Splatoon Raiders Boss Guide: How to Beat Every Boss

Bosses in Splatoon Raiders come in two flavors: the big story Temple bosses at the end of each region, and the Boss Salmonids and Seasoned Salmonids you'll fight repeatedly across the islands. This page covers both. Before the specific fights, here's the mindset that beats all of them — because most boss deaths in this game are self-inflicted panic, not a lack of damage.

The universal boss rules

• Attacks are telegraphed. Punish after, not during. Almost every boss has a wind-up. The instinct to squeeze in damage during the wind-up is what kills you. Dodge the hit, then unload in the recovery.
• Ink management is your real health bar. Running dry mid-fight means you can't attack or swim to safety. Never let your tank hit empty; top up in the gaps.
• Bring a ranged option. Even on a melee build, a Stringer or long-range Shooter lets you chip a boss when getting close is suicide.
• Dying solo is free. You keep loot and XP from before the death, so every failed attempt still levels you up for the retry. Treat first attempts as scouting runs.
• Watch the arena, not just the boss. Many fights spawn Lesser Salmonids as adds. A Tactical build's Shot Pot or Bombloons can babysit adds while you focus the boss.

Temple bosses (story)

1. Bowtlode Temple Boss — the first wall

The first Temple boss is a stamina check, not a gear check. You almost certainly have enough damage; what you need is patience. It leans on wide, telegraphed swings meant to catch greedy players. Stay mobile around it, let each attack finish, then step in for a punish and back out. Keep your ink topped up so you can always swim clear. If you're melee and it feels too tight, this is the fight to bring the Tri-Stringer and just chip it down safely — there's no shame in a slow, clean kill.

2. Stonuvan Temple Boss — the fiery region

The second Temple boss sits in the fire region and ramps the pressure with area-denial attacks — expect zones you can't stand in. The play is to respect the floor: keep moving to safe ground, and don't get greedy for one extra hit if it means eating an area attack. A Tactical build shines here because you can place damage (Shot Pot / Bombloons) and then focus entirely on dodging. Detailed phase-by-phase punish timings will be added once the fight is fully mapped.

3. Coohla Temple Boss — the chilly region

The third Temple boss is the ice-region challenge and the toughest of the early trio. By now the game assumes you have a leveled main weapon and a comfortable tank — if you're undergeared, farm a little first (see the farming page) rather than throwing yourself at it. Full walkthrough coming soon; the universal rules above will carry you through the early phases.

Boss & Seasoned Salmonids (repeatable)

Away from the story, you'll fight Boss Salmonids like the Salty Tongue, Salivator and Smoker, plus their nastier Seasoned versions — the Thick-Cut Salty Tongue, Minced Scrapper, Big-Stack Stinger, Jumbo Big Shot and Refill Steelhead. Rule of thumb: the saltier and crustier it looks, the more health and damage it has.

Why you want to fight them anyway:

• Boss Salmonids drop a Mega Power Egg — worth 100 regular Power Eggs. That's a massive chunk of Bot fuel and progression from a single kill.
• Seasoned Salmonids can drop Salmonid Relics, which grant unique combat abilities and gadgets for you and your mech. These are some of the best power spikes in the game, so prioritize Seasoned kills when you can handle them.

Most of these are re-skinned, beefed-up versions of classic Salmon Run enemies, so if you've played Salmon Run their weak points will feel familiar — hit the exposed spots (a Steelhead-type's bomb, a Big Shot-type's cannon) rather than chipping armor.

Frequently asked questions

Next: underleveled for a boss? Hit the loot & Power Egg farming guide. Fighting one in a group? See co-op tips.