Splatoon 3's Monumental Hitbox Overhaul in Ver. 11.0.0 Rocks Player Community

Nintendo's popular game "Splatoon 3" has announced a significant overhaul of its "hitboxes" in the upcoming Ver. 11.0.0, a change so fundamental it's sending ripples through the player community. The official announcement on X (formerly Twitter) revealed that the shrinking of hitboxes for Inkling/Octoling (squid/octopus) form and adjustments to weapon projectile hitboxes are expected to profoundly impact future strategies and weapon choices.

The context

Splatoon 3 is a highly popular third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. Players control characters called Inklings or Octolings, who can transform between a humanoid form (for wielding weapons) and a squid/octopus form (for swimming through ink, reloading, and stealth). Hitboxes are invisible geometric shapes in video games used to detect collisions with attacks. Changes to these can drastically alter gameplay dynamics, making characters easier or harder to hit, and directly affecting the effectiveness of different weapons. This update introduces significant core mechanics changes, impacting how players move, aim, and strategize in battles.

According to the official announcement, the hitbox for players in Inkling/Octoling form during battles will be smaller than before starting from Ver. 11.0.0, making them harder for opponents to hit. This means the Inkling/Octoling form will become "slimmer," approaching the width of the human-form hitbox, and submerged hitboxes will also be similarly reduced. This change could potentially make movement and stealth in Inkling/Octoling form safer and more effective.

This change has sparked various speculations among players. While some express surprise, saying, "Is this what the hitboxes looked like?" many believe this adjustment will lead to the buffing or nerfing of specific weapons. Some players analyze that "attacks from all main weapons will be easier to hit against human-form players" and "short-range weapons will have larger projectile hitboxes," pointing out that this effectively strengthens Charger weapons. However, there's also persistent dissatisfaction with existing Chargers, with calls like "make Charger hitboxes smaller!"

While some hope that the expanded hitboxes for short-range weapons will benefit close-quarters weapons like the Octobrush (Pablo) and Hyrdra Splatling (Hissen), others express concern, asking "Is this effectively a nerf to Octobrush?" There are also worries from specific weapon users, such as "I used to enjoy playing Turf War with the Splatana Wiper (Lact-450), but with the Inkling/Octoling form hitbox shrinking, it's already hard to hit, and it might become even harder." Furthermore, some predict a buff for the Splat Roller (Aosupa) due to the strengthened resistance during Ink Rolls for the Reefslider special and the good synergy between expanded main weapon hitboxes and the new Ink Flow mechanic. Some players welcome the adjustment, hoping the difficulty of Splatoon 3's unique "curved shots" returns to Splatoon 2's level, suggesting that more precise aiming might be required. On the other hand, new questions are emerging, like "Does a larger main weapon hitbox mean projectiles will get sucked into walls more easily?"

In addition to the hitbox changes, significant specification changes like the new "Ink Flow" system and "HP display" have also been announced simultaneously. Players are barely containing their excitement, exclaiming, "An incredible, god-tier update is here!!!" As attention focuses on the developers' bold stance, with comments like "Changing hitboxes is certainly a daring move," some speculate that the introduction of these fundamental new elements will not only drastically alter the game environment but also potentially impact the future of the series, leading to thoughts like, "Does this mean Splatoon 4 won't be released for another two years...?" Many players are closely monitoring how the battle environment will evolve once the update is actually applied.