Splatoon 2 Getting a Huge, Free Update Tonight On Nintendo Switch, Including X Rank

Ever since the game's release last summer, Nintendo has been promising some huge updates for its multiplayer paint shooter Splatoon 2. Later tonight, it'll be keeping that promise, as it's adding all sorts of content to the game.

The hit Nintendo Switch game will be seeing a lot of new content later this evening, free of charge. This includes more than 100 pieces of returning and new gear, as well as some additional songs, the return of Callie (from the famous Squid Sisters), balance adjustments and, for you experience players, the debut of the X Rank level.

"As promised when the game was first announced, we are determined to provide players with new experiences and content in Splatoon 2," said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Through these regular updates, we are ensuring that both players old and new will log on to fun new experiences."

Here's the lowdown of what you can expect from the update, straight from NIntendo:

"X Rank is an extremely challenging Ranked Battle experience targeting the best-of-the-best players. Players who are S+10 in the current Splatoon 2 ranking system will automatically be registered as X Rank after downloading the update. Players who are X Rank will battle for an X Power level. Once a month, 500 players with the highest X Power level for each of the four different Ranked Battle modes will be announced within SplatNet 2, a service of the Nintendo Switch Online app for mobile devices.

X Power levels will be reset every month. During this reset, players whose X Power level ends up lower than a set threshold will rank down to S+9. This new system encourages players of all ranks to enjoy improving their play and maintaining their skills, as opposed to simply focusing on ranking up.

The first X Power reset is currently scheduled for May 31, and any future resets will take place on the final day of that month. As part of these periodic resets, the rotation of eight selected stages in Ranked Battle (with two stages rotating every two hours), the addition of new weapons and the introduction of new stages will also occur. In fact, tonight will also see the return of the popular stage Camp Triggerfish, along with four additional weapons.

In addition to X Rank, when Version 3.0 goes live this evening, this new update adds more than 100 pieces of gear – some new, some returning from the original Splatoon game – as well as new songs from Chirpy Chips, a popular in-game chiptune-style band featured in the first game. The update will also include some weapon balance adjustments, bug fixes and other changes.

Fans of the Squid Sisters will need to sit down, as the software update also marks the long-awaited return of Callie. Once players meet a certain condition after downloading the update, Callie will appear in Tentakeel Outpost in Octo Canyon. As exciting as it is to see the Squid Sisters reunited, Callie will also offer recent multiplayer stats about the player's character."

The update will be available around 9 PM EDT, and if you need details on how to get it (if it's not done automatically), follow the instructions on this page. Let the paint fly!

And don't forget, there's a huge single player expansion coming this summer, too!

Splatoon 2 is available now for Nintendo Switch.