How Bond Levels Work in Splatoon Raiders (And the Fastest Way to Max Them Out)
Splatoon Raiders starts out as a solo trip, but there's a whole cooperative layer hiding in plain sight if you know where to look.
What Bond Level Actually Does
Shiver, Frye, and Big Man each pilot your robot on raids, and beyond just being good company, they come with a Showstopper ability plus a Bond Level that quietly ramps up the more you use them. There's no visible tracker for this anywhere in the menus, so it's easy to go a long stretch without realizing progress is even happening.
The mechanic itself is simple. Every dungeon you complete with a specific Bot Buddy along for the ride nudges their Bond Level forward, and that includes dungeons you've already cleared before. There's no need to chase new content to make progress here, which takes a lot of pressure off. When you've built up enough progress, that Bot Buddy pulls you aside for a quick chat back at the Hideout Ship to let you know they've leveled up.
Why Bother Leveling Bonds
Each time a Bond Level goes up, you get a Briny Scroll, which counts toward the full collectible set if that's something you care about chasing. The bigger payoff comes at the third and final level, where each Showstopper gets a proper upgrade. Shiver's final boost adds a freeze effect on top of more damage and a wider area, while Frye's version applies Ferment to anything it touches instead. Either way, it turns an ability you're already using into one that solves fights faster, which means less time getting chipped away at by a crowd of Salmonids.
The Fastest Way to Farm Bond Progress
Since any completed dungeon counts, the smart move is picking the shortest ones available instead of grinding through anything long. Dens fit that bill perfectly, they're quick, repeatable, and don't demand much setup.
Where to Farm
Once you've hit Ferdi Island and leveled up a bit, Temprah Den is worth parking on for a while. The Salmonids cluster near the middle and aren't particularly evasive, so clears go by fast without much fuss. Later on, once you're deeper into the story, the Spicy version of that same Den keeps the farming efficient at a higher difficulty. Stroborro Den on Zeefer Island picks up the slack for mid to late game farming once Temprah stops being worth the trip, and it doubles nicely as a way to build Tank experience and grab early gear on the side.
Rules to Keep in Mind
A couple of things worth knowing before you start looping dungeons on purpose. You do need to actually finish the run, though failing partway still counts as long as you make it to the end. Sample dungeons unlocked through Compasses don't contribute at all, so don't waste a farming session on those. And if you decide to swap which Bot Buddy you're running mid-grind, no progress gets lost in the switch.
These dungeons work the same solo or with friends along for the ride, so Bond farming doesn't have to be a solo grind if you don't want it to be.
Between the Briny Scrolls and the Showstopper upgrades, there's a real reason to rotate through all three Bot Buddies at some point rather than sticking with just a favorite the whole way through.
