How to raise gear star power in Splatoon 3

Every gear piece you have in Splatoon 3 has a star power associated with it. Increasing a gear’s star power is extremely useful because it makes it easier to level up that gear, giving you access to more passive abilities and the chance to build your character into the weapon you’re planning to use against the enemy team. There’s a particular way you go about getting stars for your gear. This guide covers raising a gear’s star power in Splatoon 3.

How gear star power works in Splatoon 3

You can increase a gear’s star power by purchasing it from the store or by speaking with Murch. For example, if you head over to the Headgear store and find a similar item available, you can trade them in for each other or buy the version of that item and increase the one-star power of the one you already have. You may want to trade this in depending on the primary ability associated with your own gear piece.

Related: The best Abilities in Splatoon 3 – All Abilities and perks, ranked

It will cost a hefty amount of cash to purchase the star power, but upgrading your gear is important to receive additional bonuses. Not only will you level up with that gear piece faster, but you will unlock additional ability slots on that item. Unfortunately, you do need to wait for any of the item shops to have that item for sale, and you already have it in your inventory. You may need to wait until the items refresh before increasing your gear’s star power. It’s always a good idea to purchase the gear with optimal primary abilities to add to your inventory, even if you don’t plan to use them immediately.

You will need to wait until midnight rolls around before your shop refreshes. While waiting, you have plenty of time to play through Salmon Run or compete against other players to earn cash to buy everything you need. These upgrades are expensive.

When speaking with Murch, he has the chance to offer to upgrade the star power of your gear. However, these upgrades cost even more, and you will need to use Super Sea Snails to buy those upgrades. It’s almost always better to purchase an item from the store.