How to use and counter every sub weapon in Splatoon 3

With Splatoon 3’s Grand Festival coming up soon, we figured now would be a good time to make a guide on sub weapons aimed at casual or former players who might be returning to play the event.

If you haven’t played much of Splatoon 3 just yet (somehow), there are tons of sub weapons available in the game that each serve a different purpose. Some are area-of-effect damage-rackers, while others are purely defensive or for support. Still, how well you use your subs can make or break individual games. Some are better than others, too, so we’ll be going over what each one does, tips for using them, and how to counter other players using them against you.

Splat Bomb

This is one of the most basic and common subs you’ll see in Splatoon 3, and it’s also one of the best. As you might expect, when you throw a Splat Bomb, it soon explodes and covers a medium area in ink, dealing big damage to anybody nearby. Those caught in the blast will often be splatted immediately, and those just outside the high-damage radius will be chipped for medium damage instead. The reason Splat Bombs are so strong is that they have potential to splat multiple opponents at once. It’s a good idea to toss them out towards areas where players tend to congregate. If you splat multiple enemies, you suddenly have the numbers advantage and can push forward! And if you find yourself getting splatted by Chargers or Splatlings over and over again, try throwing a Splat Bomb in their direction. It’ll force them to stop charging their shot and run away.

Suction Bomb

Similar to a Splat Bomb, but it takes longer to explode. In exchange, it has a larger area of effect, plus it sticks to any surface you throw it on. This makes it a versatile killer that’s especially effective in modes like Tower Control. You can stick one Suction Bomb to the side of the tower, and then shoot the other side of the tower to clear enemies off it. You can also stick it on a wall that you know an enemy is going to try to swim up to catch them by surprise. As we mentioned earlier, Suction Bombs take a long time to explode. The best way to counter Suction Bombs is simply to keep an eye out for them and don’t swim into their blast radius – the splats they get tend to be on players who get tunnel vision and fail to see a Suction Bomb about to explode.

Burst Bomb

Burst Bombs are the fastest sub weapon in the game. They come out quick and explode on impact. They don’t deal as much damage as other bombs, but can combo with weapon strikes (such as a Splatana Stamper’s vertical slash). They’re also great for quickly inkling turf, especially walls you want to swim up. Generally, though, you’ll mainly see Burst Bombs used in combos with main weapon hits. Burst Bombs also have less range than other sub weapons, so if you find you’re often splatted by Burst Bomb combos do your best to keep your distance and then sneak up from behind.

Curling Bomb

Curling Bombs are best used as movement options or in confined areas. They’re great at inking turf and deal enough damage to splat nearby players in one explosion. That being said, if you do use it for movement, other opponents will see this coming and shoot the Curling Bomb in hopes of splatting you. It might be a good idea to throw a Curling Bomb, wait for a moment, and then follow its trail to be less predictable. If an opponent is using Curling Bombs against you, listen for the explosion and make sure to steer clear of it before you take damage.

Autobomb

One of the more annoying sub weapons to deal with in Splatoon 3. This sub weapon is a bomb, but when it detects a nearby opponent, it grows legs and chases them for a moment before exploding! It deals enough damage to splat a turfling in one hit, too. It’s best used against Chargers and Splatlings, who are not only forced to stop charging but also to run away from the Autobomb (it cannot be destroyed by firing at it). If you’re a Charger or Splatling yourself, try to position yourself on a ledge that’s too high for opponents to throw Autobombs at you.

Ink Mine

You can place up to two of these on the ground. When an opponent enters its radius or shoots it, the Ink Mine will explode, deal a small amount of damage, and track them. You will often see Ink Mines on long-ranged weapons. If you’re playing as one, we’d recommend finding a spot to camp out and fire at opponents from afar and then placing some Ink Mines behind you. That way, if an enemy tries to sneak up, they’ll explode and make a noise to alert you to run away. Another good idea is to place Ink Mines inside a Splat Zone. If you’re going up against Ink Mines, all you have to do to counter them is shoot them from afar and they’ll explode and deactivate.

Toxic Mist

An area-of-effect sub weapon that creates a cloud of mist that hangs around for a few seconds. Opponents caught in the mist will move much more slowly and start losing ink, which discourages them from entering the affected area. The reduced movement speed makes them easier to splat, too. That said, most enemies will just avoid the Toxic Mist and wait a few seconds for it to dissipate. This is generally considered on the weaker end of sub weapons in this game, as there’s just not quite as much utility on offer here.

Point Sensor

This is purely a supportive sub weapon that can’t deal damage in any way. It creates an area of effect that tracks opponents who enter for a few seconds, which allows your teammates to see the enemy’s location even if they’re swimming in ink. This, by extension, makes them easier to pick off and also makes it impossible for them to hide. It only lasts for a few seconds, though, so all they have to do is run away and wait for the tracking to wear off. Still, this is a decent support sub, though you’ll likely want the rest of your team to have offensive sub weapons to make up for it.

Splash Wall

Another purely defensive sub weapon. Splash Wall provides protection from incoming attacks, and it has a surprisingly high amount of health. On the other hand, it consumes a lot of ink, so you’ll have to recharge your ink before you can start shooting again. Splash Wall is great for long-ranged weapons that would be easy targets otherwise, but you can also toss out a Splash Wall for a teammate to use and hide behind. Running the Object Shredder Ability Chunk on shoes increases the damage you deal to Splash Wall, making it much easier to destroy.

Sprinkler

This is another sub weapon that’s kind of on the weaker end of the viability spectrum. Sprinkler sets up a semi-hazard that spits out ink in a fairly wide radius around it, dealing minor damage to anyone caught. It lasts for a decent while, though you can only have one out at a time. There’s not much offensive value here, but if you throw one on a high wall or ceiling that’s hard to reach, you can keep the area below it inked. That tactic works well in Splat Zones, particularly if there is a ceiling above the Splat Zone where you can plant a Sprinkler. It also works well in Turf War, in which you can place the Sprinkler anywhere to gradually ink turf and also charge up your special meter.

Squid Beakon

A fantastic support sub weapon that can make or break games. They consume lots of ink, but you can plant Squid Beakons just about anywhere on the map to use as Super Jump landing spots. We’d recommend placing them in corners and hard-to-reach areas towards the center of the stage. That way if your team is splatted, they can jump back and get right back into the game. If you run multiple chunks of the Sub Power Up Ability, your teammates’ Super Jumps will be much faster. This means your whole team can get back into the game really fast if you build your gear right! Regardless of what team you’re on, make sure to check your map and look for Squid Beakons. If they’re from your team, you can jump to them. If they’re from the opponent’s team, you should go destroy them.

Fizzy Bomb

Fizzy Bombs double as a solid offensive option plus excellent turf-inking. You can either throw it uncharged to generate a straight line of ink and a small explosion, or mash buttons or shake the controller to increase its power. Fizzy Bombs are great for Splat Zones, as they make lots of ink. At full charge, they also explode three times, which can pick off nearby opponents quite easily. As soon as you notice a Fizzy Bomb tossed in your direction, get away from it before it explodes twice more and takes you out!

Torpedo

Torpedo is possibly the most easily countered sub weapon in the game – just shoot it and it will be destroyed. That said, Torpedo is incredibly annoying for Chargers and Splatlings, as they’re forced to stop charging and shoot it down. Torpedos deal lots of damage, and upon impact they explode and ink the area. Not many weapons in this game have Torpedo as their sub weapon, so you won’t be seeing it as often as Splat Bombs or Burst Bombs, for example.

Angle Shooter

Press the R button and you’ll shoot a tiny laser forward that deals minor damage and tracks any enemy you hit. It also lingers for a brief moment before disappearing, and you can fire as many as you want before your ink tank empties. Not a ton of offensive value here, but tracking enemies while dealing minor damage isn’t too bad. It takes some practice to aim Angle Shooter, as its hitbox is rather small.

That’s every single sub weapon in Splatoon 3, then! Like we mentioned earlier, this isn’t necessarily intended to be taken as top-level advice; it’s mainly aimed at those of you who maybe haven’t played the game for a while and are looking to get back into it ahead of the Grand Festival in September. If you’re looking for some other guides on Splatoon 3, feel free to check out our master list of content for the game. We’ll be releasing a guide on how to use and counter every special in the game in the future, so stay tuned for that one too.

Splatoon 3 is available now for Switch. Visit the official site here.