The first major post-launch update for Splatoon 3 is out now, just one week after launch, and it brings a fair amount of notable fixes and other adjustments. As with pretty much any online-centric game these days, plenty of issues can only be uncovered once people are playing en masse, though to Nintendo’s credit, it was quick to dish out the first round of fixes for Splatoon 3.
Update 1.1.1 touches upon nearly every key aspect of the Splatoon 3 experience, fixing things across all of its main modes as well as tweaking the game’s new approach to Splatfests. According to the patch notes from Nintendo, it prioritized these fixes in particular because of its focus on addressing issues that could affect player progression and adjusting Splatfests ahead of Splatoon 3’s first post-launch Splatfest later this month.
Namely, Nintendo confirmed that the changes affect the new Tricolor Turf War mode, which pits players on the leading Splatfest team against members of the other two teams at the same time. With 1.1.1, the rate at which Tricolor Battles occur has been slightly reduced, so players will likely find themselves ending up in regular Turf War matches more frequently. That said, Nintendo stressed that it will continue to adjust Tricolor matchmaking for future Splatfests, so players shouldn’t have to deal with this change for long if it ends up being poorly-received.
Among the update’s more general changes are fixes to issues like one that could affect weapon accuracy if the game’s been running for a long time, as well as several that could either freeze the game or hit players with communication errors. Such issues were a problem across Splatoon 3’s regular multiplayer modes in addition to the updated Salmon Run and story modes, so Nintendo fixing them will no doubt ensure a smoother experience for players across the board.
A few potential gameplay exploits have been axed as well, including an issue that let players jump farther than normal with a Squid Roll while charging a Squid Surge, and one that let players stand on water when performing quick moves like dodge rolls with Splat Dualies. Various adjustments to certain maps, weapons, and enemies round out the fixes that 1.1.1 brings, so overall it’s a pretty solid improvement. That being said, Nintendo already has another patch planned, stating that it will primarily focus on balancing Splatoon 3’s weapons and dealing with “other issues that were outside the scope of the current patch.”
Full Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes
Changes to Splatfests
- The rate of Tricolor Battle occurrence has been adjusted. From the defending team’s perspective, they will trigger somewhat less frequently than before.
Changes to Player Controls
- Fixed an issue where it was possible to jump farther than usual with a Squid Roll by performing a certain input while charging a Squid Surge.
- Fixed issues that appeared when playing for a long time without closing the software, such as shots from the player’s main weapon not firing correctly.
- Fixed an issue where the player could move through the surface of the water or stand on water when moving quickly. For example, when performing a Dodge Roll with Splat Dualies.
Changes to Multiplayer
- Fixed an issue where connection errors occurred with high frequency at the end of battles due to connection environment.
- Fixed an issue with the Bloblobber where the collision detection of the third and fourth blobs of a single volley became extremely small.
- Fixed an issue where cash and experience were not being awarded in certain circumstances when a battle ended early due to a lack of players.
- Fixed an issue where, in certain modes, a player would be unable to cancel matchmaking when not enough other players were gathered. Matchmaking will now be canceled automatically after a certain amount of time has passed.
- Fixed an issue in Sturgeon Shipyard in which it was possible to enter the back side of certain drawbridges.
Changes to Salmon Run
- Fixed an issue where connection errors occurred with high frequency at the end of jobs due to connection environment.
- Fixed an issue with Mudmouth Eruption events in which Mudmouths moved in unintended ways.
- Fixed an issue that caused some players with identical titles to be considered “rank supporters” and not gain Rank Points.
- Fixed an issue where continuously damaging a submerged Maws with certain special weapons would cause the game to crash.
- Fixed an issue where players were becoming trapped within the stage terrain.
- Fixed an issue where, at the end of battle, the amount of Grizzco Points earned would be shown as smaller than the amount actually added to save data, which caused cases where the player could not collect rewards.
- Fixed an issue where the messages at the beginning of Wave 3 could change based on whether or not a King Salmonid would appear.
Changes to Story Mode
- Fixed an issue where, after clearing the final stage, a communication error would occur in the middle of a certain scene and return the player to the square.
- The post-clear cutscenes can be viewed by clearing the final stage again.
- In cases where this error occurred, the final stage is treated as cleared, and the stage can be skipped from the pause menu when reattempting.
Other Changes
- Fixed an issue when starting the game for the first time in which the game could get stuck and not advance from the black screen after the screen where yellow and blue ink mix together.
- Fixed an issue when downloading a battle replay that occasionally caused the game to not advance.
- Fixed an issue in which the game would crash when the schedule was updated while attempting to join a friend.
- Fixed a rare issue where the game would crash while the player was visiting a shop.
- Fixed an issue where a communication error could occur while a player traded in gear at a shop.
- Fixed an issue where a connection error could occur when buying a weapon. A player would seem to then have the weapon equipped despite not having been able to buy it, which would cause a connection error if the player attempted to join a battle.
Splatoon 3 is available now for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Nintendo
