Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC Is A Lot More Challenging

Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion DLC is coming out this summer. As the name suggests, it puts you in the shoes of an Octoling for the first time, and it adds 80 new single-player missions. We recently had the chance to try out some of these weapon-based challenges, and they're a lot harder than anything you can find in Splatoon 2's base single-player mode.

We tried four different missions from the DLC, and none of them went particularly well the first time we tried them. Before each one, you're given up to a few weapon options, complete with specials. You're then thrown into a level designed around the available weapon choices with specific objectives and a strict time limit. It's great practice, but if you're not accustomed to the weapons you have to use, it can be incredibly difficult to complete any of the missions.

The first level we played starred the Inkjet special weapon; you have to use its propulsion to stay afloat from platform to platform, all while shooting obstacles and enemies so you can land on the platform in the first place. We didn't even come close to finishing that one, mostly due to a wall of stubborn boxes.

The second mission featured the Baller special. You're tasked with rolling around obstacles to reach a series of checkpoints within a very limited amount of time; one clumsy maneuver is enough to send you over the time limit and back to your previous checkpoint. However, it was easier to course correct after a mistake, and we beat this one! The next one was similar, but with a large ball you have to shoot and direct toward checkpoints, and after a mistake or two it was easy to recover and reach the end.

The last one we played was also the best of the lot: a sniping gallery. You stand on one platform across from a carousel of enemies, and you have to ink switches to get the carousel to spin. Then you have to start sniping. There are over a dozen enemies and not a lot of time in which to kill them all; the closest we got was three enemies remaining when time ran out. It's an especially tricky mission if you're not a regular Charger player, but it's a really fun challenge and one that will improve your sniping skills.

Once you complete the Octo Expansion's 80 missions, you unlock the ability to play as an Octoling in multiplayer. That might take a while, judging by the few we saw, but it's shaping up to be some very good weapon practice.