Splatoon/Sub-weapons and specials

Other than your primary weapon, you also have access to a sub-weapon, which uses up a lot of ink but usually has a significant effect, as well as a special, powerful tools that can only be used after inking enough turf. The sub-weapon and special you get is always tied to your main weapon, so even weapons that share the same stats can require different playstyles depending on the sub-weapon they have.

Sub-weapons

Sub-weapons mostly consist of powerful thrown grenades or helpful support items. They typically use up a lot of ink, so they can't be spammed carelessly. The ink pack on your back will glow whenever you have enough ink to use your sub-weapon, serving as a useful visual indicator.

Splat Bomb

• Ink cost: 80%
• Damage: 180 (decreases with distance from the center of blast)

Splat Bombs behave like standard grenades: they explode a while after being thrown to deal heavy damage and spread ink in its blast radius. The bomb has a short fuse which only counts down when the Splat Bomb touches a solid surface like a wall or floor. Splat Bombs are versatile and can be used to cover areas outside your reach, such as enemies beyond your main weapon's range or around corners. They are also good for map control by forcing foes out of strategic positions. You can control when the bomb explodes based on the way you throw it. For example, rolling a Splat Bomb along the ground or off the ledge activates its fuse earlier, causing it to explode faster than a tossed Splat Bomb at the cost of range.

Burst Bomb

• Ink cost: 25%
• Damage: 60 (Direct impact, lower damage if hit with splash)

Burst Bombs deal a fraction of a Splat Bomb's damage for a fraction of the ink required. Since it uses up so little ink, it is very spammable and is often used more like an alternate main weapon than a backup. Burst Bombs explode immediately, which limits their use to direct combat, although they can also be used to quickly cover a patch of turf for weapons that can't do so. Burst Bombs kill in 2 direct hits or 3 indirect hits, so you can take on foes in mid-close range engagements exclusively using Burst Bombs. Burst Bombs are usually utilized to make up for a main weapon's weaknesses. On short ranged weapons like the Carbon Roller, it's used to attack foes that are out-of-reach; on long-ranged weapons like the E-liter 3K, they are close-range defenses against flanking or surprise attacks.

Specials

On the top-right corner of the screen is your special bar. It will slowly fill up when you ink turf, and lets you unleash a powerful special when it is fully charged. You will briefly shine and your Inkling's hair will start flaming once you get your special, visual cues visible to both friend and foe. Dying will take a large chunk off of your special bar, so make sure to survive when you have a special until the right moment to use it.