Salmon Run Next Wave

Salmon Run Next Wave

Salmon Run Next Wave

Type	Online Multiplayer Local Multiplayer
Players	1-4
Ranked
Weapons
Controllers	Joy-Con, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Release Date	Launch

For this mode's first iteration in Splatoon 2, see Salmon Run.

Salmon Run Next Wave is a co-op multiplayer mode in Splatoon 3 for up to four players. It is the sequel to Salmon Run in Splatoon 2 and was revealed on 9 February 2022 during a Nintendo Direct.

Description

Like in Splatoon 2, each Salmon Run shift consists of three waves; to complete each wave, players must collect Golden Eggs by defeating Boss Salmonids and depositing them at the egg basket to reach a given quota. Unless otherwise noted, each Boss Salmonid yields three Golden Eggs when splatted. If they are not picked up, a Snatcher will fly over after a few seconds to retrieve them.

Each player can carry only one Golden Egg at a time. While carrying a Golden Egg, players can press or to perform an Egg Throw, launching the Golden Egg in an arc similar to thrown bombs. This requires the same amount of ink as a Splat Bomb to perform, but not as much ink is actually used and there is no ink-recovery lag. Performing the Egg Throw also causes a small explosion of ink around the player that deals 100 damage to Salmonids and inks a small area around the player.

If the egg is thrown directly into the egg basket, it is collected: otherwise, it remains on the ground where it lands and does not roll. Throwing a Golden Egg into the water results in it bouncing back to where it was thrown from; if it hits a wall or a Salmonid, it is deflected and changes its trajectory. Any player may pick up a Golden Egg as normal after it has been thrown.

The quota for each of the three waves depends on the number of players present and their ranks. If the quota is not filled before the wave timer ends or the team is wiped out, their shift is terminated. After a shift ends, players are rewarded Grizzco Points based on the amount of Power Eggs and Golden Eggs collected, which can be exchanged for bonuses. All players' ranks increase by 20 points after clearing a shift, unless they are playing with a friend with a lower job title than themselves (note that Profreshionals can gain points with Eggsecutive VPs since version 1.1.1). Similarly, failing a shift reduces all participants' ranks by between 0 and 20 points based on the number of waves cleared (-20 points on the first wave, -10 on the second, and 0 on the third; the deduction is halved if fewer than 4 players or a teammate significantly underperformed). Thus, failing a shift on wave 3 does not change participants' ranks.

The hazard level of a shift determines both the difficulty of the shift, such as how many bosses spawn in a time period, and determines the odds of getting silver or gold scales from an Xtrawave encounter. The hazard level is determined by a formula using the combined rank of all players in the shift. The hazard level for a completed shift can be checked by opening the Recent Jobs list from the menu in Grizzco or via SplatNet 3 (note that the display is rounded to the nearest integer but not internally), which can be used to estimate what the hazard level of the next shift will be. The maximum hazard level possible is 333%, which can only occur for a team whose ranks are all Eggsecutive VP with an average of 865 rank points.

Equipment for collecting eggs is provided by Grizzco, including a Grizzco uniform and a lifesaver, as well as a different supplied main weapon for each wave and two uses of a single special weapon for each shift. When players are splatted, their lifesaver appears at their last position and a teammate can revive them by inking them. Ink level and special weapon uses are displayed visually, with the lifesaver serving as an ink tank with markings, and the player's two specials appearing as packets on their headgear. Additionally, a notification saying "One player left!" now appears when only 1 player is still alive.

Known Occurrences return from Splatoon 2, with new ones being added, such as Mudmouth Eruptions and Giant Tornado.^[1] Additionally, an event called Big Run, where Salmonids invade inhabited cities, happen once every few months and take place on battle stages.^[2] There are also occasional Eggstra Work shifts, being 5 waves long on a fixed job scenario, with the aim being to retrieve as many Golden Eggs as possible.^[3]

The difficulty of Salmon Run Next Wave is considerably higher than Salmon Run in Splatoon 2, with the hazard level, quota, and spawn rates increasing drastically, partially due to the ability to throw Golden Eggs, and the new mobility provided by moves such as Squid Surging and Squid Rolling. Because of this, the game can begin to slow at higher levels unless players maintain control of the bosses. Additionally, players no longer reset to 400 upon the termination of a rotation, instead resetting back to 40, making the time taken to reach max hazard level and EVP 999 much longer.

Xtrawave

Main article: Xtrawave

Occasionally after a successful third wave, an Xtrawave occurs, with a large King Salmonid and multiple other Boss Salmonids appearing. The primary objective is not to deposit eggs but to defeat the King Salmonid. During this wave, players are supplied with egg cannons; these convert Golden Eggs into powerful projectiles that deal 800 damage each^[4], do not consume ink, but break on contact (even if they hit the ground). The egg cannon can be used to one-shot all Lesser Salmonids and most regular Boss Salmonids by aiming at their weak spot, and they are largely used to damage the King Salmonid. If the player is holding an egg, a special weapon-esque notification encourages them to attack the King Salmonid with it. The players have 100 seconds to defeat the King Salmonid, and the wave ends prematurely if the whole squad is wiped out. If the players fail to defeat the King Salmonid, the overall shift is still considered cleared.

If an Xtrawave is due to occur, the victory jingle after wave 3 will be slightly distorted, and the final triumphant horn will be immediately followed by a siren and a large, orange notification saying "EMERGENCY!". This is then followed by a short cut-scene of the King Salmonid emerging from the water and roaring. The crew members then Super Jump back to the start point, or a unique lowered start point if the third wave was low tide, and the text "XTRAWAVE" will appear as they land. The Xtrawave also takes place with a unique red-ish sky, rather than the normal orange sky or the night environment used for most Known Occurrences, and will use the same tide level as the previous wave (i.e. if wave 3 took place at high tide, the Xtrawave will too).

An Xtrawave is guaranteed to occur when the Salmometer, a Cohozuna-shaped meter appearing below the player's rank bar while they're in the Grizzco Lobby, is full for every player in the group. Otherwise, the chance of an Xtrawave occurring scales based on the total value.^[5] The meter fills after every shift, whether successful or not, and empties for everyone in the party when the special wave occurs. The Salmometer also resets between different rotations. Until wave 3 is complete, there is no way of knowing whether or not a shift will result in an Xtrawave, unless one is aware of the Salmometer levels of their teammates.

Fish scales

Damaging the King Salmonid during an Xtrawave rewards the player with fish scales, a precious resource that has three types: bronze, silver, gold; the rarer varieties of which are associated with higher hazard levels.^[6] Fish scales can be exchanged for Splashtag banners, locker room items, and Grizzco-approved alternate work outfits.^[6]

The Xtrawave grants the player scales ranging from 2 to 13; two for entering the Xtrawave, one for every 12.5% damage the team dealt to the King Salmonid (a maximum of eight for a victory), and one for every ten seconds remaining on the clock when the King Salmonid is defeated (a maximum three for 30 seconds or more left).^[7]

Getting silver and gold scales is random, with the chance percentage correlates to the hazard level using the formula 5 + 15/333 * H for silver and 0 + 3/333 * H for gold, where H stands for hazard level percentage. At max hazard level (333%), there is a 20% chance per scale to be silver, and a 3% chance per scale to be gold.^[7]^[8] The list below shows some calculated examples.

List of approximate rare fish scale odds^[4]
Hazard level	Silver fish scale	Gold fish scale	Team average rank for that hazard level
0%	5%	0%	Apprentice 0/99
20%	5.9009%	0.1802%	Part-timer 0/99
111%	10%	1%	Profreshional +1 55/99
130%	10.8559%	1.1712%	Profreshional +2 50/99
200%	14.009%	1.8018%	Eggsecutive VP 200
222%	15%	2%	Eggsecutive VP 310
333% (max.)	20%	3%	Eggsecutive VP 865

Big Run

Main article: Big Run

Big Runs are a special event where Salmonids invade the city, causing a multiplayer stage to become a temporary Salmon Run stage. The players can then fight against the invading Salmonids and collect their Golden Eggs on the reworked stage. Big Runs share similarities to Splatfests, as they are announced one week in advance, last for 48 hours, and feature final results with rewards for participating players.

Eggstra Work

Main article: Eggstra Work

Eggstra Work is a special event involving shifts lasting 5 waves, on a fixed job scenario, with the aim being to score as many golden eggs as possible. Similarly to Big Runs, players are awarded prizes after the end of the Eggstra Work based on their performance relative to the playerbase at large.^[3] Unlike Big Runs, these run concurrently with the regular Salmon Run stage rotations, allowing players who do not wish to participate/are unable to participate in the Eggstra Work to still play regular Salmon Run.

Rotations

Unlike in Splatoon 2, Grizzco Industries is almost always open for business - this includes during Splatfests. The only exception is during server maintenance, during which all multiplayer services are disabled.^[2]

Salmon Run rotations appear to change every day-and-two-thirds (1 day 16 hours, or 40 hours), at 00:00, 16:00, and 08:00 UTC, in order and repeating. Whether this will be consistent across long periods is unknown.

Big Run rotations work differently. These rotations last for 48 hours (two full days), presumably always starting (and then ending) at 0:00 UTC. It appears that a Big Run will replace the Splatfest for the month in which they occur and that they only happen once per season. Any player can play in a big run, regardless of rank. Finally, unlike most regular rotations, Big Runs are publicly announced in-game a few days in advance of when they happen. After a Big Run ends, the ordinary rotation schedule resumes immediately.

Loaned weapons

Almost all main weapons are usable in Salmon Run Next Wave, with the exceptions being the Splatterscope and the E-liter 4K Scope and all variants of main weapons. The damage dealt by main weapons is adjusted for Salmon Run when compared to other multiplayer modes, especially for charging weapons or weapons with slow firing rates - for example, the Splat Roller deals 200 damage rather than the usual 150 with a horizontal flick, while the Heavy Splatling and Nautilus 47 are both buffed to deal 35 damage per shot when fully-charged. The dummies in the Salmon Run waiting area reflect these changes to damage scaling.

Like in Splatoon 2, the only sub weapon available in Salmon Run Next Wave is the Splat Bomb.

Unlike in Splatoon 2, there are more than four special weapons available in Salmon Run Next Wave. The special weapons are the Crab Tank, Killer Wail 5.1, Reefslider, Wave Breaker, Booyah Bomb, Triple Inkstrike and Inkjet. Special weapons are loaned out at random at the beginning of each shift, do not change between waves, and are unaffected by rotations. The player receives two of their assigned special to use during the regular waves, and then one more for the Xtrawave if it occurs. Specials saved during the regular waves do not carry over to the Xtrawave - all players receive a single usage of their special weapon at the start of Xtrawave.

Stages

Name	Description	Release Date
Sockeye Station	Sockeye Station is set in a setting similar to that of Spawning Grounds, but appears to be in The Splatlands. It was first shown off in the first Salmon Run Next Wave trailer.^[9] It features a large, elevated platform in the center, which has spiraling ramps leading to the top. There is a sandy shore and a long dock on the bottom. During low tide, there are walkways leading to the water.	Initial release
Gone Fission Hydroplant	Gone Fission Hydroplant is set next to a massive hydroplant in the ocean. It features large, elevated walls surrounding the egg basket. There are ramps leading to the top of the platforms. Ramps and gaps in the wall lead to the surrounding low ground. There is a grate over one of the gaps, functioning as a bridge. During low tide, platforms are revealed over the water, with many gaps.	Initial release
Spawning Grounds	Returning from Splatoon 2, Spawning Grounds is set near a large dam in the Inkadia region, with minimal changes. It features a wide variety of terrain on each corner of the map. A multilayered slope leading to three small piers is located just behind the basket. To the right is a grated walkway overlooking the lower grounds. To the left, slopes go down to small sandbar. During low tide, the sandbar expands exponentially, revealing three protruding landmasses.	Initial release
Marooner's Bay	Returning from Splatoon 2, Marooner's Bay is set on the wreckage of a large boat, with minimal changes. It features a large ship marooned on a sandbar. Its stern has three ramps down onto the beach where there are three piers on the starboard side. During low tide, a sandbar rises behind the ship, revealing a large ring of land and one smaller protrusion. This stage contains propellers which Inklings and Octolings can use to power lifts that rise from the ground.	1 December 2022
Jammin' Salmon Junction	Jammin' Salmon Junction is set on a collapsed multilane highway, which has been turned into a concert venue. It features long, uphill terrain with the egg basket at the top area. It is all divided by a long body of water in the center, which opens up into a larger pit. There are lower side areas. On the top there is a long grated bridge on the side, over the lower ground, and a small grate in the center. On low tide, there are two long pathways, also divided by a thin body of water.	1 June 2023

Big Run stages

Big Run is an occasional event in Salmon Run Next Wave, in which the Salmonids invade the Splatlands and/or Inkopolis. Each time a Big Run occurs, the Salmonids invade one particular multiplayer stage, changing its layout and flooding it with water for the duration of the event.

Name	Description	First Appearance
Wahoo World	Wahoo World was the first multiplayer stage to be played on during Big Run. It was revealed during the Splatoon 3 Direct, and was shown again during the Chill Season 2022 announcement trailer.	10 to 12 December 2022
Inkblot Art Academy	Inkblot Art Academy was the second multiplayer stage to be played on on during Big Run. It was shown in a Fresh Season 2023 promotion on 20 February 2023.	4 to 6 March 2023
Undertow Spillway	Undertow Spillway is the third multiplayer stage to be played on on Big Run. It is the first stage from The Splatlands to be a part of Big Run. It was shown in a Sizzle Season 2023 promotion on 19 May 2023.	10 to 12 June 2023

Wildcard rotation

Wildcard rotations return in Salmon Run Next Wave, the first started on 1 October 2022 at 16:00 (UTC).^[10] All types of wildcard rotations from Splatoon 2 return, including all-wildcard rotations, single wildcard rotations, in which only one of the four weapons is random, and rare-only rotations^[11].

During an all-wildcard rotation, or a rare-only rotation, the only weapon available in the testing range is the Splattershot. After a shift ends, players are still equipped with the weapon they ended the shift with in the testing range, but it is replaced with the Splattershot when the bihourly multiplayer stage rotation happens, or when they interact with the weapon-equipping container. During single-wildcard rotations, players may only equip the non-wildcard weapons in the testing range.

Grizzco-brand weapons return for wildcard rotations and two new weapons, the Grizzco Stringer and Grizzco Splatana, have been added.

For a history of wildcard rotations, see Salmon Run Next Wave data.

Events

Main article: Known Occurrence

There are nine different events in Salmon Run Next Wave, with some having variants. Seven of the events return from Salmon Run in Splatoon 2.

Job scenario

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A feature added in Version 2.0.0 allows saving and replaying job scenarios. Job scenarios can be accessed from the Grizzco Terminal, and can be shared via codes. You can also see these job scenarios from Splatnet 3. You are not able to save Big Run job scenarios. Unlike Battle Replays, players must play the job scenarios using Private Jobs.

Job Title

“	The Profreshional title has been usurped by Eggsecutive VP, providing a shining new rung on the corporate ladder. Your earning power will increase with a higher title, but the job sites will get more intense too. We've even recorded a 333% increase in hazard level at the sites where Eggsecutive VPs work.	”
— Live from Squid Research Lab

All job titles from Splatoon 2 return. A new title, Eggsecutive VP^[6], has been added following the Profreshional title.

Title / Rank	Pay Grade (Rank Points 0 - 49)	Pay Grade (Rank Points 50-99)	IDV	Hazard level range
Intern (2 tutorials)	×1.00	×1.00	N/A	N/A
Apprentice (0 - 99)	×1.50	×1.55	0 - 99	0.0% - 19.8%
Part-Timer (0 - 99)	×1.60	×1.65	100 - 199	20.0% - 39.8%
Go-Getter (0 - 99)	×1.70	×1.75	200 - 299	40.0% - 59.8%
Overachiever (0 - 99)	×1.80	×1.85	300 - 399	60.0% - 79.8%
Profreshional (0 - 99)	×1.90	×1.95	400 - 499	80.0% - 99.8%
Profreshional +1 (0 - 99)	×2.00	×2.05	500 - 599	100.0% - 119.8%
Profreshional +2 (0 - 99)	×2.10	×2.15	600 - 699	120.0% - 139.8%
Profreshional +3 (0 - 99)	×2.20	×2.25	700 - 799	140.0% - 159.8%
Eggsecutive VP (0 - 999)	×2.30	×2.35 See below for EVP ≥100	800 - 1665	160.0% - 333.0%

At Eggsecutive VP, the pay grade is calculated as 2.3 + floor([Rank Points] / 50) × 0.05. The highest possible pay grade is ×3.25 at Eggsecutive VP 950 - 999. Following Splatoon 2, titles are retained across Salmon Run rotations, but the point ranges are reset to the 40-point mark within the player's current title, including the new Eggsecutive VP title. IDV stands for internal difficulty value and is how the game keeps track of the difficulty without using job titles and rank points. One IDV is worth 0.2% hazard level, which is capped at 1665 for Eggsecutive VP 865 - 999, equivalent to hazard level 333%.

At ranks Go-Getter and above, it is possible to manually demote oneself by pressing in the menu of the Grizzco Lobby.

Rewards

Completion of a round of Salmon Run Next Wave grants players Grizzco Points, which they can redeem at the exchange desk inside Grizzco Industries for bonuses. The points earned after any run are calculated with the formula (G/100)(E+P/200)+50*C, where G is the pay grade number after any raises or penalties, E is the number of Golden Eggs collected, P is the number of Power Eggs collected, and C is 1 upon completing all 3 rounds successfully, 2 upon successfully defeating the King Salmonid, otherwise 0. (However, due to a bug as of Version 1.2.1, C is equal to 2 even if losing to the King Salmonid.) All counts are rounded down to the nearest integer. Players also earn Catalog Points which increase their catalog level (300 points per wave cleared, including if the Xtrawave is cleared). If the player participates in an Xtrawave and damages the King Salmonid, they receive fish scales.^[6]

Every 100 Grizzco Points (200/400 after reaching 1200/4000 points in a rotation, or 2400/5200 for a Big Run rotation) earns the player one bonus "capsule", which come in different colors representing the type of the contents, or a piece of gear. The main ability of this item is randomly determined when the bonus is redeemed. It usually has up to three randomly filled secondary gear ability slots. If the player receives gear they already have, they can either replace the old gear with the new version or receive ability chunks (equal to the filled slots) instead.

Reward^[13]	Type	50%	40%	10%
Blue capsule	Drink ticket	5,000	One drink ticket	Four drink tickets
Green capsule	Ability chunks	5,000	Two ability chunks	Four ability chunks
Orange capsule	Food ticket	5,000	One 1.5× cash ticket	One 2× cash ticket
Pink capsule	Gear	One filled ability slot	Two filled ability slots	Three filled ability slots
Showcased Gear	Gear	One filled ability slot	Two filled ability slots	Three filled ability slots
Yellow capsule	Cash	5,000	16,000	32,000

Normal, non-superbonus capsules have a 50% chance of providing a poor reward, a 40% chance of providing a good reward, and a 10% chance of providing an excellent reward. At 600 and 1200 points, the player earns a superbonus, which always contains the 10% chance reward. The type of superbonus capsule is fixed for the length of a rotation. After 1200 points, the player only earns the current gear or pink capsules until the rotation ends. During a Big Run, all types of rewards can appear up to 2400 points, with additional superbonuses at 1800 and 2400. The capsules of the rewards until the second superbonus are different for every player.

Pink capsules contain gear aside from the one currently in rotation. During the first gear rotation, when the Bream-Brim Cap was the only gear piece available, pink capsules did not appear as a reward.

The exchange desk stores only a maximum of 99 capsules. Each additional capsule that the player receives without collecting the previous rewards will be lost.

Gear

Gear by Grizzco Industries is obtained from Salmon Run bonus rewards. When obtained, each gear reward has random initial star power and abilities. The star power is initialized from 0 to 2 stars with all secondary ability slots filled, while the initial primary ability cannot be the primary-exclusive one. If the player receives gear they already have, they can either replace the old gear with the new version or swap for ability chunks (equal to the secondary abilities, but not the primary ability) instead. A new piece of gear is added each month, similar to Splatoon 2.

Gear	Type	Brand	Availability	Ability	Release date
Bream-Brim Cap	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	Initial Release
Lo-Vis Visor	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	1 October 2022
Brain Strainer	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	31 October 2022
Astro Helm	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	2 December 2022
Five-Alarm Helmet	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	1 January 2023
360 All-Scopes	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	1 February 2023
Astro Wear	Clothing	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	1 March 2023
Deep Sinker Helm	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	1 April 2023
Commander Tunic	Clothing	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	1 May 2023
Commander Cap	Headgear	Grizzco	Salmon Run Next Wave	Random	31 May 2023

Shop

The Grizzco Item Shop

By defeating or damaging a King Salmonid, players are rewarded with Fish scales that they can use to purchase work suits, gear, decorations, stickers, or banners. Most items are locked by default, however, the rest are unlocked by spending more scales. The first set of unlockable items requires spending at least 100 and 10 to unlock, while the rest of the items requires spending at least a total of 350, 40, and 4.

Work Suits

Name	Cost	Purchasable?
Orange Slopsuit	Unlocked by default	Initially
Green Slopsuit	10	Initially
Yellow Slopsuit	10	Initially
Orange Gloopsuit	15	Initially
Pink Slopsuit	30	After 1st milestone
Blue Slopsuit	30	After 1st milestone
Yellow Gloopsuit	50	After 1st milestone
Brown Gloopsuit	75	After 1st milestone
Black Slopsuit	100	After 2nd milestone
White Slopsuit	100	After 2nd milestone
Black Gloopsuit	150	After 2nd milestone

Gear

Name	Cost	Purchasable?
Squiddor Polo	100	Initially
Angry Rain Boots	15	Initially
Headlamp Helmet	300	After 1st milestone
Anchor Life Vest	5	After 1st milestone
Dust Blocker 2000	800	After 2nd milestone
Juice Parka	30	After 2nd milestone

Decorations

Name	Cost	Purchasable?
Flipper-Flopper	50	Initially
Scrapper	80	Initially
Steelhead	5	Initially
Smallfry	1	Initially
Fish Stick	120	After 1st milestone
Maws	160	After 1st milestone
Stinger	20	After 1st milestone
Chum	4	After 1st milestone
Drizzler	320	After 2nd milestone
Flyfish	80	After 2nd milestone
Big Shot	120	After 2nd milestone
Cohock	15	After 2nd milestone
Steel Eel	15	After 2nd milestone
Goldie	100	After 2nd milestone

Stickers

Name	Cost	Purchasable?
TS-SCHL graffiti	15	Initially
TS-SAL graffiti	30	Initially
TS-SWD graffiti	50	Initially
GCI-DNG poster	50	Initially
GCI-FRI neon	3	Initially
TS-ORBRS graffiti	3	Initially
Grizzco Industries logo	1	Initially
SD0-K graffiti	2	Initially
TS-TWR graffiti	60	After 1st milestone
TS-C0HK graffiti	80	After 1st milestone
TS-RLPL graffiti	80	After 1st milestone
GCI-FSH sticker	80	After 1st milestone
GCI-BW sticker	5	After 1st milestone
GCI-NMLSMN neon	10	After 1st milestone
SR-UDTRG sign	10	After 1st milestone
GCI-WTD poster	3	After 1st milestone
TS-WHPL graffiti	160	After 2nd milestone
TS-SMFR graffiti	160	After 2nd milestone
TS-LGF8Z graffiti	160	After 2nd milestone
GCI-N0SLMN poster	160	After 2nd milestone
SR-BWRBGNR sign	25	After 2nd milestone
GCI-XLSMN neon	50	After 2nd milestone
TS-FLT graffiti	50	After 2nd milestone
SD0-STR graffiti	50	After 2nd milestone
TS-C0HZ graffiti	10	After 2nd milestone

Banners

Banner	Cost	Purchasable?
	10	Initially
	60	Initially
	100	Initially
	2	Initially
	150	After 1st milestone
	250	After 1st milestone
	250	After 1st milestone
	5	After 1st milestone
	400	After 2nd milestone
	600	After 2nd milestone
	600	After 2nd milestone
	999	After 2nd milestone
	20	After 2nd milestone
	333	After 2nd milestone

Changes from Salmon Run in Splatoon 2

There are multiple changes between Salmon Run Next Wave and Salmon Run, including:

The Test Range serves as the lobby and shop where rewards are given and fish scales can be traded, as well as the current weapons available can be tested.
The training area now allows players to call any Boss Salmonid they want to practice on, instead of going through a specific order.
Players can now choose the gear they wear during Salmon Run and set up private matches between friends outside of the Shoal.
Matches can no longer start with fewer than four players. Instead, the player must try again to find players if matching takes longer than 160 seconds.
In matches, the host of the room is not always the player who creates it, instead being the player who has the fastest and most stable network.
Players have the ability to throw Golden Eggs to reach their quota more easily, with the quotas increasing in number to compensate.
The highest rank is no longer Profreshional, instead, it is Eggsecutive VP, which is four ranks greater.
Players no longer reset to a maximum of 400 rank points between rotations, instead resetting to 40 every time.
The moon is no longer visible during Known Occurrences, and the sky becomes considerably darker as a result.
The Mothership now makes splashes when it appears from and re-enters the water.
Goldie Seeking has been greatly altered, with Lesser Salmonids no longer spawning from incorrect Gushers. Instead, they spawn constantly from the shore in smaller numbers, as well as from the Gusher that the Goldie is inside of, making these waves considerably easier.
Fishing Frenzy no longer plays during the Mothership and Goldie Seeking, instead being replaced by Frothy Waters.
Scoped chargers can no longer appear as weapons in rotations, nor be given during wildcard rotations.
An Xtrawave can sometimes occur after a shift, containing a boss fight with a King Salmonid and providing the player with fish scales once it is damaged and the shift is over.
Four new Boss Salmonids can appear: Fish Sticks, Big Shots, Flipper-Floppers, and Slammin' Lids.
Steelhead explosions are now much larger and deal more damage, as well as inking a larger area.
Flyfish behaviour is now constant once weakened regardless of which basket was damaged, the remaining one now only targets the closest player.
Two new Known Occurrences can occur: Mudmouth Eruptions and Giant Tornadoes.
Enemies can now use the propeller lifts on Marooner's Bay to reach the basket faster if a targeted player lifts it up for them.
Salmonid pathing is no longer bound by nodes, making Lesser Salmonids and Goldie movement much more direct. When combined with the increased damage and knockback from lessers, this makes lessers much more dangerous than in Splatoon 2.
Snatchers now fly, can carry up to eight Golden Eggs, and escape faster than their grounded counterparts from the prior game.
The overall difficulty peak is greater, having more bosses, higher quotas, and a higher hazard level than the previous game. This in turn causes gameplay to slow at higher levels if players do not manage bosses correctly.

Quotes

“	SRL HR dept. here. No, it's not another mandatory seminar about conserving printer toner. Rather, we're confirming that Salmon Run is available 24/7 in the Splatoon 3 game! That means you can work nonstop to climb the corporate salmon ladder - maybe all the way to Eggsecutive VP! Now, at the end of the day, it's all about that paycheck. And we think Salmon Run workers are handsomely rewarded! Diligent employees who have collected fish scales can trade them in for bonus items like designer work suits. As always, we support a healthy work-splat balance.	”
— @SplatoonNA on Twitter^[14]^[15]

“	Salmon Run is open for business 24/7 in #Splatoon3, and you can team up with friends in private lobbies too! If you defeat the big 'ol King Salmonid, you may earn some rare fish scales that can be exchanged for snazzier uniforms.	”
— @NintendoEurope on Twitter^[16]

Gallery

Artwork and renders

Logo
Salmon Run Next Wave logo with a blank background
Key art (vertical)
Inkling in uniform, holding the Splattershot
Another Inkling in uniform, holding the Classic Squiffer
An Octoling in uniform, holding the Tri-Stringer
Chums, a Smallfry, and a Cohock
A Chum and a Steelhead
Flipper-Flopper
Snatcher
Fish Stick
Flipper-Flopper
Slammin' Lid
Big Shot
Render of an Inkling in uniform
Alternative pose
Another Inkling
Designer work suits
Returning work suits from Splatoon 2's Salmon Run, introduced in Fresh Season 2023
Alternative poses
All of the different Salmonids, prior to Horrorboros
Chums and a Cohock
Flipper-Flopper
Goldie
A Golden Egg
Egg cannon used to throw Golden Eggs
Promo for the Salmon Run Next Wave-themed icon elements for Nintendo Switch Online

Icons

Promotional screenshots

In-Game screenshots

Trivia

The Salmometer is internally referred to as "smell". This, as well as wording in the Employee Handbook, may imply that the Salmometer is a metaphor for the King Salmonid gradually learning the scent of the crew members as they keep returning to the same location.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	サーモンラン NEXT WAVE Sāmon ran NEXT WAVE	Salmon Run NEXT WAVE
Dutch	Salmon Run - De nieuwe golf	Salmon Run - The new wave
French (NOE)	Salmon Run - La nouvelle vague	Salmon Run - The new wave
German	Salmon Run - Die nächste Welle	Salmon Run - The next wave
Italian	Salmon Run - Prossima ondata	Salmon Run - Next wave
Russian	Salmon Run - Новая волна Salmon Run - Novaya volna	Salmon Run - New wave
Spanish (NOE)	Salmon Run - Nueva ofensiva	Salmon Run - New offense
Chinese (Simplified)	鲑鱼跑 NEXT WAVE Guīyú pǎo NEXT WAVE	Salmon Run NEXT WAVE
Chinese (Traditional)	鮭魚跑 NEXT WAVE Guīyú pǎo NEXT WAVE (Mandarin) gwai1 jyu2 paau2 NEXT WAVE (Cantonese)	Salmon Run NEXT WAVE
Korean	새먼 런 NEXT WAVE Saemeon reon NEXT WAVE	Salmon Run NEXT WAVE
Internal	Coop^[17]	Salmon Run is a co-operative PvE mode.

Job scenario
Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	バイトシナリオ baito shinario	Part-time job scenario
Dutch	bewaarde klus
French	Scénario de mission	Mission Scenario
German	Schicht-Szenario	Shift scenario
Italian	scenario di lavoro
Russian	Настройки смены Nastroyki smeny	Shift settings
Spanish	modelo de tarea
Chinese (Simplified)	打工剧本 dǎgōng jùběn	Work script^[a]
Chinese (Traditional)	打工劇本 dǎgōng jùběn (Mandarin) daa2 gung1 kek6 bun2 (Cantonese)	Work script^[a]
Korean	아르바이트 시나리오 aleubaiteu sinalio	Part-time job scenario
Internal	CoopScenario^[17]