Splatoon 3’s new season & version 2.0.0 update has a mass of changes

The next season of Splatoon 3 content kicks off from December 1st, and to make way for those changes you’re going to need to download the version 2.0.0 update for the game when it drops later today.

Nintendo has detailed, extensively, the list of adjustments and updates to the game – and I won’t even pretend to understand some of them.

At the time of writing the game was down for maintenance, and after that the game update should be available but the content won’t be available until December 1st.

Here’s the update notes, prepare to scroll.

Ver. 2.0.0 (Releasing November 29, 2022)

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 Multiplayer

• Specifications for some main weapons have changed.

Specifications for some sub weapons have changed.

Specifications for some special weapons have changed.

Points required for some weapon specials have been changed.

The terrain of some stages has been changed.

• The sound effect when hitting an opponent with a charger’s nonpiercing shot is now easier to hear.
• The sound effects when the Splat Bomb, Torpedo, or Fizzy Bomb roll on the ground are now easier to hear.
• The direct-hit sound effects for when an Angle Shooter hits an opponent and when it hits another physical object are now different.
• The Angle Shooter’s direct-hit sound effect is now easier to hear from a distance. 
• The sound effect when wielding the Trizooka is now harder for allies to hear and easier for opponents to hear.
• The sound effect when an opponent is charging a Booyah Bomb is now easier to hear.
• The flight and impact sound effects for a Booyah Bomb thrown by an opponent are now easier to hear.

Changes to X Battles

• 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.

Changes to Ranked

• Added a feature allowing players to purposely reset their rank.
  • This feature can only be used once per season by players of rank B or higher.
  • What rank a player is reset to is determined automatically by their estimated ability based on their battles up to that point.
  • Players can use this feature by opening up the Lobby menu, moving their cursors to Anarchy Battle, and pressing the ZL Button.
• Some values of the initial cost in Rank Points spent to enter an Anarchy Battle (Series) have increased.

Changes to Salmon Run

• Data relating to the Big Run event has been added.
  • Big Run is a phenomenon where mass numbers of Salmonids swim upstream once every few months.
  • While a Big Run is happening, Salmon Run will be held specially on regular battle stages.
  • When the Big Run has ended, different decorations will be awarded to players based on the Big Run results. This will be calculated based on the highest number of Golden Eggs collected in a single work shift across the entire player base.
• Added a feature to save and replay job scenarios.
  • A job scenario is the collected overall data comprising elements of a single job shift like stage, weapon array, appearing Salmonids, and special events. 
  • Players can save job scenarios from the Recent Jobs screen at the Grizzco terminal. 
  • Players can reproduce a scenario and attempt it as many times as they like by creating a Private Job room, then pressing the ZL Button to select a scenario.
  • Job scenarios can be shared with other players via the code issued when the scenario is saved.Note: By entering a code at the Grizzco terminal, you can also download and save other players’ scenarios.
  • When a new update is released, job scenarios from previous versions may become unable to be used. 
• The conditions for using the Reset Rank feature have been changed to being above Go-Getter 40. 
• When a player with a rank higher than Eggsecutive VP 100 uses the Reset Rank feature, they are not reset all at once to rank value 40. They will be reset in stages of 100 points at a time.
  • When the stage changes, rank will be reset to Eggsecutive VP 40 as it has been before now. 
• Some Boss Salmonid abilities have been changed.
  

The performance of some special weapons has been changed.

• The number of Boss Salmonids that can appear at once has been capped at 15.
  • When defeating Boss Salmonids at a regular pace, even at high hazard levels, players will not reach this limit. This change was made because, in cases where players are chased down by bosses they cannot splat, the appearance of too many bosses can slow the game down and make it more difficult than necessary to get things back under control.

Changes to Splatfests

• Tricolor Battles have been modified so that all players can play on the attacking or defending team regardless of the halftime results.
  • Players can join by themselves or in a pair with a friend. When playing by themselves, they will be paired with another solo player, same as before.
  • A group of eight will be created from four pairs, and a 2 vs. 4 vs. 2 Tricolor Battle will commence. 
  • Players do not know whether they will be on an attacking team or the defending team until the battle begins.
  • Players have a fifty-fifty chance of being on an attacking team or the defending team, regardless of their Splatfest-team affiliation. 
  • Depending on population ratios for Splatfest teams, there may be Tricolor Battles where all eight players are on the same Splatfest team. In these cases, Clout will not be calculated. 
• Clout earned in Tricolor Battles will now be calculated in the Final Results, and the points awarded for each category have been adjusted. 
• Part of the way Clout is calculated for Tricolor Battles has changed.
  • Increased the victory bonus for the defending team.
  • When the team in first place at halftime is the defending team and the attacking teams are from the second- or third-place teams, 1.5 times more Clout will be awarded for a victory. 
• When you win a 10x, 100x, or 333x Battle, it will be shown at your Pledge Box.
• After winning a 100x or 333x Battle, you can board your team’s float from your Pledge Box to take commemorative pictures.

Changes to Lockers

• T-shirt gear items can now be folded for storage by pressing the L Stick while placing the shirt.
• When pressing B to cancel placement, the locker will now return to the immediately previous state before you grabbed anything. 

Other Changes

• Players can now enter Photo Mode from Recon Mode.
  • Players can use Photo Mode not only by themselves but also when entering Recon Mode with multiple people by way of Private Battles. 
• When walking a stage in recon by oneself, a player can call an amiibo to take pictures with. 
• Added a feature to temporarily use a different player name than usual when playing Private Battles over the internet.
  • The idea is, for one example, to be able to add a team name into one’s player name, only in Private Battles. 
  • When creating or joining a group for a Private Battle, you can temporarily set a different name by pressing the L Button. 
• The song title and artist of the background music will now be shown at the beginning of battle.
• In the Equip screen, when a player has a lot of weapons or gear, it will now be clear what page of items is being shown. 
• In the Equip screen, when sorting by gear ability, abilities that do not exist on the items being sorted will no longer appear as sorting options. 
• Added a feature for listening again to Sheldon’s weapon explanations in Ammo Knights.
  • Players can use this feature by putting their cursor over the weapon they want to hear the explanation for again and pressing the ZR Button. 
• Added a badge related to using the Shell-Out Machine.
  • Previous usage up to this point is counted toward badge progress.

This update focuses on adding data and new features relating to Chill Season 2022, adjustments to battles and Salmon Run, and changes to Tricolor Battles. 

For battles, besides an adjustment to reducing attack frequency for the battle style of repeatedly firing Tenta Missiles from afar, we also focused on updates to increase some weapons’ ease of use.

For Salmon Run, in addition to lowering the Big Shot’s attack frequency and giving players more chance to damage it by lowering its movement speed, we implemented changes to improve factors that made some special weapons difficult to use. 

For Splatfests, as announced in the previous update, we made significant changes to the Tricolor Battle mode.

In addition to this are various added features and improvements large and small and bug fixes. 

Our next update is planned for the middle of Chill Season 2022 and should focus on balance adjustments upon analysis of data from the newly added weapons.

Bug Fixes

Fixes to Player Controls

• Fixed an issue where standing on the edge of a sponge of the opponents’ color and jumping would let players do a jump of the same height as the regular ground. 
• Fixed an issue where a player being moved involuntarily by things like a Splash Wall or a Salmonid’s attack would cause them to not be shown in the proper position on another player’s screen. 
• Fixed an issue where players going into swim form on thin floors could allow some attacks to damage them from the opposite side of the terrain. 
• Fixed an issue where swimming on a wall and quickly doing a Squid Surge would allow the player to jump higher than intended when wearing gear with a lot of Intensify Action abilities.
• Fixed an issue where doing a Super Jump onto a sponge would cause the player to land in midair. 
• Fixed an issue with shooters, blasters, dualies, and the Crab Tank’s ZR Button shots where aiming above or below horizontal while firing would cause the shots’ left-right scatter to be less than intended. 
• Fixed an issue where a player with a roller would not be bounced backward when their roller’s ground-rolling attack hit but did not splat an opponent. 
• Fixed an issue where the sound effect of a player using a roller, brush, or slosher could be triggered twice on other players’ screens. 
• Fixed an issue where the sound effect of a player doing a dualie Dodge Roll could be triggered twice on other players’ screens. 
• Fixed an issue with the Bloblobber where lobbing blobs while touching certain terrain or while inputting certain controls could cause some of the blobs not to be lobbed correctly. 
• Fixed an issue where performing a dualie Dodge Roll immediately after landing from a Super Jump could result in the roll’s trajectory looking different to other players than that of the actual roll. 
• Fixed an issue where using a sub weapon after doing a Squid Roll from a wall or a Squid Surge while having a brella equipped would cause the brella to be shown in an unnatural position. 
• Fixed an issue when firing a stringer while in close contact with a metal grate where the stringer’s shots would be obstructed by the grate. 
• Fixed an issue with splatanas’ horizontal slashes where there was a difference in the vertical position of the collision detection between the center and the edges, and they did not align with the visual appearance. 
• Fixed an issue where pressing the ZL Button while preparing a charged slash with a splatana, then releasing the ZR Button before going into swim form would result in a horizontal slash instead of a charged slash. 
• Fixed an issue where a player who activated the Zipcaster while holding the R Button and then immediately releasing R would result in a sub weapon being used despite the Zipcaster being in use, making the time of the Zipcaster’s continuous use shorter. 
• Fixed an issue where the Reefslider’s explosion animation would not be triggered on a player’s screen when another player used the Reefslider. 
• Fixed an issue where attacking the starting point of an inkrail with the Ultra Stamp would cause the game to slow down. 
• Fixed an issue where, when splatted while trying to charge the Rainmaker, the next time the player picks up the Rainmaker, it would fire a shot regardless of whether they were pressing the ZR Button or not. 

Fixes to Multiplayer

• Fixed an issue when using the directional buttons to pick a teammate to Super Jump to from the map where the target teammate would switch if even just a slight diagonal was input. 
• Fixed an issue where hitting the edge of a Splash Wall or brella shield with a blaster shot would deal damage to a player on the opposite side. 
• Fixed an issue when holding the ZR Button to roll ink along the ground with a roller where it would deal damage to a player behind a brella shield. 
• Fixed an issue when breaking an opponent’s brella shield while inking the ground with the ZR Button with a brush or roller where the player using the brush or roller would not be knocked back. 
• Fixed an issue where the Sloshing Machine’s spirals would deal damage to opponents on the opposite side of thin terrain. 
• Fixed an issue where an opponent’s bomb touching a brella shield at the same moment the brella closed would cause the brella not to take damage. 
• Fixed an issue where splatanas’ melee attacks could deal damage to an opponent on the other side of thin terrain. 
• Fixed issues where placing a Splash Wall at certain locations could cause it to move to a slightly different position, float above the terrain, or disappear instantly. 
• Fixed an issue where a thrown Splash Wall or Wave Breaker would disappear if it touched an ally’s Crab Tank before being set up. 
• Fixed an issue where a Big Bubbler’s drone device being touched by a Wave Breaker’s wave would cause an animation looking like the drone was taking damage, despite not actually taking any damage. 
• Adjusted the color of the Reefslider’s attack-area indicator to fix an issue where certain ink-color combinations made it easy to be mistaken for the enemy team’s color. 
• Fixed an issue where Tenta Missiles passing within inches of terrain before impact would cause the impact predicter’s position to be shown in a different position than the actual impact. 
• Fixed an issue with sending Booyah! to charge a Booyah Bomb where pressing the button quickly could exceed the intended limit and charge the bomb rapidly. 
• Fixed an issue when charging a Booyah Bomb where power would charge at the instant an ally pressed Booyah! and made it so that power is charged when the light animation sent from the ally is sucked into the bomb. 
• Fixed an issue where a thrown Ultra Stamp would disappear if touched by an opponent’s Booyah Bomb blast wave. 
• Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp’s collision detection would remain on the spot for a short while after the effect had ended. 
• Fixed an issue in the Splat Zones mode where the determination for the award “#1 Splat Zone Inker” was not being done correctly, resulting in the award being shown as though it had been obtained despite the player not actually being number one. 
• Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode where, when there is an enemy Splash Wall on top of the checkpoint, the Rainmaker wouldn’t be placed on the checkpoint even though the animation was played. 
• Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode where a player could earn the Record-Score Setter award even in cases where they headed for the opponents’ goal without the checkpoint having been broken through. 
• Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode when, in overtime, a checkpoint breakthrough and taking the lead happens at the same time, where if the player holding the Rainmaker is splatted by an opponent at the same instant they take the lead, the match would continue instead of end. 
• Fixed an issue in the Rainmaker mode where if a teammate picked up the Rainmaker immediately after throwing a Tacticooler, the Rainmaker icon would be shown at the Tacticooler’s position. 
• Fixed an issue in the Eeltail Alley stage in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended. 
• Fixed an issue in the Eeltail Alley in Tower Control, Clam Blitz, and Rainmaker modes where the underside of certain terrain could be inked to fill the special gauge. 
• Fixed an issue in the Undertow Spillway stage where certain walls, when inked by a bomb’s explosion, would be inked in locations that differed from the explosion. 
• Fixed an issue in Undertow Spillway where players standing on the glass floor could be damaged from the other side. 
• Fixed an issue in Undertow Spillway in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended. 
• Fixed an issue in Mincemeat Metalworks in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
• Fixed an issue in Hagglefish Market in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended.
• Fixed an issue in Hagglefish Market in Clam Blitz mode where clam placements at the start of battle were not symmetrical.
• Fixed an issue in Hammerhead Bridge where parts of players could clip into certain terrain.
• Fixed an issue in Hammerhead Bridge in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended. 
• Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino where inking on top of the central spinning floor would cause points to increase by double.
• Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino in Rainmaker mode where doing a Squid Surge on certain height differences would cause the count to go up as though you had climbed that distance despite not actually having been able to climb it. 
• Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort where Tenta Missiles’ impact-area predictor indicators would disappear when the water level changed.
• Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort where players on top of certain platforms could be damaged from the other side. 
• Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort where walls at certain locations had a few parts that could not be inked.
• Fixed an issue in Mahi-Mahi Resort in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended. 
• Fixed an issue in MakoMart in Rainmaker mode where the DON’T RETREAT! warning would be shown at a shorter distance than intended. 
• Fixed an issue in Inkblot Art Academy where players could jump to boards outside the stage.
• Fixed an issue in Wahoo World where a certain location near the starting point would not allow players to swim even if it looked like it had been inked.
• Fixed an issue in Wahoo World where the top of a certain pillar was treated as being outside the stage. 
• Fixed an issue in Wahoo World where using a Booyah Bomb in a certain place could cause players to be pushed into certain terrain by a revolving element. 
• Fixed an issue in Wahoo World in Rainmaker mode where jumping toward a certain different-height location could result in progress being counted as though the player had ascended it despite their not actually having done so. 

Fixes to Salmon Run

• Fixed an issue where another player’s Golden Egg was not being displayed when they were in swim form. 
• Fixed an issue where it could look to other players as though a player had a different weapon equipped than they actually did. 
• Fixed an issue where, immediately before the Xtrawave begins, players could use up their special abilities left over from Wave 3. 
• Fixed an issue when making a room with friends where, when the player that joined later pressed “Ready!” the player that made the room would leave it, and the game would be put in a state of being unable to progress. 
• Fixed an issue where the number of eggs collected for each wave as shown on the screen for job results was not being properly displayed in certain languages.
• Fixed an issue with wipers where a horizontal slash’s melee attack would not deal damage to an enemy in contact with the player.
• Fixed an issue where wipers could deal damage to Scrappers from the front.
• Fixed an issue where a communications error would occur when hitting a Scrapper or a Gusher with multiple shots at the same time from a Grizzco Stringer. 
• Fixed an issue where explosions from the Reefslider or Splat Bombs could not deal damage to a Big Shot or a Cohock. 
• Fixed an issue where using the Inkjet right before the water rises would result in returning to a point beneath the water at the end of the jet-pack effect. 
• Made it so that if a player with a Golden Egg goes into swim form, the egg they have will show while using the Inkjet. 
• Implemented measures to prevent Snatchers from entering into terrain after collecting Golden Eggs. 
• Fixed an issue when a Steelhead is destroyed at the moment its bomb is thrown where the bomb would still be thrown despite the Steelhead’s defeat. 
• Fixed an issue where, when a Steelhead threw its bomb, a player in a location that a bomb was previously thrown to would be pushed out. 
• Fixed an issue where a Flyfish would suddenly close its container when the other container was destroyed. 
• Fixed an issue when a Flyfish’s container is destroyed immediately after its first missile is fired where the marker around players that shows they’re being targeted would not be shown. 
• Fixed an issue where the Steel Eel would target the closest player by measuring in direct lines, ignoring its movement route. 
• Fixed an issue when multiple Steel Eels have appeared where they would target the same player even though there were other players that could be targeted. 
• Fixed an issue where players could damage a Drizzler while it was covered by its umbrella. 
• Fixed an issue where the Golden Eggs that appeared when a Slammin’ Lid was defeated would appear in midair. 
• Fixed an issue where the Golden Eggs that appeared when a Slammin’ Lid was defeated would appear on top of the egg basket. 
• Fixed an issue where the Lesser Salmonids that appeared from the Slammin’ Lid would attack before landing on the ground.
• Implemented measures to make clipping happen less frequently in response to the issue where Grillers would clip into terrain and deal damage to players standing on top of higher elevations. 
• Fixed issues in the Goldie Seeking event where players could get an extreme number of eggs or be unable to obtain eggs when damaging the Goldie. 
• Fixed an issue where eggs sucked up by the Mothership were still being counted as collected eggs on the Grizzco terminal and SplatNet 3.
• Fixed an issue in Sockeye Station where the game could slow down when swimming on certain walls. 
• Fixed an issue in Sockeye Station where, when throwing a Splat Bomb at a certain location, it would remain there without exploding for a long while. 
• Made it so that players cannot stand on top of the switchboards installed in the walls.

Fixes to Story Mode

• Fixed an issue with Alterna Site 4’s boss stage where players would clip through terrain in rare cases and get a loss. 
• Fixed an issue with Alterna Site 6 Stage 1 where enemies would not appear if the player took a certain route. 
• Fixed an issue with Alterna Site 6’s boss stage where players could clip through the terrain in rare cases and get a loss. 
• Implemented measures to prevent the game from crashing when playing on stages with Octoling enemies for a long time. 

Fixes to Splatfests

• Fixed an issue in Splatfest Turf War battles when using the Color Lock option where the ink-color combination would not turn to yellow and blue. 
• Fixed an issue where the game would crash at the end of a Splatfest Battle during the time period when Tricolor Battles would trigger. 
• Fixed an issue where changes to Splatfest Power immediately after starting a Splatfest Battle (Pro) would be too small. 

Other Fixes

• Fixed an issue where Hotlantis’s product lineup would change when the player’s catalog level went up and the player received their reward. 
• Fixed an issue where, after opening your friends list in the lobby or Grizzco and immediately switching to the Shoal, rooms created by nearby players would not be shown correctly. 
• Fixed an issue when trying to place a decoration against the inner wall of the locker where it would be judged as being outside the locker and its placement deleted. 
• Fixed an issue when placing a decoration in your locker where using the cancel option at a certain moment could result in the item being placed at an unnatural angle or placed in a position without enough space. 
• Fixed an issue when ordering gear from other players where “Already Ordered” would show erroneously when ordering gear from the same slot on the same player as a previously ordered item, even if the new item was different.
• Fixed an issue where, when leaving gear ordered through Murch unpurchased and trying to order a different item the next day, the order list would be the same as it was on the previous day. 
• Fixed an issue with battling while using the “Primary Gear Abilities Only” option in private matches where it could appear on the results screen as though secondary gear abilities had been active. 
• Fixed an issue when viewing a battle replay on Mahi-Mahi Resort where the inking of the ground would not be reproduced correctly. 
• Fixed an issue in some languages where title options were not properly being displayed in alphabetical order.
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to have more gear ability chunks than the intended maximum of 999. 
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to have more card bits than the intended maximum of 999.