As with many other pieces of Splatoon 3’s package, abilities return and are changed up slightly, allowing for a more customisable and choice-driven system. But, they still offer a wide variety of upgrades for you, and if you want to build the best loadouts, you will need to use the best abilities in Splatoon 3.
While there are 26 currently in the game, we think about a third of them really stand out and are ones that should be a must for your build. These include buffs to ink recovery and specials, as well as some nice movement boosts that will help you with survivability. Read on for our recommendations for the best abilities in Splatoon 3.
Splatoon 3 best abilities
Here are our nine picks for the best abilities in Splatoon 3 and the ones you should be equipping onto your gear.
Ink Saver (Main)
Ink Saver is our first choice which is just great because it reduces your Ink Consumption. Really there is no reason not to have it.
This ability allows you to fire for longer, maybe throw out that sub-weapon when you have just enough ink, or surprise your enemies with an attack when they think you are out.
Ink Saver (Sub)
Like the last ability, this Ink Saver ability reduces your ink consumption for sub weapons.
These can take up a lot of your ink tank so any decrease in the amount they take when using them is great!
Ink Recovery Up
Our third choice is also a simple ability. Ink Recovery Up, increases your ink-tank refill rate.
When paired with the two Ink Saver upgrades you are able to keep as much ink as possible in your tank, allowing you to survive longer and eliminate more players.
Special Charge Up
Our final simple ability we recommend is Special Charge Up. This increases the rate at which your special charges.
When paired with our next ability, the two work in tandem to allow you to dominate the battlefield even more than you already are!
Special Saver
Our next choice is Special Saver which is mainly great for the fact that it lessens the penalty when you die. It allows you to keep more of your special gauge which then means you can use it more often.
The normal loss when you do get splattered is quite severe so this bonus is really great to have on hand.
Quick Super Jump
The Quick Super Jump option is another of our choices for the best abilities in the game. Jumping in from a death can take a while, but with this upgrade, it makes it a lot faster.
Therefore, you will want to try and find a spot on your gear for this ability whenever you can to get you in the fight quicker.
Ink Resistance Up
Ink Resistance Up is an extremely strong ability, reducing the damage you take from enemy ink when walking in it.
In addition, it also stops you from getting sticky feet and boosts you mobility when in that ink.
Tenacity
Our next best ability choice in Splatoon 3 is Tenacity. This ability allows you to fill your special gauge automatically if your team has fewer active players than the enemy.
And, this happens more than you might think. So, we’d argue this is actually the strongest ability in the game as you effectively get a free special each time, so you might gain an edge on your opponent in a battle you are losing.
Thermal Ink
Our final best ability choice is Thermal Ink. This allows you to track distant players you hit with your main weapon. This is best paired with a Charged or a long-range weapon as it allows you to keep your eye on where opponents are heading.
It can also be beneficial to your team if you are communicating with them.
And those are our picks for the best abilities in Splatoon 3. As you can see there is a wide selection of choices here from simple buffs, to more specific boosts you will get in certain circumstances. For more tips and guides, check out our Splatoon 3 best weapons recommendations and a list of all the Splatoon 3 Specials that are available in the sequel.