Unofficial!

This article discusses content that is not part of the officialSplatoon series but is part of the community or competitive gaming space.

This page is a collection of terms coined or used by the community. While some are most popular inside the community only, others are used in other gaming communities, or originated inSplatoon but were made popular throughout the internet asmemes.

Gameplay

Buff and nerf

Buff andnerf, used in competitive speech, refer to any attribute that became stronger or weaker, respectively, when compared to a previous version of the same attribute. For instance, theTenta Missiles were improved to deploy all ten missiles onto single targets or five missiles on each of two targets in version3.2.0 ofSplatoon 2, meaning it wasbuffed. Conversely, theRapid Blaster's radius of damage by exploding shots wasnerfed in version 3.2.0 ofSplatoon 2 since it was made harder to hit opponents with it, thus weakening it.

Loadout (Kit)

Aloadout (also referred to as akit) is a combination of aweapon set andabilities, the latter of which includes all three mains and nine subs. It is possible to form optimal loadouts based on the weapon used, the role on a team, thestage, or the type ofranked mode.

Main and sub

Amain is a largeability slot. Asub is a small ability slot.Judd calls the big slot "main ability", but calls small slots "unlockable abilities" and "additional abilities", so there is no official way to refer to them. Players may also call big slots "primaries" and small slots "secondaries" so that there is no confusion withmain weapons,sub weapons,Ink Saver (Main), andInk Saver (Sub). InSplatoon 2, thePrivate Battle options refer to the small slots as "Secondary Abilities".

Pure

Pure is the term used when a piece of gear's abilities are all the same (e.g. three sub-slots and one main-slot of Ink Saver (Main)). The piece of gear must have three slots for this to happen, which can be obtained by having Murch use Super Sea Snails (if the gear does not have three ability slots from the start).

Having pure gear is often desired in casual play, as it allows for greater flexibility when choosing abilities for a particular weapon or match. For example, a player who uses aCarbon Roller may use a piece of headgear with pureSpecial Charge Up, a piece of clothing withNinja Squid andSwim Speed Up and a pair of shoes with pureMain Power Up. The player may then decide to switch to theKensa Splattershot Pro, and could then replace the clothes with a piece with pureInk Saver Main without losing the Special Charge Up or the Main Power Up. However, obtaining pure gear can take a lot of time, as pure gear occurring naturally is rather rare, and the amount ofability chunks needed increases with each existing secondary ability of the same type on the same piece of gear, leading some players to instead distribute the abilities evenly across all three pieces of gear. In addition, competitive players' gear builds typically do not use pure gear, due to diminishing returns for using too much of the same ability and some abilities working best in small amounts, such asBomb Defense Up DX orQuick Super Jump.

To obtain pure gear, it is recommended either to equip gear that has the desired ability as the favored ability or to use a drink ticket for said ability. However, if one wishes to have pure gear with the same main ability as the secondary gear abilities, they cannot use the brand that has the desired ability as the favored ability, as none of the brands have gear as such (for example, the brand Skalop, who favors Quick Respawn, has no gear that has Quick Respawn as its main).

Value sub

Value subs are abilities that are strong when small amounts of them are run - typically one sub, though some can be run with two subs. Bomb Defense Up DX is an example of a value sub, as one sub of Bomb Defense Up DX will grant its user increased survivability against explosives and special weapons, in addition to certain weapons that can combo with bombs. Quick Super Jump is another, as one sub will reduce the Super Jump time from 80 frames to 58, while adding an additional sub only further reduces Super Jump time by an additional 8 frames, to 50 frames.

Mirror match

Amirror match is a name used to describe a match during aSplatfest where one's team goes against its side. This happens when the matchmaking system cannot find a ready team on the other side and instead matches the team with its own. These types of matches, however, do not reward the player with anyclout and do not count towards the final score of the Splatfest. An example would be a Ketchup team going against another Ketchup team, rather than a Mayo team. These are especially common if the chosen team is more popular than the other, with the more popular team getting many mirror matches if it's very popular and the less popular team rarely receiving any, if at all, as there are not enough opponents to feed the more popular team otherwise.

Sparks

Sparks orsparking is the term used to describe a blaster shot that hits a solidsurface and explodes early. This typically does very low damage in comparison to a direct or indirect hit.

Spread and Turret modes

Spread mode a.k.a.turfing mode orpainting mode refers to the standard dual-reticle firing mode ofdualie weapons when the user is firing while standing or strafing.Turret mode refers to the crouched state that dualie weapons enter after performing a dodge roll, with the two reticles displayed on-screen merging into one.^[1]

Vanilla

The weapon termVanilla is a name for a weapon's default variant (e.g. VanillaSplattershot Pro). This is to separate them from their other variant(s), and sometimes it may be abbreviated to just the letter "V" (e.g.V-Splattershot Pro). It is also a term forstages that are more understood or balanced in the game toward the community ( e.g.Inkblot Art Academy).

White ink frames (Ink recovery lag)

White ink frames (also known asink recovery lag) is the term used to describe the state in which the player is unable to recover ink. This is most commonly seen when throwing a sub weapon. While every main weapon has white ink frames, it is typically short and ends by the time the ink tank appears on screen after entering swim form (although it still prevents the slower ink recovery that happens while not submerged in ink). Some sub weapons, such asSquid Beakon, still show the white ink frames visual despite not having any. The name most likely comes from the appearance of the player's ink tank, where the consumed ink turns white and depletes.

Social

Ban

Aban is a disciplinary action that may be taken byNintendo that prevents a player from participating online for any period ranging from 24 hours^[2] to permanent ("indefinite" in North America).^[3]

Griefing

Griefing is a blanket term for an activity engaged by players who negatively or do not impact the game, usually at the expense of another player's progress or enjoyment. This includes, for example, staying at the spawn point for the entire match, not actively participating, following another player around, "squidbagging", or spammingsignals. Players that are doing this can sometimes encourage other players to do the same, which could eventually lead to the entire room missing out on a fight altogether and start aSquid Party.

Doing so inRanked Battles can be extremely harmful to other players who wish to play normally, as it gives the opposing team an unfair number advantage and may damage the teammates' ranks. As such, many players in the community generally react in outrage and/or disappointment to such actions.

Netcode

Netcode is a blanket term used to refer to the internal networking (online communications) systems in video games.Splatoon games use a combination ofpeer-to-peer andclient-server networking systems formultiplayer gameplay;^[4] due to latency issues that may occur with the games' peer-to-peer system, often referred to as "desync", players often blame the netcode forcommunication errors.

Peak

Apeak refers to a player's highest-everrank inRanked Battles. The term is used mostly in theX rank community to ask what a player's highest-ever power was. For example, if a player asks, "What is your X Peak?", they are asking for the highestX Power the player has ever managed, regardless of game mode.

Salt

Salty redirects here. For theSplatfest, seeSalty vs. Sweet.

A player who hassalt or is beingsalty is considered to be exhibiting bad sportsmanship, usually about a perceived unfairness about something like lag or situations where another player had an advantage in combat. Salt can take the form of anger, whining, or calm but unjustified complaining. This term can be found in several other communities as well.

Throwing

Throwing is a form of griefing, salt or feeding in which a teammate stops playing in a match due to frustration. Common examples are deliberately falling out-of-bounds repeatedly or staying in their team's spawn-barrier while doing nothing, certain taunts, or even squidbagging, giving the enemy an advantage by accident, or disconnecting completely.

Smurf

ASmurf is a player with a high Rank and/or skill who plays online with a newly created, alternate user account to experience the game on a clean slate, Rank up again more easily, or Enter entry level tournaments. A new Nintendo Network ID user forSplatoon or a Nintendo Switch Online membership forSplatoon 2 andSplatoon 3 is required to do this.

Sploon

Sploon is referred to playingSplatoon, or to the game itself, a short name that is sometimes used by the community. It was originally used by PeanutButterGamer in hisSplatoon review video. Quote:"Hey Jeff, wanna Sploon?" A variant of this term is "Spoon", not referring to the utensil, but rather having the same meaning as the term above.

Squid party

The termsquid party was first used by the player known as "DogPooMan", who invited everybody via a Miiverse post with a peace sign on and a caption "Squid Party, Don't Kill". This is when most or all players in a room decide to party usingtaunts instead of fighting against each other. One may also occur at the end of a successfulSalmon Run shift. This usually happens as a chain reaction started by one pacifist player (or a player that intended ongriefing). Players in a party generally interact peacefully with their opponents, use a lot of taunts, perform flashy moves, showcase tricky jumps, shots, and glitches, and/or perform actions that players normally would not, such as staying in squid form on dry land. The Octoling variant of this is called an "Octo Party", and in the case of combined characters, a "Cephaloparty". Other examples of a "squid party" include but are not limited to throwingbombs into water or other similar areas, super jumping to nearby team members repeatedly, throwing bombs straight up in the air orSquid Rolling back and forth repeatedly. Squid Parties can also occur for the winning team if the tower inTower Control is near the goal, or if the player with theRainmaker is near the enemy pedestal. InSplatoon 3, if a player disconnects within 1 minute of the game starting, the game will end shortly as a draw. Since all players are aware that the game will end without consequence, short-lived squid parties may break out during this period as well.

Taunt

For signals given to other players using the Control Pad, seeSignal.

Taunting is a type of action meant to convey victory or to anger opponents, and usually does not affect gameplay in any way. Players have used game mechanics in ways not originally intended to create various taunts:

• Bowing: an uncommon taunt that involves players lowering their heads using or tilting the controller down with motion controls. This action is used either respectfully or sarcastically, depending on whether it is used on a teammate or an opponent. A more demonstrable way of bowing is by holding, which will put the player's hand up at the same time (as if they were about to throw a bomb) and then bowing. After a player is splatted, another player who wishes to bow will place aSquid Beakon on the place where the player died, as if it were a grave, and then bow their head downward. This can serve to mock an enemy's death or to communicate a message of encouragement, companionship, or vengeance to a friendly player. The taunt can be taken even further if the taunter super-jumps at the Squid Beakon they just placed.
• Headbanging: a somewhat uncommon taunt, and can be an alternative to the bowing taunt. The player who wishes to headbang must hold if they're equipped with a throwing bomb (such as the Autobomb or Splat Bomb) and look up and down rapidly. This is often used either in a friendly manner, often in a squid party, or as a way of mocking the opponent's death.
• Squidbagging/Octobagging: rapidly changing between either squid/octopus and kid forms with, deriving from the popular first-person shooter community term "teabagging". This action is usually performed by a player after they have splatted an opponent, sometimes over the splatted player's spot of death. Because splatted players must briefly watch their killer's actions while waiting torespawn (unless looking at the map), this taunt is typically used to signal victory and mock the defeatedInkling orOctoling. Squidbagging and Octobagging are also common in squid parties. Players may also choose to jump and move around as they're squidbagging. Squidbagging can also potentially be used to dodge attacks, as the player's hitboxes change from being tall and narrow in kid form to short and wide in squid form.
• Twirling: twirling in place, sometimes with acharger and holding then looking to the air. It is an alternative to squidbagging and is also a carryover of "teabagging".
• Dabbing: A taunt exclusive toSplatoon 2 in which, after a player splats another player, the player can throw aCurling Bomb and then attempt to hold another with insufficient ink and look down directly after to dab on the victim. Dabbing is typically used as a way of mocking the victim. Note that the weapon the taunter is using needs to have the Curling Bomb as its sub, otherwise the taunt cannot be properly performed.
• Hiking: A victory emote or taunt that can be used in both games. It is based on theFortnite dance called the Hike. To perform this, use a weapon with a throwing bomb (like Autobombs, Splat Bombs, or Burst Bombs) and mash and at the same time. This can only be used while refilling ink.

Competitive

For the terms used as callouts in competitive teams, seeCallouts.

Area denial

Area denial is a strategy used to prevent an opponent from either occupying or traveling through a specific area of the stage, such as the Tower. Spamming bombs is one example of a tactic used for area denial.

Area of effect

Area of effect, orAoE, refers to the space in which a weapon can inflict damage onto multiple targets. Bombs,Ink Mines,Blasters, someSloshers, and someStringers can inflict AoE damage.

Ban

In competitive play, aban refers to players who are not allowed to play in a specific tournament for breaching the rules. This happens in both fan and official tournaments. It also refers to weapons and abilities that are not allowed to be used in a specific tournament due to its format (e.g., a fan tournament called "F***Shooters", which banned allshooter-class weapons, except blasters and semi-automatics, from being used in matches.).

Base invading

Base invading is the act of moving into the enemy base. Base invading can be done for a variety of powerful purposes, from spawn-camping (see below), to distracting the enemy from firing at important players (e.g. the Tower rider, the Rainmaker holder, or any Power Clam holders). Typically, the more players that are base invading, the more powerful the tactic will be.

Bubble canceling

Bubble canceling is performed while usingBubble Blower by morphing into squid or octopus form (by pressing) during the bubble blowing animation. This will cancel its end lag, allowing the player to both reduce vulnerability time and launch bubbles more quickly.^[6][7]

Bunny/Squid hopping

Bunny/squid hopping is the act of inking the ground and jumping away in squid form repeatedly at a fast pace, usually to escape areas with enemy ink around them.^[6]

Burst canceling

Burst canceling is a splatting technique that is used to quickly splat an opposing player with a combo of the main and sub weapons, mainly when using aBurst Bomb.

Camping

Camping is a term used in several communities and refers to when a player stays in the same place over a long time, as if they had made a camping site there. Players can do this for many reasons.Charger users may camp in one spot, as they are most effective attacking at long range and not so much when moving about. However, this is intended, and "camping" is normally used when referring to other scenarios: at times, players will stand next to an incomingSuper Jump marker orSquid Beakon, waiting to get a splat right as the opponent lands. Players can also stay in place near the opposing team'sspawn point to attack them right as they leave safety; this is known as "spawn-camping".

Ledge-camping

As its name suggests,ledge-camping is the act of camping beneath a ledge. The ledge acts as a natural cover for the camper, particularly from long-range weapons like chargers, forcing opponents who are on the ledge to be more precise with their shots. Due to specific properties of their attacks (e.g., trajectory, hitbox size, AoE), certain weapons (such as blasters, sloshers, some splatanas, even rollers) specifically benefit from ledge camping.

Sharking

Sharking is a form of camping inSplatoon involving hiding in a stranded puddle of one's ownink. Because of the mechanics ofSplatoon, hiding in ink makes camping more effective. In contrast to just hiding in a largely inked area, sharking is less obvious and can be effective when one is severely damaged or in a tight situation with no form of getaway. This tactic can be used for a variety of purposes, from ambushing theRainmaker carrier to intercepting a would-be defender.

Cap

Cap orcapping is short for "capture" or "capturing". It is used in several competitive games and refers to when a team is in the middle of capturing an objective. In the case ofSplatoon, this could be taking over aSplat Zone.

Carrying

Carrying, used in the context of "carrying the team", is what some players say when they feel like they were the best players of their team and if it was not for their efforts, the team would have gotten a much lower score or lost. This is an analogy to carrying the other members of the team on one's back while that person does all the work.

Cheese

Cheese refers to any tactic that requires little skill or coordination but has the potential for a great reward. One notorious example ofcheesing inSplatoon 3 is usingKraken Royale to safely travel underneath the opponents' basket inClam Blitz while teammates, all carrying Power Clams,Super Jump to their teammate in Kraken form for a quick score, orReefslider exploding directly on the zones inSplat Zones.

Composition

Acomposition orcomp consists of all four weapons used by a team, which can determine its strengths, weaknesses, and suitable play style. For example, a team composition of aTentatek Splattershot,N-ZAP '85,Tri-Slosher, andNautilus 79 can be considered an aggressive composition due to the presence of four relatively mobile, good-turfing weapons, twoInkjets, and a mobile anchor. Conversely, a comp consisting of anL-3 Nozzlenose D,Tenta Brella,Custom Explosher, andCustom Jet Squelcher is safer and more defensive due to four medium to long-ranged weapons, including two anchor weapons.

Damage per second

Damage per second, orDPS, is a measurement commonly used in various video games, such as theSplatoon series, to determine how quickly certain weapons can output damage and, more importantly, how quickly they can eliminate certain targets. Weapons with high DPS are generally favored byslayers.

Dualie hopping

Dualie hopping is a technique used with thedualie class of weapons, similar to jumping while firing with ashooter. Normally, when firing while strafing, pressing will execute a dodge roll. However, jumping while firing can be done by returning to the neutral position before pressing. This can also be performed by briefly releasing while inputting a jump.^[8]

Farming

In theSplatoon series,farming refers to the act ofturfing to quickly build up thespecial gauge to constantly have a certainspecial weapon ready. For example, inSplatoon 2, theSplattershot Jr. is considered the fastest weapon at farmingInk Armor, making it a popular pick for many team compositions.

Feeding

Feeding refers to getting splatted by an opponent without providing one's team something useful in return, such as stage control, a useful trade, or denial of the objective. Feeding the opponent splats leaves one's teammates at a numbers and special weapons disadvantage.

Flanking

Flanking an opponent means to attack in more than one direction, particularly at an angle to the opponent's direction of engagement. In bothSplatoon andSplatoon 2, flanking often involves at least one player attacking the opponent either from the side or from behind, either attacking a vital midline or backline player by surprise or drawing attention away from the front. Flanking is often combined with sharking (see above). Most weapons that are useful for flanking are weapons with high fire rate and then can go unnoticed. Some weapons in this category includeN-ZAP '85,Splatana Wiper, andInkbrush.

Flick-shots

Flick-shots are sudden, fast, calculated movements in which a player flicks their wrists or the right stick to suddenly aim in a different direction, firing during the movement, to splat a player. This type of shot is very prominent with charger players, who often flick their aim to hit shots without the laser being visible to the player. Most flick shots are small movements, but there are times when players do much larger rotations during a flick. Slosher, roller, and blaster players also use flick-shots.

Game sense

Game sense can be defined as the "ability to understand a sport or competitive video game at a strategic level", which can often be summed up to "situational awareness" or knowing the time, score, and situation.^[9] In theSplatoon series, this includes the time remaining (on the game clock and, inSplat Zones, both teams' zone timer), score (forAnarchy Battle), the turf each team controls, the number of currently active (versus "respawning" or "at spawn") players on each team, their positions, and any special weapons online.

Ink extension

Ink extension is when a player climbs an uninked wall, taking advantage of a mechanic that adds a small amount of ink to a body of ink when the player moves the slightest amount at the edge of the ink.^[6]

Instapop

Instapop is a technique inSplatoon 2 that allows a user withBubble Blower to quickly pop their own bubbles upon deploying them. While the methods in which this action is performed are different among weapons, it typically involves throwing out a bomb, activating Bubble Blower, launching bubbles into the bomb, and then throwing another bomb to quickly pop the bubbles. This technique usually requires bothObject Shredder and enoughability points ofSpecial Power Up to work.^[6][7]

Jump tech

Jump tech, sometimes called jumptech, is a technique inSplatoon 2 andSplatoon 3 exclusive to theDualie Squelchers andCustom Dualie Squelchers. This takes advantage of how these weapons can slide or jump immediately after performing a dodge roll. This is done by doing a dodge roll, releasing, then immediately jumping afterwards. Doing so will preserve turret mode accuracy for a brief moment while jumping and can be performed until the user runs out of ink without any end lag.^[7]

K/D and KA

InSplatoon andSplatoon 3, the ratio of 'players splatted' and 'getting splatted' is often referred to as the "kill-death ratio", just like other shooting games, or "K/D" for short.

InSplatoon 2, the ratio is instead 'players splatted including assists' and 'specials used'. This is often referred to as "KA", which stands for "kills and assists", while specials remained unchanged without initials.

King throwing and king cycling

InSalmon Run Next Wave,king throwing is a strategy used by teams which involves intentionally losing five shifts as fast as possible to quickly fill up theSalmometer. This is used to encounterKing Salmonids faster than through normal gameplay. King throwing is usually done to speed up the process of acquiringfish scales or defeating King Salmonids forbadge progress.^[10]

King cycling is a variant of king throwing where players will lose a set amount of games (typically three or four) without necessarily filling up the meter, then proceeding to play as normal until a King Salmonid is encountered. This method is slower as the king fight is not guaranteed, but it prevents the players' ranks from decreasing as much and therefore lowering the hazard level, so there are better odds for silver and gold scales.

Ledge canceling

Ledge canceling is used to climb inkable vertical surfaces more quickly while reducing the time spent in the air upon jumping atop a ledge. To perform this, simply release just before reaching the ledge. The Inkling or Octoling will be able to mount the ledge and reduce the "hang time" of the jump up the ledge, allowing them to immediately swim forward or fire at an opponent.^[6]

Lockout

InSplat Zones, after a team has taken control of the Zones and usually gained a numbers advantage, it will begin alockout of the opposing team to prevent them from taking back the zones by cutting out all routes to them. The team that is locked out will have to execute an effective means to push their opponents back and reclaim the Zone before either the countdown timer or game clock runs out.

Mode abbreviations

Abbreviations for the gamemodes are used by tournaments and by the community for all the online modes that are currently in the games.

• TW:Turf War
• SZ:Splat Zones
• TC:Tower Control
• RM:Rainmaker
• CB:Clam Blitz
• PB:Private Battle
• SR:Salmon Run

One-word abbreviations are used too, being much more friendly for newer players to understand. Private Battles do not have this type of abbreviation.

• Turf: Turf War
• Zones: Splat Zones
• Tower: Tower Control
• Rainmaker: Rainmaker
• Clams: Clam Blitz
• Tricolor:Tricolor Turf War
• Salmon: Salmon Run
• League:League Battle

Objective line

According to Squid School, theobjective line is "the path [a team on offense] travels to gain progressively more control over the [stage] so [it] can push the objective" further towards the defenders' base. This applies mostly towards Tower Control (with the obvious Tower path), Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz, but can also apply to Splat Zones and even Turf War when based on the paths the defenders must take to reclaim turf and the zone(s).^[11]

Peeking

Peeking is the act of charging a charger behind cover before strafing, quickly aiming, and firing at a target. Hiding behind cover not only provides a measure of protection but also hides the laser sight, reducing the time opponents can react to it. Because allInklings andOctolings are right-handed, right-side peeking is generally more effective than left-side peeking. However, the ability for unscoped chargers to store a charge, and dualies holding a weapon in both hands, has made left side peeking more viable inSplatoon 2.^[12] InSplatoon 3,splatanas can hold a charge shot on their left side by charging a shot after using one tap shot. However, the origin point of the ink slash remains the same (the middle of the Inkling or Octoling who fired the shot).

Phases

Games in competitive play can be divided into three phases:

• Attacking phase: a team pushes forward into enemy territory, such as pushing either theTower or theRainmaker towards the goal. This phase is often referred to as "pushing".
• Neutral phase: neither team has started a push, yet both teams are still busy: players are turfing, collecting clams inClam Blitz, and even engaging in some one-on-one battles around the stage. This phase ends once a team has an advantage (e.g. more turf, specials charged, and more players alive) and can begin a push.
• Defensive phase: a team is trying to stop a push by the enemy.

Pity clam

The Power Clam that will spawn by the goal of the team that was scored against after their barrier got broken has been dubbed thePity Clam by officialSplatoon 2 competitive commentators. Competitive teams will usually keep the Pity Clam untouched until aSuper Jump opportunity to toss it into the enemy's goal presents itself. The Pity Clam can also be used to forceOvertime in matches where the team is losing and does not have a Power Clam on the field aside from it.

Placements

Placements is a term used for the calculation period that determines the player's power level going intoRank X in one of the rankedmodes. Placements are so-called because the power level and estimated position indicate the player's initial X Ranking.

RNG

Standing forrandom number generation,RNG is an informal term referring to the "[r]andomness, variability, or luck" of a video game's mechanics.^[13] In theSplatoon series series, RNG mostly refers to the chance a weapon's shot–typically that of ashooter,blaster,splatling, ordualie–deviates towards the outer reticle instead of the inner reticle. While the perfectly accurateSplash-o-matic is described as having no RNG, the low-accuracy.52 Gal and.96 Gal are both said to have high RNG, reducing their reliability in confirmingsplats.

Roles

Weapons inSplatoon specialize in different roles, of which the community uses the termsslayer,skirmisher,support, andanchor. These roles are all designed to accomplish certain tasks that help the team win the game. Players are also expected to shift roles depending on the situation, as they may need to fill in for teammates that have been splatted (such as a skirmisher filling in for an anchor if the rest of their team was splatted), or for teammates who are unable to perform their regular role in their current situation (such as a slayer and skirmisher swapping roles if the opponents begin to focus on the slayer).^[14][15]

Anchor

Theanchor is responsible for staying alive to prevent a team wipe and provide a consistent spot for the team toSuper Jump to. Anchor weapons are almost always long-ranged, as these weapons enable the user to take positions that are difficult for opponents to approach, providing safety to the anchor player and any jumps from their teammates. Anchor weapons are otherwise very flexible and can provide a wide variety of benefits to the team, including area denial, splats on unsuspecting opponents, consistent turfing, chip damage, special spam, and more.

Skirmisher

Skirmishers are meant to initiate fights with the enemy team, distracting them to provide the slayers with easier splats. Effective skirmishers are expected to stay alive while taking on the brunt of the enemy team long enough for the slayer to do their job, after which the skirmisher themselves getting splatted should be nearly inconsequential to the team.^[14]

There are three major types of skirmishers. Weapons that can effectively evade enemy fire while still being threatening are known asevade skirmishers. Weapons that make use of tools that can shield the user, such asSplash Wall, theTenta Brella's shield,Big Bubbler, orBaller are known astank skirmishers. Weapons that can abuse unique gimmicks to hit opponents from behind cover, such as blasters and sloshers, are known astrick skirmishers.

Skirmishers run abilities similar to that of slayers, but with a larger focus on Quick Respawn and Stealth Jump; due to the nature of these weapons, assists will be more common or the possibility of not getting any splats at all, which do not impact the activation of Quick Respawn.

Rat

Rat is an informal term used to describe a role or weapon that combines the attributes of an evade skirmisher with a slayer (see below). A rat generally has very high mobility to get behind opposing lines, evade opposing fire to extend confrontations, and flee from unfavorable situations, but also the high DPS to quickly splat opponents if given the opportunity, typically at the cost of range. A rat's weapon and weapon set usually allows them to rapidly disrupt their opponents' stage control and pushes.

Brushes, the Sploosh-o-matic, Dapple Dualies, and the Splatana Wiper are weapons most capable of filling the rat role.^[15]

Slayer

Slayers are charged primarily with winning fights by splatting opponents, allowing their team to push forward. They usually prefer to engage only with opponents that they can quickly splat without much resistance, primarily ones that are actively fighting their teammates. They usually accomplish this by taking off angles to isolate and surprise players and get quick splats without putting themselves in danger. While the slayer usually looks to do this during fights started by the skirmisher, they are also expected to help all teammates that get into fights, helping their team stay alive.^[14]

While a player's weapon of choice often depends on the mode and stage, certain weapons are more suited for slayers than others. Slayer weapons are expected to shift between fights quickly, win fights consistently, and splat multiple opponents quickly. Mobile, fast-firing weapons are well-suited for this role, as their speed lets them shift between fights quickly and take off angles well, and their fire rate allows them to more easily land shots on opponents and tear through multiple enemies fast. Short- to mid-rangedshooters anddualies usually fall into this category. Additionally, weapons with decent mobility, solid range, and large hitboxes also function well, as they can position further and safer than other options and use their large hitbox to consistently win fights, and often feature the ability to one-shot opponents. Weapons such as high-damageblasters and certainsloshers fall into this category. Additionally, weapons in these categories can also function as weak evade or trick skirmishers, allowing them to more easily shift into a skirmishing role when needed.

Slayers generally selectabilities that permit them to take risks when attacking opponents, such asComeback,Quick Respawn,Quick Super Jump, andStealth Jump.Swim Speed Up, a useful ability for almost any role or weapon, is beneficial for slayers to enable them to both pursue and evade opponents more quickly.Ninja Squid can be valuable for a slayer if one's weapon requires stealth, such as aroller; however, one should note the speed reduction and might pair it with Swim Speed Up.

Utility

Autility player is responsible for accelerating their team's pace by removing obstacles that would impede their skirmisher-slayer pair. For example, a utility player with a displacement special can force a well-placed opposingcharger out of position, enabling their own skirmisher-slayer pair to push without getting sniped. While many utility weapons are well-rounded and capable of temporarily filling other roles of a composition–specifically skirmisher, slayer, even anchor–when another player has been splatted, they typically are not proficient enough to fill a specific role permanently.^[14]

Support

Asupport player is expected to control space — whether by turfing or zoning, help their team take or maintain stage control, provide support fire, and use certain sub and special weapons that benefit the entire team. Support players are also expected to push the objective more than any other role, but only usually after stage control is established and enough opponents have been splatted to ensure a more successful push.^[16]

Flex

Aflex is capable of more than one position and role, sometimes changing between loadouts in between battles. A flex player is familiar with a wide variety of weapons that can play a wide variety of different roles.

Showering

Showering inSplatoon is staying in the middle of aSplash Wall, making the player nearly invulnerable, which looks like a shower. This can only be used by the thrower's teammates and the thrower themselves, because if enemies attempt to do this, they will take damage. However, a showering player is vulnerable to opposing bombs that strike the Splash Wall, instantly detonating and splatting the showering player.

Snowball

Like its proverbial namesake, asnowball is a situation in Tower Control in which the team pushing the Tower can do so with little difficulty, particularly due to the stage layout. Each stage can be rated by how easily a tower cansnowball toward the goal after a particular point on the path. For example, onStarfish Mainstage sinceversion 4.0, once one team has cleared checkpoint two, the tower has an easy path to checkpoint three and the goal because the defending team's pit and snipe provide enough space for the attacking team's players to occupy, allowing them to hold off defenders at the stairs, at the window, and coming from spawn.

InSalmon Run andSalmon Run Next Wave, a snowball is when the team becomes overwhelmed by Boss Salmonids. A snowball can be prevented by being aware of spawn directions, splatting high-threat Boss Salmonids, and good special usage.^[17]

Spacing (Zoning)

The act ofspacing (also known aszoning) refers to players keeping their opponents at a certain distance from themselves, their teammates, and certain areas of the stage. This can be accomplished with certain sub and special weapons – particularly with lethal bombs – and even with the range and anysplash damage of a main weapon. Blaster weapons especially need to space themselves from opponents to deal damage.

Spamming

Spamming is the act of repetitive use of a weapon or tactic, such as bomb spamming. The term ultimately derives from the Monty Python sketch"Spam".

Splashdown Canceling

ASplashdown Cancel is when a player is splatted whilst stuck in theSplashdown animation (before it hits the ground and deals damage). It is nearly impossible to cancel aSuper Jump Splashdown.

Stage control

Stage control (or, informally,map control) is a term used for having the majority of turf covered in the stage. A team that gains stage control simultaneously increases its mobility while restraining the opponent's mobility. Having stage control enables a team to more effectively mount an attack, rapidly react on defense, lockout the opposing team inSplat Zones (see above) and collect clams more easily and safely inClam Blitz.

Stagger

Astagger is a situation in which a team's splatted players respawn in long succession, creating a trickle of individual players returning. This is often dangerous for the staggering team, especially if it is constantly at a numbers disadvantage (e.g., 2-4, 1-3, 1-4), as individual players rushing back into battle are easier for the opponents to pick off. One tactic to avoid staggering is for the first player splatted in succession to delay returning to the battle, pair up with a teammate who was splatted after them, and return to battle together. Conversely, if a team can stagger its opponent, it can maintain a constant numbers advantage.

Stealth swimming

Stealth swimming is a tactic that does not leave any trace that a player was around when swimming. It also does not create any ripples when swimming, though it decreases swimming speed. Slightly move the joystick, and a player should be able to swim in ink without being detected.^[6]

Sub strafing

Sub strafing is a technique used in the competitive scene to change directions fast when swimming in the ink. Pressing (sub weapon button) when swimming will stop the deceleration of slowing down the swim speed and will cause the player to emerge out of the ink. This technique can be used with all sub weapons outside of seekers and ink mines inSplatoon.^[6][7] Sub strafing is not possible with the Rainmaker, so strafing is only possible using instead of.

Weapon strafing

Strafing is when a player constantly uses their weapon's attacks. It can slow players down and decrease their speed slightly. An example is when a player repetitively sloshes aslosher. The player does not travel at full speed but instead ends up walking while using the weapon at the same time.^[6]

Torpedo combo

ATorpedo combo is performed by rolling or striking a thrown Torpedo into a surface before it rolls or ricochets towards an opponent before detonating. This permits certain weapons, especially theKensa Rapid Blaster, to score quicker splats.^[18]

Trade

Due to the mechanics of theSplatoon series, two opposing players can splat one another at or nearly at the same time, an occurrence known as atrade. Trades usually favor the team that has a numbers advantage either throughout the map or at a particular area of the map, such as where the Tower currently is or where theRainmaker was last dropped.

Turfing

Turfing is the act ofcovering inkable terrain with one'sink. Besides being the objective inTurf War, it also helps establish stage control, provides locations to either refill ink or shark opponents, and builds up thespecial gauge to havespecial weapons ready.

Uptime and downtime

Uptime is the amount of time a player is actively fighting, turfing, or otherwise contributing to their team. Conversely,downtime is the amount of time spent not contributing, particularly while one is refilling their ink tank, the time in between shots (in the case of slow-firing weapons), and–for weapons that require charging–the time spent charging a shot or stream of shots.

Wipe

Awipe (or awipeout, as it is officially named inSplatoon 3) is when all players on one team are splatted. Wiping the other team is usually very advantageous, especially inTurf War andSplat Zones. However, particularly onTower Control andRainmaker, sometimes a wiped team can set up their defense more effectively because everyone on the team respawns nearly simultaneously, but usually only if the Tower orRainmaker was pushed deep into enemy territory before the wipe. Acrew wipe inSalmon Run means all workers in the shift have been splatted, immediately ending the Salmon Run shift in failure.

Luring and Over-Luring

Luring is a tactic used inSalmon Run andSalmon Run Next Wave, where a player leads certain Boss Salmonids closer to the Egg Basket for faster and more efficient collection of Golden Eggs. A perfect example of a Boss Salmonid that can be lured isMaws, where it targets the player closest to where it spawned and said player retreats to the Basket and readies to splat it. But too much use of this tactic can lead to a situation calledOver-Luring, making the area around the Egg Basket swarmed byLesser Salmonids as well as Bosses and could lead to the team getting wiped out and failing the wave.

• Boss Salmonids thatcan be lured are;Steelhead,Steel Eel,Scrapper, Maws,Drizzler,Flipper-Flopper, andSlammin' Lid.
• Boss Salmonids thatcannot be lured are;Fish Stick,Flyfish,Stinger, andBig Shot, due to the former having fixed landing spots on the stage, and the latter three primarily staying at the shore during Low and Normal Tides due to their long range attacks.

Shore Rushing

Shore Rushing is a tactic in Salmon Run and Salmon Run Next Wave, where players rush to the shoreline to splat Boss Salmonids right as they spawn. This can be detrimental if done recklessly, as Golden Eggs dropped by the Bosses can entice players to return there to collect the eggs they missed or stay there and use Egg Throw to toss them closer to the Basket for teammates to help deposit them, leaving the player exposed toLesser Salmonids.

A good example of a Shore Rushing situation is onGone Fission Hydroplant during Low Tide, where players continuously splat Boss Salmonids, leading to multiple Golden Eggs at the shore and the center narrow path being overrun by Bosses, such as Slammin' Lids, to block said path while spawning more Lesser Salmonids and leading to an Over-Luring situation. But an efficient way of Shore Rushing is to splat the Boss Salmonids that primarily stay at the shore; in Flyfish, Stingers and Big Shots, as they become deadly in both Shore Rushing and Over-Luring situations due to their long-range attacks.

Memes

You're a kid now, you're a squid now

In May 2015, before the release ofSplatoon,Nintendo of America launcheda marketing campaign to promote the game, which received mixed to negative reception that resulted in widespread word-of-mouth discussion of the ads andSplatoon. It gained notoriety for the music created for it, featuring sung lyrics about the game and its features, such as "You're a kid now, you're a squid now, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid now" and "Splat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-aSplatoon". The songs spawnedmemes, such as a video with a looped line of "You're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid..."

Celebratory memes

Thecelebratory memes are the phrases "Booyah", "Woomy", "Ngyes", "Veemo", "Squimeedaily", and "Weyo/Oomi/Ngweh". They are usually written in all caps. They are each one of the celebratory sound effects andsignals of theInkling Girl,Inkling Boy, Octoling Girl, and Octoling Boy, respectively, usually heard inInkopolis when talking, or when they successfully deliver theRainmaker to its goal. It is believed that "WOOMY" gained popularity from a 4chan thread in /vg/ (Video Games board). The sound effects forWoomy,Ngyes,Veemo, andWeyo/Oomi/Ngweh are available here. The Japanese audience has a similar interpretation of an Inkling sound effect, "Manmenmi" (マンメンミ).

Splat Tim

Splat Tim is a deformedInkling boy dressed in the Team DogsSplatfest Tee andGolf Visor, based offthis image.^[19] He was first introduced on6 July 2015 by Instagram user marble.soda. This meme became so well-known that many parody accounts, custom images, a Splat Tim Wiki on FANDOM, and even a customamiibo were made based on him. Many 'family members' of Splat Tim have also been created, including Splat Tina, Splat Tom,Splat Tailor,Cale,Mar andCaptian Crunch. The tagline 'He does it!' has often been associated with Splat Tim after a mockup box art of a Splat Tim game introduced the tagline.

It is said that Splat Tim was deformed by an event called The Splatpocalypse (not to be confused withthe Splatocalypse). His signature weapon is called the "Pistol", although little is known about it.

This meme has been acknowledged by Nintendo of Europe's Twitter account during theSplatoon 2 European Championship, held in late March 2018. One of the Russian teams, "Splat Tim", lost against "Alliance Rogue" from France. Nintendo of Europe later tweeted"Safe to say, Splat Tim did not do it", referencing Splat Tim's tagline.^[20]

Test failed

Test failed is a phrase spoken byC.Q. Cumber in theOcto Expansion whenever the player fails at specific objectives during the tests. Examples of quotes containing this phrase are "You let an 8-ball fall - test failed" and "You took damage - test failed", whereafter the player is splatted by a detonating bomb attached to Agent 8's back. Various posts have referenced or made variations of the phrase, containing a different commentary that ends with "test failed", such as "You breathed, test failed". InReturn of the Mammalians, this phrase is replaced byO.R.C.A. saying "Mission... failed.", after which enemy ink is poured onto the player, splatting Agent 3, such as "Mission... failed. You did not break all the targets."

The Connection Is Unstable

The Connection Is Unstable is acommunications error message that appears in-game when a person's internet connection is weak, and the game cannot keep playing on the internet. It is widely known for being a great annoyance while playing, since unstable connections can lead to a suspension when disconnected and can lower the player's rank when a Ranked Battle is considered a loss once a player disconnects, compounded by theNintendo Switch's notoriously weak Wi-Fi range.

Frye using swear words

One of Frye's speech soundbites sounds very similar toa common English expletive. It is most commonly heard when Frye is surprised or frustrated, and has led to the creation of a variety of videos and images memeing the soundbite.

Flyfish

TheFlyfishBoss Salmonid was infamous inSplatoon 2 and became increasingly so inSplatoon 3, the primary rationale being that the Flyfish is widely considered to be the most difficult Boss Salmonid to combat, being harder tosplat than any other Boss Salmonid. There are numerous reasons for this, such as the Flyfish usually requiring two well-aimedSplat Bombs to splat, being immune to all main weapons besides theExplosher,Grizzco Slosher, andGrizzco Splatana (being the only Boss Salmonid that cannot be splatted by all main weapons), firing dangerousTenta Missiles which can potentially splat a player in one hit, having unlimited range, having the ability to move around after firing, and being immune to Splat Bombs and somespecial weapons when its missile launchers are closed. The Flyfish was even more resistant in earlierSplatoon 2 versions, being only harmed by Splat Bombs, theInkjet, and theSting Ray, with the former two only working when the Flyfish is firing, and the latter causing the player to become dangerously immobile.

Tetris and hallways

Tetris and hallway stages refer (often derisively) to the general shape of many of the stages inSplatoon 3. Tetris stages bear a resemblance to pieces from the gameTetris. An example of a Tetris stage isBarnacle & Dime, whose shape resembles that of an S-Tetrimino. Hallway stages are long and thin, hence the name "hallway". An example of a hallway stage isHammerhead Bridge, which has length vertically but is relatively thin horizontally. When asked about the shape of these stages in an interview,^[21] the developers stated that it was a conscious decision to make the stages shaped like this, to optimize certain play styles.

Gold Dynamo Roller

For information about the Gold Dynamo Roller weapon, seeGold Dynamo Roller.

TheGold Dynamo Roller is a meme in theSplatoon 3 community due to its reputation. The Gold Dynamo Roller was seen in multiple pre-release and post-release trailers alongside promotional material ofSplatoon 3, with the weapon even clearly visible inAmmo Knights for the game's entire lifetime. Despite that, it took twelve months to be released inDrizzle Season 2023, with its kit beingSplat Bomb andSuper Chump. Memes about the Gold Dynamo Roller include, but are not limited to, making fun of the fact that it had not been released yet, saying it would never be released, disappointed posts about it not being released yet, saying its weapon kit would be "garbage" when it is eventually released, calling it the "forgotten child," and more.

Wahoo Pole

TheWahoo Pole is the name given to the pole added to the center of Wahoo World in version3.0.0 ofSplatoon 3. Its addition was widely mocked by the community for being the only change made to the stage during the update when some players felt that the stage needed more drastic changes. The Wahoo Pole was meant to reduce the effectiveness of long-range weapons, as stated in the patch notes, but it failed even to do that, as it is not wide enough to cover someone behind the pole while in swim form. Version 3.0.0 has also sometimes been referred to as "the pole update" due to similar changes made to other stages.

Joe

Joe is a nickname given to theKing SalmonidMegalodontia. It originated from the @SplatoonJP Twitter account when Twitter's automatic translator mistakenly translated "ジョー" ("Jaw"), Megalodontia's Japanese name, to "Joe" in English.^[22]

Speedrunning

The Octopark

Cool Skip is just after checkpoint 2 and is performed by jumping off the rail over the balloon and then performing a dualie roll to catch the rail below.

Noli Skip is at the end of the Ride Rail after checkpoint 4 and is executed by shooting, then immediately jumping onto the rail hidden in a crate to the left. This skip bypasses checkpoint 5. It is very important to shoot before jumping, as this lets the player gain enough momentum to make the jump. The skip is named for theSplatoon 2 speedrunner Noli, who pioneered it to gain the then-world record on this stage.

Octozeppelin Invasion

TheSting Ray Skip requires theSting Ray that can be acquired aftercheckpoint 2 by grabbing thecanned special near theOctomissile launchers before leaving the area. Immediately after getting to the next checkpoint, the Sting Ray is activated and is used to hit thepropeller, then theGrapplink that leads to the platform in front of theZapfish. This skips most ofcheckpoint 3 andcheckpoint 4. A speedrun for this mission was posted on Nintendo's YouTube and Twitter accounts using this skip.^[23]

References