Splatoon 3’s Ultra Stamp is about to get a lot better despite receiving no buffs or nerfs

Nintendo has released the patch notes for Splatoon 3’s Ver. 1.2.0 update which is scheduled to go live on October 25. Along with a nerf to the Sloshing Machine, this large-scale update will contain a number of tweaks and balance adjustments, including big changes to the Ultra Stamp which is about to get a lot better despite none of its parameters actually being changed.

The Ultra Stamp is a special weapon that looks like a giant hammer that players slam into the ground while advancing forward. Currently, the Ultra Stamp is the special weapon included with the Mini Splatling, the Splatana Wiper, and the Sploosh-o-matic. Taking a direct hit from the Ultra Stamp results in getting instantly splatted and it can also be thrown which ends the special. It packs both propulsive and destructive power and can provide the punch needed to bust through enemy lines. However, its spotty hit detection and weak guarding ability earned it a reputation of being difficult to use.

The Ultra Stamp is about to get a lot stronger with today’s update, though, even without the weapon receiving any buffs or nerfs. That’s because the weapon apparently had numerous bugs which are about to be fixed. Below are the fixes coming to the Ultra Stamp as listed in the patch notes:

– Fixed an issue where blaster shots would produce the same shock wave as a midair explosion when hitting a Tacticooler or Ultra Stamp.
– Fixed an issue where a Point Sensor or Toxic Mist would disappear without activating when hitting certain terrain or an Ultra Stamp.
– Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp would not block enemy bombs’ blast waves.
– Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp would not block fully charged shots from a charger.
– Fixed an issue with the Ultra Stamp’s repeated stamping attack where there would be moments in which direct attacks could not deal damage to the opponent.
– Fixed an issue that would prevent the Ultra Stamp’s repeated stamping attack from properly inking the ground.
– Fixed an issue that allowed the Ultra Stamp’s repeated stamping attack to deal damage to enemies on the other side of thin walls.
– Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp’s midair spinning attack could not deal damage to opponents on the ground.
– Fixed an issue that allowed the Ultra Stamp’s midair spinning attack to deal damage to enemies on the other side of thin walls.
– Fixed an issue where hitting terrain at the instant the Ultra Stamp is thrown would cause an explosion in a different location than where it hit.
– Fixed an issue where the Ultra Stamp’s throw attack, when aimed at an opponent on iron grating, would deal direct damage even if hitting from the back side.

They basically boil down to fixing hit detection, fixing how it spreads ink, and fixing how it guards attacks. These changes also amount to a substantial boost to the weapon’s performance.

The Ultra Stamp has been touted from the start by Nintendo as a weapon with defensive capabilities that can block head-on attacks. However, it looks like these defensive capabilities have been weaker than originally intended. Additionally, a number of other problems were reported by players such as the Ultra Stamp disappearing when throwing it and it not dealing full damage after a midair spinning attack. It’s been difficult to determine whether these were actually bugs or if the weapon was just weak, leaving the Ultra Stamp to be seen as a dud.

The incoming update will be fixing this plethora of issues, though, and despite the parameters of the Ultra Stamp itself not being changed, should provide it a nice boost in power. Twitter users in Japan have even been poking fun at the number of fixes the Ultra Stamp is receiving. We’ll likely have to try the Ultra Stamp for ourselves to know just how much these fixes have improved its usability, but it sounds like good news for Mini Splatling, Splatana Wiper, and Sploosh-o-matic users.

Splatoon 3 is now available for the Nintendo Switch.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-10-25 14:19 JST)