After months of waiting, Splatoon 3's first Big Run dates have finally been announced. The unique take on Salmon Run will bring players to Wahoo World, where they have to defend the turf from invading Salmonids.Splatoon 3's Big Run mode has been eagerly awaited by fans since its original reveal, and many were disappointed when Big Run didn't happen for Halloween. Salmon Run normally tasks players with visiting mode-specific maps to gather golden eggs, but for the first time in series history, the enemy Salmonids are bringing the fight to Inklings and Octolings.Splatoon 3's first Big Run is landing on December 9 at 4pm PT and will run until December 11 at the same time. At the moment, the list of weapons that players will be given to defend Wahoo World is unknown. Players can likely expect to receive scales as rewards, which can be used to unlock collectibles and unique outfits through GrizzCo. However, there's also a special award planned for Big Run.
According to additional information from Nintendo, players who participate in Big Run will receive a special decoration, presumably for their in-game locker. The reward looks to be a green plastic recreation of the Cohozuna, the big boss that sometimes spawns at the end of a Salmon Run shift. In addition, the "strongest performer" participants will receive an extra-special decoration. This is likely the golden version of the Cohozuna that can be seen in Nintendo's tweet.
While Splatoon got its start as a PvP shooter, Splatoon 2 introduced Salmon Run and gave players an opportunity to fight for a common cause. However, it had its own problems, as Nintendo chose to only open the mode for limited periods of time. Thankfully the developers seemed to be aware of the discontent this caused, as Splatoon 3's Salmon Run Next Wave is available around the clock, daily.
Once the Big Run is finished, players can still get some new enjoyment out of Salmon Run. A returning map from Splatoon 2, Marooner's Bay, is also being added with the Splatoon 3 2.0 update. It's unclear when players can expect another Big Run to happen; Nintendo hasn't been much more specific about it than saying that it's an event that happens 'every few months.' It might be a once-per-season event, so anyone who has been waiting for Big Run shouldn't miss this opportunity, or they won't get another chance until sometime in 2023.
Splatoon 3 is available now on the Nintendo Switch.