Theory on how Gear Abilities work

[DaBoss]

I think I've gotten a grasp of how Gear Abilities will work. Big thanks to @LinkJr for his theory that makes this all fall into place.

For starters, here is a list of things we know about abilities:
- Each piece of gear (not including the weapon) can have a total of 4 abilities (1 main ability and 3 sub-abilities)
- The main ability is set in stone (so that Tennis Headband will always have the main ability Comeback)
- Sub-abilities are not set in stone (randomized)
- You get sub-abilities by using your gear and eventually leveling it up after an EXP threshold is met
- You can get additional sub-ability slots or re-roll sub-abilities by giving Spyke a Super Sea Snail
- What each gear ability does: http://i.imgur.com/KMFQ9La.png

This is a list of abilities can be accessed on the Gamepad when you are in Inkopolis (main hub world). Was from this video.

This kind of supports this theory by how it groups/orders the abilities.

I think there are two kinds of abilities, "Stackable Abilities" and "Utility Abilities". These are terms I'm gonna use in the thread cause that's kind of how I've been referring to them, feel free to call them something else if you wish. I'll explain how I've come to this conclusion afterwards.

There is one defining characteristic for this distinction and that is Utility Abilities can only be main abilities on gear. This also means it isn't stackable. Here's a list of which abilities fall into which category.

Stackable Abilities (13):
Damage Up
Defense Up
Ink Saver (Main)
Ink Saver (Sub)
Ink Recovery Up
Run Speed Up
Swim Speed Up
Special Charge Up
Special Duration Up
Quick Respawn
Special Saver
Quick Super Jump
Bomb Range Up

Utility Abilities (11):
Opening Gambit
Last-Ditch Effort
Tenacity
Comeback
Cold-Blooded
Ninja Squid
Haunt
Recon
Bomb Sniffer
Ink Resistance Up
Stealth Jump

There are many things that have lead me to believe this. Most notably is this:

Checked every frame and the Utility Abilities did not appear in here at all.

I've watched a lot of Splatoon videos and have never seen those as sub-abilities.

And then there is the first image in this post that seems to have deliberately grouped the abilities which is hard to ignore as just a coincidence.

Stackable abilities on the other hand can be main abilities or sub-abilities. As for how they stack is something I can't determine and isn't going to be discussed in this post.

However, there seems to be one more thing about Utility Abilities that makes them special and changes the one would view the ability system further. This theory is by @LinkJr which I think is correct.

The theory is that Utility Abilities are tied to a specific type of gear. Here's a list to give an idea of what I'm talking about:
Headgear: Opening Gambit, Last-Ditch Effort, Tenacity, Comeback
Clothing: Cold Blooded, Ninja Squid, Haunt
Shoes: Recon, Bomb Sniffer, Ink Resistance Up, Stealth Jump

For example, if you wanted to have the Haunt ability, you would need to obtain Clothing (the in-game term for shirt/top) with the main ability Haunt. You would not be able to get Shoes or Headgear with the Haunt ability.

And again, looking at the first image in the post, you can again see that the ordering/grouping seems to be deliberate.

You can refer to this album of gear grouped by abilities to see how this list came about: http://imgur.com/a/JQRrD

I think this will help people determine set ups that are actually possible.

So yea, that's pretty much it. This is just a theory, so please post your thoughts about it or point out something I may have missed.

 

[° Moteki]

One can only wish your theory is wrong. My fingers are crossed. :) nice deduction though.

 

[Vayu]

One can only wish your theory is wrong. My fingers are crossed. :) nice deduction though.

At the very least, the part about restricted sub abilities is correct,
Main Abilities can go either way, but I really think everything here is going to be true.

 

[Inari]

Do you have a source for this image? I recall one of the old Splatoon tumblr posts briefly mentioned elite sub-perks but this is the first time I've seen it actually shown or mentioned since then.

 

[Flammie]

It also seems to prove that the random selective abilities you get is ignoring what main ability you have on your gear, so if you have power up, you can randomly get power up as well for it, but so far, i have not seen double randomized abilities you can have on your random ability set you can get, by getting two of the same power, by random.

Even if you level up your gear, and get abilities you don't want or need, you will at least by the time you level it up, have enough money to probably purchase a new set if you're disappointed in it.

I would also love to see the video where you got that ability randomizer roulette from. @DaBoss

 

[DaBoss]

Do you have a source for this image? I recall one of the old Splatoon tumblr posts briefly mentioned elite sub-perks but this is the first time I've seen it actually shown or mentioned since then.

I would also love to see the video where you got that ability randomizer roulette from. @DaBoss

Direct timestamp link (3 minutes 40 seconds in).

 

[Inari]

oh hmm, it look like that's the animation for revealing a hidden sub-perk. The larger icon size in the animation made me think it was an upgraded version of a sub-perk.
It's still interesting to see that the selection of sub-perks seems to be limited to a subset of all available perks.

I was thinking of the post from the Splatoon tumblr that said this:

Each piece of gear comes with one perk, but can gain new ones the more it’s used. Each item also contains one top-class perk, just waiting to be unlocked! I guess practice really does make perfect!

still not sure what this "top-class perk" is referring to, maybe I'm misinterpreting it or the feature was scrapped

 

[DaBoss]

oh hmm, it look like that's the animation for revealing a hidden sub-perk. The larger icon size in the animation made me think it was an upgraded version of a sub-perk.
It's still interesting to see that the selection of sub-perks seems to be limited to a subset of all available perks.

I was thinking of the post from the Splatoon tumblr that said this:

still not sure what this "top-class perk" is referring to, maybe I'm misinterpreting it or the feature was scrapped

Huh, that's interesting. Here's a translation of the Japanese tweet regarding that:

The equitable items - headgear, clothing, and shoes - are collectively known as 'gear'. Gear have properties that will aide you in battles. For example, these shoes have the effect known as 'Ink Effectiveness Up (Main)'. It will lower the amount of ink your main weapon uses. There are many other types of effects to be found.
Gear will have one property unlocked from the start, but you can unlock more by using the item repeatedly. Each item of gear has a chance of having a top-class skill. As they say, like dried squid, the more you chew, the tastier it gets!

I wonder what it means.

 

[LinkJr]

Great summary, I do believe it will work like this.

Also worth noting, you can stack as many of the same stackable abilities as you want, the Direct shows a piece of gear with 3 of the same sub-abilities, so it is possible to obtain a "pure" piece of gear with enough grinding.

The top-class skill is intriguing, didn't even remember that tweet/post.

 

[Flammie]

I wonder if it will be possible to trade gears in the future.
A trade menu, you put something up and you keep playing whatever you want and if someone has made an offer you can see it somewhere, and then you just simply decline or accept what you want to trade out and trade in.
No waste of "bad" equipment if someone else wants it! :)

 

[° Moteki]

I wonder if it will be possible to trade gears in the future.
A trade menu, you put something up and you keep playing whatever you want and if someone has made an offer you can see it somewhere, and then you just simply decline or accept what you want to trade out and trade in.
No waste of "bad" equipment if someone else wants it! :)

This^

 

[° Moteki]

Quick respawn can be stack-able then? I wonder how that would work. from what i noticed having it as a main reduces spawn time by 2 seconds ( 7sec --> 5sec)

 

[Flammie]

Quick respawn can be stack-able then? I wonder how that would work. from what i noticed having it as a main reduces spawn time by 2 seconds ( 7sec --> 5sec)

That would be excellent for people who apparently can't stay alive for very long.

 

[Vayu]

I wonder if it will be possible to trade gears in the future.
A trade menu, you put something up and you keep playing whatever you want and if someone has made an offer you can see it somewhere, and then you just simply decline or accept what you want to trade out and trade in.
No waste of "bad" equipment if someone else wants it! :)

You can buy gear off of players you play with through them appearing in your Inkopolis. (Those players are those you've played with online)

 

[Flammie]

You can buy gear off of players you play with through them appearing in your Inkopolis. (Those players are those you've played with online)

Pardon me, but isn't that "ordering" you are referring to? You aren't buying equipment from them, you just order the same one they have.

 

[Vayu]

Pardon me, but isn't that "ordering" you are referring to? You aren't buying equipment from them, you just order the same one they have.

Yes, players obviously can't appear in your Plaza in real time.

 

[Flammie]

Yes, players obviously can't appear in your Plaza in real time.

Ah yes, i was thinking more of a machine you do trades with, you dump an equipment there if you think somebody else will need it, and it will remain there for 48 hours or any time limit you want to set, then anybody else can just find it on the machine, and have an equipment of their own they want to trade for it, after you come back to check who wants to trade for what, you just pick one of the choices immedatiely, or just set one up if you want to see the trades further.
Probably more like a more selectable auction machine to be exact.
But i guess it's redundant if you are going to be able to purchase and sell stuff back and forth, even if it is, i'm just fond of having the ability of trading if there is gears and such available.

 

[mininut4]

so like the GTS in pokemon?

 

[SirEndipity]

I know we've already seen enough of Inkopolis to know it isn't gonna happen but an auction house would be cool. That way players who have found their perfect set can help other people and make money.

 

[Lyn]

I believe we already have confirmation on how abilities work, although I could be wrong.