Does Splatoon 3’s latest update finally make the Angle Shooter viable?

Splatoon 3’s latest Ver. 3.1.0 update contains a number of changes to weapons like the Burst Bomb and Crab Tank, but it’s a buff to the Angle Shooter that has grabbed the attention of players on social media.

The Angle Shooter is a sub weapon that made its first appearance in Splatoon 3 and comes with long-range shooters like the Splattershot Pro and Jet Squelcher, as well as the Slosher Deco. When used, it shoots a straight line of ink almost like a laser beam. The shot will also bounce off of terrain and continue in a straight line. Enemies that are hit directly or touch the line are marked for a set period of time, with enemies that are hit also taking 35 damage.

At a glance, one might think it sounds like a handy sub weapon to have, but many players actually consider it difficult to use. This is because of how weak it is at inking stages. In the Splatoon series, weapons aren’t just judged based on their power and range, but also how well they ink stages. Because of the Angle Shooter’s poor inking abilities, it isn’t well suited for slowing down enemy advances. It also doesn’t pack much fire power and doesn’t have splash damage like other sub weapons such as the Splat Bomb. Having to land a direct hit to do damage is another reason the Angle Shooter is tough to use.

While the Angle Shooter has been buffed twice in the past, players still considered it a weak sub weapon. With this third buff, Nintendo added a change which “roughly doubled the radius of the ink splatter that occurs when it hits terrain.”

When testing in the lobby, we can see that the Angle Shooter’s inking range has been extended to roughly one line. While still somewhat small compared to explosive sub weapons, it is a buff to an aspect of the weapon many considered weak. This expanded range also allows the Angle Shooter to be used in new ways like shooting a wall and using the ink to take the high ground.

As an aside, players on Twitter have been saying that the Angle Shooter is now like the Burst Bomb. This may be because it can be immediately used to ink the stage after use. With the Angle Shooter now being compared to a powerful sub weapon like the Burst Bomb, we want to keep an eye on how players make use of it going forward.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-03-31 18:37 JST)