Gear ability

Gear Abilities, or simple Abilities, are special attributes that are placed on wearable Gear in Splatoon. They provide different effects depending on the ability present and the amount of abilities, as they are stackable. The amount that can be present on a single piece of gear depends on the rarity (amount of stars) of the gear. The more stars there are, the more secondary abilities it can possess. Up to three secondary abilities can present, meaning that the highest rarity is 3 Stars. Each piece of gear has a specific main ability which is the same in all copies.

Secondary abilities are randomly chosen whenever a gear levels up, which happens when its bar is filled through battling; the points earned in the match go towards levelling it up. Higher rarity pieces of gear take longer to level up, even on the first secondary abilities. Although seemingly random, some Brands make getting specific abilities either more common or less common. Spyke, who can be found in an alleyway in Inkopolis, will re-roll secondary abilities or increase the gear's rarity in exchange for Super Sea Snails or 30,000 Cash.

Some abilities are ineffective with certain Sub Weapons and Special Weapons, offering no noteworthy buffs to them. Examples include Ink Mines and Splash Walls, neither of which are affected by Bomb Range Up, and Inkstrikes, which aren't given any enhancements by Special Duration Up.