What are Festival Shells in Splatoon 3?

During Splatfests in Splatoon 3, players may occasionally be embroiled in higher value battles like 100x and 333x battles, where victory means more Clout for their team. These events are mostly random, but there is a way to tilt the odds of their appearance: Festival Shells. So, what are Festival Shells in Splatoon 3?

What are Festival Shells in Splatoon 3?

Festival Shells are a brand new mechanic in Splatoon 3 meant to increase the odds of high-value Splatfest matches for those that consistently perform well. While there’s a Splatfest going on, players may occasionally end up in a 10x Battle, where the winning team earns 10 times the Clout for their Splatfest team. The team that wins a 10x Battle will receive one Festival Shell, up to a maximum of seven for subsequent 10x Battle victories.

For every Festival Shell in a player’s possession, the odds of their next match being a 100x Battle are increased. Those odds are multiplied by the number of Festival Shells owned by every player in the match. Here’s the fun part, though: if a member from both teams is lucky enough to simultaneously trigger a 100x Battle, then the match will automatically be upgraded to a 333x Battle, where the winning team earns 333 times the Clout for their Splatfest team.

After a 100x or 333x Battle concludes, all of the players involved will lose their Festival Shells. They can’t let you keep getting those high-value matches for free, after all. You can keep earning more Festival Shells for the duration of the Splatfest by winning more 10x Battles, though. Additionally, any player that wins a 100x or 333x Battle during a Splatfest will get a Splatfest Star above their name for its remainder. Splatfest Stars don’t do anything, they just let everyone know you’re a super cool dude.