Competitive:H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R
- For information about the H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R, see H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R.
Splatoon 3
| Abbreviations | H-3 VIP-R, VIP-R |
| Sub | |
| Special | |
| Base damage | 45 |
| Ink consumption | 2.08% (6.24% per |
| Special points | 200p |
| Role | Slayer/Support |
| Strengths | Damage, range, accuracy, turfing |
| Weaknesses | Requires good aim and the ability to lead shots, poor ink efficiency, slow mobility (while firing), long lag in between bursts, very high special gauge requirement, highly dependent on abilities |
The H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R is a new main weapon branded by Barazushi that was added as part of the Splatlands Collection for 10.0.0 on June 12, 2025, along with having a new kit, consisting of Suction Bomb and Triple Inkstrike.
Use
The H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R is a support weapon that can be played aggressively:
- Suction Bomb can effectively paint and provides chip damage against your opponents.
- When deployed in the right position, Triple Inkstrike can provide a lot of damage and paint in certain situations.
Synergy
The H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R works well with very mobile weapons, as its movement speed is left to be desired. For example, N-Zap '85, Splattershot, and Splash-o-matic would work well with H-3 VIP-R, due to their mobility and their ability to paint effectively, or any other weapon that can effectively help it move quickly.
Countermeasures
- The H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R struggles against mobile weapons that can outpace it, so weapons like Splash-o-matic and Sploosh-o-matic that have good mobility could overwhelm it.
- Weapons that have a faster rate of fire before the H-3 VIP-R can land a 1 burst in time, such as Splattershot and .52 Gal is a good tactic to deal with it promptly.
Gear abilities
Gear abilities provide different effects in battle that benefit the player with their equipped weapon. This is a guide to gear abilities in relation to the weapon. Strategy, synergy, viability, and purpose may be written here.
Comeback provides 10 AP each of the following:
Ink Saver (Main) and Swim Speed Up are the most beneficial, as they can mitigate the ink consumption problem it has and allows the user to swim into positions more quickly.
Last-Ditch Effort is a headgear exclusive ability that gives 1 to 18 AP of the following:
These abilities only begin to take effect under either of the following conditions:
- There are at most 30 seconds remaining on the game clock, or Overtime has begun in a Ranked Battle, at which the maximum 18 ability points will be granted for each of the above abilities.
- In a Ranked Battle, the opposing team's countdown has at most 50 points remaining. The effects of Last-Ditch Effort increase as the opposing team's countdown decreases from 50 to 30 points remaining, starting with 1 ability point for each ability and maxing out to 18 ability points.
While using this weapon, you can expect yourself to run onto enemy ink between bursts, so 1-2 subs of Ink Resistance Up would provide the most value.
While not as potent as it was in Splatoon, it can still be pretty useful in some situations, like when you make a trade (and you meet the numerous conditions for activation).
Super Jumping to a teammate after respawning carries the risk of getting splatted upon landing, due to the appearance of a Super Jump indicator. When equipped, Stealth Jump better covers this indicator from long distance opponents, allowing its user to more safely return to the front lines and maintain pressure on the opponent. This ability pairs especially well with Quick Respawn.
In Competitive Play
The H-3 Nozzlenose VIP-R was released on June 12, 2025, as part of the Splatlands Collection for Sizzle Season 2025 for 10.0.0. It has a new supportive kit, along with a new design and color scheme. At first, hype for the weapon was relatively low, but after the weapon was released, hype was relatively neutral, even though it was paired with a decent kit, the main weapon itself was not very good.
However, at the same time H-3 VIP-R was released, Triple Inkstrike was given a buff, where the damage dealt to Crab Tank was increased by 50%, increasing its viability, but the weapon was overshadowed by Slosher and Neo Splash-o-matic. As the meta progressed, H-3 VIP-R was seen as a situational niche in certain comps in Splat Zones, even though Triple Inkstrike is very effective at flipping the zone very quickly, Slosher and Neo Splash were seen as the better options.
In 11.0.0, H-3 VIP-R was given a damage buff, increasing it from 44 to 45, which did very little for the weapon, and since then, its been seen as a situational niche, despite having a solid kit to work with.
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