Splatoon 3 drops its hefty Version 3.0 update today

It’s all over for Crab Armor

This week will see rainbow shooter Splatoon 3 launch a brand new season of carpet-ruining action, and Nintendo is preparing to get the game warmed up for the coming chaos with the launch of its Version 3.0 update, which will be made available for download today.

Splatoon 3 Ver 3.0 is a huge update filled with balance tweaks, bug stomps, and various other under-the-hood adjustments in order to ensure that the arena shooter is ready to rock come March 1, when the “Fresh Season 2023” receives its global launch. The update features the addition of a huge arsenal of standard and special weaponry, ruleset changes, and support for Inkopolis DLC owners.

Breaking news! SRL here with advance info about next season in the Splatoon 3 game! We'll be entering Fresh Season 2023 on March 1st, and SRL's hardworking scientists have you covered with a plethora of discoveries. Grab 8 pencils (if you have tentacles), and start taking notes! pic.twitter.com/4F46cHbWvn

— Splatoon North America (@SplatoonNA) February 16, 2023

Players who have purchased the Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass will be able to travel between Inkopolis and Splatsville via a new train, which can be boarded at Inkopolis square, offering new hangout spots and stores. Speaking of stores, Fresh Season 2023 will see the arrival of a whole new catalog of cosmetic purchases — including new gear, decorations, splashtags, stickers, and emotes — for a grand total of 126 items.

The new season will also see the addition of two new stages: the Aztecian Um’ami Ruins and the ocean-set galleon, The Manta Maria. Splatoon 3’s current stages have also been reviewed by the developer teams, with changes made to terrain, distance, and verticality, typically to reduce long-distance “Hail Mary”-style shooting. Thus, you might want to revisit your favorite stages and adjust your typical map tactics.

The above is literally just scratching the surface of the extensive patch notes, which feature tweaks to player connectivity, point scoring, individual weapon balancing, bug fixes, and changes to Salmon Run, Tableturf Battle, and even the Lobby and general U.I. Be sure to set aside some time to pick through the details, so that you won’t be taken by surprise when you dive back into the messy world of Splatoon for the coming months of colorful chaos. See you in the ring, squid kids!

Splatoon 3: Fresh Season 2023 kicks off on March 1.