The latest ink-filled Nintendo shooter, Splatoon 3, is full of weapons. Its predecessors have seemingly no end to wild and imaginative riffs on traditional guns, and that’s not changing. There are paint rollers and big brushes, then the more traditional snipers, shotguns (that are also umbrellas!), and a whole lot more. And Splatoon 3 weapons only build on that.
So, head below for a Splatoon 3 weapons tier list ranking how they shape up in-game so far. We’ve also got a feature on the Splatoon 3 soundtrack if you wanna get groovin’, or, if you’re more of the practical type, check out our Splatoon 3 review to make sure it’s the sort of game you fancy picking up.
Anyway, let’s get our ink on…
Splatoon 3 weapons tier list
Here’s our ranking of all the Splatoon 3 weapons:
| Rank | Weapon |
| S | NZap ’85, Splat Dualies, Splatana Wiper, Splattershot Jr. |
| A | 52 Gal., 96 Gal., Aerospray, Dapple Dualies, Inkbrush, Splat Roller, Splattershot, Splattershot Pro, Tri-Slosher |
| B | Dynamo Roller, E-Liter 4K, Glooga Dualies, Heavy Splatling, Jet Squelcher, Luna Blaster, Octobrush, Range Blaster, Splash-O-Matic, Splat Charger, Tenta Brella, Tri-Stringer |
| C | Blaster, Classic Squiffer, H-3 Nozzlenose, Hydra Splatling, Slosher, Sloshing Machine, Splat Brella |
| D | Clash Blaster, Explosher, Sploosh-o-Matic, Undercover Brella |
New Splatoon 3 weapons
Tri-Stinger
The headline Splatoon 3 weapon, featured in the original announcement trailer, the Tri-Stinger is a stinger type weapon. As Nintendo announced in this tweet, “the weapon can fire in three directions simultaneously and unleash charged shots that briefly freeze before exploding.”
Trizooka
During a big breakdown in September last year, Nintendo revealed lots of information about new features, as well as this new Splatoon 3 weapon. They describe it as a “modified version of a special weapon once popular in Inkopolis” which “has a powerful shot that fires three blasts at once and can be fired three times in total each use”. The weapon “once popular in Inkopolis” is the Inkzooka from the first Splatoon game.
Killer Wail 5.1
As Nintendo also revealed in the big breakdown last year, the Killer Wail 5.1 is another modification of a special weapon, the Killer Wail, from the first Splatoon. Nintendo detailed the six floating megaphones which move “autonomously and attack with lasers that chase enemies”.
Crab Tank
As revealed on Nintendo of America’s Twitter, the Crab Tank is a new special weapon “with a powerful rapid-fire gun and a cannon with a wide blast area”. In terms of movement, the Crab Tank “can also turn into a ball to move around faster than crab walking”.
Big Bubbler
Another of the many early reveals, the Big Bubbler is a new special Splatoon 3 weapon. Again, Nintendo says it’s “a modified version of a special weapon popular in Inkopolis” – this time it’s just a bigger, fixed version of the Bubbler from the first Splatoon, designed for protection.
Zipcaster
One of the coolest new additions, the Zipcaster is a special weapon that acts like an explosive grappling hook. The special coats you in your ink, allowing you to stretch your arms and zip to walls, leaving a chaotic trail of ink and explosions at each destination. Sounds wacky.
Ink Vac
The Ink Vac can suck in enemy ink (and stop it hitting you and your allies in the process) and then shoot it back at them. The more ink you get the larger the explosion. Seems like this will be slow and hard to use, but when you do get the chance to it should do big damage.
Returning Splatoon weapons
Nintendo recently confirmed that all the basic weapons from the previous games will be returning in Splatoon 3. That probably means every weapon type (including the ones that didn’t come over to Splatoon 2), but not every variation. Check out the announcement below.
CONFIRMED: All the basic weapons from previous games will be returning for #Splatoon3! pic.twitter.com/UmE44jaSBp
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) May 2, 2022
That’s all we’ve got for Splatoon 3 weapons. For more Splatoon stuff check out our Splatoon amiibo, Splatoon 3 hairstyles, and Splatoon 3 idols guides to make sure you know absolutely everything.