Splatoon 3 is perfectly enjoyable without diving into any of its intricate systems. Such is the way of most Nintendo games. You can put in as much as you want, and they will always deliver a top-notch experience. If you want to get deep into Splatoon 3’s competitive side, then you are going to want to dig deeper.
The first thing you want to do is check out the wonderful world of gear. Splatoon is constantly offering new clothes for your Squid/Octo, and indulging in a bit of shopping never hurt anyone - at least not in the world of Splatoon. There is more to these stitched pieces of fabric than just visual flair, however.
Where To Find Gear
Believe it or not, your avatar actually starts with gear, and that gear is far from being awful. It may look a bit banged up, but appearances can be deceiving. If you want more gear, then you can find it almost immediately. Simply head to one of the many clothing shops in Splatoon 3 and buy some. Their stock refreshes daily, so check back often.
Failing that, you could order some new gear from the Splatoon 3 app, and then check in on Murch to pick it up (more on him in a bit).
Finally, you can find gear by upgrading your Catalogue. This is done by completing online matches or Salmon Run (which also drops gear as a reward!). You don’t always get a new piece of kit, but you can nab some cool stuff from time to time.
Understanding Abilities
The reason you want Gear is that they all come with Abilities. These Abilities are incredibly valuable as they can alter how you play. Each piece of gear can hold between one and four abilities, with higher-ranked items being able to hold the most.
Abilities can also stack, giving you more powerful effects by combining multiples. Abilities are also very noticeable in-game, so having even a single pip in Swim Speed or Ink Resistance changes how fast you move and how tanky you are.
Mixing, matching, and combining Abilities so you have the ideal loadout may take a while to fully grasp, but experimenting and trying things out is the best way to wrap your head around it. If you want a good starting point, then we recommend you look out for:
- Swim Speed Up
- Ink Saver (Main)
- Ink Recovery
- Ink Resistance
Any of these four is a great basis for most players and gives a great jumping-off point for your own custom loadouts.
How To Upgrade Your Gear
Upgrading your Gear is very simple. All you have to do is play online. Each game will grant EXP, and that EXP goes towards levelling up your equipment. Every time you reach a level threshold, one of your hidden Abilities unlocks. You can even manipulate what Abilities unlock by buying Drinks at the Food Stall.
Of course, you can’t unlock more abilities than you have slots - so how do you get more slots? You have two options - buy better Gear, or upgrade existing Gear. Sometimes Shops will stock an item you already own. If this is the case, you can spend your Coins to upgrade that piece of equipment and raise its Star Rank. Simple.
Do be aware that all forms of Upgrading will costs Coins, and the cost can get quite high for better equipment.
Understanding Murch
This final piece of the Gear puzzle is understanding the power of Murch. Murch can be found outside the Lobby (right of the entrance to the Lobby building) and he offers a number of services (not all are active as of writing). Most of these are in relation to Gear, and if you want the best Gear, get ready to visit him a lot.
Murch’s main use is resetting your Gear. Gear can only hold a certain number of Abilities, and once they are full, they can’t do much else. The thing is, you might not like the Abilities on your kit. If this is the case, then Murch will completely wipe your selecting piece of Gear of all its randomised Abilities (for a price). This will also reward you with Chunks.
Chunks can be used to attach specific Abilities to your Gear (another one of Murch's services) - even changing up the Main Ability if you want. You will need at least 10 Chunks of your chosen Ability to force it on one of your pieces of Gear, but this completely removes RNG from the equation. If you want the perfect set of equipment, this is your go-to. It will take a while to get the Chunks, however.
Finally, Murch can randomise your Abilities. This acts a lot like wiping them, only you get a new selection instead of starting from scratch. This is completely random of course, so you could waste time and resources by using this.
Murch is a powerful tool in your arsenal.