Gear ability
Gear abilities, or simply abilities, are special attributes that are placed on wearable gear in Splatoon and Splatoon 2. Each provide different effects, whose effectiveness is usually based on the amount of the specific ability the player has.
Primary abilities
All pieces of gear have 1 primary ability (also called main); in Splatoon, it cannot be changed; in Splatoon 2, it can sometimes be changed.
Some pieces of gear can appear on the SplatNet 2 shop with different primary abilities than their defaults. Gear obtained through Salmon Run does not have a default primary ability and is randomly assigned from all abilities that are able to appear as secondary abilities.
All pieces of gear do not have primary abilities that match the gear's brand's 'favored' ability; (except for a few, which were originally sold through SplatNet 2). This is thought to be done to make acquiring gear with all 4 slots having the same ability (colloquially called 'pure' gear) more difficult.
Primary-only abilities and mutual exclusivity
Some abilities can only appear as primary abilities. These abilities are also tied to a certain type of gear (head, clothes, or shoes), which prevents the user from having more than one of those abilities. As a result, if a player equips Tenacity, they cannot also equip Comeback because both abilities are only available in the primary ability slot of headgear items.
The groups of mutually exclusive abilities are as follows:
Game | Headgear | Clothing | Shoes |
---|---|---|---|
File:Splatoonlogo.png | |||
Secondary abilities
All pieces of gear have 1, 2, or 3 slots for secondary abilities (also called subs), which are ×0.3 as effective as if they were primary abilities. The number of secondary abilities that are present by default is equal to the number of stars (rarity) on the gear. Secondary ability slots on a piece of gear are unlocked by getting points by playing battles (except for private battles) while that gear is equipped. Higher rarity gear usually take more points to unlock slots, and each progressive slot on the same gear usually requires more points to unlock than the previous slot.
In Splatoon, there are 13 possible secondary abilities; in Splatoon 2, there are 14. Brands that affect roll probability have a ×5 chance of rolling its favored ability, and a ×0.5 chance of rolling its unfavored ability. (Secondary abilities are assigned using random number generation (RNG).)
Amount in a row |
Favoring brand | Non-favoring brand | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Favored ability | Unfavored ability | Neutral ability | Any ability | |
1 | 30.303…% | 3.030…% | 6.060…% | 7.692…% |
2 | 9.182…% | 0.091…% | 0.367…% | 0.591…% |
3 | 2.782…% | 0.002…% | 0.022…% | 0.045…% |
In Splatoon 2, when unlocking slots, the probability of receiving a specific ability can be influenced with a drink ticket.
Favoring brand | |||
---|---|---|---|
Amount in a row |
Favored ability | Unfavored ability | Neutral ability |
No drink ticket | |||
1 | 28.571…% | 2.857…% | 5.714…% |
2 | 8.163…% | 0.0816…% | 0.326…% |
3 | 2.332…% | 0.00233…% | 0.0186…% |
With drink ticket (favored ability) | |||
1 | 30.000% | 2.800% | 5.600% |
2 | 9.000% | 0.0784% | 0.3136% |
3 | 2.7% | 0.00219…% | 0.0175…% |
With drink ticket (unfavored ability) | |||
1 | 20.588…% | 30.000% | 4.117…% |
2 | 4.238…% | 9.000% | 0.169…% |
3 | 0.872…% | 2.700% | 0.00698…% |
With drink ticket (neutral ability) | |||
1 | 21.212…% | 2.121…% | 30.000% |
2 | 4.499…% | 0.0449…% | 9.000% |
3 | 0.954…% | 0.000954…% | 2.700% |
Non-favoring brand | |||
Amount in a row |
No drink ticket | Matching drink ticket | Mismatched drink ticket |
1 | 7.142…% | 30.000% | 5.384…% |
2 | 0.510…% | 9.000% | 0.289…% |
3 | 0.0364…% | 2.700% | 0.0156…% |
Stacking
In general, the more a specific ability is used (stacked), the less the rate at which the effect it has is accumulated. The degree at which this occurs depends on the ability.
Splatoon
Spyke, who can be found in an alleyway in Inkopolis Plaza, will offer to re-roll secondary abilities or increase the number of gear slots in exchange for a Super Sea Snail or 30,000 cash.
Some abilities have no effect for certain things. For example:
- Bomb Range Up has no effect for the following sub weapons: Ink Mine, Seeker, Splash Wall, Squid Beakon, Sprinkler.
- Run Speed Up has no effect on the run speed while rolling a roller.
List of abilities
Name | Description | Gear | Favored by | Unfavored by |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bomb Range Up | Makes thrown sub weapons travel farther. | Any | ||
Bomb Sniffer | Enemy sub weapons appear on-screen as skull icons and non-lethal damage from them is reduced. | Shoes | ||
Cold Blooded | Shortens the duration of position trackers. | Clothing | ||
Comeback | Improves ink usage and recovery, swim and run speed, and special weapon charge rate for 20 seconds after respawning. | Headgear | ||
Damage Up | Increases damage dealt with all weapons. | Any | SquidForce | Inkline |
Defense Up | Decreases damage taken from all attacks. | Any | Inkline | Krak-On |
Haunt | Tracks the enemy that splats the user and increases damage, defense, and run speed when the user themselves is tracked. | Clothing | ||
Ink Recovery Up | Increases ink tank refill rate while in squid form. | Any | Tentatek | Firefin |
Ink Resistance Up | Decreases damage, speed, and jump penalties when standing in enemy ink. | Shoes | ||
Ink Saver (Main) | Decreases main weapon ink usage. | Any | Splash Mob | SquidForce |
Ink Saver (Sub) | Decreases sub weapon ink usage. | Any | Firefin | Forge |
Last-Ditch Effort | Improves ink usage and recovery as well as respawn time towards the end of a battle. | Headgear | ||
Ninja Squid | The user is less visible while swimming, but reduces swim speed. | Clothing | ||
Opening Gambit | Increases swim and run speed for the first 30 seconds of a battle. | Headgear | ||
Quick Respawn | Decreases respawn delay. | Any | Skalop | Zink |
Quick Super Jump | Increases Super Jump speed. | Any | Zink | Tentatek |
Recon (ability) | Opponents and their weapons are seen on while at the spawn point. | Clothing | ||
Run Speed Up | Increases movement speed in humanoid form. | Any | Rockenberg | Splash Mob |
Special Charge Up | Increases the rate at which the special gauge fills. | Any | Takoroka | Zekko |
Special Duration Up | Increases the duration of special weapons and gives the Inkstrike and Killer Wail shorter cooldown times. | Any | Forge | Takoroka |
Special Saver | Mitigates special gauge loss after being splatted. | Any | Zekko | Skalop |
Stealth Jump | Hides the Super Jump landing marker, but decreases the speed of the jump. | Shoes | ||
Swim Speed Up | Increases movement speed while swimming in squid form. | Any | Krak-On | Rockenberg |
Tenacity | Slowly fills the user's special gauge when their team has fewer active players than the opposing team. | Headgear |
Splatoon 2
Murch, who can be found in Inkopolis Square, has multiple services that can affect a gear item's secondary abilities:
Service | Effect | Cost | |
---|---|---|---|
Increase Slots | Adds another slot to a or item. | 1 | |
Reroll | Reroll happens only if all 3 slots exist on the item. It rerolls all the filled slots on a piece of gear and provides one ability chunk for each removed ability. | 1 | |
Scrub Slots | Resets all the gear slots to and provides one ability chunk for each removed ability. | Default | 20,000 |
2,000 | |||
Use Ability Chunks | Places a specific ability in a specific slot.
If an occupied slot is overwritten, 1 ability chunk of the overwritten ability will be provided. The number of secondery abilities already on the gear that match the ability chunk's ability is used to determine the cost. |
Slots Filled | Cost |
0 | 10 | ||
1 | 20 | ||
2 | 30 |
List of abilities
Name | Description | Gear | Favored by | Unfavored by |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ability Doubler | Doubles the effect of other abilities attached to the gear piece. | Clothing | ||
Bomb Defense Up DX | Reduces damage taken from sub weapons and special weapons, and shortens the duration of position trackers. | Any | Inkline | Krak-On |
Comeback | Improves ink usage and recovery, swim and run speed, and special weapon charge rate for 20 seconds after respawning. | Headgear | ||
Drop Roller | Tilting during a Super Jump allows the player to perform a directional roll upon landing. | Shoes | ||
Haunt | Tracks the enemy that splats the user with thermal ink. | Clothing | ||
Ink Recovery Up | Increases ink tank refill rate. | Any | Tentatek | Firefin |
Ink Resistance Up | Decreases damage, speed, and jump penalties when standing in enemy ink. | Any | SquidForce | Enperry |
Ink Saver (Main) | Decreases main weapon ink usage. | Any | Splash Mob | SquidForce |
Ink Saver (Sub) | Decreases sub weapon ink usage. | Any | Firefin | Forge |
Last-Ditch Effort | Improves ink usage and recovery towards the end of a battle. | Headgear | ||
Main Power Up | Raises performance of main weapons. | Any | Annaki Toni Kensa |
Inkline |
Ninja Squid | The user is less visible while swimming, but has reduced swim speed. | Clothing | ||
Object Shredder | Increases damage dealt to non-player targets. | Shoes | ||
Opening Gambit | Increases ink resistance, swim and run speed for the first 30 seconds of a battle. | Headgear | ||
Quick Respawn | Decreases respawn delay if splatted repeatedly without splatting an opponent. | Any | Skalop | Zink |
Quick Super Jump | Increases Super Jump speed. | Any | Zink | Tentatek |
Respawn Punisher | Increases respawn time and special gauge spawn penalty for the player and any enemy they splat. | Clothing | ||
Run Speed Up | Increases movement speed in humanoid form. | Any | Rockenberg | Splash Mob |
Special Charge Up | Increases the rate at which the special gauge fills. | Any | Takoroka | Zekko |
Special Power Up | Raises performance of special weapons. | Any | Forge | Takoroka |
Special Saver | Mitigates special gauge loss after being splatted. | Any | Zekko | Annaki Skalop |
Stealth Jump | Hides the Super Jump landing marker from a certain distance away. | Shoes | ||
Sub Power Up | Increases performance of sub weapons. | Any | Enperry | Toni Kensa |
Swim Speed Up | Increases movement speed while swimming in squid/octo form. | Any | Krak-On | Rockenberg |
Tenacity | Slowly fills the user's special gauge when their team has fewer active players than the opposing team. | Headgear | ||
Thermal Ink | Allows the player to track distant players hit with shots from their main weapon. | Clothing |
Retired abilities
The following abilities were once present in the game but were later removed/replaced:
Name | Version Removed On | Description | Gear | Favored by | Unfavored by |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bomb Defense Up | 4.3.0 | Reduces damage taken by sub weapons and special weapons. | Any | Inkline | Krak-On |
Cold-Blooded | 4.3.0 | Shortens the duration of position trackers. | Any | Annaki Toni Kensa |
Inkline |
Version 4.3.0
In Version 4.3.0, the following replacements took place:
- All existing gear slots and ability chunks for Bomb Defense Up and Cold-Blooded were replaced with Bomb Defense Up DX.
- Gear items available in shops that had Cold-Blooded as the main ability now offer Main Power Up as the main ability instead.
- The following exclusive gear items had Cold-Blooded as the main ability and now offer Bomb Defense Up DX instead:
Gallery
-
Diagram of abilities and brands in Splatoon, which brand favors and not favors each ability.
-
Promo image of the abilities in Splatoon 2.
Names in other languages
Ability | Primary ability | Secondary ability |
Template:Foreignname | Template:Foreignname | Template:Foreignname |
References