Splatoon 3 Slosher Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

In every recorded instance of a water fight in human history, there has always, unfailingly, been that one kid who brought a bucket with him. Maybe he lost his water gun, maybe he couldn’t afford one, it doesn’t matter. He brought a bucket to a gunfight, and by gum, it worked. This inexplicable fighting style lives on in the world of Splatoon 3. Here’s a guide to using Sloshers in Splatoon 3.

Splatoon 3 Slosher Guide: Tips, Build, and Perks

Sloshers are… well, exactly what they look like. Big ol’ buckets full of ink. Crude, but effective. Every pull of the trigger swings the bucket, launching a small wave of ink in the direction you’re facing. The gimmick of Sloshers isn’t in their base capabilities, but rather in the type of Slosher you’re using, which are surprisingly diverse.

Sloshers come in five standard variants:

• Slosher: Baseline Slosher, no particular gimmicks.
• Tri-Slosher: Launches ink in a T-shaped spread. Higher rate of fire, but less damage and shorter range.
• Sloshing Machine: Launches a swirling ink shot in an arc. The swirling trail has splash damage, while the center of the shot is stronger.
• Bloblobber: Launches lines of bubbles that trail ink as they bounce. The bubbles can also bounce off of hard surfaces.
• Explosher: Launches a slow ink projectile in an arc that explodes on contact with hard surfaces. Can pierce through multiple opponents while it’s flying.

The standard Slosher philosophy is “all ink or no ink.” Hurling a wave of ink at someone obviously deals a lot of damage, making them good offensive weapons, and the amount of ink that flies out is also great for covering turf. There are few things as satisfying as dumping a Slosher’s contents on an unsuspecting rube from on high.

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

However, much like the proverbial kid with a bucket in a water gun fight, Sloshers are a bit unsustainable. A Slosher can burn through an entire ink tank in just a few shots, necessitating frequent refills. The kind of Slosher you’re using also has a big effect on your placement in combat; regular and Tri-Sloshers need to get up close to use, while the Bloblobber and Explosher can be used safely from further away.

Buckets of Fun

Out of all of the Slosher variants, the most highly regarded are the Sloshing Machine and the regular Slosher. The Sloshing Machine, thanks to its trailing vortex, is an absolute monster in the damage department, while the regular Slosher can completely coat a large swath of turf in remarkably little time. In both cases, the relative simplicity of Slosher mechanics also makes them great weapons for beginners.

If you’re coordinating gear for a Slosher build, try these abilities:

• Run Speed Up: One of the major weaknesses of Sloshers is that you have pretty low mobility while you’re firing. You need to increase your ability to move in other ways to balance that weakness out.
• Swim Speed Up: Same as above, more movement in one sector balances out the weakness of your reduced mobility when firing.
• Ink-Saver (Main): All Slosher types are absolutely ravenous for ink. You’ll be refilling your tank pretty frequently while using one, but at least with this ability, you’ll be refilling slightly less.
• Last-Ditch Effort: The last 30 seconds of a match can really make or break things. When that time comes, you want your Slosher to be at its maximum potential.
• Special Charge Up: All Slosher types have great specials for inking large swaths of turf, so you want to be able to use them as much as possible. Plus, using specials refills your tank, which is a nice side bonus.

It may be a bit uncouth to bring a big ol’ bucket to a water gun fight, but there’s a reason that little tidbit of history keeps repeating itself: because it works.