Palette



Palettes are a new feature introduced in. They were first shown during the Nintendo Direct on 2023-09-14, specifially during the Side Order trailer.

Description
A Palette is a form of skill tree, which is upgradable like the Hero Gear in Return of the Mammalians.

The difference lies in the Palette being adjustable to the player's preferred stats, by placing color chips inside them. Up to 36 color chips can be placed inside a Palette, leaving the player with the decision of how to build and strengthen their character.

The Palette seen in the Side Order trailer is named "Pearl's Palette". Whether this is another name or one of many Palettes a player can unlock is unconfirmed.

Quotes
"Here (wherever "here" is in Side Order) you can see a color chip being placed into a Palette device to give Agent 8 an edge in combat. Color chips can do all kinds of things for you, like boosting your damage, widening your area of effect, quickening your steps, and more.

The SRL Color Guard recommends factoring in which color chip is on offer before selecting a floor layout. It's up to each player to decide the best way to develop your Palette over time. The Color Guard likes green, but you do you."

- @SplatoonNA on Twitter

Etymology
Palette likely comes from "color palette", which is a thin board or slab on which a painter lays and mixes colors. It can also mean a range of colors available to an user of a computer or in a make-up kit. Both options reference how the color chips used on a Palette affect the coloration of Agent 8's hair and ink color.