The Reef

The Reef is a multiplayer stage in Splatoon 2.

The Reef is located a few blocks from Inkopolis Square and is a popular area to hang out when it is not being used for Turf War. The Reef is home to some of the most popular boutique shops in the city.

Layout


The Reef features many wide-open areas with separate high and low levels. This creates many flanking paths around many of its key areas. The spawn point is not accessible to the enemy team and includes a path which allows easy access to the far left and right sides of the map. Dropping from the base is a small square raised area that leads into the main area of the stage. Notably, there is a stone bridge at the center of the stage which acts as a straight path into the enemy area. The stage also boasts a large grass lot below the bridge, with a tree and a block as obstacles. The area underneath the bridge indents downwards and the turf is inkable.

Design
The Reef is a plaza that is built below ground, surrounded with shops. The walls of the stage are large windows displaying various goods. Many tarp posters with various advertisements and graffiti cover the walls and windows. The floor is made of concrete and mason pathways with the side areas painted as a parking lot, along with a car on each side. Fence gates with barbed wire on top are lined against walls in some areas. Vending machines, skateboards, and bikes line the walls near the spawn points. At the sides are cafés and bars with jellyfish serving inside. On the top of walls there are various potted plants and the center of the stage includes patches of grass with trees and a large stone bridge crossing over. Various light posts with banners are strewn across the stage. A large pool of water is found below the left path from the spawn point. Outside of the playable area are trees planted on the sidewalk and skyscrapers of various colors and patterns. The Ferris wheel from Wahoo World can be seen behind Team Bravo's spawn.

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
In Splat Zones, the zones can be found below the bridge separated by a bumper. The spawns have been moved down a level to get to the center faster, and the sponges have been removed. Boxes have been added around the bridge to help teams attack players on the bridge and gain control of it and the zones.

Tower Control
The Tower initially starts below the bridge. When advancing, the Tower goes left and retreats to the player's side, going around the tree before advancing back towards the enemy base. It then travels up the ramp and up into the small square lot in front of the enemy base, where it reaches its goal.

Checkpoints:


 * The first checkpoint is located just left of the Tower's position.
 * The second checkpoint is located next to a tree when it retreats towards the player's side.
 * The third checkpoint is located near the ramp toward the goal.

Rainmaker
Before Version 4.2.0, like the Tower in Tower Control, the Rainmaker started below the bridge in the center of The Reef. Each goal was located next to the car in each base. Several ramps have been added that give each team access to the other team's base.

Version 4.2.0 and onwards start the Rainmaker on top of the bridge. The goal is now on the layer below the spawn point. The sponge in Turf War has been replaced with a ramp, and an uninkable ramp has been added to the stage, as avenues to the pedestal.

Clam Blitz
Before Version 4.2.0 the basket was located below the inaccessible area of the base and there were no bumps near it. There is a new block on the right side of the bridge to get above the wall.

In Version 4.2.0 and onwards, the Clam basket has been moved to the same layer as the parked car. Ramps have been added to get to the clam basket, and the sponge has been removed. A bump has been added to help score with power clams.

Pre-release version
The pre-release version of The Reef was playable at the Nintendo Switch event and changed to the release version in the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire. The pre-release version included many differences, such as:


 * Many more flat surfaces at the center of the stage.
 * A wooden bridge instead of a raised grate bridge with a wooden box in the center.
 * Pots instead of Bumpers in each side's platforms.
 * Lower spawn point platforms.
 * Two trees in each side of the center instead of one.

Version 1.0.0 to 4.1.0
The Reef was released with launch of Splatoon 2.

Octo Canyon
Mission nine of Octo Canyon, Octoling Strike, takes place on a modified layout of the release version of The Reef. This layout remained the same after the release of the updated version in Version.

Version 4.2.0 onwards


On 2018-10-31, an announcement was posted on the official Splatoon Japanese Twitter account stating that from 2018-11-01 until the release of Version on 2018-11-07, The Reef would be "closed for renovations", similar to the announcement made for Starfish Mainstage in Version. The announcement included a blueprint of the stage with the planned changes scribbled on it.

Changes include:


 * Areas around the teams' spawn points were deepened and widened, which allow easier recovery from spawn camping.
 * More passages added from the spawn points to the flank areas.
 * The buildings surrounding the central area were moved back, making it larger.
 * In Ranked Battle modes:
 * Splat Zones: Increasing the number of Splat Zones from one to two.
 * Tower Control: Very small modification to the path of the Tower.
 * Rainmaker: Moved the Rainmaker's location from below the bridge to on it.
 * Clam Blitz: Moved the basket to the side and added a bump.

Trivia

 * The internal codename for this stage in the game files is "Ditch", most likely to represent the big ditch under the bridge.
 * The internal map entry for this stage is "Fld_Ditch01_Vss" despite most entries using 00, however an unused blank map entry called "Fld_Ditch00_Vss" does exist.
 * The updated version of The Reef from Version also changed the fashion posters displayed on the stage, now featuring Octolings and Inklings with new clothing, appearing on a black background with red text spelling what seems to resemble "17XX"  as seen here. Previous versions of The Reef had posters of Inklings with different clothing and a white background as seen here.

Etymology
A reef is a habitat for animals and land-dwelling organisms, a popular area that attracts a diverse assemblage of organisms, especially algae and fish. In, The Reef is a popular area for Inklings to hang out when it is not being used for Turf War and home to some of the most popular boutique shops in the city.