How would YOU rebalance the current meta?

[DzNutsKong]

First thread of 2025 wooooo

I know I've said before that I'm not as big on larger balance changes than most others in this community, so it might seem odd that I of all people am the one to make this thread, but I love hearing others' ideas and this would be no exception.

If you were given full creative control, what all changes would you make to rebalance Splatoon 3? Whatever type of changes and whatever amount of them that you'd like. Feel free to go as in-depth or straightforward as you feel would be appropriate!

 

[OnePotWonder]

I could write an entire thread covering my thoughts on this topic. The biggest thing I want to see personally is buffs to Dynamo to make it a viable option to run with non-Pencil backlines. But I'm frankly just not a fan of the more fight-heavy meta we have right now where everything is action, action, action and all of the top tiers are characterized by insane times to splat for their range.

Honestly, the second thing I want to see is a nerf to Tacticooler, as hot a take as that may be. Nerfing or removing its Special Saver points would make it way less of a flawless safety net, taking away power from weapons that like to play fast and risky and in-your-face (which so happen to be exactly the type of weapons I hate most) and cutting special output across the board. It would slow the pace of play just enough for me to be happy with it. Nerfing its throwing range could also help indirectly nerf Pencil compared to other Tacticooler options.

 

[Cephalobro]

I would make it a lot less "who rushes first wins" and have it more strategic instead. Currently, it's way too easy to rush and get away with it, so to compensate, rushing weapons get some sort of increase in ink consumption when they use their subs, this makes sure that they can't get away as easily, making the rush actually more risky, and as a result, much more strategic.

 

[Zonink]

(accidently hit enter oops still writing this and I don't see a delete button sorry.)
Oooh boy

Pencil (snipewriter 5H)
first of all. Pen needs to be taken down multiple pegs, it's just way too good and offers ridiculous role compression, it's also very good at fighting and doesn't have the same drawbacks that weapons like ZF and Liter have which makes it kinda the best of both worlds. It's just a blatantly overpowered weapon that lacks sufficient counterplay while also invalidating so many weapons.

Special Cost - 210 -> 230
Damage per shot - 68 -> 60 (reverting the buff it got.)

Decavitator
Decav is a weapon that I think is both really strong and fairly skill intensive so I don't wanna hit it too hard but I think the 1shot hitbox is disgusting and not very intuitive. I'm not sure how to properly word this nerf but something like

Range for the charge slash melee reduced by 15%.

That's all you really need to do for nerfs so here are some buffs

Squeezer
Squeezers nerf was justified mostly but it really messed up the game feel of the weapon without actually fixing any of the accessibility issues it had. Squeeze was pretty blatantly op but that's mainly because it had an extremely low TTK for a weapon of its range tier.

Maximum fire rate cap reduced by 12%
Range reverted to pre patch.

This both keeps the feel of the weapon while also fixing the insane BPM you need to have in order to maximize it's effectiveness. Makes the weapon easier to use while also not making it feel terrible to play. Win Win for everyone.

Splattershot Nova
This weapon needs the troops lmao, it's so comically bad and for virtually no reason. Dual squelcher was the same weapon in splatoon 1 and that was a 4 shot. It also wasn't good at all. so I have no idea why Nova is a 5shot it makes no sense the dev team just hates it I guess, Buffing this weapon also adds ANova in as a reasonable weapon which is good for making inkjet more prominent.

Firerate reduced by 7%
Damage increased from 24.0 -> 26.0 (5 -> 4 shot)

Glooga Dualies
Standing fire feels so bad it's not even funny. it's just a cruel joke there is zero reason it should do only 36.0 like that's nearly wiper hilt level of meme damage. hopefully this buff helps makes Glooga more competitive with other options instead of just REALLY bootleg 52. I'm sick of seeing this weapon struggle for no reason it's just so inflexible.

Standing Fire damage increased from 36.0 -> 44.0

H-3 Nozzlenose (vh-3)
This is one of those weapons like Pro and Naut which have been hit majorly by the generally range creep from splatoon 2-3. It just doesn't have the same range tier as before and is lacking the same defensive presence it needs to compete with other options.

Range increased by 8%
Shot Velocity increased by 8%
Special Cost Reduced from 190 -> 180


Recycled Brella
this weapon is just a direct downgrade from vbrella so just make it fully lean into it's fast shield charges by making into a brittle glass cannon one pump machine. I don't even think this make it good since it has giga bad kits but it would be very fun and maybe people might pick it sometimes instead of letting it rot as an awful bottom tier. (maybe add a spread nerf slightly but idk just something different.)

Damage increased from 90.0 - 102.0


Tri Stringer and Wellstring.
Reef got this buff. it's kinda weird this isn't a universal mechanic on bows since they are so similar to chargers. and this would help distinguish them. especially since these weapons fire differently based on jumping so idk what nintendo is doing it's the most obvious fix ever.

Made it possible to charge in midair at the same speed as when on the ground.

Big Swig
I don't think this weapon actually has that bad of a main weapon but it still needs some help with the vertical flick. I don't wanna make it brainless and just a 1shot stick like carbon so i'm not touching the hitbox but I think greatly increasing the minimum damage on verticals would be a good start at making this weapon actually threatening at range which I think it's supposed to be. this buff sounds like a lot. but I think it adds a new axis to a weapon that has needed some support for a while. also makes Express play like a weird stamper more.

Minimum damage on verticals increased from 40.0 -> 60.0 (always makes it combo with dart at any range.)

There is more. but a lot of these weapons are just egregiously bad for no reason and need severe buffs to compete.
"oh zonink an h-3 did well at __________"
shhhhhhsshhhhh

 

[Algae]

I'd rebalance subs and morph specials together like tactical inkstrike and baller. 15 specials would be a bit much, but they're distinct enough in my spreadsheet of dream kits.

My philosophy of a great metagame:
1) Multiple different strategies should be viable at top level where everyone "works so hard" and "doesn't take comp-multiplayer losses personally" that the moment-to-moment gameplay is rock-paper-scissors on amphetamines (i.e. luck). Example: winning by cranking the pace super fast Splatoon 3 style, winning by using more sneak-attack weapons, winning by hitting around cover more, etc.

2) Caveat to above: skills in momentary gameplay should be tested; note Chara's critique of the special weapon rock-paper-scissors; also, comeback mechanics or unstable equilibrium can reduce competitive integrity; either only the endgame matters, or only the opening matters (respectively).

3) Weaker compositions should be able to win with superior skill. (not the ol' simplest maps, pls)

 

[DzNutsKong]

I forgot to post this lmao

I think current meta is in a pretty good spot for what it is. There are technically problems it has but they're far outweighed by what it does well and any attempt to fix these problems would mean the whole thing gets uprooted and restarted from scratch. Most of these changes will be smaller as a result even if not all of them. Some changes will also be less specific just because I want to get the general ideas out there more than going into exact numbers I think would be perfect because to be honest I wouldn't be great at coming up with those numbers.

• Splattershot Pro - Paint output increased by 10%. A lot of people are saying this weapon is good now and I'm not really convinced honestly. 10% might be a lot but this weapon's painting is not good for a Shooter and this would be a good way of distinguishing it both from Squeezer and from other midlines in general. There are other midlines that can paint but this would have a much better kill time than those. Its matchup into opposing midlines would still not be great which keeps teams that run it with some kind of tradeoff.
  
  
• .52 Gal - Range decreased by 20%. L
  
  
• Snipewriter - Range decreased to around Splat Charger range. I'm iffy on this one. This is a change I've been back-and-forth on posting with and posting without it. I like the fact that Snipewriter opens up as many comps as it does and think there could be plenty of way worse backlines to hold as dominant of a spot as Pencil has for so long, but for what it's worth I think the role compression it gives is still way too important. This change would be entirely for futureproofing more than anything else since Heavy Edit has become legitimate competition with it lately but I get the feeling that's on thin ice.
  
  
• Dynamo Roller - Paint output increased by 10%. One-shot range increased slightly. Vertical flick minimum damage increased 40 -> 50. I doubt this would even make Dynamo relevant in current meta but this is more for when it gets a good kit than anything else. I don't have much faith in Dynamo as a main weapon and maybe next game's kits or potentially this game's third kit could give it some room to actually shine for once.
  
  
• Goo Tuber - Enemies can no longer see when a charge is being held. Still unsure if this one would make the weapon feel toxic to play against only for it to still not even end up being good but it's an interesting thought that I would like to see. If nothing else we already have Range Blaster which can do similar sharking stuff.
  
  
• Douser Dualies - Range of standard firing mode increased. The fact that this thing is outranged by some midlines is kind of criminal for a weapon that wants to play like an anchor. Also works as a minor painting buff which I know many people have said this weapon could use.
  
  
• Splat Brella - Immune to object damage multipliers on main weapons. Shield HP increased. Weirder change but Brellas have gained way, WAY too many hard counters since their nerfing into the ground in Splatoon 2. Really, there are way too many weapons in Splatoon 3 with ridiculous object damage and it makes playing this weapon especially feel worse than it should. As for how much the HP should be increased by I really don't know.
  
  
• Undercover Brella - Immune to object damage multipliers on main weapons. Two full-damage shots + shield bump now deals over 100 damage. Strafe speed while firing increased. This probably still isn't even close to enough. I'd suggest doubling range or something crazy but that may mess with a lot of the casual appeal even if it's for reasons that don't make any sense. What a horrible weapon. I'm clueless here tbh
  
  
• Luna Blaster - Can now go into swim form sooner after firing a shot. This weapon...it's like they wanted a particularly dangerous short-ranged Blaster but it doesn't feel nearly as rewarding to get in with as something like a Roller. There really aren't many positives to this main weapon compared to Tri-Slosher or even like the vanilla Blaster.
  
  
• Clash Blaster - Paint output increased by 70%. Strafe speed while firing increased. Weapon now reaches maximum movement speed while swimming after firing more quickly (Sploosh change). Points for special for vanilla kit increased from 180p-> 200p. This also probably isn't even close to enough but I'm more confident in this at least being a start. If you haven't gathered it enough by my previous changes I think it'd be really cool if we had more weapons to contest Shooters' paint output and they could try to rework Clash Blaster into unique interesting role of a short-ranged, chip-focused support weapon. There aren't any Blasters with truly good paint and it could be interesting having something that could exclusively help chip down opponents or trap other weapons by painting under their feet.
  
  
• Painbrush - Range increased by 20%. Ink efficiency greatly increased. Hopefully should make it more distinct from Dynamo and if anything turn it into an AoE Glooga that's slow and wants to hold down an area for as long as possible. That seems like the most intuitive way to buff a weapon as limited in concept as this one anyways.
  
  
• Trizooka - Startup of first shot increased by 20 frames. This special needs to go.
  
  
• Wave Breaker - Throwing range increased by 20%. Waves' vertical range increased. Waves' hitbox size increased. HP increased from 500 -> 700. This probably isn't enough but I don't know how to buff it in a way that would be enough.
  
  
• Splattercolor Screen - Sound effect removed. Now adds an audio filter to the rest of the gameplay. Game is grayscaled instead of the darkening filter. Fairly obvious.
  
  
• Special Charge Up - Now scales worse if used in quantities of over 2 subs. This ability change is the one I could see being most likely to effect the meta as a whole like I say I want to avoid, but the effect needs to be a lot tamer than it is for the kind of gameplay it promotes. This would end up effecting Comeback as well.
  
  
• Object Shredder - User's attacks now deal 150% -> 300% usual damage against Splash Wall. If you've spoken to me on Discord you might've known this is coming. Splash Wall needs more counterplay than it currently has and with how prominent Stealth Jump is, this would be nice for weapons that are unsure which of these two to run. Also leaves it so it doesn't entirely hinge on weapon choice which means anyone can improve their matchup into it if they have the gear slots for it.
  
  
• General - Base special depletion increased from 50% -> 70%. This one's kiiiinda stolen from a Onepot thread but I think it's a good idea not only as a gentler comeback mechanic, but for the sake of making people less scared of dying in general. You could say this is out of bias since I play Quick Respawn and those aggressive playstyles would see bigtime benefit but I'd say my logic is sound enough. Way too many people play as if they're way too scared of dying in this game.

 

[Algae]

@DzNutsKong
finally, object shredder counters something common with middling durability. screw the meta abilities tho

Doesn't reducing special by 70% bring it down to 30% of the earlier amount?

 

[DzNutsKong]

@DzNutsKong
Doesn't reducing special by 70% bring it down to 30% of the earlier amount?

It might but I think you get the idea regardless, gauge should be 70% after death

 

[solz]

I would make it a lot less "who rushes first wins" and have it more strategic instead. Currently, it's way too easy to rush and get away with it, so to compensate, rushing weapons get some sort of increase in ink consumption when they use their subs, this makes sure that they can't get away as easily, making the rush actually more risky, and as a result, much more strategic.

Not tru

 

[solz]

For my reply will be all chargers now do 454089 damage (pencil does normal damage but next rule retained) but player health is increased to 454090 when there is a charger on the oposite team (fairness is key) now sheldondorf will kidnap you and put you in a calamari and octopi sandwich if you use a n-zap and finaly all weapons except aerospray pencil and h-3 get point sensor and tacticooler (these three get zip caster and mine) there balanced (ok time to copy and paste in challenge thread)

 

[McSquid82]

I'm going to go against the grain and say I wouldn't change anything about the .52 Gal. It hasn't been touched in this game's life cycle while the weapons around it have received a ton of buffs. With Shot and Zap being so much better than they were when this game launched, it's doing its best just to keep up with the current shooter meta. It needs a range and power advantage to compete with Shot and Zap especially considering they both got accuracy buffs, a slight power buff in Zap's case and a slight range and shot velocity buff for the Splattershot. I would much rather they leave the .52 alone like they've been doing.

 

[QuagSass]

As a whole I'm pretty happy with where the meta is. I do still have issues with Snipewriter being so overbearing in the backline slot, but it's not quite as bad as it used to be. In fact, Edit has seen more use at times due to being more active than Pencil. Overall the meta is fine.

Something I would really like to see is the return of Inkjet meta to some extend. Not only is the special fun to use, but also fun to fight againts. In order to do that, we'll need to look at what killed Inkjet meta in the first place.
The main culprits are Trizooka and the rise of the Snipewriter/Cooler.

For starters I would revert Zooka back to it's 3.0.0 incarnation. Reverting all buffs and nerfs and only keeping the damage buff againts Crab Tank. This is basically the same as launch Zooka, which to me was fine. It wasn't outright bad, but it wasn't great either. It was just an ok special, and that's all it needs to be. Maybe keep the startup nerf if that's still overbearing.

Snipewriter I'm inclined to just keep as is. Maybe give it a range nerf, though I don't think it's that necessary. I do still want backlines to be the primary Inkjet counter and Pencil does it just fine without being as dominant againts the special like it's one-shot siblings.

In an ideal world teams would have to pick between an backline that can spam Coolers (Pencil), a backline that can counter Pencil/Inkjet (one-shot Chargers) and a backline that can spam Inkjets (Ballpoint). To make this a real choice, I'd say Cooler would need a nerf. I'm quite fond of nerfing the Special Saver effect myself, though I'm not sure if it should just be nerfed or removed completely. Either way, Cooler needs to be weaker while still being worthwhile. This would weaken Pencil as an option, letting other backlines shine more. All without destroying Edit's chances at being viable.

Interesting thing about bringing Inkjet meta back is the fact that we do have a new Inkjet option in Decav. I could totally see Pencil/Decav becoming the main Inkjet meta pair even with nerfs to Pencil and Cooler. I'm kinda torn on if this is a good thing or not. On one hand having more options is great, on the other hand how well does Decav farm Inkjets? I'm not familiar enough with the weapon to know for sure, but as far as I can tell it shouldn't be a problem. At least not enough of a problem where a simple +10 to it's points for special wouldn't fix it.
Either way, I think Decav becoming the new meta weapon would be quite nice for Ballpoint since it can deal with Decav quite nicely. Which would increase the potential diversity in backlines.

Of course we gotta do something to Inkjet as well. More specifically, the weapons with Inkjet. The special itself was fortunately not hit with many major nerfs. At least not any nerfs that I don't think were deserved. Mainly I want to put the Ballpoint Splatling's pfs back to 200p. As a sidenote: I find Ballpoint's buff/nerf history so funny. If you haven't seen it yet go check it out.
Let's also buff Rapid Blaster Deco's pfs from 210p to 190p. The weapon doesn't exactly paint well, so I'm baffled as to why it's special output was nerfed. This would help it keep up with Ballpoint and other Inkjet weapons, making it a solid option. Being an AOE weapon would also help enable different team comps which is always fun.
Also for funsies, let's revert Annaki Nova's pfs nerf. Make it go back to being 200p. It's not gonna fix the weapon or make it all that viable, but hey why not. Give the weapon a silly little niche. Let it have some fun being an Inkjet spammer.

And as a final thing, I want to quickly address the Big Bubbler. Inkjet's damage againts the special was pretty heavily nerfed, but I think that's fine. Honestly bringing Inkjet back could potentially give us a sort-of special triangle where Inkjet beats Strikes, Strikes beats Bubbler and Bubbler beats Inkjet. It kinda sucks that you need a special to deal with Bubbler though, so maybe we could revert some of the buffs it has gotten. Make it go back to having a radius of 6 units instead of 7.5 and increase the damage dealt to it's weakpoints by 10%.
Alternatively: give Pencil crazy object damage againts Big Bubbler specifically. That'd be funny.

 

[Smash Arena]

I think more problems come from the abysmal stage design than any balance issue between the weapons. Fix Splatoon 3's disastrous stages, and the gameplay would improve drastically. In fact, it would completely redefine the meta as a lot of weapons are help back by the stage design, so functional stages would give them a chance to shine.