Goby Arena

Goby Arena is a multiplayer stage in Splatoon 2. It is designed after a basketball court with overhead monitors, and the hoops are inkable and play a strategic role in both Regular Battles and Ranked Battles.

Layout
Goby Arena is a stage featuring many levels, hallways and ramps leading into a central basketball court that functions as the central battleground. The spawn point is located at the highest point of the stage, inaccessible to the opposing team. The area immediately surrounding the spawn provides a large amount of inkable turf that is inaccessible to the opposing team. Furthermore, the level just below is also inaccessible to the opposing team, where the player can either drop off to a small plaza connected to the main court, take an Inkrail to the left leading to the raised platforms over the court, or take a ramp to the right leading to the outer area. The lower hallways connecting each team's side to the central court contains uninkable ramps, making infiltrating the opposing team's base dangerous. A grate is also present on the left hallway. The basketball court is a fairly flat open area with two basketball hoops attached to inkable pillars to the left and right which can be used to get to the opposing team's upper area. Two small Bumpers are on each team's side with a wide Bumper at the center of the stage. A raised area overseeing the central court is present on each team's side, offering a loose vantage point.

Ranked Battle terrain
In Ranked Battles, specifications for the terrain or placement of objects are different between the modes; these changes create new paths or new objects to take cover behind.

Splat Zones
The Splat Zone is located at the center of the stage. The layout of the stage is unchanged from Turf Wars.

Tower Control
The Tower in Goby Arena is located at the center of the basketball court, replacing the Bumper that is usually there. The spawn point has been pushed forward and down one floor to make getting into the center of the stage quicker. The most noticeable changes to the stage are the removal of the fence on each team's side and the addition of a large inkable block over the uninkable ramp previously there with a grated bridge on top. The goal is located on the lower plaza of the opposing team's side.

Checkpoints:


 * The first checkpoint is located right below the basketball hoop.
 * The second checkpoint is located on the lip of the upper platform looking over the basketball court.
 * The third checkpoint is located on the newly added platform right before leading into the opponents' plaza.

Rainmaker
The Spawn points are left of where they are in Turf War. The Rainmaker is located at the center of the stage where the Bumper was previously. The goal is located just below where each team's spawn point is. Several blocks and barricades have been added around the stage. The most noticeable additions are the uninkable ramp being changed to an uninkable set of steps, making traveling more difficult, and a ramp leading up to the goal. Also added is a sponge to the right of the Rainmaker spawn allowing users to climb to the raised platform in front of it.

Clam Blitz
The Spawn points are located a layer down from where they are in Turf War. The baskets for each team are located fairly close to the center of the stage, being just behind each team's fence. An inkable block has also been added to the center of the stage.

Splatoon 2
Goby Arena was announced on 2018-02-11 at July 27, 2024 and released on 2018-03-02 at July 27, 2024.

Trivia

 * The name of the stage is a reference to the family Gobiidae, known as goby fish.
 * It may also be a pun on the famous basketball player, Kobe Bryant.
 * While playing on this stage, ambient noises of basketball shoes squeaking on hardwood can be heard. This is especially notable in Recon mode since there is no background music.
 * Behind team Alpha's spawn point, banners can be seen that have the same coloring and logo as the B-ball Jersey (Away).
 * Behind team Bravo's spawn point, banners can be seen that have the same coloring and logo as the Lob-Stars Jersey.
 * The internal codename for this stage in the game files is "Court".
 * It is possible to throw a projectile over the walls on the hoops, such as a bomb, and it will explode.