Splatoon 3's Latest Update: Exciting Changes to Sizzle Season, Multiplayer, Challenges, Anarchy Battles, and Salmon Run!

Nintendo has announced the upcoming release of Splatoon 3 version 4.0, which marks the beginning of the Sizzle season. Since its debut, the game has been well-received and has received consistent updates and events from Nintendo, each coinciding with a new season. The previous seasons included Drizzle, Chill, and Fresh, with the Sizzle season set to begin on June 1st, 2023. This season will introduce a new Big Run shift for Salmon Run, as well as new weapons, gear, titles, decorations, and stages to engage in battles. While a trailer has already been released, players can now access the full list of patch notes on Nintendo's website prior to the update's release.

The seasonal catalog and weapons have undergone multiple changes, resulting in an extensive list of notes. Among the additions are two new main weapons - the S-Blast '92 and the Painbrush. The former is a blaster weapon that takes inspiration from Nintendo's Super Scope peripheral, while the latter is a slower but more powerful version of the Inkbrush. Additionally, nine new weapon sets will also be introduced to the game.

Splatoon 3's weapons have undergone some adjustments, including changes to ink launching intervals, reduced ink consumption, and damage. Special weapons have also received buffs or nerfs in this update. The new Challenges multiplayer mode has been introduced, featuring limited-time battles with unique rules that can be tackled solo or with friends. Players can earn Challenge Power based on their match results, which can be used to qualify for online tournaments. Other updates include new tracks in the lobby and battles, as well as aesthetic and quality-of-life improvements to Anarchy Battles, Tableturf Battle, and the Lobby. Of course, the update also includes the usual bug fixes that come with any major seasonal update.

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New content revolving around Sizzle Season

A fresh catalog featuring new titles, Splashtags, decorations, stickers, and emotes is now available. The catalog comes in two stages: the new Barnacle & Dime stage and Humpback Pump Track from Splatoon 2. In addition, there are two new main weapons, the Painbrush and S-Blast, along with 9 new sets of existing main weapons paired with different sub and special weapons. Salmon Run mode also has a new stage, Jammin' Salmon Junction. Lastly, there are 11 new Tableturf Battle cards to explore.

Multiplayer Changes

Three new songs can now be heard while playing matches and several new weapons have been added, including the S-Blast main weapon and the Painbrush main weapon. There are also new weapon sets available, such as the Annaki Splattershot Nova, H-3 Nozzlenose D, and Custom Dualie Squelchers. Additionally, the points required to unlock certain weapons have been increased and under certain conditions, players on the winning team can celebrate together. Two new Color Lock combinations have been introduced and there have been adjustments made to weapon balance.

Limited-time battles called challenges have been introduced, featuring special rules. These challenges can be played either alone or with friends. Challenge Power is determined during the battle and is awarded based on the player's number of wins and losses. Once the time period has ended, players can check their overall Challenge Power ranking. Players can also use the Shell-Out machine, which can be accessed using Shell-Out tokens earned during challenges.

Anarchy Power is a metric that represents the overall strength of a team and is affected by their performance in battles. The value of Anarchy Power resets whenever the mode or stage changes, and it is recalculated whenever there is a change in the group's composition. Furthermore, Anarchy Power is distributed differently for duos and teams with three or more members, with the latter qualifying for the team division. In addition, matchmaking mechanisms have been tweaked to improve the player experience, and now players can change their gear without leaving the group. Lastly, players can choose to return to the Ready! state after a battle by selecting Stop instead of getting kicked out of the room.

Salmon Run Changes

The adjustments made to the main weapons include doubling the amount of Fish scales obtained after defeating a King Salmonid in Big Run. Players can also now enjoy playing Eggstra Work solo. In case a player joins Eggstra Work with a group that has less than four players, the game will automatically gather other players to make it a 4-player attempt. Furthermore, overlapping weapons will now be automatically reselected or warned against. Finally, newly added items that can be obtained through Fish scales are now clearly marked for convenience. For more information, please visit the Nintendo site.

Splatoon 3 is available now for Nintendo Switch.