Community Glossary

Unofficial

This page is a collection of terms coined or used by the community. While some are most popular inside the community only, others are used in other gaming communities, or originated in Splatoon but were made popular throughout the internet as memes.

Loadout
A loadout is a combination of a weapon set and abilities, the latter which includes all three mains and nine subs. It is possible to form optimal loadouts based on the weapon used, the role on a team, the stage, or the type of ranked mode.

Main and Sub
A main is a large ability slot. A sub is a small ability slot. Judd calls the big slot "main ability", but calls small slots "unlockable abilities" and "additional abilities", so there is no official way to refer to them. Players may also call big slots "primaries" and small slots "secondaries" so that there is no confusion with main weapons, sub weapons, Ink Saver (Main), and Ink Saver (Sub). In, the Private Battle options refer to the small slots as "Secondary Abilities".

Pure
Pure is the term used when a piece of gear's abilities are all the same (e.g. three sub-slots of Ink Saver (Main)). The piece of gear must have three slots for this to happen, which can be obtained by having Murch use Super Sea Snails (if the gear does not have three ability slots from the start).

Having pure gear is often desired, as it allows for greater flexibility when choosing abilities for a particular weapon or match. For example, a player who uses a Carbon Roller may use a piece of headgear with pure Special Charge Up, a piece of clothing with Ninja Squid and Swim Speed Up and a pair of shoes with pure Main Power Up. The player may then decide to switch to the Kensa Splattershot Pro, and could then replace the clothes with a piece with pure Ink Saver Main without losing the Special Charge Up or the Main Power Up. However, obtaining pure gear can take a lot of time, as it occurs naturally is rather rare, and the amount of Ability Chunks needed increases with each existing secondary ability of the same type on the same piece of gear, leading some players to instead distribute the abilities evenly across all three pieces of gear.

To obtain pure gear, it is recommended either to equip gear that has the desired ability as the favoured ability or to use a drink ticket for said ability. However, if one wishes to have pure gear with the same main ability as the sub abilities, they cannot use the brand that has the desired ability as the favoured ability, as none of the brands have gear as such (for example, the brand Skalop, who favors Quick Respawn, has no gear that has Quick Respawn as its main).

Mirror Match
A mirror match is a name used to describe a match during a Splatfest where one's team goes against its side. This happens when the matchmaking system cannot find a ready team on the other side and instead matches the team with its own. These types of matches, however, do not reward the player with any clout and do not count towards the final score of the Splatfest. An example would be a Ketchup team going against another Ketchup team, rather than a Mayo team. These are especially common if the chosen team is more popular than the other, with the more popular team getting many mirror matches if it's very popular and the less popular team rarely receiving any if at all, as there aren't enough opponents to feed the more popular team otherwise.

Nerf and Buff
Nerf and buff, used in competitive speech, refer to any attribute that became weaker or stronger respectively when compared to a previous version of the same attribute. For instance, the Tenta Missiles were improved to deploy all ten missiles onto single targets or five missiles on each of two targets in patch 3.2.0, meaning it was buffed. Conversely, the Rapid Blaster's radius of damage by exploding shots was nerfed in patch 3.2.0 since it was made harder to hit opponents with it, thus weakening it.

Vanilla
The Weapon term Vanilla is a name toward a weapon's default variant (e.g. Vanilla Splattershot Pro). This is to separate them from their other variant(s). It is also a term for Stages that are more understood or balanced in the game toward the community ( e.g. Inkblot Art Academy).

Griefing
Griefing is a blanket term for an activity engaged by players who negatively or do not impact the game, usually at the expense of another player's progress or enjoyment. This includes, for example, staying at the spawn point for the entire match, not actively participating, following another player around, 'squidbagging', or spamming signals. Players that are doing this can sometimes encourage other players to do the same, which could eventually lead to the entire room missing out on a fight altogether and start a Squid Party.

Doing so in Ranked Battles can be extremely harmful to other players who wish to play normally, as it gives the opposing team an unfair number advantage and may damage the teammates' ranks. As such, many players in the community generally react in outrage and/or disappointment to such actions.

Salt


A player that has salt or is being salty is considered to be exhibiting bad sportsmanship, usually about a perceived unfairness about something like lag or situations where another player had an advantage in combat. Salt can take the form of anger, whining, or calm but unjustified complaining. This term can be found in several other communities as well.

Throwing
Throwing is a form of griefing in which a teammate gives the enemy the lead/win due to frustration. A common example is in Rainmaker in which the frustrated player puts the Rainmaker on their team's pedestal.

Sploon
Sploon is referred to playing Splatoon, or to the game itself, a short name that is used sometimes by the community. It was originally used by PeanutButterGamer in his Splatoon review video. Quote: "Hey Jeff, wanna Sploon?"

Squid Party
The term Squid Party was first used by the player known as "DogPooMan" who invited everybody via a Miiverse post with a peace sign on and a caption "Squid Party, Don't Kill". This is when most or all players in a room decide to party using taunts instead of fighting against each other. One may also occur at the end of a successful Salmon Run shift. This usually happens as a chain reaction started by one pacifist player (or a player that intended on griefing). Players in a party generally interact peacefully with their opponents, use a lot of taunts, perform flashy moves, showcase tricky jumps, shots, and glitches, and/or perform actions that players normally would not, such as staying in squid form on dry land. The Octoling variant of this is called an "Octo Party", and in the case of combined characters, a "Cephaloparty". Other examples of a "squid party" include but are not limited to throwing bombs into water or other similar areas, super jumping to nearby team members repeatedly, or throwing bombs straight up in the air. Squid Parties can also occur for the winning team if the tower in Tower Control is near the goal, or if the player with the rainmaker is near the enemy pedestal.

Taunt


Taunting is a type of action meant to convey victory or to anger opponents, and usually does not affect gameplay in any way. Players have used game mechanics in ways not originally intended to create various taunts:


 * Bowing: an uncommon taunt that involves players lowering their heads using or tilting the controller down with motion controls. This action is used either respectfully or sarcastically, depending on whether it is used on a teammate or an opponent. A more demonstrable way of bowing is by holding, which will put the player's hand up at the same time (as if they were about to throw a bomb) and then bowing. After a player is splatted, another player that wishes to bow will place a Squid Beakon on the place the player died, as if it was a grave, and then bow their head downward. This can serve to mock an enemy's death or to communicate a message of encouragement, companionship, or vengeance to a friendly player. The taunt can be taken even further if the taunter super-jumps at the Squid Beakon they just placed.
 * Headbanging: a somewhat uncommon taunt and can be an alternative to the bowing taunt. The player who wishes to headbang must hold if they're equipped with a throwing bomb (such as the Autobomb or Splat Bomb) and look up and down rapidly. This is often used either in a friendly manner, often in a squid party, or as a way of mocking the opponent's death.
 * Squidbagging/Octobagging: rapidly changing between either squid/octopus and kid forms with, deriving from the popular first-person shooter community term "teabagging". This action is usually performed by a player after they have splatted an opponent, sometimes over the splatted player's spot of death. Because splatted players must briefly watch their killer's actions while waiting to respawn (unless looking at the map), this taunt is typically used to signal victory and mock the defeated Inkling or Octoling. Squidbagging and Octobagging are also common in squid parties. Players may also choose to jump and move around as they're squidbagging.
 * Twirling: twirling in place, sometimes with a charger and looking to the air. It is an alternative to squidbagging and is also a carryover of "teabagging".
 * Dabbing: A taunt exclusive to Splatoon 2 in which after a player splats another player, the player can throw a Curling Bomb and then attempt to hold another with insufficient ink and look down directly after to dab on the victim. Dabbing is typically used as a way of mocking the victim. Note that the weapon the taunter is using needs to have the Curling Bomb as its sub, otherwise the taunt cannot be properly performed.
 * Hiking: A victory emote or taunt that can be used in both games. It is based on the Fortnite dance called the Hike. To perform this, use a weapon with a throwing bomb (like Autobombs, Splat Bombs, or Burst Bombs) and mash and  at the same time. This can only be used while refilling ink.

Competitive
For the terms used as callouts in competitive teams, see Callouts.

Area denial
Area denial is a strategy used to prevent an opponent from either occupying or traveling through a specific area of the stage, such as the Tower. Spamming bombs is one example of a tactic used for area denial.

Base invading
Base invading is the act of moving into the enemy base. Base invading can be done for a variety of powerful purposes, from spawn-camping (see below), to distracting the enemy from firing at important players (e.g. the Tower rider, the Rainmaker holder, or any Power Clam holders). Typically, the more players that are base invading, the more powerful the tactic will be.

Bunny/squid hopping
Bunny/squid hopping is the act of inking the ground and jumping away in squid form repeatedly at a fast pace, usually to escape areas with enemy ink around them.

Camping
Camping is a term used in several communities and refers to when a player stays in the same place over a long time as if they had made a camping site there. Players can do this for many reasons. Charger users may camp in one spot, as they are most effective attacking at long range and not so much when moving about. However, this is intended, and "camping" is normally used when referring to other scenarios: at times, players will stand next to an incoming Super Jump marker or Squid Beakon, waiting to get a splat right as the opponent lands. Players can also stay in place near the opposing team's spawn point to attack them right as they leave safety; this is known as "spawn-camping".

Sharking
Sharking is a form of camping in Splatoon involving hiding in a stranded puddle of one's own ink. Because of the mechanics of Splatoon, hiding in ink makes camping more effective. In contrast to just hiding in a largely inked area, sharking is less obvious, and can be effective when one is severely damaged or in a tight situation with no form of getaway. This tactic can be used for a variety of purposes, from ambushing the Rainmaker carrier to intercepting a would-be defender. It is also known as "flanking".

Cap
Cap or capping is short for "capture" or "capturing". It is used in several competitive games and refers to when a team is in the middle of capturing an objective. In the case of Splatoon, this could be taking over a Splat Zone.

Carrying
Carrying, used in the context of "carrying the team", is what some players say when they feel like they were the best players of their team and if it was not for their efforts, the team would have gotten a much lower score or lost. This is an analogy to carrying the other members of the team on one's back while that person does all the work.

Composition
A composition or comp consists of all four weapons used by a team, which can determine its strengths, weaknesses, and suitable play style. For example, a team composition of a Tentatek Splattershot, N-ZAP '85, Tri-Slosher, and Nautilus 79 can be considered an aggressive composition due to the presence of four relatively mobile, good-turfing weapons, two Inkjets, and a mobile anchor. Conversely, a comp consisting of an L-3 Nozzlenose D, Tenta Brella, Custom Explosher, and Custom Jet Squelcher is safer and more defensive due to four medium to long ranged weapons, including two anchor weapons.

Damage per second
Damage per second, or DPS, is a measurement commonly used in various video games, such as the Splatoon series, to determine how quickly certain weapons can output damage and, more importantly, how quickly they can eliminate certain targets. Weapons with high DPS are generally favored by slayers.

Farming
In the Splatoon series, farming refers to the act of turfing to quickly build up the special gauge in order to constantly have a certain special weapon ready. For example, in, the Splattershot Jr. is considered the fastest weapon at farming Ink Armor, making it a popular pick for many team compositions.

Feed
Feed is giving the enemy team the upper hand, whether it is by getting splatted and giving them a numerical advantage, or giving them ground to ink to fill up their special gauge, usually unintentionally.

Flanking
Flanking an opponent means to attack in more than one direction, particularly at an angle to the opponent's direction of engagement. In both Splatoon and Splatoon 2, flanking often involves at least one player attacking the opponent either from the side or from behind, either attacking a vital midline or backline player by surprise or drawing attention away from the front. Flanking is often combined with sharking (see above).

K/D and KA
In Splatoon, the ratio of 'players splatted' and 'getting splatted', is often referred to as the "kill-death ratio" just like other shooting games, or "K/D" for short.

In Splatoon 2, the ratio has been changed to 'players splatted including assists' and 'specials used'. This is often referred to as "KA" that stands for "kills and assists", while specials remained unchanged without initials.

Lockout
In Splat Zones, after a team has taken control of the Zones and usually gained a numbers advantage, it will begin a lockout of the opposing team to prevent them from taking back the zones by cutting out all routes to them. The team that is locked out will have to execute an effective means to push their opponents back and reclaim the Zone before either the countdown timer or game clock runs out.

Map control
Map control or stage control is a term used for having the majority of turf covered in the map. A team that gains map control simultaneously increases its mobility while restraining the opponent's mobility. Having map control enables a team to more effectively mount an attack, rapidly react on defense, lockout the opposing team in Splat Zones (see above), and collect clams more easily and safely in Clam Blitz.

Mode abbreviations
Abbreviations for the game modes are used by tournaments and by the community for all the modes that are currently in the games.
 * TW: Turf War
 * SZ: Splat Zones
 * TC: Tower Control
 * RM: Rainmaker
 * CB: Clam Blitz
 * PB: Private Battle
 * SR: Salmon Run

Peeking
Peeking is the act of charging a charger behind cover before strafing, quickly aiming, and firing at a target. Hiding behind cover not only provides a measure of protection but also hides the laser sight, reducing the time opponents can reacting to it. Because all Inklings and Octolings are right-handed, right-side peeking is generally more effective than left-side peeking. However, the ability for unscoped chargers to store a charge makes left-side peeking more viable in.

Phases
Games in competitive play can be divided into three phases:


 * Attacking phase: a team pushes forward into enemy territory, such as pushing either the Tower or the Rainmaker towards the goal.
 * Neutral phase: neither team has a push, yet both teams are still busy: players are turfing, collecting clams in Clam Blitz, and even engaging in some one-on-one battles around the stage.
 * Defensive phase: a team is trying to stop a push by the enemy.

Pity Clam
The Power Clam that will spawn by the goal of the team who was scored against after their barrier got broken has been "lovingly dubbed" the Pity Clam by official competitive commentators. Competitive teams will usually keep the Pity Clam untouched until a Super Jump opportunity to toss it into the enemy's goal presents itself.

Placements
Placements is a term used for the calculation period that determines the player's power level going into Rank X in one of the ranked modes. Placements are so-called because the power level and estimate position indicate the player's initial X Ranking.

Roles
Organized competitive Splatoon or Splatoon 2 teams often assign roles or positions to their players. While the positional role names of frontline, midline, and backline are self-explanatory in their relative locations, each role - slayer, support, and anchor - has its own specific responsibilities and usually aligns with each respective position (i.e. slayers with frontline, support with midline, and anchor with backline):

Slayer
Slayers are charged with engaging the opposing team and creating space by either pushing back or splatting opponents, allowing their teammates to push their objective (e.g. Tower or Rainmaker). They must be very skilled in various one-on-one matchups to either maintain a push or stop an opposing push. The ability to chase out or eliminate anchors is also important.

While a player's weapon of choice often depends on the mode and stage, certain weapons are more suited for slayers than are others. Short- to mid-ranged, mobile weapons, such as the Tentatek Splattershot, Custom Blaster, N-ZAP '89, Enperry Splat Dualies, Kensa Splat Dualies, Kensa Splattershot Pro and Clear Dapple Dualies are pure slayers' weapons. However, some slayer/support flex weapons, such as the Kensa Splattershot, Custom Dualie Squelchers, Slosher Deco, and Kensa Sloshing Machine, are preferred by some slayers for certain modes or stages. Bombs, such as Splat Bombs, Suction Bombs, Autobombs, and Torpedoes, are the favored sub weapons to maintain pressure on the opponent. Special weapons such as the Inkjet, Splashdown, and Baller are generally preferred as they are the most capable of pressuring opposing defenses.

Slayers generally select abilities that permit them to take risks when attacking opponents, such as Comeback, Quick Respawn, Quick Super Jump, and Stealth Jump. Swim Speed Up, a useful ability for almost any role or weapon, is beneficial for slayers to enable them to both pursue and evade opponents more quickly. Ninja Squid can be valuable for a slayer if one's weapon requires stealth, such as a roller; however, one should note the reduction in speed and might pair it with Swim Speed Up.

Support
Support players are expected to turf to either take or maintain map control, provide support fire for teammates, and use certain sub and special weapons that benefit the entire team, usually Point Sensors, Squid Beakons, or the Ink Armor, Bomb Launcher, Ink Storm, or Bubble Blower. Special weapons are highly emphasized with this role and have to be reliably farmed at a relatively quick rate. Therefore, abilities that enable frequent use of specials, such as Special Charge Up and Special Saver, are preferred. Ink Saver (Sub) allows a player to use sub weapons more liberally.

Mid-range weapons with certain sub and special weapon builds, such as the N-ZAP '85, H-3 Nozzlenose D, Dualie Squelchers, Custom Dualie Squelchers and Kensa Undercover Brella are the most commonly used weapons by support players, but the Splattershot Pro, Forge Splattershot Pro, Custom Explosher, Mini Splatling, and Tenta Brella also have supportive builds.

Anchor
The anchor is responsible for controlling turf in the center, providing support fire, and maintaining a safe Super Jump landing spot for their teammates. Long-ranged weapons, such as the Custom Jet Squelcher, Splat Charger, Heavy Splatling, and Heavy Splatling Remix are popular choices for a backline player, depending on the stage and mode. Either the Sting Ray or Booyah Bomb are often in the hands of an anchor, due to their long-reaching effects, but other special weapons, such as the Ink Storm, are also valuable, depending on the mode.

Flex
A flex is capable of more than one position and role, sometimes changing between loadouts in-between battles. A flex player has to be familiar with a variety of weapons. The Neo Splash-o-matic and Custom Dualie Squelchers are great examples of a slayer/support flex due to their splatting ability combined with turfing ability and sub and special weapons, while both the Custom Hydra Splatling and Ballpoint Splatling Nouveau each have both the range and the supportive sub and special weapons to be a support/anchor flex.

Shower
A Shower is staying in the middle of a Splash Wall, making the player invulnerable, which looks like a shower. This can only be used by the thrower's teammates and the thrower themselves because if enemies attempt to do this, they will take damage.

Snowball
Like its proverbial namesake, a snowball is a situation in Tower Control in which the team pushing the Tower can do so with little difficulty particularly due to the stage layout. Each stage can be rated by how easily a tower can snowball toward the goal after a particular point on the path. For example, on Starfish Mainstage since Version 4.0, once one team has cleared Checkpoint 2, the tower has an easy path to Checkpoint 3 and the goal because the defending team's pit and snipe provide enough space for the attacking team's players to occupy, allowing them to hold off defenders at the stairs, at the window, and coming from spawn.

Spamming
Spamming is the act of repetitive use of a weapon or tactic, such as Bomb spamming. The term ultimately derives from the Monty Python sketch "Spam".

Stagger
A stagger is a situation in which a team's splatted players respawn in long succession, creating a trickle of individual players returning. This is often dangerous for the team who is staggering, especially if the staggering team is constantly at a numbers disadvantage (e.g. 2-4, 1-3, 1-4), as individual players rushing back into battle are easier for the opponents to pick off. One tactic to avoid staggering is for the first player splatted in succession to delay returning to the battle, pair up with a teammate who was splatted after them, and return to battle together. Conversely, if a team can stagger its opponent, it can maintain a constant numbers advantage.

Sub Strafe
Sub Strafe is a technique used in the competitive scene to change directions fast when swimming in the ink. Pressing (Sub button) when swimming will stop the deceleration of slowing down the swim speed and will cause the player to emerge out of the ink. This technique can be used with all sub weapons.

Weapon Strafing
Strafing is when a player constantly uses their weapons attacks. It can slow players down, and decrease their speed slightly. An example is when a player repetitively sloshes a Slosher. The player does not travel at full speed, but instead ends up walking while using the weapon at the same time.

Trade
Due to the mechanics of Splatoon and Splatoon 2, it is possible for two opposing players to splat one another at or nearly at the same time, an occurrence known as a trade. Trades usually favor the team who has a numbers advantage either throughout the map or at a particular area of the map, such as where the Tower currently is or where the Rainmaker was last dropped.

Turfing
Turfing is the act of covering inkable terrain with one's ink. Besides being the objective in Turf War, it is also an important aspect for other reasons, including during any Ranked Battle:


 * Establishing map control, which increases both team control and mobility while decreasing enemy control and mobility.
 * Providing locations to refill ink and to shark/flank.
 * Building up the special gauge to have special weapons ready.

Wipe
A wipe is when all players on one team are splatted. Wiping the other team is usually very advantageous, especially in Turf War and Splat Zones. However, particularly on Tower Control and Rainmaker, sometimes a wiped team can set up their defense more effectively because everyone on the team respawns nearly simultaneously, but usually only if the Tower or Rainmaker was pushed deep into enemy territory before the wipe. A crew wipe in Salmon Run means all workers in the shift have been splatted, immediately ending the Salmon Run shift.

Celebratory memes
The Celebratory memes, "Woomy", "Ngyes", "Veemo", "Squimeedaily",and "Weyo/Oomi/Ngweh" are usually written in all-caps. They are each one of the celebratory sound effects and signals of the [[Media:Female inkling sounds.oga|Inkling Girl]], [[Media:Male inkling sounds.ogg|Inkling Boy]], Octoling Girl, and Octoling Boy respectively, usually heard in Inkopolis when talking, or when they successfully deliver the Rainmaker to its goal. It is believed that WOOMY gained popularity from a 4chan thread in. The sound effects for Woomy, Ngyes, Veemo and Weyo/Oomi/Ngweh are available here. The Japanese audience has its version of the Inklings' sound effect, being "Manmenmi" (マンメンミ).

Splat Tim


Splat Tim  is a modified Inkling Boy dressed in the Team Dogs Splatfest Tee, based off this image. He was first introduced on 2015-07-06 by Instagram user marble.soda. This meme became so well known that many parody accounts, custom images and even a custom amiibo were made based on him. Many 'family members' of Splat Tim have also been created, including Splat Tina, Splat Tom, Splat Tailor, Cale, Mar and Captian Crunch. The tagline 'He does it!' is often associated with Splat Tim after a mockup box art of a Splat Tim game introduced the tagline.

His signature weapon is called the "Pistol", although little is known about this.

This was later acknowledged by Nintendo of Europe's Twitter account during the Splatoon 2 European Championship, held on late March 2018. One of the Russian teams, named "Splat Tim", lost against "Alliance Rogue" from France. Nintendo of Europe later tweeted "Safe to say, Splat Tim did not do it. #SplatoonEC #ESL", referencing Splat Tim's tagline. It was said that Splat Tim was deformed by something called The Splatpocalypse, which is similar to The Splatocalypse. A wiki known as the Splat Tim Wiki was made on FANDOM.

Test Failed
Test failed is a phrase spoken by C.Q. Cumber in Octo Expansion whenever the player fails at specific objectives during the tests. Examples for quotes containing this phrase are "You let the 8-ball fall - test failed" and "You took damage - test failed", whereafter the player is splatted by a detonating bomb attached to Agent 8's back. Various posts have referenced or made variations of the phrase, containing a different commentary that ends with "test failed".

The Connection Is Unstable
The Connection Is Unstable is a communications error message that appears in-game when a person's internet connection is weak and the game can't keep playing on the internet. It is widely known for being a great annoyance while playing, due to the fact that unstable connections can lead to a suspension when disconnected, and can lower your rank when the match is considered a loss once a player disconnects. Compounded by the Nintendo Switch's notoriously weak Wi-Fi range.

The Octopark
Cool Skip is just after checkpoint two and is performed by jumping off the rail over the balloon and then performing a Dualie roll to catch the rail below.

Noli Skip is just after checkpoint four and is executed by performing the 'Aggressive Squid Jump' technique onto the rail hidden in a crate. This skip bypasses checkpoint five. The skip is named for the Splatoon 2 speedrunner Noli who pioneered it to gain the then-world record on this stage.

Octozeppelin Invasion
Sting Ray Skip requires a Sting Ray that can be acquired after checkpoint 2 by grabbing the can by the Octomissile launchers before leaving the area. Immediately after getting to the next checkpoint, the Sting Ray is activated and is used to reach the Grapplink that leads to the platform in front of the Zapfish. This skips most of checkpoint 3 and checkpoint 4. A speedrun for this mission was posted on Nintendo's YouTube and Twitter accounts using this skip.