View source for Sheldon License

[[File:S3 Icon Sheldon License.png|thumb|Icon of a Sheldon License in ''Splatoon 3'']]

'''Sheldon Licenses''' are a type of currency introduced in {{S3}} that can be used to acquire new [[weapon]]s in [[Ammo Knights]], which differs from previous games where players instead used [[cash]].

==Description==
1 Sheldon License is obtained every time the player [[level]]s up or increases a weapon's [[Freshness (stars)|Freshness]] to 1 star. Additionally, for three [[season]]s starting with [[Chill Season 2023]], players were automatically rewarded with a complementary Sheldon License at the beginning of each season, and the ''[[Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass]]'' also immediately rewards 10 Sheldon Licenses upon purchase as part of its '[[Splatoon_3:_Expansion_Pass#Battle-boosting_bonuses|battle-boosting bonuses]]'.

As in previous games, all buyable weapons are unlocked at certain levels, at which point they can be purchased with 1 Sheldon License. However, this locking system differs from previous games in that it is more of a soft restriction: weapons above the player's current level can still be bought, although in this case they will cost 3 Sheldon Licenses each instead of 1.

If a player has purchased every weapon,<ref group="notes">At a minimum required cost of at least 129 Sheldon Licenses, assuming they do not purchase any weapons before their unlock level</ref> they can exchange extra Sheldon Licenses for Shell-Out Tokens at the [[Shell-Out Machine]].

===Gold Sheldon Licenses===
'''Gold Sheldon Licenses''' can be used to purchase any weapon regardless of the player's level. Players who import their {{S2}} save data at the beginning of {{S3}} receive three Gold Sheldon Licenses after completing their first online battle,<ref>{{TWI}} [[Inkipedia:Twitter_archive/2022/September#1568136660365496322|@nintendo_cs on Twitter]]</ref> which is the only way to obtain them.

If the player has one, a Gold Sheldon License is spent automatically when purchasing a weapon above the player's level, or when purchasing any weapon with no regular Sheldon Licenses remaining (though in this case, Sheldon will warn the player that it may be a waste of a Gold Sheldon License).

Gold Sheldon Licenses do not have a counter in the user interface. Instead, Sheldon will tell the player how many they have left after they make a purchase with one in [[Ammo Knights]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>
S3 Icon Gold Sheldon License.png|Icon of a Gold Sheldon License
S3 Getting a Sheldon License.png|Getting a Sheldon License
S3 Shell-Out Sheldon License Exchange.png|The menu when exchanging Sheldon Licenses for Shell-Out Tokens
</gallery>

==Trivia==
* Not counting time-limited complementary Sheldon Licenses, there is a defined cap on the maximum amount of Sheldon Licenses obtainable in a single save file: 998 Sheldon Licenses can be obtained via player levels, and 131 can be obtained via raising the [[Freshness (stars)|freshness]] of all weapons available in the base game. Additionally, purchasing the ''[[Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass]]'' adds 12 additional [[replica]] weapons and a complementary gift of 10 Sheldon Licenses, adding an extra 22 to the maximum number overall. This means:
** A total of 1,129 Sheldon Licenses can be earned in the base game (however, at least 129 of these must also be spent to obtain the weapons needed to reach this total, meaning the maximum amount available at one time caps at 1,000).
** A total of 1,151 Sheldon Licenses can be earned with the ''Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass'' (1,022 if not including licenses that must be spent).
* A [https://splatoon.nintendo.com/en/news/squid-research-lab-dives-deep-into-the-splatlands/ news article] on the official {{S3}} website reveals a tip about the ability to spend extra Sheldon Licenses to purchase weapons above the player's level, but it contains an error: the website states four Sheldon Licenses are required, whereas only three are actually required in-game.

==Names in other languages==
<div style="display:flex; gap:30px; justify-content:flex-start; flex-wrap:wrap; align-items:flex-start;">
{{Localized name
|color=Splatoon 3
|title='''Sheldon License'''
|Jap=ブキチライセンス
|JapR=Bukichiraisensu
|JapM=Sheldon License
|Dut=Krabbert-vergunning
|DutM=Sheldon license
|Fra=Brevet Cartouche
|FraM=Sheldon license
|Ger=ArtyCard
|GerM=Sheldon card
|Ita=Licenza di Armand
|ItaM=Sheldon's license
|Rus=Лицензия Пушкина
|RusR=Litsenziya Pushkina
|RusM=Sheldon's license
|Spa=Licencia de Jairo
|SpaM=Sheldon's license
|ChiS=武器兑换证
|ChiSR=Wǔqì duìhuàn zhèng
|ChiSM=Weapon Coupon
|ChiT=武器兌換證
|ChiTR=Wǔqì duìhuàn zhèng
|ChiTM=Weapon Coupon
|Kor=부키치 라이선스
|KorR=Bukichi laiseonseu
|KorM=Sheldon License
|Por=Sheldon License<ref name="PO">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JrpwbApi6Y {{YT}} Splatoon 3 Direct - 10/08/2022 (Nintendo Portugal)]</ref>
|PorM=Same as English
|Internal=WeaponLicense<ref name="GH">[https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Leanny/splat3/main/data/language/EUen_full_unicode.json {{GH}} Leanny on GitHub]</ref>
|InternalM=WeaponLicense is localized.
}}

{{Localized name
|color=Splatoon 3
|title='''Gold Sheldon License'''
|Jap=ゴールドブキチライセンス
|JapR=Gōrudobukichiraisensu
|JapM=Gold Sheldon License
|Dut=Gouden Krabbert-vergunning
|DutM=Golden Sheldon license
|Fra=Brevet Cartouche Or
|FraM=Gold Sheldon license
|Ger=Gold-ArtyCard
|GerM=Gold Sheldon card
|Ita=Licenza d'oro di Armand
|ItaM=Sheldon's golden license
|Rus=Золотая лицензия Пушкина
|RusR=Zolotaya litsenziya Pushkina
|RusM=Sheldon's golden license
|Spa=Licencia dorada de Jairo
|SpaM=Sheldon's golden license
|ChiS=金色武器兑换证
|ChiSR=Jīnsè wǔqì duìhuàn zhèng
|ChiSM=Gold Weapon Coupon
|ChiT=金色武器兌換證
|ChiTR=Jīnsè wǔqì duìhuàn zhèng
|ChiTM=Gold Weapon Coupon
|Kor=골드 부키치 라이선스
|KorR=Goldeu bukichi laiseonseu
|KorM=Gold Sheldon License
|Por=Gold Sheldon License<ref name="PO" />
|PorM=Same as English
|Internal=WeaponLicenseGold<ref name="GH" />
|InternalM=WeaponLicenseGold is localized.
}}
</div>

==Notes==
{{Note list}}

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Collectibles]]