All Salmon Run Bosses: How to Beat Boss Salmonids

Salmon Run Bosses, also called Boss Salmonids, are stronger and more powerful Salmonid enemies that appear in Salmon Run Next Wave in Splatoon 3. They drop the Golden Eggs that you need to collect to clear each wave. Check out our difficulty ranking and list of all Boss Salmonids, including the King Salmonid, and how to beat them.

All Boss Salmonids Ranked By Difficulty

Boss Salmonid Difficulty Chart

	Flyfish	Maws
	Drizzler	Slammin' Lid
	Steel Eel	Steelhead
	Stinger	Scrapper
	Big Shot	Fish Stick	Flipper-Flopper

This difficulty chart ranks all Boss Salmonids according to the power of their attacks and their ability to ink a wide area of turf during Salmon Run.

How to Beat All Boss Salmonids

All Boss Salmonids

List of Boss Salmonids Click to Jump to Boss Salmonid
Fly Fish	Maws	Drizzler	Slammin' Lid
Steel Eel	Steelhead	Stinger	Scrapper
Big Shot	Fish Stick	Flipper-Flopper

Flyfish

Flyfish
Difficulty
Strengths	・Fires eight Tenta Missiles that can instantly splat a player with a direct hit. ・Completely immune to inking.
Weakness	・Flies relatively slow and tends to wander around aimlessly. ・Its attacks are telegraphed and easy to predict.

How to Beat Flyfish

This Boss Salmonid is actually a Smallfry holding two inkjet-propelled missile launchers that fire eight Tenta Missiles that can instantly splat a player. Although manageable on its own, it's possible for multiple Flyfish to spawn in higher difficulties.

Rally and coordinate with your team and prioritize the Flyfish above all other Boss Salmonids to avoid multiple team members from getting splatted. Once it's preparing to fire its Tenta Missiles, throw a bomb on its open hatch to take out the launcher. You'll need to destroy both launchers to defeat this dangerous Boss Salmonid.

How to Bea Flyfisht

Maws

Maws
Difficulty
Strengths	・Can instantly splat players by swallowing them. ・Can swim in ink to climb walls and platforms.
Weakness	・Its position before attacking is telegraphed by a circle of light. ・Only targets the player that's the closest to it.

How to Defeat Maws

Maws is a dangerous Salmonid that lurks unseen before erupting from the ink to swallow an unfortunate player. Despite its large size, it can scale walls and platforms as long as there's ink to dive under.

Fortunately, Maws' attack is very predictable and its possible to evade the attack using the Dualies' dodge roll. To instantly defeat this Boss Salmonid, place a bomb where it's about to erupt to splat it instantly once it swallows it.

How to Beat Maws

Drizzler

Drizzler
Difficulty
Strengths	・Can unleash an Ink Storm that will cover the arena with ink. ・Immune to ink when hiding under its umbrella.
Weakness	・You can reflect its projectiles and fire it back at them. ・Only targets the player that's the closest to it.

How to Defeat Drizzler

The unassuming Drizzler will land on a specific part of the arena and fire a torpedo that, when not intercepted, will unleash an Ink Storm that can ink a wide area of turf.

Although impervious to inking upon landing, the recoil from firing the torpedo flips it over and exposes the Boss Salmonid underneath for an easy splat. Alternatively, you can instantly splat the Drizzler by shooting at its projectile and reflect it back at it.

How to Beat Drizzler

Slammin' Lid

Slammin' Lid
Difficulty
Strengths	・Creates an ink-repellant forcefield for lesser Salmonids. ・Periodically spawns lesser Salmonids underneath it.
Weakness	・Slow and tends to stay in one area of the arena. ・You can splat the Salmonid pilot in just a few hits.

How to Beat Slammin' Lid

The Slammin' Lid is a flying saucer Boss Salmonid that functions as support for the rest of the Salmonid horde. Not only does it create ink-repellant forcefields to protect allies, it also spawns lesser Salmonids to overwhelm your team.

Fortunately, the Slammin' Lid is a relatively slow-moving boss and you can splat its pilot with a long-range weapon in just a few hits. Another effective way to defeat is by having one player run underneath it to force it to use its splat attack. As soon as it lands, jump on the saucer and splat the Salmonid pilot!

How to Beat Slammin' Lid

Steel Eel

Steel Eel
Difficulty
Strengths	・Its head is immune to inking. ・Uses its body to block routes and trap players.
Weakness	・Only chases after one player. ・The Salmonid piloting it is easy to splat.

How to Beat Steel Eel

The Steel Eel is one of the more dangerous Boss Salmonids you'll encounter, ruthlessly chasing after one player and using its great length to block routes while spreading ink everywhere it goes.

If the Steel Head is chasing after you, run away from the rest of your group and into an open area so that your teammates can splat the Salmonid pilot located on its tail.

How to Beat Steel Eel

Steelhead

Steelhead
Difficulty
Strengths	・Full-body armor gives it immunity to inking.
Weakness	・Slow and easy to outrun. ・Can't hit players standing next to it.

How to Beat Steelhead

Steelhead is covered head to fin in heavy armor that makes it immune to ink at the cost of making it one of the slower Boss Salmonids you'll encounter.

Stay close to the Steelhead, and then shoot or splat the bomb while it's inflating to instantly defeat it!

How to Beat Steelhead

Stinger

Stinger
Difficulty
Strengths	・Fires projectiles that pass through walls and obstacles. ・The Salmonid on top is completely immune to damage.
Weakness	・Can't hit players near it. ・Weak to weapons with high fire rate or can hit multiple projectiles in one shot.

How to Beat Stinger

The towering Stinger snipes players with powerful streams of ink that can pass through walls and obstacles from its vantage point in the beach.

Since the Salmonid on top is immune to damage, focus on destroying the pots it's standing on. Use weapons with a high fire rate or can hit multiple pots in one splat, such as the Splat Roller to defeat this Boss Salmonid!

How to Beat Stinger

Scrapper

Scrapper
Difficulty
Strengths	・Covered in shields that are immune to inking. ・Can make quick turns when chasing after players.
Weakness	・Moves slowly and is easy to evade. ・Inking its shields repeatedly will force it to stop and repair them .

How to Beat Scrapper

The Scrapper is a fully-shielded Boss Salmonid that leaves a trail of ink wherever it goes. While its shields are immune to ink, splatting them repeatedly will damage them overtime and force the Salmonid driver to stop and repair it shields, leaving its back open to splatting.

Once you spot a Scrapper, rally your teammates and overwhelm the Boss Salmonid with ink and take it out before it spreads its ink!

How to Beat Scrapper

Big Shot

Big Shot
Difficulty
Strengths	・Shoots cannonballs at the egg basket that generates Wave Breakers.
Weakness	・The Salmonid itself is passive and always stays at the beach. ・Unarmored and will not fight back even when being attacked.

How to Beat Big Shot

The Big Shot is a hulking enemy similar in size to Steelheads but is unarmored and surprisingly passive for a Boss Salmonid. It will periodically fire cannonballs near the egg basket, which will generate two Wave Breakers that will damage players.

While the Wave Breakers its projectiles create are dangerous, the boss itself is relatively harmless and doesn't move from its spot in the beach. Once you spot one, ink it up and use the launchers to fire the Golden Eggs it drops to the egg basket!

How to Beat Big Shot

Fish Stick

Fish Stick
Difficulty
Strengths	・The squad of Smallfries will keep spraying ink around its vicinity ・Often accompanies other Boss Salmonids.
Weakness	・The Smallfries are easy to splat. ・Is generally just a nuisance if it spawns alone.

How to Beat Fish Stick

Despite its imposing appearance, the Fish Stick is a relatively weak Boss Salmonid with its main role being to spray ink around its vicinity to impede players.

It's not that tough to beat on its own, but you'll still want to take it out for those Golden Eggs! Ink up one side of its tower so that you can climb and splat the Smallfries on top. You can also splat them with a long-range weapon such a charger from the ground.

How to Beat Fish Stick

Flipper-Flopper

Flipper-Flopper
Difficulty
Strengths	・The ink rings it places cover a relatively wide area. ・Can instantly splat players caught in its belly flop.
Weakness	・It stays airborne for a while when jumping. ・Its attacks are telegraphed and easy to predict.

How to Beat Flipper-Flopper

The Flipper-Flopper is a curious Boss Salmonid that gracefully jumps around the arena, creating a ring of ink where it will belly flop into and splat players caught in its landing.

To instantly defeat this Boss Salmonid, ink the ground within its ring. This willl cause its entire armor to shatter upon landing, letting you splat it easy with just a couple of hits!

How to Beat Flipper-Flopper

All King Salmonids

King Salmonid Cohozuna

Cohozuna
Difficulty
Strengths	・Can instantly splat players with one belly flop attack ・Inks a large area when moving and attacking
Weakness	・Its large size makes it an easy target to shoot

How to Beat King Salmonid Cohozuna

King Salmonid Cohozuna is a gigantic Salmonid that appears during Xtrawave when the Salmometer is full. Its large size lets it easily travel around the arena despite its slow movement and its powerful attacks can instantly splat players.

Fortunately, you are provided with the powerful Egg Cannon during this fight which is the only weapon capable of damaging Cohozuna. Make sure to defeat Boss Salmonids so you have enough ammo to shoot at the King Salmonid!

How to Beat King Salmonid Cohozuna

What are Boss Salmonids?

Boss Salmonids are stronger and often larger Salmonids that appear in Salmon Run Next Wave, and drop the Golden Eggs you need to successfully clear each wave.

These enemies employ different tactics than their smaller brethren and often requires a special strategy and teamwork with other players to successfully take them down!

Salmon Run Next Wave Guide

Splatoon 3 Related Guides

Salmon Run Next Wave Guide