How does the Cohozuna meter work in Splatoon 3? Answered

As you and your crew are preparing for another shift of Salmon Run, there are plenty of things to do, from planning strategies and loadouts to warming up your aim by knocking down inflatable targets. There’s also an ominous meter in the corner of your screen that fills up after missions. Since this meter is in the shape of the game’s only King Salmonid, it makes sense that it’s related to finding the Cohozuna in your upcoming run, but it isn’t quite as straightforward as it might seem at first.

Related: How to play Salmon Run in Splatoon 3 – tips and strategies

How the Cohozuna meter works in Splatoon 3

If you’re looking to run into a Cohozuna in one of your Salmon Runs, you can get an idea of how close you might be to finding one by checking the not-so-subtle meter in the upper right corner of your screen. The fuller this meter is, the more likely it is that a Cohozuna will spawn after the last wave of your shift. It isn’t a simple matter of getting the Cohozuna whenever your meter is all the way full. Instead, the spawn rate of this King Salmonid is based on an average of the meters of all the members of your current Salmon Run crew.

The Cohozuna meter will rise a bit after each shift you complete without seeing a Cohozuna, and the same goes for any of your returning teammates. This means that even if you already have a full meter, your crew’s odds of seeing a Cohozuna in a run might still start relatively low and increase over the course of a few outings. Alternately, after you do come across a Cohozuna, your meter (and the meters of your returning crewmates) will be reset to zero. It’s also important to know how to beat the Cohozuna once you see it, because the meter resets either way, and you don’t want to miss your chance.