Squid Beakon

The Squid Beakon is a sub weapon in Splatoon and Splatoon 2.

Splatoon
Squid Beakons are small devices placed at the user's feet that can be Super Jumped to by allies. A Beakon is destroyed when the Super Jumping Inkling lands or when it is damaged by an enemy. One Inkling using Beakons can have up to three placed in the stage at one time; attempting to create a fourth will destroy the oldest of those currently active.

Use

 * Put Beakons in places where they are less vulnerable to enemies, such as up high or behind obstacles.
 * Ink the area around the Beakon so an arriving ally can hide immediately after landing.
 * If Beakon is in a good spot, place a new one as soon as it is used.
 * Like Sprinklers, Beakons can be used as light shields in a pinch, taking some damage in place of the user.
 * Even when not used as shields, the attention drawn by an unguarded Beakon can be used to one's advantage for an ambush or escape. This is especially effective in Ranked Battles, since preventing enemy movement is a greater concern.
 * Beakons can be used with the Krak-On Roller to attack an enemy on a ledge above the user. To do this, place a beacon right next to their perch, Super Jump to it, then fling Ink at them on the way down.
 * If a teammate is nearby a Beakon, super jump to the teammate rather than the Beakon so it can be used when there is no teammate nearby.


 * Squid Beakons can be seen on by either team, allowing the player to find hidden Beakons or predict enemies' positions.
 * A Beakon may be bait; it would be wise to keep an eye on one's surroundings when destroying it.
 * Alternatively to destroying a Beakon, one can wait in their Ink near it and splat an opponent when they land. However, this may simply waste time if the Beakon is never jumped to.

Squid Beakon destruction in-depth
Destroying a Squid Beakon varies between weapons: for instance, an Inkbrush can squish it with only 20 damage but it takes a Splattershot Pro 126 damage.


 * Shooters and Splatlings require the same amount of shots to destroy a Beakon as they do to splat an Inkling.
 * Blasters take one direct hit to destroy a Beakon, including those in the Rapid Blaster series despite their low damage. Using indirect hits, Blasters need to do a total of 50 damage. Therefore, it takes one indirect shot for the regular Blaster, Range Blasters, and Luna Blasters and two indirect hits for the Rapid Blasters.
 * Rollers and Brushes take approximately the same number of flings or flicks to destroy a Beakon as to splat an Inkling. All Rollers and Brushes can squish a Beakon in one hit.
 * Chargers, including the Bamboozler, can destroy a Beakon with one fully charged shot or two uncharged shots. Squiffers and Splat Chargers can destroy it with a half charge and E-liter 3Ks can destroy it with a one-quarter charge.
 * Sloshers can destroy a Beakon in one direct slosh or two indirect sloshes.

Additional information:
 * Two indirect Burst Bomb hits will destroy a Beakon.
 * A Splash Wall placed on or very near the Beakon will destroy it.
 * A Sprinkler will destroy a Beakon in four drops.
 * Beakons are unaffected by standing in enemy Ink.

Splatoon 2
The Squid Beakon returns in Splatoon 2.

Trivia

 * The Squid Beakon used to only be available with one weapon, the Krak-On Splat Roller, which made it the rarest Sub Weapon at the launch of Splatoon.
 * There are no Splatlings or Sloshers with the Squid Beakon as their sub weapon.
 * The name is a play on words between a beacon and a squid's beak.
 * The Squid Beakon resembles an airport surveillance radar mounted on a camera tripod.
 * At Ancho-V Games, there is a platform with a propeller near the Spawn Point. When the propeller is sprayed with ink, it moves forward and a platform underneath the computers opens up. By putting a Squid Beakon on that part, when the propeller lift goes backwards to where it started, the Squid Beakon gets crushed by the side of the platform which the bit underneath it goes through as if it had been splatted with enemy ink.
 * In addition to beeping, Squid Beakons make faint noises which sound like Inkling voice clips. This is easier to hear in Recon (mode), where there is no music.
 * Beakons are used in many out of bounds glitches. This is done by putting a Beakon next to a moving wall in Rainmaker mode. Wait until the wall moves, then splat the Rainmaker next to the Beakon. Super jump to the Beakon, and the Inkling will clip into the wall.