During last month’s Nintendo Direct presentation, it was revealed that the Version 3.0 update for Splatoon 2 was scheduled for late April and will include new gear, new levels and a new X Rank. Well, it’s late April, and Nintendo revealed in a press release that the update is coming tonight (April 24), as well as giving more details about what the update will entail.
It was revealed in the press release that the Version 3.0 update will be available for Splatoon 2 players tonight at 6:00pm PST/9:00pm EST. This free update will include over one hundred pieces of new gear, some of which is new and some of which is returning from the first Splatoon; new songs from the in-game band Chirpy Chips, a chiptune band from the first game; new weapons and stages, including Piranha Pit, Camp Triggerfish and Wahoo World; and several general weapon balancing adjustments and bug fixes. Also, Callie of the Squid Sisters will make an appearance as part of this new update. After meeting a specific, unspecified condition, Callie will appear in Tentakeel Outpost in Octo Canyon to offer the player their recent multiplayer stats.
The biggest addition this update brings to Splatoon 2 is the new X Rank, which can be attained by the very best, and most competitive, online players. Upon downloading the update, all players who currently hold the S+10 Rank will attain X Rank. However, just reaching X Rank doesn’t mean you’ve achieved your goal and you can just sit back and relax. Those with X Rankings will battle each other for an X Power level. Once a month, the five hundred players from each Ranked Battle mode with the highest X Power levels will be announced via SplatNet 2. Additionally, X Power levels will be reset at the end of each month, with players who haven’t reached a certain threshold being reduced back to S+9 Rank. So not only do you have to earn your X Rank in the first place, but you have to continually prove that you deserve it to keep it. The first X Power reset will take place on May 31 and subsequent X Power resets will occur on the last day of each month.
You can read the full update notes for Version 3.0 here.
