In a return appearance from the climactic boss of the previous two Splatoon entries, the Octobot King takes almost no time in confronting you in Splatoon 3. As the first boss in the game’s hero mode, he’s still more machine than octopus, and he’s still working the turntables as DJ Octavio. Defeating DJ Octavio will require getting through a few different phases, each of which introduces an obstacle or two to overcome.
Luckily, there’s a common theme in this boss fight that should make it easier to figure out each new hurdle. In the broadest sense, this fight is about finding ways to hit DJ Octavio while his mech is so far away that your weapon can’t reach it.
Related: How long does Splatoon 3’s campaign take to beat? Full Hero Mode level list
First phase
For the first phase, things stay pretty simple. DJ Octavio’s two attacks here are very similar, with both involving him hurling one of his mech’s hands at you. In one, the fist slowly punches toward you, and your goal is to keep shooting it until it reverses course and hits DJ Octavio instead. In the other, the hand transforms into a giant drill that moves too fast for you to reverse it. Instead, just make sure you have enough ink on the ground to swim away in. Then, once it lodges in the ground, hit it with your freshly refilled ink until it flies back from whence it came.
Second phase
In the second phase, the mech’s face sprouts a giant vacuum that will suck up your ink, making it difficult to dodge the drill attacks that will keep coming your way. To counter this, throw your Buddy with R (the right shoulder button). When DJ Octavio tries to suck up your ink, the Buddy will get sucked up too, clogging the vacuum and keeping your territory safe.
Third Phase
In the last phase, a new attack is introduced where one of the mech’s hands tries to slap you from above. This attack is reversible in the same way the punching attack is, though it seems to take a little more ink than that one. If you aren’t able to fully cover it, it will deal considerable damage upon impact. Additionally, while it’s lodged in the ground it will generate a shockwave along the ground that you’ll need to jump over to avoid a nasty one-two punch.
