A new Splatoon 3 update is scheduled to go live later today, introducing new features and improvements to the game.
Update 2.0.0 will introduce new features, such as Season and Catalog Changes and a new mode, X Battle, which will become available on November 30th.
Season and Catalog Changes
- On November 30th, 2022 at 4:00 PM PST, data relating to the Chill Season 2022 will be added to the game. This includes:
- A new catalog, and with it the new gear, titles, Splashtags, decorations, stickers, and emotes included therein.
- About 50 new items added to store product lineups.
- Two new battle stages: Brinewater Springs and Flounder Heights.
- A new Salmon Run stage: Marooner’s Bay.
- Three new main-weapon types.
- Ten new sets of existing main weapons paired with different sub and special weapons.
- Thirteen new Tableturf Battle cards.
- The ability to look at the content of your catalog has been added.
- Players can check their catalogs by opening the main menu with the X Button, going to the Status tab, and selecting Catalog.
Changes to Splatoon 3 X Battles
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- X Battle, a new battle mode, has been added.
- X Battle is a battle mode where players of ranks S+0 and up can compete in battle for X Power.
- X Power is calculated separately for each battle mode like Splat Zones or Tower Control.
- Players battle until reaching three wins or three losses, whereupon X Power is gained or lost based on the results.
- The world is divided into two divisions in which X Battles are held to compete for the highest X Power: Takoroka Division, comprising Japan, Hong Kong, S. Korea, Australia, and New Zealand; and Tentatek Division, comprising the Americas and Europe.
- The division a player is affiliated with is determined the first time they play in an X Battle each season. Once this is determined, the division cannot be changed during that season.
- X Battles will become available to play on November 30th at the same time as Chill Season 2022 begins.
- X Battle, a new battle mode, has been added.
The new Splatoon 3 update will also introduce balance changes, Ranked mode tweaks, and more. The full update notes can be found on Nintendo’s official website.
Splatoon 3 is now available on Nintendo Switch worldwide. You can learn more about the third entry in the popular shooter series by checking out Nathan’s review.
Splatoon 3 may be the series’ best entry yet, featuring some nice gameplay tweaks and new weaponry, an expanded and polished story mode, and more launch content than its predecessors. That said, it’s very much an evolutionary sequel, every bit as iterative as many of the shooter franchises it’s meant to be an alternative to. After a five-year absence, that may not be enough for some. Splatoon 3 is still fun and funky, but Nintendo’s squid shooter series can’t get by on freshness alone forever.
