Best Builds & Recommended Loadouts
The only loadouts Nintendo has put in print, and the endgame builds three major databases agree on, with the disagreements shown, not hidden.
By the SplatAtlas editorial team · Last updated: 2026-08-04
What Are the Official Recommended Loadouts?
Nintendo's post-launch tips column ("Five tips for Salmonid splatting in Splatoon Raiders", Nintendo UK, July 24) is the only first-party source that recommends concrete loadouts. It names two combos, and because the Blaster combo offers two alternative gadgets, you will also see them counted as three official pairings. Here they are, complete:
| Weapon | Gadgets | Nintendo's logic |
|---|---|---|
| Charger (チャージャー) | Shot Pot (スケットポット) with knockback gas + Torqscrew (マキアゲスクリュー) | Keeps approaching hordes at a safe distance while you charge your shots. |
| Blaster (ブラスター) | Blast Boot (カチコミシューズ) | Escape trouble without inking a route first: jump out through the air. |
| Blaster (ブラスター) | Dash Bomb (ダッシュボム) | Same escape logic as the Blast Boot pairing, as a ground dash instead of a jump. |
Both combos follow one design rule: use gadgets to cover the weapon's weakness, not to double its strength. That rule is worth more than the specific rows; it is also exactly how the endgame builds below are constructed. Full context for the article is in our official tips guide.
Why Is Every Endgame Build a Freeze Build?
All three databases we track converge on the same core: freeze a Salmonid with a gadget, then break the freeze with one enormous hit. The pieces:
- Ice Breaker (冷凍カチワリ) is a Weapon Power that multiplies your next hit on a frozen enemy. The in-game text says 3x, rising to 4x at ★2; build guides including Game8's routinely quote "3–5x", and we flag that gap wherever it appears rather than inherit it. Either way the hit consumes the freeze: one freeze, one multiplied hit.
- Weapons barely freeze anything on their own (a 2–4% roll). Gadget parts do it reliably: the Freeze part reaches 33% on Blast Boot, Meteor Mitt (メテオグローブ) and Splatchet (ズバットスラッシャー), and maxed out via part upgrading it reaches 100%, per GameWith.
- Because only one hit gets multiplied, the weapon should hit once and hard: Splatanas, Brellas, Stringers, Blasters and Chargers. Brella and Stringer pellets that land simultaneously are all multiplied, which is why Primo Rail Splatana (絶品レールワイパー) headlines two of the three databases.
- The real resource is gadget cooldown. The Gadget Recovery (ガジェットブースト) Relic Powers, in their Finisher, Speed, Fly and Submerge variants, are what turn one freeze per fight into a freeze rotation.
With weapon-boost parts stacked behind it, Game8's current page describes single Ice Breaker hits around the million-damage mark. Nothing else in the game scales like that, which is why the "best build" question has had a stable answer since launch week.
Endgame Builds by Tank
One recommended build per tank, from the cross-checked consensus of Game8 JP (updated Aug 4), Game8 EN and GameWith JP. Where they disagree, the note says so.
Power Tank(Freeze burst)
- Weapon & powers
- Blaster or Primo Rail Splatana: Ice Breaker + Close Combat, third slot Ink Pro or Explosive Ferment
- Gadgets & key parts
- Blast Boot (Freeze, weapon-boost) + Meteor Mitt (Freeze, tank-ability activation) + Splatellites (auto-deploy, Mega Power Egg Collection)
- Relic Powers
- Gadget Recovery (Finisher) first, since Power's kill-triggered variant feeds the loop, then damage passives
Both JP databases agree on the two freeze gadgets; they differ on the weapon (Game8: Blaster / GameWith: Primo Rail Splatana). The build is really the gadgets; either weapon works.
Speed Tank(Hit-and-run freeze)
- Weapon & powers
- Same Ice Breaker carrier as Power: Blaster or Primo Rail Splatana
- Gadgets & key parts
- Blast Boot (Freeze, weapon-boost) + Jump Bomb (Freeze, escape after the hit) + third slot: Flywire with Ferment (Game8) or Dash Bomb with gadget-recharge parts (GameWith)
- Relic Powers
- Gadget Recovery: Speed, Fly and Submerge variants stack the cooldown discount
Speed-exclusive weapon-boost and fly-attack parts push this tank's Ice Breaker hits higher than the other two tanks, and Game8 calls it the damage ceiling of the freeze meta.
Tactical Tank(Gadget engine)
- Weapon & powers
- Primo Lifeguard Splattershot Jr. (絶品きゅうめいシューター): Freeze ★3 + Concentrated Attack + Close Combat (Game8's exact roll); GameWith runs Primo Camo Slosher with Explosive Ferment instead
- Gadgets & key parts
- Shot Pot (Multi Shot, auto-trigger) + Bombloons (ツナガルバルーン, AoE) + Tether Wail (ヒッパレーザー, Multi Laser + Ferment debuff)
- Relic Powers
- Gadget Recovery (Finisher) + Showstopper Power (奥義パワー), and Game8 marks both as required
The deepest-verified build on this page: Game8's staff ran it to floor 160 of the Bottomless Buffet. Note the reversal: on a rapid-fire shooter you slot Freeze (procs constantly at 6%) and let gadgets carry the damage, instead of Ice Breaker.
Partner pick for high floors: Big Man (マンタロー), for instant recovery from Danger state, and his Showstopper makes you invincible while it runs. Game8 recommends him outright; GameWith rates Frye (ウツホ) equally for her AoE.
How Do You Build Toward This?
The freeze meta is an endgame target, not a story-mode requirement. The route:
- Craft the Freeze part for Blast Boot at Shiver's Gadget Workshop; crafting is deterministic, so this is a materials problem, not a luck problem. Upgrade it toward 100% after clearing the story.
- Keep any ★5 single-hit weapon (Splatana, Brella, Stringer, Blaster, Charger). Post-story you can re-roll its Weapon Powers to Ice Breaker at the swap facility.
- Prioritise Gadget Recovery relics as they drop, since the variants stack across tanks, and they are what makes the rotation loop.
- Test the assembled build on the furnished test range before betting a Super Spicy run on it. That one is official advice.
Build FAQ
What is the best build in Splatoon Raiders?
The community consensus since launch week is the freeze build: a gadget with a maxed Freeze part (usually Blast Boot) plus a one-big-hit weapon carrying Ice Breaker. For the deepest content, Game8's Tactical gadget build, Shot Pot with Bombloons and Tether Wail behind a Primo shooter, is verified to floor 160 of the Bottomless Buffet.
Are there official recommended loadouts?
Yes. Exactly one set, in Nintendo's five-tips column from July 24: a Charger backed by Shot Pot and Torqscrew, and a Blaster paired with Blast Boot or Dash Bomb. Two combos, three pairings, and nothing else first-party has ever named a loadout.
Which weapon is best for Ice Breaker?
A weapon whose single hit is worth multiplying. The databases' shortlist: Primo Rail Splatana first, then Brellas, Stringers, Blasters and Chargers. Rapid-fire Shooters waste it: they consume the freeze with a small hit. On a Shooter, slot Freeze itself and let the fire rate proc it.
Do I need a Primo (絶品) weapon for these builds?
For Super Spicy dungeons and deep Buffet floors, effectively yes: Primo weapons carry the stat headroom, and ★5 is the only rarity whose powers can be re-rolled. They drop while you climb the Bottomless Buffet, so the build assembles itself as you farm it.
Related guides
- S-Tier Weapons: Every Individual Weapon Ranked
- All 15 Weapon Powers in Splatoon Raiders
- All 15 Gadgets in Splatoon Raiders
- Gadget Part Builds: What to Roll, and What It Costs
- Best Gadget Combos in Splatoon Raiders
- Scorch Builds: Splatoon Raiders' Other Deep-Floor Meta
- Slosher Builds for the Bottomless Buffet: Clay-Pot Pow Slosher and Camo Slosher
Sources
- Five tips for Salmonid splatting in Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo UK (official)
- Five tips for Salmonid splatting in Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo Australia (official)
- 最強装備・高難易度のおすすめビルド, Game8 (Japan)
- Best Builds, Game8
- おすすめ最強ビルド・最強装備, GameWith
Official-loadout section: Nintendo UK/AU tips column only (2026-07-24 / 07-27). Endgame builds cross-checked across Game8 JP 最強装備 (updated 2026-08-04), Game8 EN "Best Builds and Loadouts" and GameWith JP 最強ビルド, all read 2026-08-04; source disagreements are printed inline. The meta can shift with patches; the game is on Ver. 1.1.0 with no balance patch yet.