E-liter 3K

The E-liter 3K❌, or E-Litre 3K, is a Main Weapon in Splatoon.

Description
The E-liter 3K is a type of charger. It has a long charge time but has a very impressive range, and can instantly take opponents out. "A charger with a high-capacity tank. By packing a lot of ink into each shot, it can strike from a great distance... at the cost of long charge time and ferocious ink consumption."

- In-Game Description

The Damage Up ability is very effective on Charger weapons, reducing the amount a Charger needs to be charged before getting a one-hit kill, while also strengthening Burst Bomb. It is desirable to stack Damage Up it will increase damage output by more than 20%; see here for more details. SquidForce gear has a 5x higher chance of rolling this ability, but no items of the SquidForce brand have Damage Up as the main ability.

The Cold Blooded ability reduces the duration of tracking by Point Sensors, Haunt, and Echolocators by 75%. Because of the E-liter 3K's extremely limited mobility (15), Cold Blooded allows players to stay hidden in one area for a longer amount of time. No brand increases the chance of rolling this ability.

The Ink Recovery Up ability hastens the refill rate of ink. The relies on frequent supplies of ink,  making this ability important. Tentatek gear has a 5x higher chance of rolling this ability.

The Special Charge Up ability increases the rate at which the Special Gauge fills by up to 30%. This ability encourages frequent use of the E-liter 3K's special weapon, the Echolocator, which instantly refills players' Ink Tanks (like all special weapons) and tags all opponents for easy tracking. With Special Charge Up, players using the E-liter 3K can waste less time refilling ink and use this advantage to take out enemies with greater ease. Takoroka gear has a 5x higher chance of rolling this ability.

The Ink Saver (Main) ability decreases the ink usage of main weapons by up to 60% of their normal usage if this ability is stacked three in main ability. This allows players to take advantage of the E-liter 3K's outstanding range (97) and combat its charge rate (20) without running out of ink so quickly. Splash Mob gear has a 5x higher chance of rolling this ability.

The Ink Saver (Sub) ability decreases the ink usage of sub weapons. It makes quick using burst bombs stable. It's not really necessary to use it as main ability, so it seems to be suitable for the niche of sub slot. Firefin gear has a 5x higher chance of rolling this ability.

Using the E-liter 3K
Being the second longest ranged weapon in Splatoon, the one with the largest range being the E-liter 3K Scope, the E-liter 3K can deal with opposing chargers. They are essential in providing cover and locking down choke points on a stage, allowing the rest of the team to move. The Burst Bombs can be used to more effectively to take out enemies who get too close then follow up with semi-fire. The charger can splat on about 75% charge. Meanwhile, the Echolocator can track enemy Inklings submerged in ink or who are approaching.

Splat shooters before they get too close. If they do, either use Burst Bombs to kill/slow down the enemy, or swim back to regain the range advantage.
 * Against Shooters

Splat rollers before they get too close. This should be easy, as Rollers are exposed out of ink a lot more than other Weapon classes. However, Inkbrushes are trickier since they move quickly. Treat these like Shooters or relocate.
 * Against Rollers

Use range to simply pick off other chargers. This is what the E-liter 3K does best.
 * Against other Chargers

Going against an E-liter-3K
Charger-type weapons don't cover as much turf as the Shooter or Roller weapon types. If the player with the weapon is camping, they are essentially not contributing in Turf War. If possible, use another route to continue progressing whilst they do nothing. Alternatively, splat them from behind whilst they are looking down the scope. Short-range is a charger's nightmare. If the charger is locking down a choke-hold, lay down ink and rush with your teammates or use Sub Weapons or Special Weapons to get them to move.

Trivia

 * The E-liter 3K is designed to look like a gas pump.
 * Its name is a reference to the Nintendo E3 Engine.
 * Its name is also a pun between elite and liter (the metric measurement), as it has the best-capacity tank.

Similar Weapons

 * Custom E-liter 3K
 * E-liter 3K Scope
 * Custom E-liter 3K Scope