Introduction

Upon your arrival in Octo Valley, you’re immediately greeted by Cap’n Cuttlefish, leader of the Squidbeak Splatoon. He theorizes that the Great Zapfish, missing from Inkopolis Tower, has been stolen by the Octarians as revenge for their defeat in the Great Turf War 100 years ago—though nobody else believes him. He needs your help to rescue the Great Zapfish, assigning you as Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. He even gives you a Hero Suit—handed down from Agents 1 and 2. Do you have what it takes to rescue the Great Zapfish? Or has Cap’n Cuttlefish completely overestimated your capabilities? Fortunately, this chapter has all the information you need to overcome each obstacle and outwit every Octarian you encounter during your search for the Great Zapfish.

Interface

Aiming Reticle

• This white ring icon in the center of the screen is your weapon’s reticle. Place it over a target and fire to spread ink.

Respawn Meter

• Think of these three bars as lives. They represent how many times you can respawn after getting splatted or falling off a stage—you lose one bar after each splat. However, one bar is replenished with each new checkpoint you cross.

Sunken Scroll Status

• This icon indicates whether you’ve located a stage’s Sunken Scroll or not. If the icon is grayed out, you still need to find it.

Power Eggs

• This counter displays how many Power Eggs you’ve collected. Use Power Eggs to purchase upgrades for your weapons and gear.

Special Gauge

• This gauge appears when you’ve obtained an Inkzooka, Bubbler, or Bomb Rush special. Each special can be activated for a limited time. The gauge rapidly empties while a special is active, indicating how much time is left.

Sub Weapons

• These three icons represent your equipped sub weapons, including Splat Bombs, Burst Bombs, and Seekers. Use the +Control Pad to select the active sub weapon.

Octarian Lairs

Splat the invisible lair entrances with ink to reveal them.

There are a total of twenty-seven hidden Octarian lair entrances scattered throughout Octo Valley, not including the five Boss Kettles. These lairs are divided amongst five different zones. Infiltrate and complete each lair in a zone to unlock a boss kettle, allowing you to fight each zone’s boss. Once a boss is defeated, you can proceed to the next zone. But before you can enter a lair, you must first find it. Lairs are cloaked, invisible to the naked eye. However, if you repeatedly splat a lair entrance with ink, it becomes visible, allowing you to enter. Each revealed lair appears on the GamePad’s map. By tapping the lair icons on this map, you can Super Jump from one lair to another for easy access.

Power Eggs and Upgrades

What are you saving all those Power Eggs for? Buy some upgrades!

While advancing through the various Octarian lairs, you’ll collect Power Eggs. Power Eggs are earned by defeating enemies, but can also be retrieved from lairs by simply touching them or splatting them with ink. Power Eggs function like currency, allowing you to purchase upgrades for your existing gear as well as purchase new weapons. Initially you come equipped with a Hero Shot, ink tank, and Splat Bombs—all three can be upgraded to enhance their performance. Or you can purchase Burst Bombs and Seekers, sub weapons that can also be upgraded. So before entering a new lair, review how many Power Eggs you have and consider purchasing some upgrades. There’s no other use for Power Eggs, so you might as well spend them.

Research Notes

Reference the lair maps in this chapter to locate every Sunken Scroll.

Each lair (and boss) holds one Sunken Scroll. These collectibles are usually hidden, tucked away within orange crates. Once retrieved, they’re automatically revealed after completing a lair or boss fight. These scrolls contain pieces of backstory, giving you more insight on life in Inkopolis as well as historical details pertaining to the conflicts between Inklings and the Octarians. While in Octo Valley, you can review the contents of your collected Sunken Scrolls at any time by accessing your research notes. Sunken Scrolls recovered from bosses allow Sheldon, at Ammo Knights, to create new weapons for use in ink battles.