Splatoon 2’s Ver. 4 update brings new weapons, Splatfest changes, and amazing new tunes

Splatoon 2 is one of Nintendo’s most-supported online games, and it looks like that’s not going to change anytime soon.

A new update to Splatoon 2, version 4.0.0, is bringing a bunch of new weapons and some much needed changes to how Splatfests work. The new weapons, part of the all new Kensa Collection, are a stylish set of weapons with a clean and consistent monotone colour scheme, with nice little accents to top it all off. But that’s not what this update is really about. No, this update is all about the new Splatfests.

Gone are the previous Splatfest game modes, Solo and Teams — they’ve been replaced with two new categories: Normal and Pro. In the new Normal mode, you can jump into a Splatfest battle with up to three friends. That’s right, you’re no longer locked into only teams of four, and if you end up with a party of less than four players, random solo players will fill out the ranks. As you play, you’ll earn a new type of score called Clout, which is calculated based on the amount of turf you’ve inked, whether or not your team won the game, and a synergy bonus. If your team is on a winning streak, you’ll be matched up against teams with a similar winning streak. Sounds pretty good, right?

The new Pro mode is solo only, and it’s for those who want a challenge. In Pro mode, you’ll be judged on your Splatfest Power, and compete against players of a similar power to battle for a spot in the Splatfest Top 100. Clout scores make an appearance here, too, but you only earn Clout by beating the opposing team. If your opponent are a higher Splatfest Power, you’ll earn even more Clout!

Both modes will also feature rare matches called 10x Battles and 100x Battles, which, as the name suggests, multiplies your earned clout by a factor of 10 or 100. Final Splatfest results will be determined by 3 factors: Clout from Normal-mode players, Clout from Pro-mode players, and team votes. For a full rundown of everything that’s changed in Splatfests, be sure to check out the official Splatoon 2 website.

Of course, this is only scratching the surface of what’s new in Splatoon 2. There’s a bunch more being added throughout the rest of the year, with new gear, new sub and special weapons, and maybe even some new game modes on the way. The Splatoon 2 Version 4.0.0 update will be available to download today. The best part, however, is the absolutely banging new music featured in the trailer. Take a listen for yourself.