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How to play Salmon Run in Splatoon 3 – tips and strategies

The Salmonids are coming!

Salmon Run is a game mode that has a lot of Splatoon fans excited. The mode originally was a time-restricted event, so unless you were playing past Splatoon games at certain times, you might never have had the chance to play it. Luckily, Salmon Run is a permanent game mode in Splatoon 3. Here are some tips and strategies to keep in mind when playing Salmon Run.

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Related: How to unlock additional Salmon Run costumes in Splatoon 3

Tips and strategies for how to play Salmon Run in Splatoon 3

Teamwork

Our first tip is to always work together with your team. Even if you are not in a voice channel talking with them, you should be working together to survive and take down Boss Salmonids. Use up and down on the d-pad to direct everyone towards the incoming bosses and let them know when you have been splatted. Shoot downed teammates to revive them.

Try to avoid going off on your own. The first couple of waves are usually manageable, but the final wave can really cause trouble if someone is off on their own and splatted by enemies.

Never stop delivering Golden Eggs

Screenshot by Gamepur

The main goal of Salmon Run is to deliver Golden Eggs to the basket. Do not do anything to put yourself in a bad spot, but you should always be working to gather and deliver them. Also, you can only carry one at a time. Be sure to throw the Eggs into the basket from a distance to save some time, and go into Swim Form to get your ink back. Sometimes you will have waves that have turrets appear, so be sure you do not forget to gather Golden Eggs during these rounds.

Know your role

In each round of Salmon Run, you will be given one of four weapons to use before randomly switching in the next wave. Depending on your weapon, you should approach the level differently.

If you got the Roller, you will want to focus on covering the area and running over smaller enemies. The larger enemies will make you bounce off of them, so don’t get close to them if possible.

If you have the Splattershot or dual version, these are your main damage dealers to larger enemies and Boss Salmonids. They can hit them consistently from a little range and are pretty good overall.

If you have been given the Splat Charger, do not get in the heat of battle. Instead, try and stay elevated above everyone else. Also, this is your main line of defense with flying enemies. It’s not as good as a sniper you would see in traditional shooter games, but it can lay some heavy damage to enemies and does travel through lines of enemies. You can also hit downed teammates from a distance if you stay safe.

Screenshot by Gamepur

There are other weapons you can get in the game mode, so just always keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the weapon you have each round.

Be careful with your special use

Differently from the main multiplayer mode, your special attack in Salmon Run does not recharge. Instead, you have two uses of it for the entire match. Do your best to save these for the end, or only use them in dire situations. Especially if you are fighting a King Salmonid, you definitely will want to have these available for the big guy.


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Author
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John Hansen
John Hansen is a Full-time Staff Writer for Gamepur as well as a host for the YouTube channel Pixel Street Videos where he co-hosts a weekly gaming podcast and more. His favorite games include Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild, Left 4 Dead 2, and Overwatch. He covers Overwatch 2 and other FPS titles, Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, Legend of Zelda, and whatever zombie games are placed in front of him.