A fan ofSplatoon 3has demonstrated one of the ways that the Ninja Squid ability has been changed following the game’s recent update. As was seen with previousSplatoon 3updates, the latest slew of nerfs and buffs has players actively discussing the game’s meta online.
Splatoon 3players can add abilities to their in-game gear by either leveling them up or using ability chunks. Each piece of gear can have up to four abilities equipped through one primary slot and up to three secondary slots. Some abilities can only be equipped in primary slots and require multiple types ofSplatoon 3ability chunksin order to add them directly to gear. These include Stealth Jump, which hides players' spawn locations, and Ninja Squid, which makes players harder to see while swimming at the cost of reduced swim speed. A common tactic for Ninja Squid players is to pair it with the Swim Speed Up ability to cancel out the reduction in speed.
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Ninja Squidhas been significantly nerfed following the version 2.1.0 update forSplatoon 3that was released on January 17. The update page on Nintendo’s website states that players equipped with Ninja Squid will be visible for half a second after going back to walking from swimming. This segment from the update was confusing to players as Ninja Squid is only effective when swimming. The change to the ability was clarified by a fan on the game’s subreddit who demonstrated how Ninja Squid was affected in a video. Following the update, a slight trail can now be briefly seen immediately after swimming, potentially compromising the stealth of players.
A fan translation of the Japanese version of the update page appears to confirm that the English version meant to say that Ninja Squid players would be more visible when swimming. It also clarified that the game has simplified how Ninja Squid works in conjunction with Swim Speed Up. Unlike relativelynew abilities like Intensify Action, Ninja Squid has been present in theSplatoonseries since the game’s first entry in 2015, meaning there has been much more time for players to familiarize themselves with it.
What makes the meta ofSplatoon 3interesting is that the game must be accessible to younger players while also not being too simple for more experienced players. It is no secret that the target audience forSplatoon 3is much younger compared to series likeBattlefieldandOverwatch, which in turn means that what works well in other shooters may not translate well intoSplatoon. It has been argued thatSplatoonshould borrow certain mechanics fromCall of Dutyand similar games, but it should always be remembered that part of what makesSplatoonunique is how much it doesn’t resemble other games in its genre.
