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The best Abilities in Splatoon 3 – All Abilities and perks, ranked

Separate the best from the rest.

Abilities in Splatoon 3 are perks that enhance your gear and your weapons. These abilities can differentiate between a loss or a victory if used properly. Abilities range from damage resistance to new movement techniques that can save you from getting inked. This guide will explain the best abilities and rank them from worst to best in Splatoon 3.

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D-Tier Splatoon 3 Abilities

All of the skills in Splatoon 3 can be effective if you use them properly, but some of them require much more work than others. These D-tier abilities will require patience and finesse to operate correctly in battle.

Screenshot by Gamepur
  • Ability Doubler – Doubles the effect of other gear abilities attached to this gear.
  • Drop Roller – Tilting the Left Stick during a Super Jump lets you perform a roll in that direction when landing.
  • Haunt – Once you’ve respawned, reveals the position of the players who splatted you.
  • Object Shredder – Increases damage dealt to all nonplayer targets.
  • Respawn Punisher – Increases respawn time and special-gauge spawn penalty for you and any player you splat.
  • Thermal Ink – Allows you to track distant players hit with shots from your main weapon.

C-Tier Splatoon 3 Abilities

These abilities can prove effective based on very particular playstyles. These abilities can work, but they aren’t effective as general use abilities compared to the higher-ranked ones on this list.

Screenshot by Gamepur
  • Comeback – Boosts some of your abilities for a short time after respawning.
  • Quick Super Jump – Increases Super Jump speed.
  • Special Charge Up – Increases special-gauge fill rate.
  • Special Power Up – Upgrades your special weapon.
  • Special Saver – Reduces special-gauge decrease after getting splatted.
  • Stealth Jump – Hides your Super Jump landing point from distant players.
  • Tenacity – Fills special gauge automatically if your team has fewer active players than the enemy.

B-Tier Splatoon 3 Abilities

These abilities reinforce different playstyles, from up-close heavy brushing to long-distance sniping. These are abilities you should use to augment your build.

Screenshot by Gamepur
  • Intensify Action – Makes Squid Rolls and Squid Surges easier to do and steadies your aim when firing after jumping.
  • Last-Ditch Effort – Boosts ink-recovery rate and weapon-ink efficiency for the last 30 seconds of battle.
  • Ninja Squid – Leaves no trace when swimming in inked ground but slightly reduces swim speed.
  • Opening Gambit – Boosts your speed while moving for the first 30 second of battle.
  • Quick Respawn – Reduces respawn time after getting splatted repeatedly without splatting any opponents.
  • Run Speed Up – Increases movement speed in Inkling or Octoling form.

A-Tier Splatoon 3 Abilities

The abilities in this section are versatile skills and perks complimenting the vast majority of weapons and combat style Splatoon 3 has to offer. Every build should feature one of these solid, all-around abilities.

Screenshot by Gamepur
  • Ink Saver (Sub) Decreases the amount of ink consumed by your sub weapon.
  • Sub Power Up – Upgrades your sub weapon.
  • Sub Resistance Up – Reduces effects and damage form sub weapons.
  • Swim Speed Up – Increases movement speed in swim form.

S-Tier Splatoon 3 Abilities

These are the cream of the crop. These abilities and perks will always be active and offer natural resistance to the only thing enemy players can defeat you with, the ink itself. These abilities will also empower your primary weapon, which will be in regular use regardless of what build or weapon you prefer to wield. These are essential perks that every piece of gear and weapon should feature.

Screenshot by Gamepur
  • Ink Recovery Up – Increases ink-tank refill rate.
  • Ink Resistance Up – Reduces damage taken and improves mobility when walking through enemy ink.
  • Ink Saver (Main) – Decreases the amount of ink consumed by your main weapon.

You can access a list of these abilities in Splatoon 3 via the in-game menu. Scroll to the Status tab, then head down to the Abilities section for an in-game list of every ability you can access. Select your favorite skills and maximize their potential to dominate the Turf Wars in Splatoon 3.


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Author
Image of David Rodriguez
David Rodriguez
David Rodriguez is a freelance writer at Gamepur and has been gaming for 30 years. His work has also appeared at NTF Gaming, Opencritic, and Metacritic. Outside of his love for games, you can catch him extolling the virtues of classic action cinema and the elegant class of early 2000s Nu-Metal.