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.

Appearance
Palettes are large, thin, white Launchpad-like controller panels with 36 color chip inserts in place of where a Launchpad's buttons would be. They additionally resemble eye shadow palettes.

Palettes have a large button alongside two smaller twist-able toggles in their upper left-hand corner; a logo bearing the infinity symbol can be seen on the large button. A thin, long black interface screen is also present; on Pearl's Palette, a small stylized depiction of her can be seen on the screen's far left.

Functionality
A Palette is a form of skill tree which upgrades Agent 8's abilities, similar to Agent 3's Hero Gear in. Palette are adjustable to the player's preferred stats via placing different color chips inside them; at any given Floor, players must choose between three different color chips to apply. 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". There are also other palettes.

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

Trivia

 * The trailer for Side Order shown in the Nintendo Direct on 2023-09-14 appears to show an oddity with color chips on the palette: the palette overview shows a single Run Speed Up color chip as the latest chip before the player selects a floor, though upon selecting the floor shows Agent 8 is seen re-inserting said Run Speed Up chip instead of adding a new one. The Run Speed Up color chip in the Palette menu is also not acting as a preview of the chip to be gained, as the menu appears while highlighting a floor which awards a Splash Damage chip. It is currently unknown whether this is an intended mechanic or a mistake in the trailer.

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.