What can you do as a free member?

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and unlock all our premium features and tools to enhance your gaming experience.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save articles to your watchlist and get notified when they're updated with new information.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save your favorite games for quick access later, synced across all your devices.

Member benefits illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you'll receive instant notifications when someone replies to your posts.

Comment rating feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can make use of convenient features in the comments section, such as rating and sorting comments.

Premium archive feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can access Premium articles that are exclusively available to members.

Site Interface

Guest
Free Member
Article Watchlist
Game Bookmarks
Cross-device Sync
Light/Dark Theme Toggle
User Profiles
Direct Feedback
Comment Rating

Game Tools

Guest
Free Member
Interactive Map Access
Interactive Map Pins
Interactive Map Comments
Interactive Map Pins Cross-Device
Check List
Event Choice Checker
Deck Builder Cross-Device
Message Board Notification
Message Board Cross-Device
Build Planner
Stat Calculator
Diagnostic Tool
Weapon/Armor Wishlist

Want more information?Learn more

Splatoon 3

Steel Eel Salmon Run Boss Guide: How to Beat

Add to Watchlist

Splatoon 3 - Steel Eel Salmon Run Boss Guide How to Beat
The Steel Eel is a dangerous Boss Salmonid in Splatoon 3 that you can only beat by splatting the Salmonid driver on its tail in Salmon Run Next Wave. Read on to learn the Steel Eel's stats and difficulty level, as well as how to beat it and other strategies.

Steel Eel Stats and Difficulty

Steel Eel Strengths and Weaknesses

Steel Eel
Splatoon 3 - Steel Eel Partial Icon
Difficulty
Splatoon Icon Splatoon IconSplatoon Icon
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.

Chases the Closest Player

Once the Steel Eel spawns, it chases after one player closest to it. If you're the target of this Boss Salmonid, you should move away from the rest of the team and preferably into open area so that your teammates won't get hit by its body.

Getting hit by the Steel Eel's head will damage you and push you a bit, so take care and avoid ledges!

Body is Immune to Ink

The Steel Eel's head and entire body is completely immune to inking, so avoid charging directly towards the Boss Salmonid.

If the Steel Eel isn't chasing you, try circling around it so you can hit the driver on its tail!

How to Beat Steel Eel and Strategies

How to Defeat Steel Eel

Ink the Salmonid Driver on its Tail

The Steel Eel is only vulnerable on its tail where the Salmonid driver piloting the Boss Salmonid is located. Fortunately, the driver is very weak and you can splat it with just a few well-timed ink shots from your weapon.

If you're the target of this Boss Salmonid, avoid turning it around to prevent it from inking turf. Instead, try to keep the boss in a straight line so that your teammates have a clear shot of the driver on its tail!

Ink the Salmonid Driver with a Special

You can instantly splat the Steel Eel if you use a special on its driver. Both the Booyah Bomb and Inkjet are great choices since these specials launch you in the air where the Boss Salmonid can't reach you.

Save Your Specials for the Third Wave

The Steel Eel isn't a particularly tough boss, but it becomes tricky to fight if multiple spawn in higher difficulties and during High Tide.

Consider saving your specials until the third wave so you have a way to quickly defeat multiple Boss Salmonids if they spawn.

How to Use Special Weapons

Splatoon 3 Related Guides

Splatoon 3 - Boss Salmonid Partial Banner.png
List of Boss Salmonids

List of Boss Salmonids

Splatoon 3 - Steelhead Partial IconSteelhead Splatoon 3 - Steel Eel Partial IconSteel Eel Splatoon 3 - Scrapper Partial IconScrapper Splatoon 3 - Stinger Partial IconStinger
Splatoon 3 - Maws Partial IconMaws Splatoon 3 - Drizzler Partial IconDrizzler Splatoon 3 - Flyfish Partial IconFlyfish Splatoon 3 - Flipper-Flopper Partial IconFlipper-Flopper
Splatoon 3 - Fish Stick Partial IconFish Stick Splatoon 3 - SlamminSlammin' Lid Splatoon 3 - Big Shot Partial IconBig Shot

List of King Salmonids

Splatoon 3 King Salmonid CohozunaCohozuna

Author

    Please participate in our site
    improvement survey
    12/2025
    Would you assist in
    improving Game8's site?
    ×
    This survey will take about 1 minute.
    Your answers will help us to improve our website.
    We are listening to our users' valuable opinions and discussing how to act on them.
    The information collected through this survey will be used for the purpose of improving our services. In addition, the information will only be disclosed a part of a statistic in a format that will not allow identification of personal information.
    Begin Survey

    All rights reserved

    Guide Index