Of all the ranked modes in Splatoon 3, Clam Blitz is perhaps the most hit-or-miss. Not because there’s anything wrong with the mode, but because it’s somewhat poorly explained for players who haven’t played it before. Some even consider Clam Blitz the toughest ranked mode, so we’ve written up a guide on how to play it. There’s a lot to like about this mode once you get the hang of it.
What is Clam Blitz?
In Clam Blitz, tiny little clams appear all over the map. Players can pick these up and hold up to 8 clams at a time. When you collect eight clams, they all combine into a Power Clam, which looks kind of like a football. The idea is to head over to the enemy’s clam basket undetected and throw the Power Clam into it to score. From there, the basket remains open for a few seconds for your team to throw in normal clams (3 points each) and Power Clams (20 points each). If you open your opponent’s clam basket but don’t win the game (which happens very often), your team will receive a penalty in the form of around half the progress you made. This just means that next time you open their basket, you’ll need to throw in more clams to reduce the penalty and start making progress again.
When you form a Power Clam in Clam Blitz, your location is revealed to your opponents for as long as you’re holding it. Once you lose the Power Clam – either by throwing it or being splatted – your opponents won’t know your location anymore. The reason many players struggle with this game mode is because it’s difficult to coordinate when you queue up with random players. In this scenario, the “This Way!” command is really important! Make sure to listen to your teammates when they say it. They could be asking for backup while creating a path to the opponent’s clam basket, or throwing clams at you to help you form a Power Clam. If available, we’d recommend playing with a team over voice chat or something similar. That puts you at a huge advantage in this mode.
What weapons are best here?
Generally speaking, you want a team of four players using a variety of weapons. Though the exact numbers aren’t too important, you’ll usually want at least two frontliners and at least one backliner for casual matches. Frontliners are weapons that can push through opponents and make their way to their Clam Basket – things like Shooter- or Slosher-class weapons. Inkbrush and Octobrush are particularly good frontliners for Clam Blitz – you can carve a path forward into the enemy’s base with a Power Clam in tow whether the ground is inked in your color or not.
One particularly strong strategy right now involves the Kraken special. Though you’re vulnerable during your transformation, the Kraken makes you completely invincible for a few seconds. If you turn into a Kraken and then swim up to the enemy’s clam basket, you can give a teammate holding a Power Clam a chance to Super Jump to you while splatting any nearby opponents. This works even better if the teammate in question is under the effects of a Tacticooler, which boosts a bunch of their stats and makes their Super Jumps lightning-fast. There’s not a ton you can really do to defeat this strategy since Kraken is invincible, so keep an eye out for opposing teams trying to pull off this combo.
General tips and tricks for Clam Blitz
While the object of Clam Blitz is to break the opponent’s basket, that doesn’t mean you should ignore your own. One major mistake new players make is sneaking to their enemy’s basket when their own is currently open. When an enemy breaks open your clam basket, you should immediately Super Jump back to base and defend it. Do your very best to splat as many incoming opponents as possible until your basket closes. When it does, you can go back on the offensive to try and score some points yourself. This might seem a little obvious, but it’s a great idea to keep as much turf inked as you can – within reason. You’ll especially want to ink the area around your clam basket to slow down the enemy a little bit. To add to this, clams that spawn on your ink are tracked on your map, which makes it easier to track them down if you only need one or two more to form a Power Clam.
We mentioned this earlier, but don’t be selfish with your clams! If you see a teammate with six or seven clams, toss one over to them so they form a Power Clam. If they don’t get the message right away, maybe try saying “This Way!” to let them know to look out for them. When you see an opponent form a Power Clam, it might be a good idea to track them down (if you’re a frontliner) and splat them. From there, you can defend the dropped Power Clam until it disappears, which forces the other team to make a new one. That’s the cool part about Clam Blitz – the most dangerous opponents are the ones with Power Clams, and they’re always visible on-screen for you to keep track of.
Something else to note here is specials. We already talked about the Kraken and Super Jump technique, but if you and your teammates have your specials charged, it’s a good idea to coordinate an assault at the same time – either offensively or defensively. Again, this becomes much easier if you have access to voice chat. Don’t forget your sub weapons, either. When enemies are throwing clams into your base, they’re generally all bunched up in the same area. If you have a Splat Bomb or Suction Bomb, toss them near your basket to either splat them or force them to disperse. From there, you can track them down and splat them with your main weapon to defend your basket.
Overall, Clam Blitz is kind of tough to get the hang of – but the best way to practice is just to give it a try for yourself! It’s really fun when you’re able to coordinate with others, though it can also be sort of frustrating if you’re playing with random queue players. We’re planning on writing beginner guides for the other ranked modes in Splatoon 3, too. In the meantime, if you’ve got any Clam Blitz tips of your own you’d like to share for beginners or more casual players reading this guide, feel free to drop them down below.
Splatoon 3 is available now for Switch. Access the official site here.
