Salmon Run is one of the most popular cooperative multiplayer modes in Splatoon 3. In this survival mode, you team up with three other players to collect Power Eggs and Golden Eggs while fending off waves of aggressive Salmonid enemies. It’s chaotic, intense, and a ton of fun. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to play Salmon Run in Splatoon 3.
Accessing Salmon Run
To play Salmon Run, you first need to reach level 4 in the main multiplayer modes. Once you hit level 4, you can access Salmon Run by fast traveling to Grizzco. Press the X button to open the map, then select Grizzco and press A. This will instantly take you to the Salmon Run hub area.
Interact with the bear statue to speak with Mr Grizz and get a quick tutorial on the mode. After completing the tutorial, you can queue up for Salmon Run matches. Games take place during certain schedules, so be sure to check when Salmon Run is available each day
The Basics of Salmon Run
Salmon Run matches consist of three waves, each 100 seconds long. You and three other players are dropped into one of several maps and tasked with collecting Power Eggs and Golden Eggs
Power Eggs are dropped by regular Salmonids when defeated Collecting these eggs gives you points at the end of each wave, Golden Eggs are dropped by Boss Salmonids and are the main objective, You must meet a quota of Golden Eggs after each wave to succeed,
If your team collects enough Golden Eggs to fill the quota within the time limit, you pass the wave. If time runs out or your whole team is wiped out, you fail the wave. Survive all three waves to complete the Salmon Run shift.
Salmon Run Weapons and Specials
In Salmon Run, your weapons and specials are provided to you. At the start of each wave, you’ll be given a random weapon – anything from Rollers to Chargers to Sloshers. You have no choice in what you get, so you need to quickly adapt to the weapon.
In addition to a main weapon, you also get a random special like Inkjet, Booyah Bomb, or Tenta Missiles. You have two uses of your special per wave. Use them wisely to help your team in a pinch.
Enemy Salmonids
During a Salmon Run shift, you’ll face off against two types of enemies:
Regular Salmonids: These weak fish appear in large numbers. Defeating them drops Power Eggs. Examples include Chum, Cohocks, and Smallfry.
Boss Salmonids: Tougher enemies that drop Golden Eggs. There are many types, like Steel Eels, Drizzlers, Stingers, and Maws. Each has a weak point you must hit to defeat them.
The waves get progressively harder, with more Boss Salmonids mixed in with hordes of regular ones. Work as a team to take down the bosses and collect eggs efficiently.
Helpful Salmon Run Tips
Here are some tips to help you succeed in Splatoon 3’s Salmon Run:
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Ink turf between waves for easier mobility around the map.
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Communicate with your team using “This way!” and “Help!” signals.
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Learn weapon roles – some are for boss DPS, some for crowd control.
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Save specials for tough waves or clutch moments.
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Collect eggs even if you’re splatted – every egg counts!
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Revive teammates when possible to maintain map control.
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Don’t get greedy – stay alive rather than go for that last egg.
Salmon Run Rewards
As you complete Salmon Run shifts, you’ll earn bonus points based on your performance. These bonus points unlock various rewards for you in the Grizzco shop, including:
- New weapon skins for multiplayer
- Outfit gear, headgear, and shoes
- Exclusive emotes and banners
- Food tickets for extra experience
- Grizzco-themed decor for your locker
The rewards refresh daily, giving you an incentive to keep returning to Salmon Run. Completing shifts will also award you random ability chunks to upgrade gear.
Xtra Encounters: King Salmonid
Occasionally during a Salmon Run shift, you may encounter a special Xtra Wave featuring the massive King Salmonid boss. These are called Xtra Encounters.
King Salmonid is a fearsome giant Cohozuna that takes the entire team’s effort to take down before time runs out. Defeating him awards massive bonuses, so be prepared for an epic showdown!
Salmon Run is a Thrilling Multiplayer Mode
That covers the basics of how to play Salmon Run in Splatoon 3. It’s a wildly fun cooperative experience that helps you earn cool rewards while enjoying intense PvE action. With random weapon loadouts, shifting tide levels, and challenging enemies, no two shifts are ever the same. If you’re looking for something different from the regular Turf War and Anarchy Battles, be sure to give Salmon Run a try!
Shop The Grizzco Item shop
By defeating or damaging a King Salmonid, players are rewarded with fish scales that they can use to purchase work suits, gear, decorations, stickers, or banners. Most items are locked by default, however, the rest are unlocked by spending more scales. There are two milestones for spending scales at the shop. The first milestone requires spending at least 100 and 10 to unlock, while the second milestone requires spending at least a total of 350, 40, and 4.[17] All items are made purchasable after the second milestone is reached.
| Name | Cost | Purchasable? |
|---|---|---|
| Orange Slopsuit | Unlocked by default[a] | Initially |
| Green Slopsuit | 10 | Initially |
| Yellow Slopsuit | 10 | Initially |
| Orange Gloopsuit | 15 | Initially |
| Pink Slopsuit | 30 | After first milestone |
| Blue Slopsuit | 30 | After first milestone |
| Yellow Gloopsuit | 50 | After first milestone |
| Peach Gloopsuit | 50 | After first milestone |
| Lime Gloopsuit | 50 | After first milestone |
| Brown Gloopsuit | 75 | After second milestone |
| Black Slopsuit | 100 | After second milestone |
| White Slopsuit | 100 | After second milestone |
| Black Gloopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Polka-Dot Slopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Camo Slopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Koi Slopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Berry Gloopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Silver Slopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Gold Slopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Iridescent Slopsuit | 150 | After second milestone |
| Name | Cost | Purchasable? |
|---|---|---|
| TS-SCHL graffiti | 15 | Initially |
| TS-SAL graffiti | 30 | Initially |
| SR-WRNZ sign | 30 | Initially |
| GCI-OFDA sticker | 30 | Initially |
| TS-SWD graffiti | 50 | Initially |
| GCI-DNG poster | 50 | Initially |
| SR-HXGN sign | 50 | Initially |
| GCI-FRI neon | 3 | Initially |
| TS-ORBRS graffiti | 3 | Initially |
| SD0-2S graffiti | 3 | Initially |
| Grizzco Industries logo | 1 | Initially |
| SD0-K graffiti | 2 | Initially |
| TS-TWR graffiti | 60 | After first milestone |
| TS-C0HK graffiti | 80 | After first milestone |
| TS-RLPL graffiti | 80 | After first milestone |
| SD0-? graffiti | 80 | After first milestone |
| GCI-FSH sticker | 80 | After first milestone |
| TS-STLH graffiti | 5 | After first milestone |
| TS-SN3K graffiti | 5 | After first milestone |
| TS-OBS graffiti | 5 | After first milestone |
| TS-FSC0 graffiti | 5 | After first milestone |
| GCI-BW sticker | 5 | After first milestone |
| GCI-NMLSMN neon | 10 | After first milestone |
| SR-UDTRG sign | 10 | After first milestone |
| GCI-WTD poster | 3 | After first milestone |
| TS-WHPL graffiti | 160 | After second milestone |
| TS-SMFR graffiti | 160 | After second milestone |
| TS-LGF8Z graffiti | 160 | After second milestone |
| SD0-SQDS graffiti | 160 | After second milestone |
| GCI-NHW poster | 160 | After second milestone |
| GCI-NHPT poster | 160 | After second milestone |
| GCI-N0SLMN poster | 160 | After second milestone |
| GCI-SMNKTCH neon | 25 | After second milestone |
| SR-BWRBGNR sign | 25 | After second milestone |
| GCI-XLSMN neon | 50 | After second milestone |
| TS-FLT graffiti | 50 | After second milestone |
| SD0-STR graffiti | 50 | After second milestone |
| TS-MWZ graffiti | 10 | After second milestone |
| TS-CMP graffiti | 10 | After second milestone |
| TS-C0HZ graffiti | 10 | After second milestone |
| Banner | Cost | Purchasable? |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Initially | |
| 60 | Initially | |
| 100 | Initially | |
| 100 | Initially | |
| 100 | Initially | |
| 2 | Initially | |
| 150 | After first milestone | |
| 150 | After first milestone | |
| 250 | After first milestone | |
| 250 | After first milestone | |
| 250 | After first milestone | |
| 5 | After first milestone | |
| 5 | After first milestone | |
| 5 | After first milestone | |
| 400 | After second milestone | |
| 600 | After second milestone | |
| 600 | After second milestone | |
| 800 | After second milestone | |
| 800 | After second milestone | |
| 800 | After second milestone | |
| 999 | After second milestone | |
| 20 | After second milestone | |
| 33 | After second milestone | |
| 333 | After second milestone | |
| 333 | After second milestone | |
| 333 | After second milestone |
| Lifetime Grizzco Points | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | ||
| 100,000 | ||
| 9,999,999 | ||
| Miscellaneous | |
|---|---|
| In-game description | |
| MAX Hazard Level Cleared | |
| King Salmonids | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 100 | 1,000 | |
| Cohozuna | |||
| Horrorboros | |||
| Megalodontia | |||
| Dethroned a Triumvirate | |||
| Eggstra Work | ||
|---|---|---|
| Top |
Note | |
| 50% | [27] | |
| 20% | ||
| 5% | ||
Job title
| “ | The Profreshional title has been usurped by Eggsecutive VP, providing a shining new rung on the corporate ladder. Your earning power will increase with a higher title, but the job sites will get more intense too.
Weve even recorded a 333% increase in hazard level at the sites where Eggsecutive VPs work. |
” |
| — Squid Research Lab | ||
All job titles from Splatoon 2 return. A new title, Eggsecutive VP[7], has been added following the Profreshional title.
| Title / Rank | Pay Grade (Rank Points 0 – 49) | Pay Grade (Rank Points 50-99) | IDV | Hazard level range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern (2 tutorials) | ×1.00 | ×1.00 | N/A | N/A |
| Apprentice (0 – 99) | ×1.50 | ×1.55 | 0 – 99 | 0.0% – 19.8% |
| Part-Timer (0 – 99) | ×1.60 | ×1.65 | 100 – 199 | 20.0% – 39.8% |
| Go-Getter (0 – 99) | ×1.70 | ×1.75 | 200 – 299 | 40.0% – 59.8% |
| Overachiever (0 – 99) | ×1.80 | ×1.85 | 300 – 399 | 60.0% – 79.8% |
| Profreshional (0 – 99) | ×1.90 | ×1.95 | 400 – 499 | 80.0% – 99.8% |
| Profreshional +1 (0 – 99) | ×2.00 | ×2.05 | 500 – 599 | 100.0% – 119.8% |
| Profreshional +2 (0 – 99) | ×2.10 | ×2.15 | 600 – 699 | 120.0% – 139.8% |
| Profreshional +3 (0 – 99) | ×2.20 | ×2.25 | 700 – 799 | 140.0% – 159.8% |
| Eggsecutive VP (0 – 999) | ×2.30 | ×2.35 See below for EVP ≥100 | 800 – 1665 | 160.0% – 333.0% |
At Eggsecutive VP, the pay grade is calculated as 2.3 + floor([Rank Points] / 50) × 0.05. The highest possible pay grade is ×3.25 at Eggsecutive VP 950 – 999.
IDV stands for internal difficulty value and is how the game keeps track of the difficulty without using job titles and rank points. One IDV is worth 0.2% hazard level, which is capped at 1665 for Eggsecutive VP 865 – 999, equivalent to hazard level 333%.
As in Splatoon 2, titles are retained across Salmon Run rotations, but the point ranges are reset to the 40-point mark within the players current title, including the new Eggsecutive VP title. Beginning in version 6.0.0, players who have previously earned badges on a particular stage will start new rotations at a higher level within Eggsecutive VP:
- Bronze (for reaching EVP 400): reset to 200
- Silver (for reaching EVP 600): reset to 300
- Gold (for reaching EVP 999): reset to 400
At ranks Go-Getter and above, it is possible to manually demote oneself by pressing in the menu of the Grizzco Lobby.
On the result screen that displays the performance of each player, there are five numbers. The top left number is the quantity of Golden Eggs delivered to the basket by the player, the number in brackets in the top left is the quantity of Golden Eggs assisted (thrown) by the player and ultimately delivered to the basket by another player, the bottom left number is the quantity of Power Eggs collected, the top right number is how many times the player revived another player, and the bottom right number is how many times the player had to be revived.
Completion of a round of Salmon Run Next Wave grants players Grizzco Points, which they can redeem at the exchange desk inside Grizzco Industries for bonuses. The points earned after any run are calculated with the formula G*(E+P/200)+50*C, where G is the pay grade number after any raises or penalties, E is the number of Golden Eggs collected, P is the number of Power Eggs collected, and C is 1 upon completing all 3 rounds successfully, 2 upon successfully defeating the King Salmonid, otherwise 0. (However, due to a bug as of version 1.2.1, C is equal to 2 even if losing to the King Salmonid.) All counts are rounded down to the nearest integer. Players also earn Catalog Points which increase their catalog level (300 points per wave cleared, including if the Xtrawave is cleared). If the player participates in an Xtrawave and damages the King Salmonid, they receive fish scales.[7]
Every 100 Grizzco Points (200/400 after reaching 1200/4000 points in a rotation, or 2400/5200 for a Big Run rotation) earns the player one bonus “capsule”, which come in different colors representing the type of the contents, or a piece of gear. The main ability of this item is randomly determined when the bonus is redeemed. It usually has up to three randomly filled secondary gear ability slots. If the player receives gear they already have, they can either replace the old gear with the new version or receive ability chunks (equal to the filled slots) instead.
| Reward[15] | Type | Percent chance to obtain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 40% | 10% | ||||
| Blue capsule | Drink ticket | 5,000 | One drink ticket | Four drink tickets | ||
| Green capsule | Ability chunks | 5,000 | Two ability chunks | Four ability chunks | ||
| Orange capsule | Food ticket | 5,000 | One 1.5× cash ticket | One 2× cash ticket | ||
| Pink capsule | Gear | One filled ability slot | Two filled ability slots | Three filled ability slots | ||
| Showcased Gear | ||||||
| Yellow capsule | Cash | 5,000 | 16,000 | 32,000 | ||
| Random fish scale capsule[a][b] | Fish scales | 10 | 3 | 1 | ||
Normal, non-superbonus capsules have a 50% chance of providing a poor reward, a 40% chance of providing a good reward, and a 10% chance of providing an excellent reward. At 600 and 1200 points, the player earns a superbonus, which always contains the 10% chance reward. The type of superbonus capsule is fixed for the length of a rotation. After 1200 points, the player only earns the current gear or pink capsules until the rotation ends. During a Big Run, all types of rewards can appear up to 2400 points, with additional superbonuses at 1800 and 2400. The capsules of the rewards until the second superbonus are different for every player.
Pink capsules contain gear aside from the one currently in rotation. During the first gear rotation, when the Bream-Brim Cap was the only gear piece available, pink capsules did not appear as a reward.
The exchange desk stores only a maximum of 99 capsules. Each additional capsule that the player receives without collecting the previous rewards will be lost.
Gear by Grizzco Industries is obtained from Salmon Run bonus rewards. When obtained, each gear reward has random initial star power and abilities. The star power is initialized from 0 to 2 stars with all secondary ability slots filled, while the initial primary ability cannot be any primary-exclusive one. If the player receives gear they already have, they can either replace the old gear with the new version or exchange the new gear for ability chunks (equal to the secondary abilities, but not the primary ability) instead. A new piece of gear is added each month, similar to Splatoon 2.
33 Salmon Run Tips You MUST Know
FAQ
How does Salmon Run work in Splatoon 3?
Description. Each Salmon Run consists of three waves; to complete waves, players must collect Power Eggs and Golden Eggs by defeating Salmonids and depositing them at the egg basket. Each Boss Salmonid splatted yields three Golden Eggs; if they are not picked up, a Snatcher appears after a few seconds to retrieve them.
How to get to the Salmon Run in Splatoon 3?
In order to play Salmon Run, you must first reach level 4 in the multiplayer. Once at level 4, you can speak to Mr. Grizz and he’ll provide you with training. The training gives you a brief rundown of the main Salmon Run mechanics.
How to play salmon run with your friends in Splatoon 3?
Here is how to play Salmon Run with your friends in Splatoon 3. Before you can play Salmon Run with your friends in Splatoon 3, you first need to unlock the mode by reaching level four and then complete the tutorial by talking to Mr. Grizz inside Grizzco. Once you get through all of the onboarding stuff, you will be able to play with your friends.
How does salmon run work in Splatoon 3?
Players will be given a weapon at random and need to destroy a bunch of monsters, collect their Golden Eggs, and drop them off at the base to hit the quota before time runs out. And one of Splatoon 3 ‘s significant improvements makes it so that Salmon Run is available at any time of the day.
How do you unlock salmon run in Splatoon 3?
Here’s how to unlock it, use Golden Eggs and get Fish Scales. Salmon Run, Splatoon 2’s limited event co-op mode, has found a permanent home in Splatoon 3. Here’s how to unlock it, use Golden Eggs and get Fish Scales. One of the highlights of Splatoon 2 was the cooperative, wave-based mode Salmon Run.
How do you play salmon run?
In order to play Salmon Run, you must first reach level 4 in the multiplayer. Once at level 4, you can speak to Mr. Grizz and he’ll provide you with training. The training gives you a brief rundown of the main Salmon Run mechanics. Get the required number of golden eggs needed to meet the quota for each wave.
Can you play salmon run online in matchmaking?
To play Salmon Run online in matchmaking, you’ll need to spend some time with Splatoon 3 ‘s Turf War mode and reach Level 4 by playing multiplayer. It’s also a good way to get Sheldon Licenses, which you’ll need anyway. Once you’ve hit the appropriate level, Grizzco will be unlocked, letting you matchmake in Salmon Run games.
Can you get fish scales in Splatoon 3?
In Splatoon 3, bronze, silver, and gold Fish Scales can be used to purchase premium collectibles and cosmetic items. You aren’t guaranteed to earn them every run, though. To get Fish Scales in Splatoon 3, you have to be lucky enough to get an Xtrawave after the regular final (3rd) wave of Salmon Run.