Splatoon 3’s third season, Fresh Season 2023, begins on March 1, and it comes with a massive free update to the game. Once you have downloaded version 3.0.0, you will notice many changes have taken place. Since the update with this new season is so big, you might not have heard or seen everything that it includes. Here is everything new in the Splatoon 3 Fresh Season 2023 update for you to enjoy.
New Stages
The Fresh Season 2023 update adds two stages to the game that appear in rotation for Turf War and Ranked Battle modes. One is a brand new stage, and the other is a returning stage from a previous Splatoon game.
The brand new stage is called Um’ami Ruins. It’s an ancient site with mysterious artifacts and reliefs. This stage may have been a prehistoric Turf War battle site.
The returning stage is Manta Maria from Splatoon 2. It is a large pirate ship with spawn points on the bow and stern of the boat.
New Weapons
The new season brings a grand total of 12 new weapons to the game, each with their own sub weapon and special. They are as follows:
- .96 Gal Deco (with Splash Wall and Kraken Royale)
- Clash Blaster Neo (with Curling Bomb and Super Chump)
- Custom Jet Squelcher (with Poison Mist and Ink Storm)
- Krak-On Splat Roller (with Squid Beakon and Kraken Royale)
- L3 Nozzlenose D (with Burst Bomb and Ultra Stamp)
- N-Zap ‘‘’89 (with Autobomb and Super Chump)
- Neo Splash-o-matic (with Suction Bombs and Triple Inkstrike)
- Neo Sploosh-o-matic (with Squid Beakons and Killer Wail 5.1)
- Rapid Blaster Deco (with Torpedo and Ink Jet)
- Tri-Slosher Nouveau (with Fizzy Bomb and Tacticooler)
- Z+F Splat Charger (with Splash Wall and Triple Inkstrike)
- Z+F Splatter Scope (with Splash Wall and Triple Inkstrike)
Each of these weapons will be available to buy at Ammo Knights with Sheldon Licenses (earned by leveling up).
New Specials
In addition to the new weapons above, there will be two new specials that certain weapons may have. One is a brand new special, and the other is a returning special from a previous game.
The brand new special is called Super Chump. This special uses a cannon to shoot large ink balloons to a distant point on the stage which then explode after a few seconds. The location they land appears as a Super Jump to opponents. As of this update, the two weapons with the Super Chump special are the N-Zap ’89 and the Clash Blaster Neo.
The returning special is the Kraken Royale, which was known as Kraken in the first Splatoon game. This special turns the player into a giant squid or octopus and can perform attacks. It is also immune to enemy ink attacks. As of this update, the two weapons with the Kraken Royale are the .96 Gal Deco and the Krak-On Splat Roller.
New Salmon Run Mode
A new Salmon Run mode is available in this new update. It’s called Eggstra Work.
This mode is basically the same as regular Salmon Run, but instead of three waves of work, your team must complete five waves.
In Eggstra Work, you are rewarded with Fish Scales that can be exchanged for new work suits and gear that are exclusive to Salmon Run modes.
Additionally, a new King Salmonid will be in rotation for all Salmon Run modes. It’s called Horrorboros, and it is a long dragon that flies and shoots Booyah Bombs out of its mouth.
New Clothing and Locker Items
If you’ve been looking for more things to buy in Splatoon 3, this new update will bring plenty of purchasing options.
There will be over 150 clothing items added to each of the main stores (tops, shoes, and head gear), including clothes from Z+F, a new brand by Zekko and Firefin that draws inspiration from hip-hop and skater roots.
There will also be plenty of new decorations and stickers for purchase that you can use to decorate your locker.
Fresh Season 2023 Catalog
Fresh Season 2023 starts a brand new catalog to work through. Like the previous two, it will have 100 total levels, each level with a different reward.
Rewards will include new gear, decorations, stickers, emotes, titles and splash tags.
Additionally, there will be a new Wandercrust journey in the Splatoon 3 section of the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app to work toward. The completion bonus is a pair of Fry Tops shoes.
Jukebox
The new update brings a Jukebox to the online lobby. Players can use 100 cash to choose the song that is playing in the lobby.
If you are in a private battle lobby with other players, the music chosen will play for anyone else who is in that room. Likewise, if someone else in the room changes the song, you will be able to hear what they picked.
Online Tableturf Battles
Tableturf Battles can now be played online against other real-life players. There are two ways to do this.
The first way is to create a private Tableturf room in the online lobby that a player on your friend list can join. Then, you can challenge that friend by sitting at the same table on the upper floor.
The second way is to join the same pool as other players online. You can do this by entering the same phrase as other players in the online lobby (select the notifications tab and then press + to access the pools menu) and challenging them to a Tableturf match on the upper floor.
There are also 23 new Tableturf Battle cards to add to your collection and use in matches.
Inkopolis DLC Availability
Finally, the update adds the ability to travel to Inkopolis if you have purchased the game’s DLC. This allows you to travel by train to Inkopolis, where you can access the same shops and features as the ones in Splatsville.
The Inkopolis DLC is part of the larger Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass, which also includes the Side Order DLC that will be arriving before the end of 2024.
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