Splatoon 3 version 11.0.0 makes some big meta changes

For a game that is supposedly finished with development and not getting any more regular patches, how about an irregular one. Version 11.0.0 of Splatoon 3 has been revealed and will release on January 29. Normally we wouldn’t cover a patch this far from release, especially when Nintendo has said they’re winding things down, but then they go and do this.

Nintendo has made some big changes to how Splatoon 3 plays, adding new gameplay mechanics alongside meta and balance adjustments. The first is the introduction of a new Flow Aura mechanic. This aura surrounds a player who splats multiple opponents in a row, boosting their stats in the process.

Health bars have also been added above opponents, letting you see just how close you were to splatting someone before they took you out. These bars won’t appear when players are hidden behind obstacles or when swimming in ink.

Also changing are player hitboxes. They’ve all been made slightly smaller while in swim form. Weapon shots have been adjusted as well, so it’s no longer quite as difficult to land hits as before.

While those are the big ticket changes, there’s a raft of other updates included too, all of which can be found in the full patch notes on Nintendo’s website.