Abilities play an important role in Splatoon 2, acting as complimentary tools associated with the different items and gear your Inkling will wear. Each piece of gear worn by an Inkling has an ability attached to it, with three sub ability slots earned through BP. Three main abilities are also attached to each piece of gear, and are three times as powerful as sub abilities.
Ideally, you want to focus on main abilities, with a good combination of sub abilities to balance out your play style. They work together rather well, and have a number of different benefits when used individually or combined.
In this guide we’ll take a look at each ability and how they function within Splatoon 2.
Best Abilities
The best abilities in Splatoon 2 are going to change from player to player, match to match. It really all depends on the time of situation.
If you’re looking to sneak up on an enemy, than the Ninja Squid ability is best for that.
If your team is struggling, then abilities that give you and your team a boost are ones you should be looking at. Quick Respawn will help you get back into the match faster, while Cold Blooded will limit the effectiveness of an opponent’s tracking gear.
Take a look at each ability in Splatoon 2 below, and when the best situation to use it is.
Ink Saver
Main
What It Does: This ability decreases the amount of ink consumed by your main weapon. Usage falls by up to 60% of normal usage.
When To Use: This ability is best used with roller-based weapons, as it increases the distance you can role before refilling your Ink Tank.
Sub
What It Does: This ability decreases the amount of ink consumed by your sub weapon. Usage falls by up to 75% of normal usage.
When To Use: This ability is best used with Splat Bombs or Burst Bombs.
Ink Recovery Up
What It Does: This ability increase the Ink Tank refill rate.
When To Use: Filling your tank up by as much as 40% extra in squid form, this ability is particularly useful if you’re in crazy battles where you’re running out of ink at a quick rate.
Run Speed Up
What It Does: This ability increases the movement speed while in Inkling form.
When To Use: This will increase your speed by up to 50%, including when you’re running and firing a weapon. It’s an especially useful ability, particularly in the likes of Splat Zones when you want to take control of an area quickly.
Swim Speed Up
What It Does: This ability increases movement speed while in squid form.
When To Use: A speed boost in squid form of up to 25% is handy just as with Run Speed Up when you’re pushing towards an important objective on a map.
Special Charge Up
What It Does: This ability increases Special Gauge fill rate.
When To Use: The rate increases by 30%, which allows for a faster deployment of specials. Use it in Turf War.
Special Save
What It Does: This ability reduces the Special Gauge decrease rate after being splatted.
When To Use: Your splatter penalty that you receive every time you get splatted will be reduced, ensuring your Special Gauge stays active and filled for longer. Use this at will, when you feel you want to turn the tide in your team’s favour and keep your special abilities active. If you’re a particularly aggressive player, this ability is for you.
Special Power Up
What It Does: This ability will improve the effectiveness of your special weapon.
When To Use: This ability can be useful if your team is struggling and needs a big move to get things in their favour. The ability affects most specials by boosting the duration time, allowing specials to last longer. Certain weapons also get a boost and become more effective.
Quick Respawn
What It Does: This ability will reduce the spawn time after you get splatted, if you haven’t splatted any opponents.
When To Use: This can be a particularly useful ability, cutting two seconds off the respawn time. Use it at will whenever you want to quickly get back into battle.
Quick Super Jump
What It Does: This ability increases your Super Jump speed.
When To Use: Your Super Jump speed can be boosted by up to double the normal rate, making for faster deployment when jumping towards teammates. If you want to ambush the opponent, use this ability.
Sub Power Up
What It Does: This ability increases the proficiency of your sub weapon.
When To Use: If your loadout includes the likes of a Splat Bomb, Burst Bomb or Suction Bomb, then you want this ability, as it improve and increases the toss distance of sub weapons.
Ink Resistance Up
What It Does: This ability reduces the damage taken, slowing down the effect when walking through enemy ink.
When To Use: This will limit the damage taken and speed decrease when moving through enemy ink. It’s a particularly effective ability, and should be an important part of your loadout strategy at all times.
Bomb Defense Up
What It Does: This ability reduces the total damage received from explosions.
When To Use: If your opponent is packing a heavy loadout and causing a lot of explosion damage, consider equipping this ability.
Cold Blooded
What It Does: This ability decreases the time of an opponent’s Point Sensors, as well as other location items.
When To Use: If your opponent is having a good and easy time tracking you, this ability can make their tracking abilities and tools less effective. This ability will reduce the amount of time something like an Ink Mine can track your movement and location.
Open Gambit
What It Does: This ability will boost your speed in both Inkling and squid form in the first 30 seconds of a match.
When To Use: Use it to rush objectives at the start of a match and get the leg up on an opponent.
Last Ditch Effort
What It Does: This ability increases the ink-recovery rate and weapon ink efficiency rate for the final 30 seconds of a battle.
When To Use: If you’re in a close battle, use this ability. It will ensure you never run out of ink, and is especially useful and powerful in the final moments of a Turf War battle.
Tenacity
What It Does: This ability will fill your Special Gauge automatically whenever your team has fewer active players than the enemy.
When To Use: This can be an effective tool if your team is struggling against the opposition. If your teammates often find themselves in respawn, you can use this ability to get a boost to your Special Gauge, and potentially turn the match back in your favour.
Comeback
What It Does: This ability will boost some abilities shortly after respawn.
When To Use: As with Tenacity, this is a useful took if you find yourself being dominated by the enemy and want to try and get the upper hand in some capacity.
Ninja Squid
What It Does: This ability will ensure that no trace is left behind when swimming.
When To Use: Use this ability to try and sneak up to enemies.
