With Splatoon 3 out in the wild and players hitting the turf to make their mark, the new elements of the game are what most people are going to be focusing on.
But, just because there are a lot of shiny and new things to look at, there are some important returning bits that players will absolutely need to know too—with one of the most important tidbits being how to access various multiplayer content.
Just like in previous games, most of Splatoon 3’s content is available right from the start and there are no limits stopping you from jumping right into multiplayer matches or opting to go it solo with the campaign instead.
One of the few exceptions is a lack of instantly available Ranked mode.
This remains locked for players who are just jumping into the game for the first time but, depending on your experience with the Splatoon franchise, you can actually gain access a bit faster than newcomers.
What are Anarchy Battles in Splatoon 3?
Instead of the returning Ranked mode, Splatoon 3 replaces it with Anarchy Battles.
These battles can last for up to five minutes and include the usual four modes—Splat Zones, Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Clam Blitz.
The main difference here is the ranking system is different and players can also select to participate in an Anarchy Battle Series, or a mode where players can essentially gamble their ranked points to bet on their ability to win five games in a row without losing three and potentially rise or fall in the rankings faster depending on the results.
Related: How to change your gear in Splatoon 3
Ranks max out at the S+0 to S+50 range to start, with this likely to change in future updates after the game has been out for a decent amount of time, just like with how Splatoon 2’s Ranked Battle mode was handled.
How do you play Anarchy Battles in Splatoon 3?
The simple answer is to just play Splatoon 3 for a bit.
Anarchy Battles will unlock automatically for all players who reach level 10 in the game, which can be done by playing regular multiplayer games.
This is the exact same method Nintendo used to limit early access to Ranked matchmaking and make sure it isn’t flooded by completely new players in both previous games.
However, anyone who has saved data from Splatoon 2, including Ranked history, will gain access to Anarchy Battles in Splatoon 3 at level two instead of level 10. This makes it very easy for experienced players to skip the slog of playing in the regular lobbies and get right to climbing the ranks almost immediately.
