Five Tips For Dominating Splatoon’s Turf War Mode

With Splatoon now released, players are taking to the online multiplayer in an attempt to spread their ink everywhere. In turf war, you’re aiming to cover the map with as much of your ink as possible within the three-minute time limit. It’s a fast mode that requires you to go more off instincts and reflexes than actual strategy once you get in there, but that doesn’t mean you can’t formulate a plan of attack going in and react to how things are unfolding. Check out five ways I found success in turf war.

Go Where People Aren’t

In most shooters, you’re rewarded for gravitating to the same area as other players. Not only is it more exciting, but you’ll usually rack up more kills and unlock gear more quickly. While ranked battles’ splat zones mode requires you to go to a centralized location to win, turf wars gives you the whole map as your playground and rewards you with experience based on how much of the map you personally cover with your ink. 

Using your Wii U GamePad, you can see what areas are painted and unpainted, and watch as they change in real-time. You can also see the locations of your teammates, meaning that if you really want to rack up the points for covering the largest area, you should head to the paths less traveled. Of course, it’s always tempting to head to the epicenter of the battle, but if you’re looking to quietly top your team’s scoreboard, you’ll want to think outside the box with the paths you take.

Save A Ton Of Time By Launching Yourself

Spending time coating the more desolate areas is a great strategy for racking up points and giving your team a chance to win, but what happens when you respawn and those areas are halfway across the map? Rounds in turf war are only three minutes long, so spending 30 seconds getting to your desired location is anything but efficient.

Luckily, Nintendo included the ability to look at the map on your Wii U GamePad and jump high above the battle to essentially warp to your teammate’s location with a simple tap of the screen. Sure, it means you’ll be heading to a populated area, contradicting the first tip, but the levels are often branching, meaning you’ll be able to head off on your own soon after landing. Be careful in choosing where you’re going, as your landing location is marked on everyone’s screen – even those of your opponents. It’s not the stealthiest approach, but if you need to get somewhere in a hurry or you have a teammate in desperate need of back-up, it’s the fastest way to cross the map.

Use The Squid Form To Your Advantage

One of the best parts of Splatoon is the ability to change your Inkling into his or her squid form with a simple pull of the left trigger. Once you get the hang of the intuitive squid controls, you can start using the squids to your advantage in battle. 

Not only can you reach places you couldn’t before by swimming up coated walls, but you can speed to destinations much faster. Even though you can’t use your weapon when you’re in squid form, you can lurk stealthily in the ink and quickly pop out as opponents get close to ambush them with your weapon or grenade. Just remember: the slower you move under the ink, the less noticeable you are to your opponents.

Gather Recon On The Maps

Splatoon isn’t your ordinary multiplayer shooter, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune from sharing certain properties with the rest of its genre. Just as it is in other online shooters, knowing the map and the best paths is important to succeed. With Splatoon’s rounds being so short, it can take several matches to fully get the lay of the land, meaning your first few attempts could be rough if your opponents know the map.

Thankfully, Nintendo has given you the option to gain “recon” by pressing “Y” on the Wii U GamePad before entering the matchmaking lobby. Once you do that, the game dumps you into a completely empty map, where you’re able to paint, run, jump, swim, and explore for several minutes without any enemies or objectives to interrupt you. This is the ultimate way to formulate a plan before you jump into your next match.

Play To Your Strengths

This might sound like the most basic of tips, but just because you witness someone dominating matches with an ink roller doesn’t mean you need to abandon ship with your longer-range weapon in favor of grabbing an ink roller for yourself. If you lack the ability to sneak up behind opponents, but your aim is steady even in the heat of battle, you might want to just stick with the charged shot or the fully automatic ink guns and refine your approach.

In addition to choosing the right weapon, once you reach level 4, customizing your Inkling with the right equipment for how you approach the multiplayer is crucial. Do you spray your ink freely and get into the middle of firefights often? You might want to consider a piece of equipment with the “ink saver” perk that conserves your ammo. There are similar perks that help movement speed, weapon range, and even one that gives you your super ability quicker. It’s all about experimenting with what works for you and figuring out how to effectively complement your playstyle.