Splatoon 3 Roller Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

I’d bet that, if you’re new to Splatoon, the Roller weapons were some of the first that caught your eye in Splatoon 3, right? It’s easy to see why, there’s a very obvious appeal to running all over an arena, making a mess with an oversized paint roller. But while it may look cool, this weapon can be deceptively tricky to properly master. Here’s a guide to using Rollers in Splatoon 3.

Splatoon 3 Roller Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

Every Roller weapon has two firing modes: the flick and the roll. Holding down ZR on the ground will put the Roller out in front of you and ink turf as you run forward. If you tap ZR, you’ll swing the Roller and flick out a big splotch of ink. Additionally, you can jump and flick to swing the Roller vertically instead of horizontally, which launches a narrower, longer splotch of ink.

There are four primary types of Roller to choose from:

• Splat Roller: Base Roller, no particular gimmicks.
• Carbon Roller: Weaker attack and smaller flick, but rolls much faster.
• Dynamo Roller: Slower windup for roll and flick, but deals more damage and scatters more ink.
• Flingza Roller: Slower, less efficient rolling, but stronger, wider flicks.

When you first get your hands on a Roller, you’ll probably be tempted to rush right in and try to crush someone with it. Despite its prodigious size, though, a Roller isn’t actually that well suited to offense. It’s slow, has a short range, and while you can run opponents over, that only works if their health is already low.

Related: All Splatoon 3 Weapon Types Explained

Rather, a Roller really shines as a support weapon. Your job as a Roller user is to create simple, straight pathways of ink for your teammates to swim through and get into the heat of the action faster. It’s also a deceptively low-profile weapon given its lack of splatter, so you can quickly and quietly slip into enemy territory and continue inking turf. This also makes it great for stealthy folks; if you can ambush an opponent from behind or around a corner, they won’t be able to get into firing range before getting crushed or rolled over.

Out of all the Roller types, the regular Splat Roller is the most well-regarded thanks to its balanced stats and kit. Curling Bombs can expand your line creation efforts while also providing a quick getaway, and the Big Bubbler can provide emergency defense on the front lines, where you’ll often find yourself.

If you want to coordinate your gear for a Roller build, keep an eye out for the following abilities:

• Ink Saver (Main): Rollers are thirsty weapons, so you’ll want to maximize the amount of time you can roll before refilling.
• Ink Recovery Up: By the same token as Ink Saver, you want the least downtime possible between rolls. More ink now means more time rolling later.
• Ink Resistance Up: You’ll be in the enemy territory a lot with a Roller, so a few extra hits can give you the wiggle room you need to make a getaway when things get hairy.
• Quick Respawn: Assuming you’re sticking to support rather than offense, this ability’s respawn timer reduction will help you get back to work sooner rather than later.
• Comeback: Since you’re probably going to get splatted often anyway, you might as well get a buff after coming back.

The Roller can be a tricky weapon to master in Splatoon 3, but if you can figure it out, you can become an invaluable resource for your team in just about any game mode.