Snipers are pretty darn cool. When you want to take someone out from a distance, a good sniper in the hands of a crack shot is all you need. Splatoon 3 has its own interpretation of these iconic weapons – Chargers. They may look different, and they may fire ink, but trust us, they get the job done all the same.
Of course, like with any weapon in Splatoon 3, there is quite the learning curve. Even more so when you consider how many ways there are to close distance. Heck, not to mention the sheer number of weapons that operate in close quarters. It’s almost like the game is heavily tilted towards close-range engagements. We’ve got you covered though.
More Splatoon 3 content:
Slosher Guide | Brella Guide | Roller Guide | Splatling Guide | Brush Guide | Stringer Guide | Splatana Guide
What Are Chargers?
Chargers are devastating long-range weapons capable of taking out an enemy in a single well-placed shot. No other weapon can match its range and kill potential, however, it also operates within a very tight niche. Few weapons are unforgiving as the Charger, so be prepared for a bumpy ride to the top.
How To Use Chargers In Splatoon 3
Chargers largely come in two forms – unscoped and scoped. Depending on which variant you use, you will gain one of two abilities. Unscoped Chargers are the first kind you will encounter and these are used simply by holding down ZR to charge up. Once you have maxed your charge, you can release ZR and fire a powerful shot in a straight line.
Unscoped Chargers can maintain their charge when swimming, although they can only hold it for a couple of seconds before it drops off. This allows unscoped Chargers to charge safely, zip out, pop up, and shoot a very fast, skirmish-like playstyle. You will need to be quick on the trigger and incredibly accurate to pull it off, however.
Scoped Chargers lose the ability to maintain their charge whilst swimming, but gain the ability to zoom in when charging. They are used in the same way, as in you hold ZR to charge, and once you have held it long enough, your view will begin to zoom. This makes Scoped Chargers much more accurate at long range, at the expense of mobility.
Regardless of Charger, you can also tap ZR to fire very weapon spurts of ink. This can be used to fight in close combat if you have to, although it is very ineffective and should be considered a last resort.
As a general rule, Chargers love elevated positions with clear sightlines as it allows them to support their team. Chargers are ‘Anchors’, and therefore should look to stay behind their team at all times and use their powerful shots to assist where needed.
List Of Chargers
There are seven Chargers in total, however, two of those are just repeats of previous weapons – just with added scopes. You will unlock new Chargers as you level up, and can buy them for Sheldon for a single Ticket. You can also buy them early by spending three tickets.
| Charger | Sub | Special |
| Splat Charger | Splat Bomb | Ink Vac |
| Classic Squiffer | Point Sensor | Big Bubbler |
| Splatterscope | Splat Bomb | Ink Vac |
| E-Liter 4K | Ink Mine | Wave Breaker |
| Bamboozler 14 MK1 | Autobomb | Killer Wail 5.1 |
| Goo Tuber | Torpedo | Tenta Missiles |
| E-Lighter 4K Scope | Ink Mine | Wave Breaker |
Tips On Using Chargers
For the most part, Chargers will operate in the same way regardless of which you pick. There are some unique twists on the formula within the bunch, however. We will go over each Charger, how to use them, and what they bring to the table.
Splat Charger/Splatterscope
This is the quintessential Charger. It deals incredible damage, has a fantastic range, and does everything you would want from a Charger. It is very simple to use, easy to understand, and gets the job done every time. When charged, it can splat in one hit, uncharged, it can take out an enemy in three – although you will want to avoid that at all costs.
Where the Splat Charger falters is in its loadout. Whilst good, it doesn’t feel optimised for the weapon. Splat Bombs are of course excellent, and give the Splat Charger some AOE damage to spruce up the kit. Ink Vac on the other hand is a bit too limiting when it comes to range, often forcing you to get closer to enemies than you’d normally want to. This leaves you very exposed. It’s a solid Special, just not great on the Splat Charger.
Classic Squiffer
The Classic Squiffer sacrifices range for speed, and it does a standup job at that. This weapon is well and truly a dominating force during mid-range firefights, and thanks to its outstanding damage, it can still OHK any enemy hit by a full charge.
It does have some drawbacks, however. The biggest being it’s still rather slow and struggles in multi-target engagements. Chargers are fairly clunky in general, and the Classic Squiffer is no exception.
It does come with a decent kit, however. The Point Sensor allows you and your team to track enemies who may be hiding out of sight. The Big Bubbler allows your team to gain protection when pushing into dangerous turf and can really turn the tide of a fight.
E-Liter 4K/E-Lighter 4K Scope
The E-Liter 4K is likely going to be the most common Charger you see on the battlefield. This is because it is pretty darn excellent, boasting one of the longest ranges in the game (outranging all other Chargers!) and still being able to land a OHK. It is slow, but this is less of an issue due to your range advantage.
This is rounded off with an excellent kit. Ink Mines allow you to keep your elevated position locked down, and Wave Breaker lets you disrupt enemies in a large AOE – assisting your team nicely.
Do be aware that this weapon struggles on maps that lack solid sight lines and elevation. On the wrong map, the E-Liter 4K can be more of a hindrance as you desperately need to position yourself well to perform.
Bamboozler 14 MK1
We aren’t going to break the Bamboozler down quite as much as its fellow Chargers simply because it’s pretty bad. It has a shorter range and lower damage than any Charger mentioned thus far, making it very odd in execution. It’s basically the Classic Squiffer if the Classic Squiffer was bad.
It has a good kit, but the weapon itself stinks. We advise avoiding it for now.
Goo Tuber
The Goo Tuber is an interesting weapon. It has a rather short range, coming in around the same threat distance as the Classic Squiffer. It also has great damage, letting it splat enemies in a single well-aimed shot. Where it shines is in its ability to hold its charge, as it can hold it for longer than any other Charger. This lets it operate at a number of ranges, and it excels at being a bit of a hit-and-run nightmare.
This is then supported by a great kit, with Torpedo and Tenta Missiles giving it a nice amount of fire-and-forget ranged potential. Unfortunately, it does suffer from poor coverage. All in all, we would rank this rather highly amongst a mostly excellent lineup of weapons.
That’s all for Chargers in Splatoon 3. Check out our other weapons guides for more tips and tricks. Happy splatting!
