Splatoon 3 Update Adding Huge Changes, Patch Notes Released

A new update has been detailed for Splatoon 3, which will bring the Nintendo Switch game up to version 1.2.0. The update is set to drop on October 25th, but Nintendo has made the patch notes available ahead of time. Fans will find that they’re rather significant, and should make for a more enjoyable experience overall. The update will also add compatibility with the new wave of Splatoon amiibo figures, which are set to release in stores next month. Full patch notes from Nintendo’s official website can be found below: 

Ver. 1.2.0 (Releases October 25, 2022)

Changes and Feature Improvements

Changes to amiibo

• Added support for the Inkling (Yellow), Octoling (Blue), and Smallfry amiibo.

Changes to Communication

• Made improvements to data transfer between players.
  • On average, data will be transferred about .05 seconds more quickly than before.
  • Userscan expect to see a reduction in the time it takes from a player beingdealt damage to them being defeated, the time it takes from touching aGolden Egg to actually picking it up, and other similar actions.
  • These improvements cannot fully compensate for a slow or unreliable internet connection.

Changes to Multiplayer

• Sub-Weapon Name:            
  

Fizzy Bomb- Increased the time it takes for ink to start recovering after using a Fizzy Bomb by about .25 seconds.

• Points required for some weapon specials have been changed.
  

Weapon Name:

Flingza Roller- Before: 200, After: 210

Sloshing Machine- Before: 200, After: 210

REEF-LUX 450- Before: 200, After: 210

Changes to Splatfest

• Made it so that whenplayers from each team appear during Open and Pro Splatfest Battles,each team’s affiliation is also displayed, making it easy to know whichSplatfest team they’re on.
• Made it possible to report “Fresh!” hand-drawn pictures that appear in the sky above Splatsville during a Splatfest.

Other Changes

• Informationlike the name of the current mode and progress through a challenge willnow be displayed when opening the lobby menu during matchmaking in thelobby or Grizzco.
• When playing alone, immediately after choosing”Keep Going” or “Change Gear, Then Go!” the player can now use the –Button in the lobby or Grizzco to cancel matchmaking, depending on thegame mode selected.
• In the lobby or Grizzco, when the player canselect “OK!” or “Yeah” when joining a friend, a sound effect will nowplay and the controller will vibrate to notify the player.
• Improvedthe efficiency of matchmaking for Anarchy Battles (Open), AnarchyBattles (Series), Splatfest Battles (Open), and Tricolor Attack.
  • Thesechanges mean that a pair of players joining an Anarchy Battle (Open) orSplatfest Battle (Open) can expect shorter wait times.
• Whenreading amiibo with a Freshest Fit saved on the equip screen, therewill now be an exclamation point where “Freshest Fit” is displayed onthe bottom right of the screen.

This update focuses on adjusting some weapons, improving several features, and fixing bugs that relate to battles.

We’veimplemented several adjustments to curtail to a certain extent thestyle of play where the player stays far removed from the action andcontinually uses sub weapons or special weapons. This patch prioritizesbug fixes, and other adjustments to weapons will continue in the nextupdate.

In addition, we’ve reduced the amount of time matchmakingtakes for certain modes, reduced battle latency, and made smallconvenience improvements to the lobby and more.

The next updatewill focus on new features for the season beginning in December, weaponbalance changes, and changes to the Splatfest Tricolor Attack mode. Itis scheduled to be released at the end of the current season.

Bug Fixes

Fixes to Player Controls

• Fixedan issue where, when another player’s movements were unable to bereproduced smoothly due to the terrain, a process to instantaneouslymove them would not run, causing them to stay in their displacedposition for a long time.
• Fixed an issue where Super Jumping to adistant location and attacking just before landing would cause shots totravel farther than intended.
• Fixed an issue where the gearability Ink Saver (Main) was not being activated when using brushes andholding ZR to ink while moving.
• Fixed an issue that was makingit easier to interrupt the player’s attack and turn back into swim formwhen repeatedly pressing ZR to attack while holding ZL when usingbrushes or sloshers.
• Changed the player’s pose when they attackright after a Squid Surge or a Squid Roll away from a wall while having acharger or stringer equipped so that the direction they are facing andthe direction the shot actually travels are not as different.
• Fixedan issue where, when aiming a charger with a scope attached whilepressed up against an obstacle, obstacles would become transparent insome cases when they shouldn’t be.
• Fixed an issue with slosherswhere the weapon-use sound effect would not be played correctly whenattacking immediately after “Low ink!” is shown.
• Fixed an issue with the Bloblobber where some of the blobs would not be lobbed when used while submerged and aiming upward.
• Fixedan issue with the Ballpoint Splatling when firing at long range wherethe variation of the speed of the ink fired was greater than intended.
• Fixedan issue when firing the Glooga Dualies and Dodge Rolling repeatedlywhere low-damage shots would be fired at the moment of the second slide.
• Fixedan issue with the Tenta Brella where its launched umbrella’s hitdetection was farther forward than intended, bringing it closer to theposition it had in Splatoon 2.
• Fixed an issue with splatanas where the width inked would be larger than intended depending on the number of swings.
• Fixedan issue where certain control inputs with the Splatana Stamper wouldcause horizontal slashes to be repeated faster than intended.
• Fixedan issue with moving long distances with the Zipcaster where certaininputs could allow the player to use their main weapon even whilemoving.

Fixes to Multiplayer

• Fixed an issue where inking certain terrain with a bomb or the Rainmaker explosion would award more points than intended.
• Fixed an issue where inking the walls of some objects in a stage would charge the special gauge.
• Fixed an issue where some objects in a stage would not be applied toward inked area in Turf War battles.
• Fixedan issue where blaster shots would produce the same shock wave as amidair explosion when hitting a Tacticooler or Ultra Stamp.
• Fixed an issue where rollers would ink surfaces they weren’t touching when rolling in a way that clips into certain terrain.
• Fixedan issue where the Sloshing Machine’s spiral would deal damage whenhitting an opponent on the other side of thin terrain even though theywere hidden by the terrain.
• Fixed an issue where the SloshingMachine’s spiral would deal damage when hitting an opponent inside anInk Vac’s vacuum area despite the opponent being entirely inside thearea.
• Fixed an issue where a bomb would remain in its locationwhen hitting a brella at the moment it closes, regardless of damagedealt to the umbrella.
• Fixed an issue where using a splatanawhen in close contact with the Tower Control tower would cause the inkto disappear when it hit the tower.
• Fixed an issue where Burst Bombs would disappear without activating when hitting certain terrain.
• Fixedan issue where a Point Sensor or Toxic Mist would disappear withoutactivating when hitting certain terrain or an Ultra Stamp.
• Fixed an issue where a Splash Wall would immediately disappear if placed in a certain location.
• Fixed an issue on some stages where a Booyah Bomb’s blast would not ink the ground correctly.
• Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp would not block enemy bombs’ blast waves.
• Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp would not block fully charged shots from a charger.
• Fixedan issue with the Ultra Stamp’s repeated stamping attack where therewould be moments in which direct attacks could not deal damage to theopponent.
• Fixed an issue that would prevent the Ultra Stamp’s repeated stamping attack from properly inking the ground.
• Fixedan issue that allowed the Ultra Stamp’s repeated stamping attack todeal damage to enemies on the other side of thin walls.
• Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp’s midair spinning attack could not deal damage to opponents on the ground.
• Fixed an issue that allowed the Ultra Stamp’s midair spinning attack to deal damage to enemies on the other side of thin walls.
• Fixedan issue where hitting terrain at the instant the Ultra Stamp is thrownwould cause an explosion in a different location than where it hit.
• Fixedan issue where the Ultra Stamp’s throw attack, when aimed at anopponent on iron grating, would deal direct damage even if hitting fromthe back side.
• Fixed an issue where hitting an enemy on theother side of a thin wall with the Trizooka would deal damage to themeven though they were hidden by terrain.
• Fixed an issue with theKiller Wail 5.1 where the megaphone targeting a locked-on opponent whowas splatted during its active period would move.
• Fixed an issuewith the Wave Breaker where its waves would not be visible if placed ina location with a height difference, even in the area of effect.
• Fixedan issue with the Wave Breaker where it would not activate when placedon terrain at a certain angle, rather than catching and falling.
• Fixedan issue where placing a Wave Breaker overlapping an opponent’s SplashWall would cause the Wave Breaker to disappear on the opponent’s screen.
• Fixedan issue where a Tacticooler activating at the same moment a previouslyplaced Tacticooler disappears would cause both to disappear.
• Fixedan issue where the appearance of a placed Tacticooler that inclines atan angle due to moving terrain would differ from its collisiondetection.
• Fixed an issue where, when a player is splatteddirectly before a Tacticooler’s effect runs out, the special-gaugereduction would remain normal even though the player still has ashortened respawn time.
• Implemented measures to prevent players clipping into terrain when a Tacticooler is placed in certain corners.
• Fixedan issue where the gear ability Comeback was also activating forrespawns from the player falling off the stage or into water.
• Fixed an issue in Splat Zones mode where the borderlines of the zones were difficult to see on certain stages.
• AdjustedRainmaker so that if the player is splatted right at the moment theyplace the Rainmaker at the goal, the count will be at 1.
• Fixedan issue with overtime in Rainmaker where an announcement about takingthe lead that differs from the actual results would be shown when theRainmaker is dropped at the moment a team takes the lead.
• Fixedan issue in Rainmaker where the tops of signboards that show areas theRainmaker is restricted from entering would block ink shots.
• Fixedan issue in Rainmaker where a player would get the Rainmaker at theinstant its barrier is broken if the Rainmaker was returned to thecenter just as someone was trying to touch it.
• Fixed an issue in Clam Blitz where a Tacticooler placed on top of the clam basket would disappear.
• Fixedan issue in Clam Blitz where overtime would be entered when the timelimit is reached even if the team with the lower score has no existingpower clams.
• Fixed an issue in the Scorch Gorge stage in TurfWar, Splat Zone and Clam Blitz battles where squeezing into the gapbetween certain terrain would cause the player to enter into theterrain.
• Removed the box on top of the grating in the UndertowSpillway stage in Splat Zones because of an issue where attacks wouldpass between the box and the terrain despite looking like it blockedattacks from below.
• Fixed an issue in Mincemeat Metalworks where part of a player’s model would clip into certain terrain.
• Fixedan issue in Mincemeat Metalworks where players could unintentionallyclimb on top of certain terrain at the edge of the stage.
• Fixedan issue in Hagglefish Market where the position of the box placed onthe metal grate near the starting point was displaced from the grate.
• Inthe Hagglefish Market stage in Tower Control mode, slightly adjustedthe route of the tower and fixed an issue where the player would becomeunable to move on top of the small gap between the tower and terrain.
• Fixedan issue in Inkblot Art Academy where a Wave Breaker placed along acertain wall would break immediately after being placed.
• In theInkblot Art Academy stage in Tower Control mode, slightly adjusted theroute of the tower and fixed an issue where the player would becomeunable to move on top of the small gap between the tower and terrain.
• Fixedan issue in the Mahi-Mahi Resort stage in Tower Control mode where anarea impassable to players would appear midair when the water leveldropped.
• Fixed an issue in the Mahi-Mahi Resort stage inRainmaker mode where in certain locations the score count would notchange as intended.
• Fixed an issue in Sturgeon Shipyard where part of the back of the drawbridges was able to be inked.
• Fixed an issue in Sturgeon Shipyard where players were able to get on top of a pipe outside the stage boundaries.
• Fixedan issue in Sturgeon Shipyard where, when using the Zipcaster from thelower part of the stage, players could pass through certain terrain andcome out on the stage’s surface.
• Fixed an issue in the Sturgeon Shipyard stage in Tower Control mode where players could be pushed inside terrain by the tower.
• Fixedan issue in the Sturgeon Shipyard stage in Rainmaker mode where certainoff-limits locations were accessible to the Rainmaker.
• Fixed anissue in the Sturgeon Shipyard stage in Rainmaker mode where the scorecount would not change as intended in certain locations.
• Fixedan issue in the Sturgeon Shipyard stage in Tricolor Battle mode where abox placed on a metal grate had no collision detection at its bottomsurface, which allowed things like ink shots to pass through.
• Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino where the thin legs of the bronze statues would block ink, contrary to their appearance.
• Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino where the top of the revolving doors was treated as outside the stage.
• Fixed an issue in Museum d’Alfonsino where shots would penetrate some of the terrain outside the stage.
• Fixedan issue in Museum d’Alfonsino where players would be unable to swim onthe walls of the rotating doors despite it looking like they had beeninked.
• Fixed an issue in the Museum d’Alfonsino stage in Rainmaker mode where players were not able to ink part of the terrain.
• Fixedan issue in the Museum d’Alfonsino stage in Rainmaker and Clam Blitzmodes where players were able to climb on top of the revolving doors.
• Fixedan issue in the Museum d’Alfonsino stage in Clam Blitz mode where someof the clams that spawn in the middle of the stage would not be shown onthe turf map despite the ground beneath them being inked.
• Fixed an issue in MakoMart where players could stand on top of the surrounding fence outside the stage.
• Inthe MakoMart stage in Splat Zones, Tower Control, and Clam Blitz modes,adjusted the Squid Spawn beginning positions and fixed an issue wherepart of the ceiling would be displayed on-screen.
• Fixed an issuein Wahoo World where trying to Super Jump to certain locations wouldresult in landing in a slightly displaced position.
• Fixed anissue in the Wahoo World stage in Tower Control mode where certainobjects would appear inkable on the map even though they are not.

Fixes to Salmon Run

• Fixed an issue where player hit boxes in life-ring form were smaller than intended.
• Fixedan issue where multiple arrows would appear within the screen if thesame player signaled “Help!” or “This way!” repeatedly and made it sothat there will only be one arrow from a single player.
• Fixed an issue where a launched umbrella would have a large rebound when making contact near a Salmonid’s head.
• Fixed an issue where game movements would slow down if a player used a jet pack to reach the top of the egg basket.
• Fixed an issue where bombs thrown into a Flyfish’s weak point would then come out.
• Fixed an issue where a player attacked by Maws near the water or certain terrain would be blown far into the air.
• Fixed an issue where a player that touched the side surface of Maws during its attack would be splatted.
• Fixedan issue where the player’s respawn point would be in midair and leavethem unable to return to the stage. This could happen when jumping intothe water from the top of a Fish Stick just before it disappears.
• Fixedan issue where players could avoid taking damage by jumping when aFlipper-Flopper attacked, regardless of whether they were in the attackarea or not.
• Fixed an issue where a Slammin’ Lid may have become unable to move if it touched a Fish Stick.
• Fixed an issue where a player riding on a Slammin’ Lid would rarely be launched far away.
• Fixed an issue where a player would be pushed into stage terrain when attacked by a Cohozuna.
• Fixedan issue where players could avoid taking damage by jumping when aCohozuna did its jump attack, regardless of whether they were in theattack area or not.
• Made it so that Cohozunas will not attempt to do jump attacks against players on top of a Fish Stick.
• Fixed an issue in the Cohock Charge event where players were unable to mount the cannons.
• Fixed an issue in the Goldie Seeking event where a launched umbrella wouldn’t activate a gusher it touched.
• Fixedan issue in the Griller event where the Griller’s red laser sightwouldn’t be shown if a player was resurrected by a bomb at the lastsecond before a crew wipe.
• Fixed an issue in the Mudmouth Eruptions event where players would clip into a Mudmouth right after it spawned and be splatted.
• Fixedan issue in the Giant Tornado event when playing in a badcommunications environment where a box containing Golden Eggs wouldn’tappear or be positioned as intended.
• Fixed an issue where players would not be able to get their special badge upon arriving at an Xtrawave at MAX hazard level.
• Fixedan issue where players would not be able to receive Grizzco Pointscorrectly when the shift schedule was updated while playing a job.
• Fixed an issue with reporting a player from the Grizzco terminal where their number of delivery assists was not shown correctly.
• Fixed a problem where simultaneously pressing certain buttons at the reward-pickup window would cause the game to crash.

Fixes to Story Mode

• Fixed a rare issue where ink wheels would not reappear.
• Implemented measures to prevent the game from crashing on stages where Octoling enemies appear.
• Fixed an issue where using a Splashdown on the edge of a cliff would cause player controls to stop working.
• Fixed an issue where collecting a canned special attack while using the Zipcaster could cause player controls to stop working.
• Fixedan issue on stages with time limits where, after the player lost theirarmor due to an enemy attack and time ran out at the same time as theplayer’s armor was restored, the player would lose control of theircharacter but the stage wouldn’t be counted as a loss.
• Fixed anissue that could prevent the game from progressing when entering apipeline immediately after throwing Smallfry at a Fuzzball.
• Fixed an issue where touching an upward dash track repeatedly could move the player outside the stage, counting as a loss.
• Fixedan issue where the player being splatted or restarting the stage whileSmallfry was thrown onto a Flooder would cause the Flooder to no longerink the ground.
• Fixed an issue where the player being splattedor restarting the stage just before a balloon fish exploded would causethe bomb fish’s area to shift and, depending on the stage, make clearingthe stage difficult.
• Fixed an issue where quickly moving a lift on a stage where Octodiscos appear could cause the game to crash.
• Fixed an issue in Alterna Site 1 Stage 6 where enemies originally meant to appear were not appearing.
• Fixedan issue in Alterna Site 4 Stage 6 where breaking a certain target justbefore falling out of the stage would prevent the next target fromspawning and make the stage impossible to clear.

Fixes to Splatfests

• Fixed an issue where players not pledged to any team could still earn conch shells.
• Adjusted the color of ink when Color Lock is on during Tricolor Battles.
• Fixedan issue when a team had a synergy bonus related to hairstyles wherethe name displayed would differ from the actual hairstyle.

Other Fixes

• • Fixedan issue where ability changes due to secondary gear abilities wouldnot be immediately reflected when changing gear in the lobby.
  • Fixedan issue where, after finishing a battle and choosing “Change Gear,Then Go!” reading amiibo just before the countdown timer ran out wouldprevent the game from proceeding.
  • Fixed a number of issues relating to the player’s species changing when reading amiibo on the Equip screen.
  • Whenbuying gear from Murch, the purchased gear will now be marked as Newand will appear at the top of the list in the Equip screen.
  • Fixed an issue when buying gear from Murch where the price would become 0.
  • Fixedan issue that could prevent the game from proceeding while talking toMurch. This could happen when repeatedly pressing the B Button while theability-chunks screen was displayed.
  • Fixed an issue where the names of the Squid 3 logo and Octopus 3 logo stickers were switched.
  • Fixedan issue with pressing ZL to check an item’s info at Hotlantis where,depending on the item, the example image would be scattered due to howthe light hits it.
  • Fixed an issue with Photo Mode where the Y Button’s camera reset would not work while taking a photo with the timer.
  • Fixedan issue with Photo Mode where the image shown as a preview and thephoto actually saved to the album would differ greatly when shooting atcertain camera angles.
  • Fixed an issue with joining and droppingin on friends where, when everyone has pressed “Ready!” inputtingcertain controls could cause matchmaking not to proceed even after thetimer reaches zero.
  • Fixed an issue with joining and dropping inon friends where opening the lobby menu at a certain time would make thecontrols stop working and ultimately disband everyone.
  • Fixed anissue where the ghost of a friend who appeared in the lobby or atGrizzco via notification message would differ in appearance from thatplayer’s actual appearance.
  • Fixed an issue with picking up anitem obtained via SplatNet 3 at the lobby terminal where a connectionerror when receiving the item could make you unable to obtain the itemuntil reentering the controls to obtain the item in SplatNet 3.
  • Fixedan issue when playing a battle or Salmon Run at the Shoal with a userwho is not using network features where a connection error can occurwhen equipping a Splashtag background or title other than those ownedfrom the start.
  • Fixed an issue where other players would see youwearing different gear if you changed your equipment right before amatch started in a Private Battle.
  • Fixed an issue where the damage shown on test-range targets or the copy machine would be slightly lower than the actual damage.
  • Fixed an issue in locker editing where some weapons would not stabilize after being placed.
  • Fixedan issue where an error message would not properly display after aconnection error occurred while exchanging card bits in the deck editor.
  • Fixedan issue where, when the Post Display option is set to off, theplayer’s hand-drawn post that was saved partway through drawing would bedisplayed rather than the drawings prepared in advance.

This is a lot of changes, but it seems that Nintendo is really working to make the game more enjoyable for players! Splatoon has become a major franchise for Nintendo over the last few years, and the series continues to find a passionate fanbase. As readers can see in the patch notes, Nintendo is already planning another big update ahead of the new season in December. Until then, readers can check out all of ourprevious coverage of Spatoon 3 right here.

Have you picked up Splatoon 3on Nintendo Switch yet? What do you think of these changes?Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!