight? What do you do? The best thing you can do is find someone on your team who looks confident and follow them around. This has a bunch of benefits, the most obvious being you are automatically working as a team by doing this.
Not only that, but you are helping keep them safe, they are protecting you, and you can watch how they play and try to adapt your play to match. It will also give you some ideas on how to navigate the maps. Basically, become their shadow and learn from them.
Dabble In Anarchy
Once you have dipped your toes into Turf War for a bit, it’s time to dabble in Anarchy. Anarchy is Splatoon 3 Ranked mode, and unlike most games, it has its own unique set of game modes. Unfortunately, none of them has a real tutorial, so you are going to have to jump in feet first and hope for the best.
But this is something you should definitely do because each Anarchy game mode is excellent and adds a lot of the Splatoon 3 experience. You are quite literally quadrupling your available modes, and, since each Anarchy playlist has its own unique maps, you even have more places to play. It’s all win.
When In Doubt, Ink!
In Turf War especially, the best thing you can do as a new player is stay alive. Being dead means your team is a squid down, and this is not good for your odds of winning. If you haven’t gotten used to combat yet, then consider hanging back and Inking instead.
Inking wins Turf Wars, so you doing this is directly helping your teams. If there are un-inked areas on the map, go and claim them. If your team is in a commanding position, then this is an ideal team to Ink the surrounding ground. Getting Splats should be your eventual goal when playing Splatoon 3, as this is the best way to keep territory, however, as a newbie, Inking is absolutely good enough. It even helps you learn the maps.
That’s all we have for Splatoon 3 for now, but if you want to learn more, check out our other guides. Happy Splatting!
