Mothership

Motherships are Boss Salmonids that appear in Salmon Run in Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3.

Description
Flying high above the map far enough to prevent most weapons from hitting them, Motherships carry crates full of Salmonids, which are dropped off by smaller flying Salmonids accompanying it called Chinooks. Motherships can also use a vacuum on the Egg Basket to suck up any Golden Eggs inside. Mr. Grizz warns players whenever a Mothership is preparing its vacuum and when it has almost reached the Egg Basket. Destroying the crates before they open prevents them from deploying their cargo, and the Chinooks themselves can also be defeated before they can drop the crates. More importantly, they also drop Golden Eggs when defeated. Attacking the Mothership when it reaches the Egg Basket forces it to retreat. Attacking it with the Sting Ray, Inkjet, or other weapons with a range long enough to hit the crates it carries also makes it drop large quantities of Golden Eggs. While the Mothership is sucking up Golden Eggs from the Egg Basket, players are unable to deposit Golden Eggs until they push it back.

Like Grillers, Motherships only show up in a special wave. If Mr. Grizz talks about Motherships at the beginning of a wave, that means the players are in the wave. This special wave consists of only a Mothership and its Chinook escorts.

Quotes
The following text is quoted from the Salmonid Field Guide.


 * What Happens
 * New troops are brought to the battleground from the Mothership.
 * A large number of Chinooks will bring containers of lesser Salmonids from the Mothership to join the fray.
 * Periodically, the Mothership will draw close to the egg basket and try to suck up and reclaim any Golden Eggs inside.


 * How to Get Golden Eggs
 * Shoot the containers carried by the Chinooks to make them explode.
 * If you manage to blow up the Chinooks as well, they will drop Golden Eggs.


 * Advice from Mr. Grizz
 * Split up to take out the Chinooks.
 * If the Mothership comes to take back the Golden Eggs, everyone should focus on pushing it back!


 * Supplementary Information
 * The Mothership is a vital cog in the Salmonid distribution chain.
 * Deploying the Mothership is said to be the last resort of the Salmonid army. When it is dispatched, all troops stationed nearby gather together to see it off.

Tips

 * To minimize failure of not meeting the quota, it is advised to fire the Sting Ray at the Mothership when it is first approaching the basket.
 * The preferred timing is around the 66-second mark. Firing sooner may cause Golden Eggs to drop too far to collect efficiently. Firing at its second approach should happen at around 15-14 seconds left on the timer.
 * The Splashdown can be used to repel the Mothership away faster, giving enough time to collect Golden Eggs before the timer runs out.
 * Aim at the bottom of the Mothership, not at the suction tube, so that it penetrates the Chinooks in the ship container.
 * The main purpose of the Sting Ray is not to repel the Mothership but to cause many Golden Eggs to drop. If Sting Ray is in use, coworkers should stop attacking the Mothership or risk repelling it too soon.
 * A single Sting Ray cannot repel the Mothership itself. Coworkers should only shoot the Mothership when the Sting Ray has ended.
 * In Salmon Run Next Wave, specials that can achieve a similar effect include the Triple Inkstrike and the Booyah Bomb. If timed and aimed well they can heavily damage the Mothership whilst defeating many of the Chinooks in a single shot. They should be aimed at the base of the Mothership, just like the Sting Ray.
 * The Triple Inkstrike has nigh infinite vertical range, so landing it around the basket instead of at the Mothership directly is most effective.
 * On Salmonid Smokeyard during Low Tide, long-range weapons can shoot the Chinooks above the basket, making Golden Eggs fall right near the basket.
 * Each map has its own area where most of the Chinooks land. Players can locate and use said areas to their advantage.
 * Long-range weapons like the Ballpoint Splatling or Explosher can "farm" the Mothership by aiming straight up and having its projectiles fall and kill the Chinooks.
 * It is advised to go to higher places to have a better angle on it.
 * Additionally, on Marooner's Bay during Low Tide, any weapon with a decent amount of range can go on top of the boat and shoot directly at Mothership's Chinook spawners.

Trivia

 * Unlike other types of Boss Salmonids, the Mothership is indestructible by ink and does not attack directly.
 * It is possible to hit and send the Mothership back with long-range weapons when it is heading toward the Egg Basket before managing to latch onto the basket.
 * The Mothership will be jettisoned off of the egg basket and crash into the water, either once it is hit enough with ink the second time it tries to suck up eggs, or when the wave ends.