Splatoon Raiders: Power or Speed Ink Tank First?

This guide settles the first ink tank choice for Splatoon raiders: whether to prioritize Power or Speed. The short answer is that Speed is the better first choice for most raiders because movement and ink recovery are the foundation of consistent runs, while Power only matters if you can reliably land hits. You enter your current gear abilities and the calculator below shows the effective impact of each tank option on your movement and damage output.

Formula

The calculator uses the standard Splatoon gear ability scaling formulas. Movement speed in units per second is:

Movement Speed = 1.92 + 0.06 × (Speed Points / 10)

Damage per hit as a percentage of base is:

Damage = 100 + 1.5 × (Power Points / 10)

Where Speed Points and Power Points are the total ability points from your gear (each main ability is worth 10 points, each sub ability is worth 3 points). The base movement speed is 1.92 units per second, and each 10 points of Speed adds 0.06 units per second. Each 10 points of Power adds 1.5% damage to your shots.

Worked Example

Using the default values of 10 Speed points and 10 Power points:

1. Movement Speed = 1.92 + 0.06 × (10 / 10) = 1.92 + 0.06 = 1.98 units/s
2. Damage = 100 + 1.5 × (10 / 10) = 100 + 1.5 = 101.5%
3. Speed to Power gain ratio = (0.06 × 1) / (1.5 × 1) = 0.04

The calculator shows 1.98 units/s for speed and 101.5% for damage, matching the manual calculation.

How Ink Tanks Work in Raids

In Splatoon raid modes (like Salmon Run or special co-op events), your ink tank capacity and recovery are fixed by the game—gear abilities do not change tank size. What you can change is how efficiently you use the ink you have. Speed abilities reduce the time you spend swimming in your own ink, which indirectly increases your effective ink recovery because you reach refill zones faster. Power abilities increase damage per shot, meaning you might need fewer shots to splat an enemy, saving ink overall. The trade-off is that Power only helps if you hit your target; Speed always helps you reposition, dodge, and collect eggs or objectives.

Choosing Your First Tank: Speed vs Power

For a first tank, Speed is the safer and more versatile pick. Here is why:

• Survivability: Faster movement lets you avoid enemy fire and boss attacks more easily, keeping you alive longer.
• Objective play: In raids, you often need to carry eggs or reach a location quickly. Speed directly improves that.
• Consistency: Speed works in every situation, while Power requires you to land shots. Missed shots with Power give you zero benefit.
• Ink recovery: Moving faster between ink patches means you refill your tank more often, which is critical in long waves.

However, if you are playing a weapon that already has high mobility (like a shooter with low ink consumption) and you find yourself missing kills, Power might be worth considering. But for a first tank, Speed is the recommended choice for most players.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

A common mistake is assuming that Power abilities increase your ink tank capacity. They do not—they only increase damage per shot. Another misconception is that Speed only affects swimming speed; it also affects walking speed and turning rate, which are crucial in tight combat. Some players think that stacking Power to 30 points gives a huge damage boost, but the scaling is linear and modest: 30 points give only +4.5% damage. In contrast, 30 points of Speed gives +0.18 units/s, which is a noticeable difference in dodging and positioning.

When to Choose Power Instead

Power becomes the better choice in specific scenarios:

• You are using a high-damage weapon that already kills in few shots, and Power reduces the shots needed from 3 to 2.
• You are in a coordinated team where your role is to splat bosses quickly, and your teammates cover movement.
• You are facing enemies with high health that require a specific damage threshold.

For example, if a boss takes 3 shots to splat at base damage (100%), with 33 Power points you would deal 104.95% damage, which might still require 3 shots—so the benefit is minimal. But if you reach a threshold where 2 shots are enough, Power becomes invaluable. Check your weapon’s damage numbers and the enemy’s health to see if you can hit a breakpoint.

Comparing the Two Tanks in Practice

In a typical raid wave, a Speed tank lets you swim between egg baskets 10-15% faster, which adds up over a 3-minute wave. A Power tank might save you 1-2 shots per enemy, but only if you hit all of them. Over a full run, Speed usually leads to fewer deaths and faster objective completion. The ratio output in the calculator shows the relative gain: a higher ratio means Speed is giving you more per point than Power. With defaults, the ratio is 0.04, meaning Speed’s gain is only 4% of Power’s gain per point—but that is because Power’s raw percentage looks larger. In practice, a 1.5% damage increase is rarely as impactful as a 0.06 units/s speed increase for survival.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Power affect ink consumption?

No, Power only increases damage per shot. Ink consumption is determined by the weapon itself and is not changed by any gear ability. If you want to reduce ink usage, you need Ink Recovery or Ink Saver abilities, not Power.

Can I change my tank later?

Yes, you can re-roll or change gear abilities in the game using ability chunks or by ordering new gear. The choice of first tank is not permanent, so you can experiment with both to see which fits your playstyle.

Is Speed useful for all weapons?

Speed is useful for all weapons, but especially for slow weapons like chargers or rollers that need to reposition after each shot. Fast weapons like shooters also benefit, but they already have decent mobility, so the relative gain is smaller.

What about Ink Recovery or Ink Saver as a first tank?

These are also viable, but they are not directly comparable to Speed or Power because they affect ink management rather than combat stats. If you find yourself running out of ink often, Ink Recovery might be better than both. However, for raw combat effectiveness, Speed is generally the best all-rounder.

How many points can I put in a single ability?

In Splatoon, you can have up to 57 points in a single ability (3 mains of 10 points each plus 9 subs of 3 points each, totaling 57). The calculator works for any number of points up to that maximum.

Does the calculator account for diminishing returns?

No, the calculator uses the linear formula for simplicity. In the actual game, abilities have diminishing returns after about 20 points, but the effect is small. For planning purposes, the linear approximation is accurate enough.

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in spd | Speed ability points | points | 10 | 0
in pwr | Power ability points | points | 10 | 0
out speed | Movement speed (units/s) | units/s | 1.92 + 0.06 * spd / 10 | 2
out power | Damage per hit | % | 100 + 1.5 * pwr / 10 | 1
out ratio | Speed to Power gain | - | (0.06 * spd / 10) / (1.5 * pwr / 10) | 2