Splatoon Raiders puts a big twist on the usual turf war formula and changes some of the series’ most fundamental aspects. Sub-weapons aren’t tied to primary weapons anymore, and you can mix and match different types together and with your main weapon, regardless of what it is. You’ve got a little robot buddy to help out in tough fights, and picking the right weapon for the job is more important than ever.
Our Splatoon Raiders beginner guide includes 10 tips and tricks to help get you used to the changes so you can start raking in the treasure.
Use your gadgets all the time
Early in the game, you’ll unlock special tanks that let you use gadgets, Splatoon Raiders‘ version of sub-weapons. Whichever one you pick, you should use it as soon as a skirmish begins and then again every time its cooldown ends until the battle ends. Gadgets let you control the battlefield more effectively, marking enemies, distracting them, taking out weaker ones, and letting you escape to a more advantageous position while still dealing damage. It’s a slightly less important strategy if you’re playing with friends, who can cover for you instead, but good gadget use is essential in solo mode.
Coat the ground with your ink for better movement
You might not be in a turf war, but splattering your ink all over the place is still a solid idea. Swimming in ink is faster than walking, and in hectic fights against the Salmonid hordes in later stages, it’s the difference between surviving and getting splatted.
Additionally, avoid or cover the Salmonid ink. It slows you down and gradually reduces your health, so spray your color over it to keep yourself healthy.
Call the Bot for help
You’re never totally alone playing solo, though. Shiver, Frye, or Big Man will tag along in the team’s treasure bot, and it has an ink launcher of its own. The bot acts independently for the most part and does a fairly decent job picking off enemies. However, if you need help fast or want to disrupt a small group of enemies, press X to summon the bot. It’ll crash down and deal some damage to nearby enemies and then start attacking. It’s a quick and easy way to get their attention off you, though the bot does get overwhelmed after taking a set amount of damage and goes out of commission for a few seconds.
And use it as a launchpad
Raiders encourages you to use the bot’s launchpad ability to reach high platforms, but you can use it in battle, too. Getting above the kerfuffle makes it easy to target specific enemies or reposition safely, and the slow float back down to earth gives you plenty of time to ink up Salmonids while they can’t reach you.
Adapt to your weapon’s playstyle
Like in mainline Splatoon, weapons in Splatoon Raiders lend themselves to distinct play styles. Shooters and Dualies, for example, work best at close- to mid-range thanks to their fast rate-of-fire. Sloshers and Chargers are much slower, though, and work better at a distance or with a more evasive play style. Don’t charge into the middle of a group of enemies with those and expect a positive outcome. Instead, position yourself and pick a gadget that works with your primary weapon’s function.
Try new things!
There’s no penalty for swapping weapons or changing tanks, though you might need to grind a bit to get more mods if you don’t want to change those out too. So try out everything, and see what you like best!
Don’t worry about missing stuff
You won’t miss any of the excellent gear in a level, either. Even if you’re unable to grab a weapon or don’t have time to explore off the beaten path, the game automatically adds it to your loot haul.
And don’t fret about spending skill points on your gadget tanks
You can spend skill points on tank upgrades such as adding more mod slots. If you see yourself changing tank types a lot, it’s fine to spend those points on whatever tank you’re currently using. The upgrades will apply to all your gadget tanks without requiring you to spend another skill point.
Check your gear and loot after each run
You get a lot of new stuff after a raid, including weapons and upgrade mods for your tanks. Don’t forget to cast your eye over all the new stuff and see how it might improve your build. 10% further reach or more damage might not sound like much, but when you’re staring down the bulbous eyes of 30 raging Salmonids, every bit helps.
If you can’t decide on mods, let the game do it for you
Tank mods trickle in during Splatoon Raiders‘ early stages, but you’ll eventually have quite a large number to choose from. If deciding between range and power or incremental percentage increases seems like too much for you, Raiders gives you an option to let the game pick mods for you, and it’s optimized well. There’s no harm in sparing yourself a bit of extra decision-making and just letting the system do the work.
