Nintendo unveils mode, maps, and changes for Splatoon 2

Nintendo teased a special announcement earlier today for Splatoon 2, and now we know what they were talking about, as this was regarding the plans for the rest of the year. Two more updates are planned to release before the end of 2017 and the first of them will hit the Switch this Friday, so get ready to continue fighting on additional multiplayer stages and one new level in Salmon Run.

Not every piece of content will release on November 24 though, and in fact only the Salmonid Smokeyard will be introduced as a new Salmon Run map, while the supermarket MakoMart will be available on Saturday. In the Salmonid Smokeyard players have to work together to successfully operate mechanical platforms and keep other players mobile while defending evil Salmons and collecting important items. After MakoMart Nintendo plans to regularly release more maps and as a part of this they announced the museum-like Shellendorf Institute and the two remade original maps, Walleye Warehouse and Arowana Mall. As it turns out those returning maps won't unlikely release this year though.

Furthermore 140 additional cosmetic objects find their way into Splatoon 2 with the upcoming update, and you can take a look at some of those items, containing mostly new outfits and even some fresh hair styles below. Additional amiibo features were introduced as well (shoot photos wherever you like) together with some quality of life changes in regards to where we can change our current equipment. Once the update is installed we can change the loadout without leaving the queue right from the menu, and in the competitive ladder players will eventually find their way to the new max level 99. Once they hit that cap, they can reset their progress to start anew and get some icons (very much like Call of Duty's own prestige functionality).

In the December update the new ranking gameplay mode Clam Blitz will arrive and offers existing teams a new challenge, as two sides have to collect clams and bring them to the enemy side's base. There will be a basket where your team has to put the clams in, while fighting the hostile team and simultaneously defend their own basket, and once a side reached 100 points, they win, but remember your opponent can kill you and collect all your clams too. Although Nintendo hasn't shared a concrete release date of the second update, they promise to deliver in time for Christmas.

Which part of these plans is your favourite?