Fellow Splatoon fans, welcome to my ultimate pro player guide on changing your Inkling or Octoling‘s skin color in the freshest game yet – Splatoon 3!
As a veteran of the franchise who has poured many hours into perfecting both my play strategy and my style, I‘m here to drop some expert-level knowledge.
See, customizing your character in Splatoon is a key part of the experience for me. It‘s how you show your personality and stand out from the crowd between furious Turf War battles.
But I remember all too well the frustrating limitations of the first two games when it came to skin tone options…only 3 to choose from in Splatoon 1? What a joke for all my fellow melanin-blessed squid kids!
Thankfully the character creation tools have improved greatly in Splatoon 3. So it‘s time to finally get the look you want – I‘ll make sure of it!
Stick with me and I guarantee you‘ll have your ideal skin shade chosen and rocking it in multiplayer anarchy before you know it.
Here‘s just a taste of what we‘ll cover in this guide:
- Inside details on all 9 swappable skin colors
- Pro tips for actually finding the tricky customization menu
- Saving your skin choice so it persists through play sessions
- Advanced style advice on using colors for self-expression
- Calculating all the wild custom combos now possible
Let‘s not waste another match getting splatted while looking basic…it‘s time to explore true fresher freedom with your personal color choices!
All 9 Splatoon 3 Skin Color Options Revealed
New to Splatoon 3, we now have 9 different skin tones available during character creation. They range from very pale to quite dark to allow for lots of customizable freedom:
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| Skin Color Number | Skin Color Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ivory |
| 2 | Fair |
| 3 | Light beige |
| 4 | Beige |
| 5 | Tan |
| 6 | Dark tan |
| 7 | Brown |
| 8 | Dark brown |
| 9 | Darkest brown |
As you can see, there‘s a nice range of lighter and darker tones so all my melanin-loving squid kids can finally represent!
I‘m personally quite partial to the Beige and Tan options as I think they give a nice, warm glow. But don‘t be afraid to push the boundaries into darker hues like Darkest Brown if you really want to shock your squadmates!
Now…on to the good stuff: actually accessing these long-awaited extra skin tones for some true self-expression!
Pro Tip: Finding the Hidden Customization Menu in Splatoon 3
If you‘re anything like me, you probably dove straight into multiplayer Turf War matches when you first started Splatoon 3.
After all, covering those maps in messy, outrageous colors is what it‘s all about!
But soon enough I wanted to tweak my Inkling‘s style a bit with a new haircut…only to find myself totally lost trying to actually FIND the right menu!
Unlike previous games where you could just hit "X" at the plaza to pull up customization, things have moved around.
The menu is still there of course…but a bit tricky to find if you don‘t know where to look!
Luckily, I‘ve already stumbled through the learning curve so I can walk you right to it. Just follow these pro gamer steps:
1. Press the "+" button to open Settings
This pulls up a general options menu rather than customization. But we‘re on the right track!
2. Select the mysterious "Other" tab
Use your analog stick or directional buttons to scroll right over to the Other settings tab. So intuitive, Nintendo.
3. Scroll allll the way down and choose "Player Settings"
Easy to miss but it‘s tucked away at the very bottom! This is what we needed.
4. Select the "Customize Avatar" button
And we‘ve made it! Hallelujah. Finally, the usual customization screen.
See, the menus in Splatoon 3 are…a bit of a whirlpool. But at least now you know the way straight there thanks to my hard-earned wisdom!
Choosing Skin Tone + Saving Your Customizations
You found the right place, you scrolled through the skin swatches, and BOOM – your perfect shade popped out at you like a neon sign. I love it when that happens!
But we‘re not done yet. You need to actually CONFIRM your choice before leaving the menus. Otherwise…gasp…you‘ll lose all your styling handiwork!
Here‘s what you need to know about saving:
Select Skin Tone First
Get this crucial choice locked in before anything else.
Customize Other Aspects Afterwards
Go through having fun with hair, clothes etc.
Confirm ALL Changes Before Exiting Menus
Press the "+" button, then select Confirm.
If you don‘t hit Confirm, your avatar will revert right back to the default look when you boot up the game again!
And there‘s nothing worse than spending 30 minutes designing your perfect vision only to lose everything. Don‘t worry, I‘ve rage-quit there too in past Splatoon games.
But now you know better!
So soak in those skin options, play around to your heart‘s content, get things just how you like them…and then seal the deal properly with Confirmation!
The Psychology and Strategy of Skin Color Choices
Alright, this is the part only a true, obsessively style-focused Squid Kid could provide…
Choosing a skin tone in Splatoon 3 is about way more than just aesthetics and self-expression. Though both are incredibly fun too!
But on a deeper level, your color selection impacts how other players perceive you before you even sling a drop of ink.
It can shape their assumptions and reactions…which you can then USE to your strategic advantage!
Let me explain with some examples:
Darker Skin Colors – Intimidation and Mystique
Opting for a darker tone like Dark Brown or Darkest Brown subconsciously signals "confidence" to other players. Seeing one of these skin choices pop up in the starting lobby makes me instantly curious about what fresh vibes that player will bring.
Will they destroy me with some wild Trick Shots? Out maneuver my team with expert Sub strafes? Who knows! But I better bring my A-game just in case…
So if you think you can back it up with skill, consider going bold.
Light Skin + Neon Hairstyles – Deceiving with Cuteness
On the other hand, choosing a light, cutesy look can cause opponents to underestimate you if you then unleash expert skills.
I can‘t count how many times a pale-skinned Inkling with Bright Green bows has left my jaw on the floor pulling off incredible blaster flicks I didn‘t see coming!
So if you want the element of surprise, go bright and disarming.
Matching Skin Tone + Clothing Colors – Cohesion and Intrigue
If your aim is impressing teammates rather than opponents, try color coordinating your entire look. A Beige or Brown skin inkling intentionally wearing all earth-tone fashions sends a clear message of "I have amazing style and attention to detail."
Suddenly your squadmates are curious what other awesome talents you might bring with such obvious dedication!
So if you want some subtle hype from allies, go coordinated and make it all really pop together.
See what I mean about the psychology here? Think through what impressions you want to give with your ink and actions. Then choose skin + other customizations strategically to align with that vibe.
It‘s some next level stuff that keeps the game endlessly interesting for style mavens like me!
Which brings me to…
Just How Many Color Combos Are Possible in Splatoon 3?
Alright, let‘s have some fun with the math here.
With 9 distinct skin tones now available, what does that open up style-wise when you factor in all the other customization choices?
Buckle up squiddos…the possibilities are dizzying!
Let‘s break it down:
- 9 skin tones (as we detailed earlier)
- 10 eye colors (matches the ink tones)
- 24 haircuts, both for Inkilings and Octolings
- 135 pieces of gear currently available
- Plus way more clothes & items added in future updates
So, if we consider just those current numbers, the number of combinations comes out to:
9 (skin) x 10 (eye) x 24 (hair) x 135 (gear) = OVER 300,000 combinations!
300,000+ stylish squid kids you could potentially create and take into battle before we even factor in new gear down the road. Absolutely bonkers!
As if I needed MORE excuses to put off homework and chores in favor of obsessively fine-tuning my look…
But I hope eye-popping stats like this make you feel liberated in your skin journey rather than overwhelmed! View all those options as fresh possibilities to mix, match, and express yourself.
And of course I‘m happy to share more of my own combos – can‘t let all that math go to waste!
Which brings us to…
My Top Custom Combo: Tan Skin + Front Tie + Headphones
I couldn‘t write a style guide without sharing my own hottest take…
Right now I‘m rolling with Tan skin, the Front Tie medium-length hairstyle with bangs, White Inky Rider Headphones, and the Black Inky Rider Jacket. And I have to say, I am glowing lately!
The tan skin gives me that sun-kissed warmth, the laidback hair with headphones exudes chill confidence, and the coordinating jacket pulls the whole scene together into something both battle-ready and runway-worthy!
I‘ve definitely been named Fresh Queen a few extra times thanks to this combo during Splatfest. So if you‘re feeling uninspired flipping through all those options, take some inspo from my go-to and run with it!
Alright, that wraps up all my hard-earned knowledge for unlocking your wildest self-expression in Splatoon 3. Let‘s do a super speedy recap:
- All 9 swappable skin colors detailed
- How to find the confusing customization menus
- Saving your avatar edits properly explained
- Mixing colors and styles for strategic impressions
- The math of 300,000+ combinations now possible!
- Sharing my personal favorite custom combo
I hope all these tips, tricks, and insights help you discover a whole new level of style confidence. We have the expanded options now, kids…so wear whatever colors, hairstyles and drip suits YOU. Don‘t be afraid to stand out with bold creative risks between Turf War carnage!
And if you try any awesome new combo ideas inspired by this guide, make sure to hit me up. I can‘t wait to see what freshness y‘all cook up!
For now, I‘m off to analyze current gear stats before I lose another 100x battle by 2%… Ugh. But you better believe I‘ll be stunningly dressed regardless of the outcome! Just the way of a true Splatoon fiend.
Stay fresh out there! And splat ya later!
