Killer Wail 5.1
- For the variant appearing in Splatoon, see Killer Wail.
The Killer Wail 5.1 is a special weapon in Splatoon 3. It fires a series of six prolonged lasers in the user's ink color that pierce through walls and automatically track opponents.
Appearance
The Killer Wail 5.1 consists of six floating speakers, in contrast to the original Killer Wail's singular megaphone. Each speaker is identical and will fire a sound wave beam similar to the Killer Wail's but much narrower. The back of each speaker holds a can of spray paint, which bears a strong resemblance to that of the Suction Bomb.
Splatoon 3
When activated, six flying speakers spawn in a vertical hexagon formation and follow the user. The user can then target opponents one at a time by facing the camera in their direction, indicated by a reticle. By switching targets after the previous pair has locked on, each pair of speakers can be locked onto a different opponent. If there is no targeted opponent when a speaker pair activates, the speakers simply point in the camera's direction and fire. Each individual speaker will then choose randomly to either rotate left or right for its duration.
The speakers activate two at a time and from top to bottom in roughly .5 second intervals, each firing a narrow, wall-piercing beam that deals damage to opponents that touch them. Once they start firing, the speakers float in place and rotate, tracking locked-on opponents' movement roughly half a second behind their current position. The speakers have their own individual durations, each lasting for 3 seconds after activation.
The speakers all deal damage individually, at 3.5 damage per 5 frames, or 42 damage per second. Hence, being caught in the beams of 2 lasers deals 7 damage every 5 frames, for 84 damage per second, and being caught in the beams of all 6 lasers deals 21 damage every 5 frames for a total of 252 damage per second[1].
If a locked-on opponent is splatted, the speakers will continue to rotate continuously in the same direction as they were before the target was splatted. If a locked-on opponent is splatted before the speakers begin firing, they will turn to face the target's last location before choosing to rotate as if there was no target.
This special is one of the nine available specials in Salmon Run Next Wave. In this mode, the Killer Wail 5.1 can deal piercing damage and be used to splat armored bosses such as Steelheads and Drizzlers.
Special Power Up
- Main article: Special Power Up
Equipping Special Power Up with Killer Wail 5.1 increases the individual firing duration of each laser to up to 4 seconds.
Version history
| Version | Adjustments |
|---|---|
| 1.2.0 |
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| 2.0.0 | Salmon Run Next Wave:
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| 3.0.0 |
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| 5.0.0 |
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| 5.1.0 |
|
Quotes
| “ | Unleashes six speaker-shaped, laser-emitting devices to surround and devastate your enemies. Lock onto an opponent, and the emitters will track and blast them wherever they go! You can continue to use your main weapon and sub weapon while the Killer Wail 5.1 is firing. | ” | — In-game description
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Sets
Badges
- Main article: Badge#Special weapon wins
Winning a certain number of battles with the Killer Wail 5.1 will reward the player with special badges that they can use on their Splashtag.
| Killer Wail 5.1 badges | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
30 wins with Killer Wail 5.1 | |
 |
180 wins with Killer Wail 5.1 | |
 |
1,200 wins with Killer Wail 5.1 | |
Gallery
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The Killer Wail 5.1 in action
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The Sloshing Machine with the Killer Wail 5.1.
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Back view.
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A view of the lasers.
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Another view.
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An earlier version of the Killer Wail 5.1 icon.
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2D icon
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2D icon used in Side Order
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Uncropped version of the Tableturf card icon.
Strategy
For competitive tips about the Killer Wail 5.1
|
View the strategy page. |
Trivia
- The Killer Wail 5.1 is a modified version of the original Killer Wail from Splatoon.[2]
- The number refers to the 5.1 surround sound audio system, commonly used in home theatres.
- 5.1 capable audio systems consist of five relatively similar full spectrum speakers, as well as an additional low-frequency speaker. Despite this, the Killer Wail 5.1's six speakers all appear to be identical.
- In Salmon Run Next Wave, if a player uses a Killer Wail 5.1 with proper timing during the opening of an Xtrawave, it will attempt to target the King Salmonid during its introduction animation. This will not damage the King Salmonid.
- In Side Order, the player's and Pearl Drone's Killer Wail 5.1 is able to redirect itself automatically after splatting the target instead of going aimlessly in another direction.
- The Tableturf card icon for Killer Wail 5.1 features an Inkling with a Sloshing Machine activating the special weapon, despite neither of its weapon sets having it.
- However, the Sloshing Machine was seen using Killer Wail 5.1 in some promotional materials[3].
Etymology
"Killer Wail 5.1" is a combination of "Killer Wail" (which in turn is a portmanteau of "killer whale" and "wail"), and 5.1 surround sound system. "Wail" references its method of splatting opponents, while 5.1 (the most common format for surround sound systems) references its plural speakers. Notably, both Wii U and Nintendo Switch support 5.1 output.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
メガホンレーザー5.1ch Megahon rēzā 5.1ch |
Megaphone Laser 5.1ch |
 Dutch |
Megalofoon 5.1 | Megalophone 5.1[a] |
 French (NOA) |
Laser perçant 5.1 | Piercing laser 5.1 |
 French (NOE) |
Haut-perceur 5.1 | Loudpiercer 5.1[b] |
 German |
Heulboje 5.1 | Howling Buoy 5.1[c] |
 Italian |
Tintofono 5.1 | Inkophone 5.1[d] |
 Russian |
Мегалофон 5.1 Megalofon 5.1 |
Megalophone 5.1[e] |
 Spanish (NOA) |
Berreón 5.1 | Bawler 5.1 or Howler 5.1[f] |
 Spanish (NOE) |
Tintófono 5.1 | Inkophone 5.1[g] |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
喇叭镭射5.1ch Lǎbā léishè 5.1ch (Mandarin) |
Speaker Laser 5.1ch |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
喇叭雷射5.1ch Lǎbā léishè 5.1ch (Mandarin) |
Speaker Laser 5.1ch |
 Korean |
메가폰 레이저 5.1ch Megapon reijeo 5.1ch |
Megaphone Laser 5.1ch |
 Internal |
SpMicroLaser[4] | Sp stands for special weapon, and Micro may refer to a microphone or it being a smaller variant compared to the Killer Wail's megaphone. |
Translation notes
- ↑ From Megalodon, an extinct species of enormous shark, and megafoon ("megaphone")
- ↑ From haut-parleur ("loudspeaker"), and perceur ("piercer")
- ↑ From heulen, a verb which means "to cry or howl", and Boje ("buoy")
- ↑ From tinta ("ink"), and the suffix -fono ("-phone").
- ↑ From Мегалодон Megalodon, an extinct species of enormous shark, and мегафон megafon ("megaphone").
- ↑ From berreón ("bawler" (someone who cries))
- ↑ From tinta ("ink"), and megáfono ("megaphone").
