Splatoon 3 ability tier list (March 2024)

Splatoon 3 clothing magazines

Splatoon 3 clothing magazines
March 21, 2024 - Pick only the best loadouts with our complete Splatoon 3 ability tier list.

In need of a Splatoon 3 ability tier list? It's probably the best way to keep up with the emerging meta and climb the competitive ladder. Which are the freshest and which should be thrown back into the sea? Here's our tier list of each Ability in Splatoon 3 to get you ready for when the game releases.

Each piece of gear in Splatoon 3 - clothing, accessories, and shoes - has slots for Abilities. They come with a main ability and up to three slots for you to add any other Ability chunks you have at your disposal. These will add some welcomed boosts to your inkage, and can help your team or hinder your enemies, too.

Don't forget, there's a pre-release Splatfest for Splatoon 3 so we can test the new game and its weapons. There's also a mini-game coming too: Tableturf Battle, and a return of the formidable Salmon Run. For a rundown of what to expect, check out our Splatoon 3 preview!

Inkling with a weapon from Splatoon 3
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Splatoon 3 ability tier list

Without further ado, here is our ability tier list. Of course, depending on how you play, your ideas for which Abilities are the best may differ greatly from ours!

Splatoon 3 ability tier list

S

Quick Super Jump
Stealth Jump

A

Intensify Action
Swim Speed Up
Comeback
Fieffer
Special Saver
Special Charge Up

B

Drop Roller
Ninja Squid
Opening Gambit
Quick Respawn
Ink Resistance
Ink Saver (Main)
Bomb Defense
Special Power Up
Run Speed Up
Respawn Punisher

C

Haunt
Object Shredder
Ink Recovery
Power Up
Ink Saver (Sub)

D

Tenacity
Thermal Ink
Ability Doubler

With the latest updates of the game, these are now our top favourites:

  • Stealth Jump - Hides your Super Jump landing point from distant players.
  • Quick Super Jump - Increases Super Jump speed. Shortens the time it takes to charge and finish a Super Jump. Reduces the time you're in the air when jumping.
Splatoon 3 Abilities
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What are Splatoon 3 abilities?

Abilities have been in all three Splatoon games and can be pivotal to some players' success. As the name suggests, they add new powers or buffs to how you play, depending on which Abilities you equip. Each item of clothing, pair of shoes, or headgear has an Ability linked to it, and then slots for you to add more.

The brand of clothing and accessories can dictate which Abilities each item will have. Sometimes you'll have to decide between looking cool or getting a better ability. The SplatNet 2 app had a cool extra store, where clothing items with different abilities than normal would show up. Hopefully, this returns, as we still need a Black Inky Rider jacket with a Swim Speed ability!

Different Abilities can benefit different game modes, too. For instance, Opening Gambit and Last-Ditch Effort can help you out of a pinch in ranked modes with boosted movement speeds.

Murch in Splatoon 3
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What are ability chunks?

Ability Chunks are gained from Salmon Run rewards. Also, they can be 'washed out' of clothing if you talk to Murch in the square, and ask him to scrub your items. You can take a gamble and ask to reroll your chunks too, and see what you get. Note that you cannot change the main Ability of the gear.

Murch is the person who can equip your gear with chunks of your choice, and add more slots to lower-level gear. He is also where you can pick up any gear you order through the SplatNet app, or from other Inklings that are in the Splatsville plaza.

That's it for our look at Abilities in Splatoon 3! For even more on shooters - albeit a fairly different one - check out our Apex Legends tier list and best guns guide. Those contain plenty of tips in the Titanfall-inspired battle royale.