Version 2.0.0 (Splatoon)
Version 2.0.0 is a major update to Splatoon, which took place on 6 August 2015 at 02:00 UTC. Some hotly-anticipated features made their debut, such as additional game modes, new weapons and new gear.
Modes
Two new modes were introduced, Squad Battle and Private Battle.
Squad Battle
Squad Battle is a game mode in which two to four friends can join together an participate on the same team in a Ranked Battle. There are three types of Squads:
- Quad Squad - A full team of four friends participates against an opposing Squad.
- Tri Squad - A grizzled team of three friends participates against an opposing Squad, which may consist of four players. Penalties and rewards are the same, except a Tri Squad will respawn slightly faster.
- Twin Squad - A team of two friends is paired with another Twin Squad on a team, then plays against a pair of opposing Squads.
Players participating in Squad Battles receive the usual rewards for Ranked Battles, but the mode cannot be used to increase a player's rank above A+ (see below).
Private Battle
Private Battle allows players to set up customized matches between only friends and friends of friends. All stages and game modes are available and the host sets up the teams. The host can create even battles (such as 1v1 or 4v4) or uneven battles (such as 1v4 or 3v2). However, there can only be up to four players per team, and the host cannot assign everyone to the same team.
No Battle Points, cash or level experience are rewarded for Private Battles.
Progression
Levels
Players can now increase their level to 50. Levels 21 to 50 are not earned through Battle Points, but by the same rules as Splatfest:
- In Turf War, experience is determined by turf inked and whether the team wins:
- If the player inks between 200 and 399 turf, they receive one point.
- If the player inks 400 or more turf, they instead receive two points.
- If the player's team wins, the player receives an additional three points (for a maximum of five per battle).
- In Splat Zones, and Tower Control, players receive one point for each minute their team survives.
- If the player's team wins by timeout, team members will receive an additional three points.
- If the player's team wins by knockout, team members receive ten points total.
Ranks
Players can now increase their rank to S and S+. Squad Battles are not allowed in the S ranks, however.
A player whose rank changes in a Ranked Battle will be returned to the Lobby.
Rewards
Visiting Judd every five levels starting at Level 25 will reward the player with a new item:
Gear
45 new gear items were added, including the Traditional Gear and Squid Girl outfits:
Headgear
Clothing
Shoes
Music
Four new pieces of background music were added to the random multiplayer battle pool:
- Shellfie by Chirpy Chips
- Split & Splat by Chirpy Chips
- Hooked by Hightide Era
- Sucker Punch by Hightide Era
Stages
The overall layout of Urchin Underpass was adjusted in all modes. Trees were relocated, corners were cut, walls were opened up, and there is all-round more turf to ink. Other stages received layout changes in Ranked Battle modes.
| Stage | Change |
|---|---|
| Urchin Underpass |
|
| Arowana Mall |
|
| Kelp Dome |
|
| Moray Towers |
|
| Saltspray Rig |
|
Tweaks
Several tweaks were made to the game to improve the experience and enforce better mechanical balance.
- When deciding the winner of Splatfest, the percentage of battles won is now multiplied by four instead of two.
- Adjusted the sound effects for Inkstrike so it can be heard when it is about to strike on the left, right, or back of the player.
- Adjusted the sound effects for some of the longer range weapons so that they can be heard from far away when they hit.
- Some weapons were changed:
| Weapon | Change |
|---|---|
 Inkzooka |
|
 Echolocator |
|
 Killer Wail |
|
 Splash Wall |
|
- Some abilities were changed:
| Ability | Change |
|---|---|
 Tenacity |
|
 Special Charge Up |
|
