The Shoal

For the song, see The Shoal (song).

Inside the Shoal in Splatoon 2

The Shoal is a location in Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3, which allows players to participate in the local multiplayer mode. It is an amusement arcade that is found to the right in Inkopolis Square, to the right of the lobby in Splatsville, and in the former location of the Battle Dojo in Inkopolis Plaza.

Description

Splatoon 2

The Shoal is a local multiplayer mode category selection screen of Splatoon 2 where players can choose a game mode to play locally, each player requiring separate consoles and copies of the game to play. The player can enter the Shoal from Inkopolis Square or tap on "The Shoal" on the map. There are two game modes available: Private Battle and Salmon Run. The player can either choose to host these modes or search and join other peoples' lobbies. These modes differ slightly from their online counterparts, as Private Battles at the Shoal do not allow for spectators in local wireless play and there are some extra options for the host, while Salmon Run has different selectable weapons, and the host can set the difficulty. A list of available weapons at the Shoal and the day they were made available are listed below.

A manual for Salmon Run is also available to read by pressing while on the main screen at the Shoal, where the first page is a summary of how to play the mode while pressing shows the Salmonid Field Guide.

The player can earn Crusty Sean tickets by playing in the Shoal and getting Shoal Stamps. The player gets a punched card with 8 empty cells and they get one stamp for each player played with per day. To commemorate the player's first visit, they get a free Shoal Stamp. The color of the card indicates the reward they'll get. The player gets a Crusty Sean ticket every time the punched card is completed with 8 Shoal Stamps. After filling the punched card, a new card with different color will appear above it. The color order of the punched cards is Yellow, Green and Blue.

Punched cards and rewards

Color	Reward
Yellow	Food ticket ( Cash)
Green	Food ticket (Exp)
Blue	Drink ticket

Splatoon 3

This section is incomplete or is missing information.

You can help the wiki by filling in the blanks.
Reason: Needs more detail

The Shoal is a local multiplayer mode in Splatoon 3. The mode's lobby is now fully explorable, similarly to the main online lobbies. There is also a test range for players to warm up with their weapons, with said test range being identical to the one found in Ammo Knights, as well as some tables to access Tableturf Battle.

Scenario codes saved from online Salmon Run Next Wave sessions can also be accessed in The Shoal.

Quotes

Splatoon 3

“	SRL Tech Support here with Fashion Desk, Ballistics, and Linguistics... and we're ALL playing a local wireless Splatoon 3 Private Battle in the Shoal! Have friends bring their Nintendo Switch systems over, and splat any way you like in the Shoal - or even set up a Salmon Run!	”
— @SplatoonNA on Twitter

North America (English)

• "Welcome to the Shoal! You've come to the right place to play via local wireless connection. Just talk to the receptionist to get started. After you choose your battle mode and stage, we'll get you right into the action!" - When entering the Shoal for the first time.

Gallery

Splatoon 2

• 

  Inside the Shoal.

• 

  Weapon selection for Salmon Run in the Shoal.

• 

  Render of a jellyfish staff member.

• 

  Icon

• 

  Early icon

Splatoon 3

• 

  The interior of the Shoal in Splatoon 3

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

  Cover art of The Shoal in the jukebox

LAN Play

LAN play is available in both Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 as a feature in the Shoal. It is not on the game's menus but is documented in the Nintendo support pages.

After the Shoal has loaded:

• For Splatoon 2, press and hold , , and the for a few seconds.
• For Splatoon 3, press and hold , , and the for a few seconds.

Spectators are allowed in this mode.

Trivia

• In a Local or LAN room, in Salmon Run or Private Battles, the Salmonids and squids swimming in the background of menus will be replaced by pixelated versions.
  • Interestingly, when in the previously mentioned hidden mode, these pixelated versions do not appear for either mode.
• According to Marina in the Dutch localization, the Shoal is not very popular anymore.
• The arcade game Squid Beatz 2 is found in an arcade machine outside the Shoal.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	イカッチャ Ikatcha	A parody of イカ ika ("squid") and Spo-cha (the sport zone of Round One)
Dutch	De Flipper	The Flipper
French (NOA)	Calmarcade	From calmar ("squid") and arcade
French (NOE)	Calamarcade	From calamar ("squid") and arcade
German	Inkcade	From ink and arcade
Italian	Branco	School
Russian	Стайка Stayka	Small school
Spanish (NOE)	El Remolino	The Vortex
Chinese (Simplified)	鱿乐天地 yóu lè tiāndì	A pun on 鱿鱼 yóuyú ("squid") and 游乐天地 yóulè tiāndì ("playground")