Polygon has published a beginner's guide offering ten practical tips for Splatoon Raiders, Nintendo's new spin-off that reworks the series' familiar turf-war formula. Unlike mainline Splatoon games, sub-weapons are no longer tied to specific primary weapons, players can mix and match gear freely, and a small robot companion assists in battle, making weapon and gadget choice more important than before.

The guide covers movement, combat and progression mechanics specific to the game's horde-battling structure against the Salmonid enemies.

– Use gadgets (sub-weapons) as soon as they're off cooldown, especially in solo play
– Swim through your own ink for speed and avoid enemy ink, which slows and damages you
– Summon the AI-controlled Bot (X button) to distract or damage nearby enemies
– Use the Bot as a launchpad to reach high ground for safer, more effective attacks
– Match playstyle to weapon type — close-range for Shooters/Dualies, cautious positioning for Sloshers/Chargers
– Experiment freely, since there's no penalty for swapping weapons or gadget tanks