Version 4.3.0 is an update toSplatoon 2 that was released on5 December 2018 at01:00 UTC after being announced on24 November 2018 following the conclusion of the Inkling League Top 4 at theSplatoon 2 UK Championship 2018 Grand Final. It was said to be the last update to add new weapons forSplatoon 2. However, several returning weapons fromSheldon's Picks were announced after the update on27 January 2019.^[1]

New content

Stage

• Blackbelly Skatepark underwent renovation, similar to the changes made toStarfish Mainstage in Version4.0.0 andThe Reef in Version4.2.0.
• Changes made to terrain in all modes.
  • Changed terrain around thespawn points.
  • Changed the placement of existing obstacles and added new ones.
  • This marks the first time since16 December 2017 that the stage'sRainmaker layout has appeared in aRanked orLeague Battle rotation inSplatoon 2,^[2] as one of the changes made was to adjust the balance in said mode.

Weapons

• Four variants of previously existing weapons were added to the game - theCustom Explosher,Ballpoint Splatling Nouveau,Bloblobber Deco, andNautilus 79. These were the final weapons that did not have a second variant.
• In addition, a fourthKensa Collection was released, containing theKensa .52 Gal,Kensa Glooga Dualies,Kensa Mini Splatling andKensa Rapid Blaster.

Abilities

• Bomb Defense Up andCold-Blooded were combined into a single abilityBomb Defense Up DX.
  • Bomb Defense Up and Cold-Blooded on existing owned gear,ability chunks, anddrink tickets were converted to Bomb Defense Up DX.
  • The new ability has the exact same effect as each of the old ones combined at equalability points.
• An additional new ability,Main Power Up, was also added to gear as well as in secondary ability slots.
  • This ability's effect varies between different main weapons, even in the same class (see the ability page for details). Examples given prior to release were:
    • Splattershot - increase shot accuracy when firing while jumping.
    • Aerospray MG - increase ink coverage.
    • Splat Roller - increase damage.
    • Heavy Splatling - increase duration of firing in a burst.
    • Undercover Brella - speed up Brella canopy regeneration.
    • Inkbrush - Slightly increase movement speed while inking.
    • Jet Squelcher - Slightly increase range.

• Changed the default primary ability of existing gear when acquired on version 4.3.0 onwards:
• Gear fromGalleria with Bomb Defense Up would default to Bomb Defense Up DX.
  • Annaki Flannel Hoodie
  • Baby-Jelly Shirt
  • Banana Basics
  • Black 8-Bit FishFry
  • Black FishFry Bandana
  • Blue Lo-Tops
  • Carnivore Tee
  • Chili Octo Aloha
  • Cycle King Cap
  • Cycle King Jersey
  • Face Visor
  • Gray Sea-Slug Hi-Tops
  • Hunting Boots
  • Mint Tee
  • Octo Tackle Helmet Deco
  • Pink Hoodie
  • Punk Cherries
  • Red Cuttlegear LS
  • Retro Sweat
  • Roasted Brogues
  • Slipstream United
  • Soccer Shoes
  • Splash Goggles
  • Squid-Stitch Slip-Ons
  • Takoroka Mesh
  • Yellow Seahorses
  • Zekko Baseball LS
• Gear from Galleria with Cold-Blooded would default to Main Power Up.
  • Anchor Sweat
  • Baby-Jelly Shirt & Tie
  • Black Dakroniks
  • Black Velour Octoking Tee
  • Chirpy Chips Band Tee
  • Cycling Shirt
  • Dark Urban Vest
  • Deep-Octo Satin Jacket
  • Do-Rag, Cap, & Glasses
  • Forge Mask
  • Green Laceups
  • Hockey Helmet
  • Inkopolis Squaps Jersey
  • Luminous Delta Straps
  • Painter's Mask
  • Patched Hat
  • Punk Blacks
  • Sage Polo
  • Sky-Blue Squideye
  • Squidstar Waistcoat
  • Sun & Shade Squidkid IV
  • Takoroka Windcrusher
  • Yamagiri Beanie
  • Yellow FishFry Sandals
  • Yellow-Mesh Sneakers
• Non-shop gear with Bomb Defense Up or Cold-Blooded would default to Bomb Defense Up DX.
  • Brown FA-11 Bomber
  • Fringed Loafers
  • Gray FA-11 Bomber
  • Pearlescent Crown
  • Power Boots Mk I
  • Power Mask
• Both new abilities started appearing on gear in theSplatNet Gear Shop.
• As a special promotion of the newly-introduced Main Power Up, gear items worn bySplatoonpromotional Inklings with Main Power Up were sold from5 December 2018 to9 December 2018.^[3]
• Studio Headphones^[4]
• White Tee^[5]
• Pink Trainers^[6]
• Pilot Goggles^[7]
• Zink Layered LS^[8]
• Purple Hi-Horses^[9]
• Bobble Hat^[10]
• Green Zip Hoodie^[11]
• Moto Boots^[12]
• Retro Specs^[13]
• Baby-Jelly Shirt^[14]
• Blue Slip-Ons^[15]
• Takoroka Mesh^[16]
• Black Squideye^[17]
• White Kicks^[18]
• Paintball Mask^[19]
• Gray College Sweat^[20]
• Orange Arrows^[21]
• Bike Helmet^[22]
• Black LS^[23]
• Neon Sea Slugs^[24]
• B-ball Headband^[25]
• B-ball Jersey (Home)^[26]
• Red Hi-Horses^[27]

Balance changes

Main weapons

Specifications for some of themain weapons have been changed.

Weapon	Change
Mini Splatling Zink Mini Splatling	▲ Increased the effect of theRun Speed Upgearability.
Heavy Splatling Heavy Splatling Deco Hero Splatling Replica	▲ Increased the effect of the Run Speed Up gear ability.
Hydra Splatling Custom Hydra Splatling	▲ Increased the effect of the Run Speed Up gear ability.
Splat Charger Firefin Splat Charger Kensa Charger Hero Charger Replica	▼ Slightly narrowed the spread ofink created by shots.
Splatterscope Firefin Splatterscope Kensa Splatterscope	▼ Slightly narrowed the spread of ink created by shots.
Tenta Brella Tenta Sorella Brella	▼ Decreased durability of the umbrella portion by roughly 13%. ▼ Increased damage dealt to the umbrella portion after launching it by roughly 20%.

Sub weapons

The specifications for somesub weapons have been changed.

Weapon	Change
Autobomb	▲ Decreased time after use for the Autobomb to start walking in the direction of its target by roughly 20/60 of a second.
Ink Mine	▲ Increased the effect of theInk Saver (Sub) gear ability.
Sprinkler	▲ Increased the effect of the Ink Saver (Sub) gear ability.
Point Sensor	▲ Decreasedink consumption from 60% to 55% of a standardink tank. ▲ Increased the effect of the Ink Saver (Sub) gear ability.
Squid Beakon	▲ Increased the effect of the Ink Saver (Sub) gear ability.
Fizzy Bomb	▼ Increased time after use before ink recovery begins by roughly 10/60 of a second. ▼ Decreased the effect of the Ink Saver (Sub) gear ability.

Special weapons

The specifications for somespecial weapons have been changed.

Weapon	Change
Tenta Missiles	▲ Greatly increased the effect of theSpecial Power Upgearability that increasesink coverage of missiles when they hit.
Splashdown	▲ Greatly increased damage dealt to opponentBrellas. Increased damage to opponent Brellas varies from roughly 2 to 3.2 times the previous amount depending on the Brella. ▲ Increased damage dealt to an opponentBaller by roughly 2.5 times.
Baller	▲ Greatly increased damage dealt to opponent Brellas. Increased damage to opponent Brellas varies from roughly 3 to 4.8 times the previous amount depending on the Brella.
Ultra Stamp	▲ When holding to attack repeatedly, number of possible attacks has been increased by shortening the amount of time the stamp is cocked back, making it easier to block shots from directly in front of you. ▲ Increased player movement and rotation speed when holding to attack repeatedly.
Sting Ray	▼ Decreased duration by roughly 35/60 of a second. ▼ Decreased effect granted by the Special Power Up gear ability. ▼ Decreased damage dealt to opponents usingInk Armor by roughly 56%. ▼ Decreased damage dealt to opponents using a Baller by roughly 25%. ▼ Decreased ability to knock back opponents using a Baller.
Inkjet	▼ Decreased damage dealt to opponents using a Baller by roughly 30%.

Special gauge

Points required for using specials have changed for certain main weapons.

Weapon	Adjustment
Kensa L-3 Nozzlenose	▲ 190 → 180
Kensa Octobrush	▲ 190 → 180
Kensa Splattershot Jr.	▼ 190 → 200
Splat Brella Hero Brella Replica	▼ 190 → 200

Abilities

Specifications for some of theabilities have been changed.

Ability	Change
Run Speed Up	▲ Previously, Run Speed Up only gave a significant boost to speed while firing aSplatlingweapon, but will now also significantly boost speed while charging a Splatling as well.
Swim Speed Up	▲ When using weapons that feature lower movement and swim speeds when not firing, such as theE-liter 4K orDynamo Roller, Swim Speed Up will now grant a significant boost to swim speed, even when using fewer instances of the gear ability than in previous updates.
Ink Resistance Up	▲ When using this gear ability, players will avoid taking damage for a brief time after first stepping into an opponent'sink. The length of time before taking damage in this way will be increased in proportion to the number of Ink Resistance Up abilities being used.
Thermal Ink	▲ Extended duration of effect by roughly four seconds.

Fixes and adjustments

Multiplayer

• Fixed an issue preventing players from landing in the correct location when activating theBooyah Bombspecial whilesuper jumping to the edge of a piece ofstage terrain.
• Fixed an issue when using theUltra Stamp special, in which pressing to cock back the stamp just prior to its duration ending caused a shot to be fired with themain weapon after the stamp's duration ended.
• Fixed an issue causing players activating an Ultra Stamp special when trapped between stage terrain and theTower Control tower to clip inside the stage terrain.
• Fixed an issue when using theDrop Rollergearability and super jumping to a location near an obstacle that shortened the length of the roll performed when landing.
• Fixed an issue with theBomb Defense Up gear ability causingCurling Bomb damage that didn't exceed 100.0 to not be properly reduced. This issue will no longer occur with the newBomb Defense Up DX gear ability.

Salmon Run

• Fixed an issue inMarooner's Bay with a discrepancy between the appearance of certain walls and their actual geometry, obstructing player movement.
• Narrowed the area on which players can stand on certain railings inRuins of Ark Polaris, making it possible forSmallfry attacks to reach them.
• Lowered the end point of certainride rails in Ruins of Ark Polaris, so that attacks fromGrillers will now hit players in those locations.
• Fixed an issue causingSteelheads not to attack players aiming at them, depending on the quality of the player's network connection.

Other Changes

• Fixed an issue causingOctolings not to blink while moving over the ground.
• Fixed an issue when taking pictures with thePearl andMarinaamiibo during aSplatfest causing them not to appear in their Splatfest outfits or hair color.
• Fixed an issue when taking pictures with the Octoling Boy amiibo, where, depending on the pose, the Octoling Boy's eyes would appear in an unnatural state.
• Fixed an issue allowing amiibo to be tapped and read while in the lobby during a Splatfest, though the amiibo icon was not displayed on-screen.
• Fixed an issue when throwingsub weapons onto aBounce Pad while inRecon mode, causing them to bounce differently than they would in an actual multiplayer battle.
• Fixed an issue when using the Auto-Camera to follow the tower inTower Control, causing the camera angle to differ depending on which team controlled the tower.
• Fixed an issue inspectator mode when the Auto-Camera was set to ON and viewing theSplat Zone during a Splat Zone battle, causing it not to shift focus to other players.

Trivia

• This was the second time when an update was incorrectly stated to be the last to contain new weapons. TheCustom Hydra Splatling was allegedly the last weapon that was going to be added toSplatoon, but the release of theSheldon's Picks series of weapons later contradicted this information.
  • Sheldon's Picks was also the set of weapons released inSplatoon 2 after its purported final weapons.

References

External links

• Update announcement video on NintendoUKVS Twitter