Nintendo Switch owners got their first taste of Splatoon 3 through the Splatfest World Premiere demo in August, introducing them to the Tricolor Turf War format that makes use of all three idols in music group Deep Cut. Those who jumped into the full game on September 9 have had the opportunity to experience a lot more, including the Return of the Mammalians storyline, Salmon Run: Next Wave, and the Tableturf Battle card game. Now that Splatoon 3's first official Splatfest is here, players have more time to rally for their team, and with that comes more chances to encounter the new Festival Shell mechanic.

Festival Shells are part of a cumulative score multiplier that players can work toward as they compete for their Splatfest team. However, Splatoon 3 also introduced Conch Shells as a brand-new collectible prior to the deserted island Splatfest, which runs from September 23 to 25. Conch Shells are rewards for leveling up one's Catalog during the Splatfest period, and act as free tokens for the Shell-Out gacha machine. Festival Shells are instead tied to battles directly, making it easier to earn rewards at the end of each major event.

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Splatoon 3: The Basics of Splatfests

nintendo switch september 2022 gear grub fun

Splatfests have been a tradition since Splatoon on Wii U, letting players choose a side and then duke it out to determine what would win. Both Splatoon and Splatoon 2 featured Splatfests with two choices, from more generic debates like dogs versus cats to branded tie-ins like Spongebob versus Patrick. Because Splatoon 3's idol group Deep Cut includes Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, Splatfests now have three choices such as what players would bring to a deserted island; gear, grub, or fun.

Turf War matches have been the main battleground for Splatfests across all three games, with each round's victor determined by what team can ink the most ground on a variety of rotating maps. As players compete, they receive experience and rank up their title to have a chance of receiving more Super Sea Snails at the end of the event period (though the winning option always receives extra regardless of a player's title). To make things more interesting, Splatoon 2 also introduced "Clout," a number tracked for each individual player so the Splatfest conclusion has a deciding vector beyond a team's popularity and total win rate.

General multipliers for Clout have included team composition like matching articles of clothing and weapons, but 10x and 100x battles would also appear periodically. Splatoon 3 makes 10x battles more common overall, and players want to make sure they focus up when their Turf War gets this distinction. Winning a 10x battle will get each member of the team a Festival Shell, and players will want to collect many.

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How Splatoon 3's Festival Shells Boost Clout

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Clout is accumulated during both Open and Pro Splatfest battles regardless of whether a team wins or loses, but only victories can earn players a Festival Shell during 10x battles. Seven of these shells can be gathered at once, and if multiple players have a collection it increases the odds that a 100x battle will occur - though once that happens each players' Festival Shells will be removed.

While a 100x battle is exciting enough for players looking to maximize their Clout in support of Shiver, Frye, or Big Man, two opposing teams can trigger their Festival Shells at the same time. If so, the Turf War will have a 333x multiplier fitting the series' third entry (which also places an emphasis on the number "3" in areas like the single-player story). The amount of Clout on each team will help determine who is in the lead come each Splatfest's Halftime Report, which in turn decides who will be the defending team during Tricolor Turf Wars, so it's worth watching shell counts during each limited-time event.

Splatoon 3 is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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