Splatoon 3: Triple Inkstrike buff might make it actually useful

Splatoon 3 was recently updated to Ver. 2.1.0 and brought with it a buff to the Triple Inkstrike special weapon that has grabbed the attention of the community.

The Triple Inkstrike is a special weapon where players throw three beacons that each summon a tornado of ink to the spots where they land and damage opponents that find themselves within their range. Weapons with the Triple Inkstrike include the Rapid Blaster, Slosher, Splat Brella, and Tentatek Splattershot which is a new weapon that was added during 2022’s winter Chill Season.

The Triple Inkstrike has generally been regarded as a weak special. Firstly, it has low damage output and often doesn’t even splat opponents when it hits them. Since the tornadoes take time to appear, they are easy to avoid. From an opponent’s perspective, it’s more irritating than it is threatening.

Additionally, when using the special, players can’t transform into a squid or use their main or sub weapons until they throw out all of the beacons or the special ends. This leaves players using the Triple Inkstrike completely vulnerable until they use all of the beacons.

The following changes were made to the Triple Inkstrike in Ver. 2.1.0:

Increased the radius of the area damaged by about 10%.
Increased damage inflicted by about 50%.

With a whopping 50% damage increase, the Triple Inkstrike looks like it’s been transformed into a weapon that can cause some problems for opponents. As far as I (the original author of this article) could tell from testing it in the lobby, it was doing over 100 damage to objects even on the outer edge of its attack range. For those on the receiving end, completely avoiding it has become even more imperative.

The changes also make it easier to use against the Booyah Bomb and Crab Tank. A direct hit from a Triple Inkstrike against a player using the Booyah Bomb can break their armor in one hit and splat them. Even a Crab Tank in ball mode can be destroyed in one hit if caught in the middle of a tornado. Both of these are considered to be strong specials and the Triple Inkstrike couldn’t destroy them in one hit before the update.

However, as mentioned above, players have limited options and are quite vulnerable when using the Triple Inkstrike, and that hasn’t changed. Even when using it as a counter against an opponent’s special weapon, it’s important to be able to quickly and accurately place the beacons. This might take some practice, but it may be worth the effort.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-01-18 21:30 JST)