Ruins of Ark Polaris
File:S2 Ruins of Ark Polaris Promo Image1.jpg
| Added in | 7 November 2018 |
| Features | Ride rails |
The Ruins of Ark Polaris is a Salmon Run exclusive online multiplayer stage in Splatoon 2. It was made available at The Shoal with the release of Version 4.2.0 on 7 November 2018.
Scenery
The sky on the stage is perpetually darker than other Salmon Run stages. While other Salmon Run stages take place during the early parts of the sunset during their normal waves, Ruins of Ark Polaris takes place at late dusk.
The background features the tail of the titular space shuttle, which was later revealed in the Alterna Logs in Return of the Mammalians to have been a colony ship originally intended to find a new world for humanity to inhabit. An accident near the edge of the solar system forced it to return to Earth, and without enough fuel to make a safe landing it remained in orbit for ten thousand years before crashing, killing all of its crew and cryopreserved life forms except for the experimental subject Bear No. 3. The Ark Polaris has worn-out text reading "PRIVATE PROPERTY" in English, as well as featuring giant letters spelling "ICA". There's a city in the background with many buildings that are still active. In night waves, the lights in the buildings turn off.
Some walls on the stage feature signs reading "Active Bear Area" in English. Bear tracks can be seen on the ground at low tide.
Layout
Ruins of Ark Polaris features an elevated platform in the center with three ramps leading to the ground. The central platform has two ride rails that both encircle half of the top platform. Two of the ramps provide an additional level in-between the lower level and the top platform. The third ramp leads down to a sandbar behind the structure. During low tide, the water recedes to reveal a shoreline with a central area and outer sandbar ring separated by a crescent of water.
Notable locations
- Tower: The main feature of the stage is its immense verticality. The basket is located at the topmost of the tower with three ramp paths leading up. There are also inkable walls to make climbing easier.
- Lower Ride Rails: Five ride rails are located on the lower portions of the map. Three on the front side of the map and three on the back side, all these rails will act as quick and easy ways to take players, even downed players, back to the basket.
- Upper Ride Rails: On the top of the map, there are two ride rails on opposing sides of the area, they both circle the top of the map and can be chained together.
- Rear Beach: There is a small beach at the back of the tower.
- Lowtide Sandbar: During low tide, this sandbar will be revealed. It is an open area with a horseshoe-shaped pool of water. The basket will be located at the center with ride rails leading in and outwards.
Tides
- During high tide, the water will rise leaving only the top level and the pathways below it, rending the lower ride rails inaccessible. Salmonids will spawn from one of three paths.
- During low tide, the water recedes to reveal a shoreline with a central area and outer sandbar ring separated by a crescent of water. The central area contains the basket and has ride rails leading to the outer ring. The outer ring also has ride rails leading to the center. There are paths of shallow water in the crescent that divides the inner and outer area that the Salmonid can cross at will.
Also, the Grizzco boat is within one DU of the sandbar and coming up close with it allows the player to hear the beginning music clip.
Gallery
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Promotional image of the stage's mid-tide layout from its initial reveal.
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Another promotional image, showcasing the bear warning songs written in plain English.
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Image, displaying an Inkling using a ride rail.
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Image, displaying the stage's upper level mid-Wave, where several Lesser Salmonids approach a player atop a ride rail.
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The Ark Polaris immediately after launching from Earth, as seen in the Alterna Logs.
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The Ark Polaris orbiting the Earth after running out of fuel, as seen in the Alterna Logs.
Trivia
- The internal codename for this stage in the game files is "Shakeride".
- The stage name could also be a reference to the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, as the star named Polaris is part of Ursa Minor.
- There are also the "Active Bear Area" signs that depict a larger bear (Ursa Major) on the sign above and a smaller bear on the sign below (Ursa Minor).
- The bear warning signs also could be in reference to Mr. Grizz.
- There are also the "Active Bear Area" signs that depict a larger bear (Ursa Major) on the sign above and a smaller bear on the sign below (Ursa Minor).
- With the exception of Splatfest Tees for Splatfests that promote real-world brands, this stage features one of the few in-game appearances of any written English language.
- This stage marks the second appearance of ride rails in a multiplayer stage after Railway Chillin' and the first appearance in a regular stage.
- Using the specials Sting Ray, Inkjet, and Splashdown while on the ride rail results in the player dropping off. Using Sting Ray and Inkjet prevent the player from getting on the ride rails.
- The stage's backstory is similar to the story of Noah's Ark with both being meant to preserve Earth's species during an apocalypse, and both cases heavily involve flooding.
