Splatoon 3 Shooter Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

You’re minding your own business in your suburban home when suddenly, you feel the call. The call to glory. The call to madness. The call… of a water gun fight. Every kid in the neighborhood runs to the garage to grab their personal water guns because war is about to break out. This ancient custom lives on in the Inklings’ Turf Wars, albeit with ink instead of water. Here’s a guide to using Shooters in Splatoon 3.

Splatoon 3 Shooter Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

Shooters are the baseline weapon type of Splatoon, offering simple mechanics that any player, new and old, can use effectively. Most Shooters function the same way: just hold down the trigger to fire off a stream of ink shots in a straight line, which flies down at the end of their trajectory. Some Shooters are semi-automatic, requiring repeated trigger presses, but the general idea is the same. Just point and shoot.

Shooters are the largest category of Main Weapon in Splatoon 3, with 13 different primary variants to choose from.

• Splattershot: The baseline Shooter. No particular gimmicks. The Hero Shot Replica obtained from beating Hero Mode has identical stats to the Splattershot.
• Splattershot Jr.: The starting Shooter every player receives. Low damage and range, but high rate of fire and good ink efficiency.
• Splattershot Pro: Similar damage to Splattershot, but higher range, slower rate of fire, and greater ink consumption.
• N-ZAP: Same damage as Splattershot Jr., but longer range and higher rate of fire.
• Aerospray: Low damage and range, but highest fire rate and wide shot spread.
• Sploosh-o-Matic: Short range, but good damage and high rate of fire.
• Splash-o-Matic: Low range and damage, but high rate of fire and accuracy.
• .52 Gal: High damage and middling range, but low rate of fire and accuracy.
• .96 Gal: High damage and range, low rate of fire, accuracy, and ink efficiency.
• Jet Squelcher: Low damage and slow rate of fire, but longest range.
• L-3 Nozzlenose: Semi-automatic weapon that launches three shots in a burst. Low damage, middling range.
• H-3 Nozzlenose: Same firing pattern as L-3, but with higher damage and range.
• Squeezer: Variable weapon. Tapping the trigger fires off individual long-range, high-power shots. Holding the trigger fires a stream of low-range, low-power shots with a larger spread.

Shooters are all-rounder weapons for just about any occasion, making them perfect for front-line combatants. Their point-and-shoot design makes them adaptable to any game mode, which is why any good team has at least one Shooter main. Whether you’re new to the game and want something simple to use or a veteran who isn’t a fan of weird gimmicks, Shooters have you covered.

Related: Splatoon 3 Splatana Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

Of course, as the saying goes, being a jack-of-all-trades means you’re a master of none. While Shooters can form the backbone of an offensive, other weapons are necessary to support them. A whole team of Shooters may have difficulty countering a team with a variety of weapons due to differences in range and strength.

Wetter is Better

Because of the sheer breadth of Shooters available, it’s a bit tricky to nail down an objective “best” one. That said, amongst the Splatoon community, the three generally agreed to be the best are the base Splattershot, the N-ZAP, and the .52 Gal. The base Splattershot is the perfect all-rounder, great for both inking turf and shootouts. The N-ZAP is better suited to inking turf thanks to its high rate of fire and manageable spread. The .52 Gal is an absolute monster in combat, splatting foes in just a couple of shots.

If you’re coordinating gear for a Shooter build, consider these abilities:

• Quick Super Jump: As a front-line combatant, you’ll probably get splatted pretty often. Nothing wrong with that, but you do want to get back into the action as quick as you can.
• Stealth Jump: Of course, when Super Jumping, there’s always a risk of getting camped by someone who saw your signal. Keep your signal hidden to cut down on this.
• Comeback: Hey, if you’re going to get splatted repeatedly anyway, you might as well get some buffs on the return trip.
• Ink Resistance Up: Any extra damage you can take before getting splatted is a worthwhile investment, no matter what game mode you’re playing.
• Swim Speed Up: Most Shooters are generally pretty good at inking turf, which gives you more space to swim around. Use this ability to maximize that benefit.

There’s a Shooter for every playstyle and every possible situation, so find the one that works best for you! And you don’t even have to pump it between shots. Your move, Super Soaker.