Splatoon 3 is set to get its first wave of post-launch content. Following the end of the Splatoon x Pokemon Splatfest collaboration, Nintendo has announced the Chill Season 2022 content update for Splatoon 3. Previous entries in the Splatoon series saw waves of content over the course of the years following their launches. Now, four months after its launch, Splatoon 3 will receive the same treatment when the Chill Season 2022 update lands on December 1.
There is a lot for Splatoon fans to get excited about with this update. New weapons, maps, modes, and more are on the way, along with the highly anticipated Big Run event for Salmon Run. With all the new content incoming, this season is shaping up to be a memorable one.
New Maps and Weapons Coming in the Chill Season 2022 Update
Two new maps are first on the docket for this update. The brand-new map Brinewater Springs looks to be inspired by a traditional Japanese Onsen hot springs spa. In the trailer, jellies can be seen relaxing in the steaming water while players are splatting it up right next to them. The other new map shown—Flounder Heights—makes its return from the original Splatoon. This map takes on an urban, apartment-themed setting and looks to feature two towers connected by a grated bridge.
New weapons also make up the tidal wave of content this update will introduce. Nintendo has confirmed that a new Roller, Charger, and Shooter will be available to players alongside 10 returning weapons from previous Splatoon games. Specifics for these new weapons are not yet known, but the trailer shows inklings using a Roller with a wide rolling range, a mechanical pencil-shaped Charger that can fire multiple shots once charged, and a Super Soaker-like Shooter with a long range. Nintendo promises that returning weapons will have remixed loadouts as well. Fans will also notice a new Luna Blaster variation shown in the lineup of weapons.
New Gear and X Battles Will Spice Up this Chill Season
Along with new maps and weapons, new gear will also be available to players with the Chill Season 2022 update. Nintendo has confirmed a new catalog will be available for fashionable Inklings and Octolings that will feature new custom titles, emotes, and stickers for players to collect. New gear will be added to the shops around Splatsville as well. This is great news for players tired of their current wardrobe selection and looking to freshen up their style.
For players more concerned with their rank in online play, the newly announced X Battles should pique their interest. X Battles allow elite rank players to compete in Anarchy Battles that require them to risk their X Power for a shot at climbing the leader boards. It sounds like this will be a chance for the best of the best to show they have what it takes to sit atop Splatoon 3's competitive rankings. While this might not appeal to some fans, for others, this is the competitive edge Splatoon 3 has been missing.
The Long-Awaited Big Run is Coming
Fans of Splatoon 3's Salmon Run mode have been anticipating the rumored Big Run for some time now. Initial speculation had fans thinking this event would occur in October. However, October came and went without mention of the Big Run. Now that the latest Splatfest has finished, the time was perfect for Nintendo to tease this new event. According to Nintendo, the Big Run event will occur later this year.
During the Big Run, Salmonids will invade maps outside the usual Salmon Run locations on rotation. In this instance, Wahoo World is the subject of the Salmonid invasion. The trailer shows the skies over Splatsville darkening and players being launched into an ominously flooded Wahoo World to fend off the incoming Salmonids. This event promises to offer a twist on the survival co-op gameplay of the regular Salmon Run game mode. Fans will have to wait for more info on this event as Nintendo has teased that there is more to come. In the meantime, the Chill Season 2022 lands in Splatoon 3 on December 1, 2022.
Splatoon 3 is available now on Nintendo Switch.