Splatoon 3 – New Stages, Weapons, Shops, Loadouts, and More Revealed

Nintendo’s recent Direct has wrapped, providing 30 minutes of new details for Splatoon 3. It first introduced Splatsville, the hottest new place for Inklings to hang out. The city is full of sights and sounds along with returning shops like Ammo Knights, where players can buy weapons using Sheldon Licenses.

Earned by leveling up through battles and using the same weapons continuously, one License can obtain weapons corresponding to your level. Exchanging more licenses than normal can net some later weapons sooner as a reward. Gear Shops include Naut Couture, which sells headgear; Man-o’-Wardrobe for tops like t-shirts and jackets; and Crush Station for different shoes.

Gear comes with abilities that can help in battles like Rune Speed Up, which increases running speed, or Intensify Action, which improves Squid Roll and Squid Surge. If you want abilities on specific gear for optimal fashion, then an NPC named Murch can swap them around.

Turf War has already been discussed with the 4v4 format returning. New techniques include Squid Surge to climb up walls in a single burst and Squid Roll, which allows for jumping out of Ink and turning quickly. The latter even slightly repels ink for a short period, as indicated by a slight glow. There will be 12 stages in total for multiplayer – including Hagglefish Market, Mahi-Mahi Resort, Hammerhead Bridge, and Museum d’Alfonsino – with additional stages coming in post-launch updates.

As for weapons, all basic weapons from previous games return. New weapons include Stringers, which function like bows, and Splatanas like the Splatana Wiper which sends blades of Ink flying. It can also be charged for devastating damage up-close.

Special Weapons are available by filling up the gauge when Inking up the Turf. New Special Weapons include the Tacticooler, a fridge that dispenses beverages for effects like temporarily increased speed. The Wave Breaker unleashes waves in an area to mark an opponent’s location and damage them (which can be avoided by jumping). Reefsliders build power and charge into opponents, then explode at a location for high damage. Other Special Weapons like Tenta Missiles, Inkjet, Ink Storm, Booyah Bomb, and Ultra Stamp also return.

Players can also set up different outfits and weapons, and save them to loadouts called Fits for quickly swapping. Splatoon 3 is out on September 9th for Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned for more details from the Direct shortly.