*1* Introduction
A general introduction to this guide
*2* FAQ
Basic questions and their answers
*3* Tips and Tricks
Simple, general strategies for Challenge Mode as a whole
*4* Enemy Strategies
A list of all the creatures you will encounter, with tips for fighting
quickly and safely
*5* How to Use This Guide
Explanations for the way things are set up in this guide
*6* Single-Player Strategies
In-depth information and strategies for each level in Single-player
mode
*7* Closer
Credits, Contact, Legal information, all that boring stuff
To jump to a particular section, open the Find window with Ctrl+F and
type in the number of the section with asterisks on each side of it. For
example, to jump to the Single Player Strategies, type in *6* and hit "Find
Next" a couple times until you reach that section.
Thank you for using the Pikmin 2 Challenge Mode FAQ / Guide hosted on
GameFAQs! I hope it will be able to help you with any problems you may be
having with the Challenge Mode, and that it helps unlock your abilities to get
high scores.
The first Pikmin was one of my first games for the Gamecube, along with
SSBM. I enjoyed it a bit, but something about the game got on my nerves. It was
too difficult, first of all. While the 30 days provided were much more than you
needed to gather all the rocket pieces, I always felt rushed and uncomfortable.
Maybe that was intended, but I didn't like it. It also had little replay value.
After beating the game, you could always try to beat it again in a shorter
amount of time, but I didn't really like the game that much in the first place,
so I didn't want to do it again. The Challenge Mode in that game was also
irritating. It was too open-ended - there was far too much to do in the time
limit even in the simplest levels. I like being able to complete everything.
So when Pikmin 2 came out, I was very interested. The new White and
Purple Pikmin looked cool, and I loved the ideas of using two captains, having
unlimited days, and exploring caves. After lurking on the Pikmin 2 message
board for weeks, my desire to get the game kept on growing until finally I was
able to buy it. I've beaten the game several times now, and it still hasn't
gotten old. But even better than the main game is the Challenge Mode.
It is very simple in concept. Collect as much stuff as you can in a
time limit. But it is this simplicity that makes it so much better in my eyes
than the Challenge Mode in the first Pikmin. And being able to play it with a
friend makes it even better. The 2-player battle mode is fun, sure, but even
with a handicap, the battles always come out one-sided. But in Challenge Mode,
there should be no fighting, unless of course someone messes up an otherwise
good run.
This guide is made to help people get the highest scores possible. I
have listed out every enemy and treasure on every floor of every level, and
strategies are provided for each floor. This guide is not meant for newbies,
but rather those who are already quite familiar with the game. Still, I will
try to give pointers to those who are relatively inexperienced. I hope you
enjoy this guide and get plenty of help from it. Now, moving on...
This section should be fairly self-explanatory. It should answer all the
questions that aren't addressed elsewhere.
Q: What exactly is Challenge Mode?
A: Challenge Mode is an unlockable feature in Pikmin 2. There are 30 levels,
each of which presents you with a set amount of Pikmin and sprays. While the
level layouts are always randomized, the enemies and treasures to collect are
always constant. You have a set time limit to gather as much treasure as you
can and escape the level. You can choose to either play alone or with a friend.
When playing two-player, the screen is split and each player controls one
captain.
Q: What is the goal?
A: The ultimate goal of each level is to find the exit geyser and escape to the
surface of the cave. The geyser will only appear on the final floor of the
level. Some levels have multiple floors, while others only have one. To create
either the geyser or a hole that leads to the next floor, you must find the Key
and take it to the ship. Sometimes the Key is just laying around, but most of
the time you must defeat an enemy to find it. It is often held by the strongest
enemy on the floor, but other times you must defeat many enemies to find it.
While looking for the Key, you gain points by collecting treasures. Just like
the Key, some treasures are laying around unguarded, but others are behind
traps or held by enemies.
Q: How do you unlock Challenge Mode?
A: To unlock it, you must collect the item called "The Key" in the main game.
You get it from the Beady Long Legs that is the boss of the level called
"Citadel of Spiders". This level is in The Perplexing Pool, the third area of
the game.
Q: How are scores determined?
A: The score you receive is based off of three factors: the money you make, the
Pikmin that survived, and the time remaining. To make money, you must gather
treasures and enemy bodies. Each Poko (money unit) you make gives you one
point. With rare exceptions, this is the biggest factor in your score. You will
also get 10 points for each Pikmin that escaped the level. In most cases, this
means that you just have to make sure they all survive, but in some levels, you
must grow more Pikmin to boost this score. If you run out of time, you will get
no points for Pikmin, since none escaped the level. The last factor, time
remaining, is pretty self-explanatory. You get one point for each second
remaining on the clock as you escape the level via the geyser. Once you become
very good at a particular level, this is the factor that will make the
difference between your scores, since you should be gathering everything with
no Pikmin deaths at this point.
Q: What do the different colors of Pikmin do?
A: If you don't already know this, you should think twice about playing
Challenge Mode. In fact, I'm not sure how you even unlocked it in the first
place. But I will put these here anyway for people who are borrowing the game
or something and don't want to start from the beginning. Who knows, there could
be people like that out there. Maybe even you. *looks at you strangely*
- Red Pikmin are supposedly stronger than Yellows, Blues, and Whites. I haven't
noticed much of a difference, but it is apparently there. They are also
resistant to fire, making them the best (but not only) choice for disabling
fire traps and fighting fiery enemies. The Fiery Bulblax is best tackled with
Reds, but if you can lure it into water, Blues would also work.
- Yellow Pikmin are resistant to electricity. Since electricity kills
non-Yellows instantly, it is wise to use them against enemies that possess this
skill, along with electric traps. They also fly higher than the other colors
when thrown, making them the best choice for reaching things on high ledges.
- Blue Pikmin are resistant to water. They have no secondary ability, but this
is a very useful one. This means they are the only ones that can go in water of
any kind, and they are unaffected by the attacks of Watery Blowhogs and Caustic
Dweevils. Blues can also rescue drowning Pikmin.
- White Pikmin are resistant to poison, making them the only choice for taking
out poison vents. They are also able to find stuff buried completely under the
ground - you just have to lead them to it with the C-stick. This is more
difficult than it sounds, however, since you can't see it yourself. They also
have the helpful ability of being fast. Leaf Whites are almost as fast as
flowered other colors. White Pikmin also have one other skill, but it should
rarely (if ever) be used. When eaten, Whites will poison an enemy and kill it
(or in the case of bosses, heavily damage it).
- Purple Pikmin have no immunities, and they are dreadfully slow runners. But
what they lack in speed is made up for in strength. They are the fastest at
killing enemies, and can stun nearby enemies if they are thrown. Furthermore,
they each count as 10 Pikmin when carrying things. Just remember that it is
much, MUCH faster to carry a heavy item with 50 Pikmin than 5 Purples.
- Bulbmin are rarely come across, but they are very useful little guys. Usually
found in groups of ten following their mother, you must defeat the leader to
get them. Bulbmin are immune to fire, electricity, water, and poison, making
them great for disabling traps and fighting elemental enemies. But don't get
used to seeing them around.
Q: What do the sprays do?
A: Like the above question, this should already be obvious. But I'll answer it
anyway.
- Spicy (red) Sprays affect all Pikmin with you. Pikmin working, fighting, or
idle are not affected by the spray unless they are nearby. The Spicy Spray
powers all your Pikmin up, giving them pink flashing stems. Spiced Pikmin have
a speed equal to or slightly faster than flowered 'min, and they are much
stronger than usual. Use them for fighting tough enemies or large groups of
small ones, tearing down gates and the geyser, or just to speed up the carrying
process when you only have leaf Pikmin.
- Bitter (purple) Sprays affect enemies in your immediate range. When hit with
the spray, enemies will become encased in stone. This is incredibly useful
against difficult enemies, as you can then beat them up without fear of losing
any Pikmin. When defeated, these Bittered enemies will not leave a body behind,
but rather a drop of nectar or one of the Sprays. Bitter Sprays also stop bomb
rocks from exploding, a rarely needed but extremely useful ability. Bitter
Spraying boss enemies is not usually a great idea, as they take very little
damage in this state. But it can be useful as a defensive move. If the boss is
about to attack and you have no time to retreat, use the Spray and you have
ample time to escape and plot your next attack.
Q: How do I unlock new levels?
A: You begin with only 5 levels. To get more, you have to beat the ones you
have. Each level you beat will get you one more. So even if you come across a
level that is too hard for you to complete, you can skip it and still unlock
new ones.
Q: Seeds, white flowers, and pink flowers? What's the difference?
A: On the level select screen, each level is represented by one of those icons.
Seed levels are ones that haven't been beaten yet. White flowers have been
beaten, and pink flowers have been beaten with a "Perfect". To get a Perfect,
you have to beat the level with no Pikmin dying. If you get a pink flower on
each level, you unlock a new movie. There is another guide that covers this in
detail, so I won't go into it too much. To get good scores, it is already a
given that you get a Perfect anyway. If you just want Perfects, don't worry
about gathering treasure. But if you want good scores, you have to gather
everything as well as getting a Perfect.
Q: What do I get for beating Challenge Mode?
A: Nothing, really. You can't really "beat" it anyway, since the whole point is
to just get high scores. As I already mentioned, you unlock a new movie by
getting pink flowers on every level. But if all you do in each level is grab
the key and run, you're not going to have much fun. Isn't it a lot more fun to
challenge yourself and see how good you can do? That's the beauty of Challenge
Mode, or any game for that matter. There may be rewards, but the process is
usually more rewarding than the reward itself.
Here are some basic and not-so-basic tips that apply to most levels. Many of
these will be mentioned in the individual level strategies, but some are too
general to mention every time. So familiarize yourself with them.
Safety First
10 points for each surviving Pikmin can add up to a pretty big number,
so always do your best to protect your army. Not only is it good to have lots
of Pikmin around for all the tasks you have to make them do, but it is much
more worthwhile to spend your time beating enemies up slowly and carefully than
lose a few Piks in the process. Which is better for your score - losing 50
points because you were careless and a Red Bulborb ate 5 Pikmin, or losing 5
for spending some more time and effort protecting them? I recommend restarting
every time a Pikmin dies if you're going for a good score.
Make The Best Of Your Sprays
Don't be afraid to use your Sprays! This isn't the main game, so you
don't have to worry about conserving your hard-earned Sprays for that next
level. There are times where you will have tons of Sprays at your disposal, and
there is no reason to not use them. Spicy Sprays makes fighting enemies much
easier and speeds up many tasks, and Bitters can save your skin and take out
troublesome monsters with next to no effort. The only downside of using a
Bitter Spray is that you will lose some Pokos for lack of a body to collect.
But most enemies aren't worth that much money, certainly not so much as to lose
points over it. Speed and safety are more important in the long run.
Pick Pikmin with Precision
When you need a particular color of Pikmin for a task, there are two
ways to go about it. Either press X to dismiss them according to color, then
whistle the ones you need, or grab and hold a Pikmin, then press the D-pad left
and right to swap colors. The former method is best when you need to take the
Pikmin with you somewhere, and the latter is for disabling traps and fighting
enemies. Just be wary of the fact that unless you stop pressing A at the right
time, you may overestimate how many Pikmin you have and accidentally throw a
Red into that electric trap you're disabling.
Think On Your Feet
All levels are randomized in one way or another. So it is an important
skill to be able to adapt quickly. There's not much you can do to improve
yourself in this respect, but learn the major parts of a floor and be prepared
to find them in a different arrangement every time you play the level.
Make A Quick Exit
If you exit a floor without all your Pikmin following you, they will
still come with to the next floor. So it is wise to station a captain near the
exit as the last things are getting carried back to the ship.
Listen For The Sound
You may not have the Treasure Detector like the one in the main game,
but there is still a noise that plays when the last treasure makes it back to
the ship. So even without my treasure lists, you'll know when everything is
brought back.
Watch For The Signs
There are often telltale signs to know where things are hidden. If you
see a dead-end of some sort, chances are, there is something there. Especially
if it is guarded by a trap or wall. There could be an item buried there, or it
could be the site of the hole / geyser once it appears. There is also a little
trick for finding the hole / geyser spot. If you turn the camera a certain way,
you can see it under the ground if it is close enough to the level boundary.
This only works in Cave-type levels with a black outside, though.
Plan Ahead
Tying in with the last tip, it can save time to plan ahead. If you know
where the hole / geyser is going to appear, leave some Pikmin and/or one of the
captains there so they can beat the geyser down when it appears and make a
quick exit. As soon as you hear the "cha-ching" sound of getting money, hit A
and open the exit menu. If you don't hear the powering down sound, there's
still something missing.
Plan Ahead More
On another note, it can help a lot to plan routes for Pikmin to return
to the ship as they carry stuff. If there are walls or enemies in the fastest
route back, get rid of them before Pikmin have to take that path. You'd be
surprised how Male Sheargrubs and Dwarf Bulborbs can ruin a good run just
because you didn't clear them out.
Start Quickly
On the first floor of each level, there will be a short pause before
you can use the whistle and round up your team. But on all the other floors,
you can use the whistle right away. So do it. I just felt like pointing this
out.
Don't Skip Cutscenes
After playing a level over and over, you will probably be tempted to
skip the scene that plays at the start of each floor, where you and the Pikmin
fall down. But these are very helpful for planning ahead. You get a few seconds
to see how the level is set up and where everything is located.
Egg 'Em On
Some levels contain eggs you can break. It is usually worth the time it
takes to do this, as they provide nectar to flower your Pikmin up. Sometimes
they also contain Sprays, which are almost always a nice bonus. But be sure to
use your nectar wisely. You can flower up lots of Pikmin with one drop of
nectar, but realize that Purples need it the most, and Whites need it the
least. So plan accordingly. To break the eggs, either throw a Purple next to
it, punch it down, or break it with Flower Pikmin. You don't want the ones
breaking it to be the only ones using it, and while that doesn't happen often,
it is wise to prevent it.
Purples Pack A Punch
If you have Purple Pikmin, they are going to be doing the bulk of the
fighting. But they are cursed with slow speed, so you have to know how to use
them for collection purposes. Don't stick a whole bunch of them on a treasure,
try and split them up. Stuff being carried by Purples only moves very slowly.
Don't Sit Around!
You wouldn't just stand around and waste time when there's stuff to do,
so why should your Pikmin? Unless the ship is very far out of the way, you
should return to it frequently so you always have a respectable number of
Pikmin with you. If you have something being carried to the ship and it is
almost there, but you still have stuff to do, leave it behind. Go complete the
far-away objectives first, and once things return to the ship, the Pikmin will
naturally run to the object and carry it back on their own if it is close
enough.
Let's Split Up, Gang
Dividing your Pikmin up between items is a rather fickle science.
Sometimes it is best to put as many Pikmin as you can on one item, and
sometimes it is best to use the bare minimum and move on to something else. It
basically depends on the situation. If the geyser needs to be broken and
there's still stuff to carry, throw some over to it and leave them there as you
go collect things. If the treasures are very far away from the ship, it is best
to get them both at once. But overall, it really depends on the situation.
Learn what works best for you.
Far First
It's tempting to grab everything in your sight as soon as you see it,
but the best thing to do is to grab the far-off treasures first. This way, you
will be close the ship whenever you have to return for more Pikmin.
Get The Key Early
Sometimes you can't help when you get the Key, but if you have a
choice, try and get it early on. If you save the Key for last, you'll have to
stand around waiting for the exit to appear. This is especially important on
the last floor, since you have to break open the geyser to escape.
Electricity Kills
If you come across an enemy that uses fire, water, or poison attacks,
you can fight it with any color without fear. Pikmin in trouble can be saved
with a simple tweet of the whistle. But electricity kills Pikmin instantly, so
be very careful when using non-Yellows. I'm not completely ruling it out, but
know the dangers involved.
Know Your Limitations
In Challenge Mode, you don't have any of the enhancements you get in
the main game. This includes fire- and electricity-resistant armor, the
Pluckaphone, the Double Punch, and all that good stuff.
Try Not To Die
That may seem obvious, but in the main game, you can continue playing
after one captain falls. But in Challenge Mode, if either captain falls in
battle, the gig is up. You can't continue playing. So be careful around tough
enemies. But you regain health after each floor, so you don't have to worry
about it too much.
Don't Be Afraid To Reset
Sometimes the layout of the level is going to suck. A lot. There's no
way around this other than resetting for a good one. You're not going to want
to do this for floors beyond the first unless it is unbelievably bad, but for
the first floor you can reset to your heart's content.
The following is a list of all the creatures you will encounter somewhere in
Challenge mode listed in the order of the Piklopedia. Enemies and bosses not in
Challenge Mode - Antenna Beetle, Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat, Wogpole, Honeywisp,
Segmented Crawbster, and Titan Dweevil - are not listed. Similar enemies are
grouped together. The number following each creature is the Poko value of it.
If one number is given for two or more creatures, it applies to each of them.
If more than one number is given, it refers to each in the same order.
Creatures given a value of 0 do not leave bodies behind.
Red, Hairy, and Orange Bulborb (7)
Red and Hairy Bulborbs are exactly the same, or very close to it. The
best way to fight these is to sneak up behind them while they sleep, and then
throw as many Pikmin onto their backs as possible. It is much more effective to
use Purples, but other colors usually get the job done well enough. Orange
Bulborbs are similar, but wake up faster than the others, so they are a bit
harder.
Dwarf Red, Snow, and Dwarf Orange Bulborb (2)
These guys are among the easiest enemies to fight, and require very
little effort. Just swarm them with a few Pikmin or toss one directly on top.
All colors are exactly the same.
Spotty Bulbear (10)
Very similar to large Bulborbs, but these do not sleep. They are best
tackled with a Bitter Spray, but it is possible to try and throw Pikmin on
their backs. It's just not very reliable. If you have Purples, you can throw
them onto its face and probably kill it before it causes any damage.
Dwarf Bulbear (2)
Like adult Bulbears, these are very similar to their Dwarf Bulborb
cousins. But they are considerably harder because they tend to eat Pikmin
faster, have more HP, and they usually follow their parent around in groups.
While fighting the big guy, little ones can sneak up and start eating your
Pikmin without you noticing they're even there. So always make sure you're
aware of their presence. You can still kill these with one toss directly onto
their heads, but while fighting the big one, this is not really possible. You'd
have to pick them off separately to do this.
Fiery Bulblax (10)
Among the toughest of enemies, a Fiery Bulblax requires careful
planning to defeat. Only Reds and Bulbmin can attack it while it is on fire,
but it is possible to extinguish those flames by luring it into water. Either
way, a Bitter Spray is recommended.
Water Dumple (3)
These guys seem to be easier than their Pikmin 1 counterparts, but can
still cause problems. Swarming can kill them, but only with large numbers of
Pikmin. They eat pretty quickly, so you have to kill them pretty quickly. Makes
sense, doesn't it?
Bulbmin (3)
Imagine a smaller, significantly easier Bulbear and you have a Bulbmin.
You shouldn't have to use a Spray, but it wouldn't hurt. Try lobbing Pikmin on
its head as it waddles toward you and you'll probably be fine.
Fiery and Watery Blowhog (4)
These guys have lots of HP, but they're pretty easy to beat. Just lob
Pikmin of any color on them and whistle the ones that get thrown off or hit by
fire / water. The only thing you have to worry about is having Pikmin thrown
into the abyss of Metallic type levels, or into hazards.
Armored Cannon Beetle Larva and Decorated Cannon Beetle (4)
Approach Cannon Beetles of either variety with caution, but the
Decorated (red) variety is more dangerous than the normal green ones. To fight
a green one, just throw Pikmin on it rapidly until it throws them off, then
whistle them to safety before it has a chance to smash them with a boulder.
Rinse, lather, and repeat until dead. Decorated Cannon Beetles seem to have
less HP, but that may only be because it is possible lob Pikmin on their backs,
whereas the green ones are usually behind a barrier or on a high ledge or
something preventing this. Their boulders home in on the captains, so you have
to lead them into walls or enemies to get rid of them. It is possible to hit a
Decorated Beetle with its own boulder, but this is usually slower and more
dangerous than just throwing Pikmin on as fast as possible. With all this said,
Sprays are your friends for these guys.
Puffy and Withering Blowhog (0)
The floating variety of Blowhogs are actually no different from the
grounded ones. You don't have to worry about anything except Pikmin being
thrown into dangerous areas. Oh, and Withering (orange) Blowhogs blow the
flowers off Pikmin, which can be pretty irritating.
Gatling Groink (7)
Very, VERY annoying enemies, Groinks are. Only the back is vulnerable,
so you must lob Pikmin on its back as it turns around and tries to prevent
this. Its cannon attack is very strange. Sometimes it will hit Pikmin directly
and cause no damage, and sometimes it will appear to miss entirely and Pikmin
will still die. So just be safe and make sure to call back any Pikmin near the
spot it is about to fire at. These rarely require Sprays to kill, but there are
a couple levels where one is sitting on a tower. In these cases, it is wise to
use a Spicy Spray before attacking.
Iridescent Flint / Glint Beetle and Doodlebug (0)
These are very simple enemies. The only one that can cause any damage
is the Doodlebug, and it's a simple matter of whistling the poisoned Pikmin to
safety to avoid problems. The challenge here is finding them. More often than
not, the beetles are hidden in a random location somewhere in the level and you
need to run around until they show up. Once you find one, you just have to
throw a Pikmin on its back to make a treasure pop out. You can throw non-Whites
on a Doodlebug with no problems, as it is the gas cloud that you have to worry
about, not the bug itself. If you have Purples, they are the best choice
because you don't have to be as precise with your throw.
Female / Male Sheargrub and Shearwig (1, 2, 2)
Sheargrubs get an honorable mention for being sneaky little buggers.
The pink female ones can do no harm, but the purple males can. You wouldn't
expect such tiny bugs to do any damage, but they can ruin a good run if given
the chance. Luckily, a simple swarm is enough to kill them within seconds.
Shearwigs are a bit tougher. They can fly and regenerate life, but are easily
beaten by a well-thrown Pikmin. Hitting one in mid-air is a one-hit KO.
Cloaking Burrow-nit (3)
These are best tackled by just swarming them the instant they come out
of the ground. A Pikmin is likely to be attacked, but it should be fine as long
as you kill the Burrow-nit fast enough.
Anode Beetle (3)
To hurt a Anode Beetle, you must flip it on its back by throwing a
Pikmin on top of it. Then you can swarm it for a quick kill. The Anode Beetle's
method of attacking is rather strange. There needs to be at least two of them
around for them to attack, since they only attack by shooting a bolt of
electricity between each other. Don't worry about only fighting them with
Yellows. Unless the Beetle is shooting sparks and facing away from another one,
it isn't going to attack anytime soon.
Mitite (1)
Mitites are strange little guys. They are not included in any enemy
lists for my level strategies because they don't always show up. But when they
do, they either come out of the ground or out of eggs in groups of 10, and
Pikmin start spazzing out as soon as they arrive. Whistle them back before they
wander into hazards, and then start throwing. If you have Purples, you can
usually take most of them out in one hit, but if not, you have to just hope for
the best before they burrow back into the ground. For each Mitite you hit, you
get some nectar or a drop of Spray.
Hermit Crawmad (3)
Similar to Burrow-nits in some ways, but they should be fought the
opposite way. Approach one with your Pikmin in a line behind you, then retreat
as it charges you. Once it begins to head back to its lair, swarm it.
Bikdip (42)
Bikdip is not an enemy in this game, or any game for that matter. I
just wanted to see if you were paying attention. Bikdip is actually the hero of
a game I'm making. I'm not sure if it will be done by the time you're reading
this, but just in case, check out purezc.com and look for "Bikdip's Adventure
2: Electric Boogaloo." Shameless advertisement aside, let's move on...
Swooping and Bumbling Snitchbug (4)
These enemies aren't exactly dangerous, but they are really annoying
and can screw you over when working with other enemies. Swooping Snitchbugs
grab Pikmin (up to two at a time) and then after a pause, throw them into the
ground and replant them. Bumbling Snitchbugs go for the captains instead. To
break out of its grip, just rotate the control stick like a madman. They are
both fought the same way. Throw Pikmin on them until they fall to the ground,
and then swarm until they die. Pretty easy stuff.
Careening Dirigibug (4)
This ties or slightly beats out the Gatling Groink as "strangest enemy
in the game" in my book. It floats around on its colorful balloons (seriously,
what the hell?) and drops bombs to ruin your life. It is fought the same way as
Snitchbugs - just throw Pikmin on and swarm when it falls. But you have to
watch out for the bomb. If it bounces away, you don't have to worry about it,
but if it is nearby, give yourself enough time stop attacking and run away
before you Pikmin meet an unhappy end.
Greater Spotted Jellyfloat (0)
I'm not sure why the Lesser variety of Jellyfloats never show up in
Challenge Mode, but it's no matter. These things attack by sucking Pikmin up
and trapping them within its body. Luckily, they won't die unless you leave
them in there for a long time. Just pile Pikmin on as fast as you can and swarm
it as it falls, just like the last two enemies. It has a lot of HP, so expect a
semi-long to long fight. Spicy Sprays can speed things up, but only use one if
you have plenty to spare. And the captured Pikmin will come back once the
Jellyfloat dies, so don't fear for them.
Fiery, Anode, Caustic, and Munge Dweevil (2)
All colors are essentially the same, but there are a few noteworthy
differences. Anode (yellow) Dweevils can kill instantly, so it is safer to
fight them with Yellows only. You can usually take them out with other colors
without worry, though, as long as you use the right technique. And that is to
stand right under the Dweevil and throw Pikmin onto its underbelly. It should
die without attacking, but sometimes they will attack after kicking the bucket.
The only other difference is that Munge (purple) Dweevils take longer to kill
than the other varieties. I have no idea why.
Volatile Dweevil (0)
This annoying guy gets separated from the rest of the Dweevils because
it is completely different. With a body like a bomb, you can't expect anything
good out of this creature. They often drop out of the sky or lurk in shadowy
nooks and crannies, waiting to blow up your team and ruin your life. They
cannot be killed, so just run when you encounter them. If Pikmin are carrying
stuff nearby, stop them. These things have a pretty large blast radius. There
actually is one good thing about these bomb spiders - sometimes they can blow
up other creatures. While running away from one, it's not really a wise idea to
charge into a pack of other dangerous enemies, but sometimes it can be very
beneficial to blow them up in this fashion.
Toady Bloyster (10)
This is a really weird enemy. It looks like a slug, has a tail like a
bulb, and moos like a cow. But it's pretty easy to kill. Just lob Pikmin onto
its tail until it croaks. I would save that line for the next creature on the
list, but I don't think I can deal with the PUNishment. Seriously though, this
thing isn't much trouble; just stay away from its head. And there's only one in
all of Challenge Mode.
Yellow and normal Wollywog (5, 7)
These things are really annoying. You will likely get a few cheap
deaths from these guys. The best way to fight one is to throw Pikmin on its
back right after it lands from a hop. If you're lucky, it will die before it
can stomp any Pikmin. But more likely, it will jump up again while being
attacked. Just hope it doesn't smash anything. The safer-yet-slower method is
to throw a few Pikmin on, then call them back before it jumps, therefore
eliminating all danger. This method takes forever, though, so it is usually
better to deal with them quickly. Or you can always use a Spray.
Creeping Chrysanthemum (7)
These Petey Piranha look-a-likes can be a menace, and are best fought
with a Bitter Spray simply because of the amount of time it takes to fight
them. But beware - the Spray has a tendency to miss unless the Creeper is
facing you. If you must fight one without a Spray, make it bite down on itself
and then attack it as it topples over. When it gets back up, it will scatter
your Pikmin all over the place, so beware. Oh, and another thing. You can tell
if a Creeper is concealed under the ground not only by the eyes on its flowers,
but also the number of flowers. Real plants have three flowers, while these
imposters have only two.
Skitterleaf and Unmarked Spectralid (1)
These are grouped together because they both appear in only one level,
and neither can attack. Skitterleaves can be a pain to chase down, but aren't
hard to kill by any means. Things will be easier for you if you can throw a
Pikmin right on top of one, though. The Spectralids are a slightly different
story. You have no real reason to go after them, but occasionally they may drop
nectar or sprays. I think. Don't bother collecting the bodies of these
creatures. They're too worthless.
The Cheat (486)
Ok, I'll stop doing this. I just wanted a way to mention
homestarrunner.com in here.
Mamuta (3)
This utterly bizarre being is still as a statue until you approach it.
It doesn't hurt your Pikmin, but it does plant them into the ground, flowering
them instantly. This would be nice if not for the fact that it takes forever to
pluck them back out of the ground, and time is short in the one level you
encounter Mamutas. They are very simple to beat. Just lob Pikmin on them
quickly, preferably Purples.
Breadbug (3)
I love these little guys. They roam around and steal stuff, then pull
it back into their lairs. To beat them, play a game of tug-of-war with them so
you pull them up into the ship. After this, you can just throw a Pikmin on top
to kill it and make all its stolen stuff appear back on the surface. Don't
allow them to carry Pikmin into their holes, or else the Pikmin will
mysteriously perish. If all those cookies can come back out of the hole, why
not the Pikmin? Gah, it makes no sense.
BOSSES
Strategies for these are all covered in the levels
in which they appear, so I'll keep them brief.
Empress Bulblax and Bulborb Larva (15)
What a disgusting creature this is. Ugh. At least you get to enjoy
killing her. It is best to start out by sending one Captain to stand by her ...
behind and punch the Larvae as they come out. Those things are surprisingly
deadly, as they eat Pikmin really quickly. Keep one captain stationed there,
while the other stays by her head and lobs Pikmin on, preferably Spicy Sprayed
ones. When she shakes, quickly whistle the Pikmin back and run out of harms way
as she rolls over her own young. Take this opportunity to use the other captain
to beat up the other young'ns that have been attacking him this whole time.
Repeat until dead.
Burrowing Snagret (10)
One mistake can be all it takes to suffer heavy losses from a Snagret,
so be very careful around them. When it comes out of the ground, it can either
shoot out quickly or wait a bit. If it waits, you can pile Pikmin on its head
and do some pretty heavy damage before it burrows underground again. If it
comes out quickly, you can still throw a few on it, but it's a bit risky.
Beady Long Legs (0)
A pretty easy boss. Just stand under it as it comes down and throw
Spiced Pikmin onto its belly as fast as you can and it should die before
attacking. If not, just wait until it stops stomping around and then attack
again. It disintegrates after dying, so there's no body.
Emperor Bulblax (15)
Much, much easier than the one from Pikmin 1, but he's not exactly a
pushover. If he is on solid land, you can kill him by throwing Spiced Purples
before he even comes out of the ground. But if he's in the water, it's a bit
different. You can try a similar approach with Blues, but it is much better to
lure him out yourself and trick him into eating the bombs lying around. After
he is stunned, you can launch an all-out attack and hopefully kill him.
Giant Breadbug (10)
The easiest of all bosses. Treat it like a bigger, stronger Breadbug
that takes two trips into the ship to kill instead of one. Because that's
exactly what it is. The biggest danger with this boss is that it's too cute to
fight. It looks like a big loaf of bread with a face, for crying out loud!
Pileated Snagret (15)
Exactly the same as a Burrowing Snagret, but much worse because it can
follow you around. You can hide behind it, since it is pretty stupid and has
bad eyesight. But still, this is one of the deadliest enemies in the game.
Man-at-Legs (0)
This is the most insane boss ever. I have a specific strategy for
fighting the one you encounter in Challenge Mode, but the general strategy is
to attack, then run and hide. Wait for it to pause, then throw Pikmin on it
until it shakes them off. Whistle all the Pikmin back and hide behind a wall,
where it can't shoot you. Repeat this many times until it blows up in a rather
spectacular explosion.
Ranging Bloyster (15)
A pretty fun boss that is easier to fight with two players, but it is
still quite possible with only one. Divide the Pikmin up between the captains
and run up to it so its eyes change color. Switch to the other captain and as
it chases the first, start throwing Pikmin onto its tail-bulb. You'll have to
frequently switch between the two captains to confuse it, and you'll also have
to whistle back all the Pikmin standing around from missed throws and being
shaken off. It only attacks if you stand in front of it, but it has a pretty
good range when it does so.
Waterwraith (0)
This boss is creepy and without Purples, it's downright terrifying.
But you have Purples when you fight them in Challenge Mode, so you don't have
to worry too much. Throw them on to give it the appearance of hard candy and
keep attacking until its rollers break. Be careful during this stage, because
after a while, it will rear back and stomp the ground with its rollers. You
have to get the Pikmin out of the way before this happens, and then back away a
bit before it starts rolling around again. Once the rollers are gone, there's
no problem at all. Just keep attacking and it will eventually die.
Raging Long Legs (0)
This is basically a bigger, slower Beady Long Legs, but there's one
twist. After being attacked enough, it will stomp around really quickly for a
while. I have a detailed strategy for this in its level, so I'll just leave it
at that for now.
I give a whole bunch of information on each level in the Single-player
section. While most of it should be fairly self-explanatory, here is a detailed
run-down of everything provided.
- Pikmin: This tells exactly how many Pikmin you start with on the first floor,
the colors, and whether they are leaf (slow) or flower (fast) Pikmin. You
will never encounter bulb Pikmin in Challenge mode unless you leave some
planted in the ground for a long time. But that opportunity rarely comes up.
- Sprays: This tells how many Sprays you begin with, both Spicy and Bitter. You
may eventually find more from eggs.
- Floors: This tells how many floors there are in the level.
- Type: A description of what type of level it is. (Cave, Garden, Tile, etc)
This usually doesn't matter, but I'm pointing it out anyway. If a level has
multiple types, they are all listed.
______________________
FLOOR [number]: Obviously, this says which floor you're reading about. If it
says FINAL FLOOR, it is, quite predictably, the final floor of that level.
Time Limit: How many seconds you have to get to the next floor or escape to the
surface. Any floors beyond the first will add time to the time you have
remaining from the last floor, so they say "Remaining + X".
Treasures: How many treasures there are to find.
- [number] [Treasure] ([number]): The first number tells how many of that
treasure there are to find. I do not give the in-game names of
Treasures such as Five-Man Napsack, Furious Adhesive, and Paradoxical
Enigma because it is much easier to understand the normal real-life
names of the items. The number in parenthesis is the value in Pokos of
the item.
E - [number] [Treasure] ([number]): Same as above, but the E means the item is
found by defeating an enemy. In some cases, a treasure may be listed
twice, once with an E, and once without. That just means you both find
the treasure lying around and get it from an enemy.
^ Treasures are listed in ascending order of value. Treasures with the same
value are listed alphabetically. The exception to this is the Key,
which is always listed last.
Enemies: How many enemies there are on the floor.
- [number] [Enemy] ([number]): Lists what kind of enemies there are and how
many of them. Boss enemies have BOSS before their names. Like with
treasures, the number in parenthesis is the value of that creature.
^ Enemies are listed from weak to strong. Since this is somewhat a matter of
opinion, you can consider the order mostly random. But similar enemies
are grouped together, and the keyholder is listed last.
This is where I put my insight on the level. I describe the terrain, good ways
to tackle enemies, and stuff like that.
My high score: The best score I've gotten on this level. These scores are not
meant to be the best you can possibly get, but they are at least
adequate. Consider them targets. With a lot of work, you can probably
beat them. But it took me many tries to achieve most of these scores.
Ah, we've finally reached the heart and soul of the guide. I've
provided lots of information for each level, which you should know if you read
the previous section. A lot of work went into this section, and I hope you
appreciate it. To jump to a particular level, you can use the Ctrl+F menu. Just
type in "Level X" with the level number substituting the X. Alternatively, you
could type in the name of the level, since the levels are not numbered in-game.
Just be sure to spell it right.
Being the first floor of the first level, this is obviously very easy.
Just gather the four objects as quickly as possible, and be sure to move on to
a new object immediately after they pick up the first. If you run out of Pikmin
to use, just whistle back the ones standing under the ship after they return.
This is a very basic strategy that you should be aware of by playing the normal
game.
However, there is one quirk here. Since you don't have to worry
about planning for future levels in Challenge Mode, you can feel free to use up
all your sprays. I recommend using a Spicy Spray on this first floor to help
your slow leaf Pikmin carry the items faster, thus getting a better score. I
was able to collect everything and get into the hole within 15 seconds with
this method.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 9
E - 5 Small Red Marbles (85 each)
- 1 Yen (100)
- 1 Silver Coin (300)
- 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 6
- 5 Dwarf Red Bulborbs (2 each)
- 1 Red Bulborb (7)
This is a small step up from the first floor, but is still very easy.
The Dwarf Bulborbs each hold a marble, and the adult holds the Key here. My
strategy here is to begin by using the second Spicy Spray, then killing the big
Red Bulborb ASAP. There should be no excuses for deaths here, so if it eats
any, you're probably doing something wrong. Just approach it from behind, then
throw the Pikmin on top of it as quickly as you can by moving them on top of
you with the C-Stick. After the big guy falls, call all the Pikmin back without
picking it up, and go after all the small ones. You can kill them by swarming
or throwing one Pikmin exactly on top of them. Either works, but swarming is
easier, especially with the Spicy Spray.
Once everything is dead, your spray is likely going to run out soon, so
break open an egg and flower as many as you can with the nectar. After that,
it's pretty much just a collecting spree. Make sure to not save the Key for
last, so you can head to the geyser and begin breaking it as the final objects
reach the ship.
This level is easy to beat, but it can be a bit of a pain to collect
everything in a timely manner. Things to look out for on the first floor:
1) There are three Violet Candypops, which will bring your Pikmin total to 15
Whites and 15 Purples.
2) There are poison vents scattered around. Disable them all with Whites unless
there are some that are placed in little nooks where your Purples would never
have to go. You can leave those alone.
3) There are three beetles hidden throughout the floor, and each coughs up a
coin if you can hit it with a Pikmin. It is easier to hit them with Purples,
but Whites still work pretty well, and the Doodlebug can poison your Purples.
If you can't find them, try checking dead-end areas or walking through the
plants.
4) There are a couple nectar eggs, so make good use of them. The Purples in
particular need to be flowered for maximum efficiency here - Whites can get
away with remaining leaves if trying to flower them would take too much time.
Other than that, all I can suggest is to use a Spicy Spray or two to
speed things up a bit. And don't stick a bunch of Purples on a coin - save them
for the heavy fruit items.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 170
Treasures: 9
- 1 Onion (30)
- 1 Potato (40)
- 1 Artichoke (50)
- 1 Flower Bud (50)
- 1 Bulb (55)
E - 1 Yen (100)
E - 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
The second floor follows the same theme as the first: easy to beat, but
hard to find everything quickly, or at all. The problem here is that almost
everything is hidden. The Key is received by killing the Puffy Blowhog (which
is easy, just throw Pikmin on it really quickly), the Flower Bud is sticking
out of the ground a bit, but everything else has to be dug up. Like the first
floor, you have to find the three beetles to get the coins, but the others are
harder. Be sure to check all sections of the level that are closed off by a
poison vent - chances are either something is buried there, or that is where
the geyser will appear. As for the rest, your best bet is to run around with
your Whites organized in a straight line going out to the side. This way, they
are more likely to find something hidden than if you simply swarmed them all
over the place haphazardly.
It's also worth mentioning that there may be Mitites here - you know,
the little white dust mite things that come out of the ground and make your
Pikmin freak out. If they do come, try and kill them by throwing purples.
You'll only get a max of 10 Pokos for the lot of them, but every bit helps, and
the nectar they drop can be helpful if the Blowhog reverted some of your Pikmin
to leaves. I've also seen the Mitites on the first floor, so don't be surprised
if they show up there instead. I've never seen them show up on both, however.
Time Limit: 100
Treasures: 11
E - 1 Pencil (55)
E - 1 Japanese Tile Thing (110)
- 1 Castanet (120)
- 3 Large Marbles: Red, Yellow, Blue (120 each)
E - 1 Pencil Sharpener (130)
E - 1 Mah-Jongg Tile (150)
E - 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 7
- 6 Dwarf Red Bulborbs (2 each)
- 1 Red Bulborb (7)
This should be pretty simple. Begin by taking your huge mob of Yellow
Pikmin over to the big Red Bulborb, then power them up with the Spicy Spray and
kill it. You could use a Bitter Spray on it if you wish, but you don't have to,
and you get some points for its body anyway. It gives you the Key in its death,
so grab that and the body and then use your legion of doom to take out all the
smaller Bulborbs. Each one coughs up a small treasure to collect, and there are
also three large marbles and a Castanet (the red and blue thing) you can find.
Since you have a ton of speedy Pikmin at your command, just grab as much as you
can, as fast as you can, and you shouldn't have to worry about running out of
Pikmin to carry stuff.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 150
Treasures: 13
- 1 Oil Pastel (30)
- 1 Tube of Paint (80)
E - 1 Emerald Trinket (80)
E - 1 Amethyst (purple) Trinket (90)
- 1 Heart-shaped Diamond (100)
- 1 Green Heart Ring (100)
- 1 Blue Square Ring (100)
E - 1 Pink Star Ring (100)
E - 1 Die (100)
- 1 Blue Diamond (150)
E - 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
Yeesh, tons of stuff to collect here. As you probably figured out, the
big Orange Bulborb is holding the key. What isn't very clear, however, is what
treasures are held by enemies and which are lying around. But that's what the
list is for. Anyway, I suggest playing this level like this. Begin by swarming
any and all small Bulborbs near you, and collect all their bodies and dropped
items. If there are treasures in your path, pick those up too. You want to
clear out most of the Dwarf Bulborbs now, because Pikmin carrying things will
be defenseless to the attacks of any you left alive if they're in the way.
Anyway, when you're comfortable with all that, run over to the big guy
and use a Bitter Spray on him. You can defeat it without the spray, but it is
risky and it is simply much more efficient to do it this way. If you're
comfortable with killing it without the spray, go ahead and try, but I don't
recommend it.
Grab the key and then use your last Spicy Spray to kill all the other
enemies and carry stuff back to the ship. Note that you can walk under the
building block bridges in a few places, but Pikmin carrying stuff cannot, so
incorporate this in your route. Also be sure to look up high for things. There
is usually a treasure on a platform in front of your starting place, on a high
tower over the block road, and on a house somewhere. So just grab everything as
fast as you can. When you're sure everything is accounted for, move your Piks
over to the geyser (it should be close to the ship) and break it open as the
last treasures get carried back.
I generally don't like these kinds of levels, since they are so open-
ended. It is quite a challenge to figure out a good route for collecting items
within the time limit, and some of the enemies can be pretty obnoxious. But
this level really isn't that bad. The enemies are pretty basic. Swarm the
Dumples (they each have a Yen), outsmart the Crawmads (each holds a Silver
Coin), and deal with the Wollywog any way you please. I have a bad history with
them, so my option here is to use your Bitter Spray on that, since there's
nothing harder to fight here. The Fiery Blowhog should be no problem as long as
you whistle your burning Pikmin before it's too late. Predictably, it holds the
Key here.
Since the randomized levels are often very different from each other, I
can't really give much of a strategy for this one. But only break down gates if
there is a good reason to, and remember that it is better for the ship to be in
the middle of two large areas, rather than at the end of one long strip. If you
have to reset the level a few times to get an adequate layout, it might be wise
to do so. Other than that, all I can suggest is to use your Spicy Sprays
wisely. Since the enemies are relatively easy, use them for collection speed
and tearing down gates rather than fighting.
Time Limit: 85
Treasures: 5
- 1 Crystal (110)
- 1 Jingle Bell (120)
E - 2 Blue Diamonds (150 each)
- Key (100)
Enemies: 2
- 2 Bulbmin (3 each)
This floor is very simple, but the twist is that there are Bulbmin
around. As you should know from the main game, each Bulbmin has ten baby
Bulbmin following it that join your group after the leader dies. Focus on
taking them down first, and then whistle your new buddies, crack open a few
eggs, flower everyone up, and then grab everything. If you're lucky, you can
also find sprays in the eggs. There's also a possibility of finding Mitites.
The Bulbmin aren't terribly hard to fight, but you can attempt to hit both of
them at once with a Bitter Spray to minimize risk. But you'll probably want to
save that for the next floor...
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 6
- 1 Apple (40)
- 1 Kiwi (40)
E - 3 Small Marbles: Red, Yellow, Blue (85 each)
E - Key (100)
This floor would also very be very simple, if not for the Fiery
Bulblax. That thing can be quite dangerous. Approach it with your 10 Reds and
20 Bulbmin, then either use a Bitter Spray on it or use a Spicy Spray and then
try and kill it with no deaths. If you still have the Bitter Spray, use that,
so you can use the Spicy for collection purposes later. But anyway, once he's
dead, you can pick off the three small Bulborbs and then collect everything
without worry.
Time Limit: 120
Treasures: 5
E - 1 Small Light Spiral Cookie (10)
E - 1 White Chocolate (25)
E - 1 Small Acorn (60)
E - 1 Small Strawberry (170)
- Key (100)
You may look at the level description and think "Only three Pikmin? How
can I get anything done?" Well, there's 3 Queen Candypop Buds, so that's how.
Don't worry about matching colors or getting equal amounts of each color: it is
not at all necessary. Just be sure to get some Yellows. If you wanted, you
could get all Yellows, but it's not worth the time it would take to wait
between color changes. Anyway, this cave is segmented in a few parts. Begin by
making as many Pikmin as possible and killing the enemies in your way. It is
fastest to kill them with the "throw on top" 1-hit KO method.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 80
Treasures: 4
- 1 Flower Bud (50)
- 1 Triple Sugar Threat (60)
E - 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - Key (100)
This floor isn't really any more difficult than the last. There's
another Queen Candypop - you don't really need to use it, but it will improve
your score. Anyway, there's a bunch of electric traps here, hence why you
needed Yellows. If you still don't have any for some reason, you can get some
from the Candypop here, but that shouldn't be necessary. The only enemies here
are two Blowhogs - just fight them with a hodgepodge of colors, not worrying
about safety. You can also use a Spicy Spray if you wish, since there isn't
anything better to use them on. So just eliminate the traps, kill the Blowhogs,
and collect stuff. There really isn't anything more to this.
Surprisingly, there isn't much to say about this level. The Cannon
Beetle is your only real concern, so try to kill it ASAP. Don't use any sprays
on it, either - save those for the next floor. But seriously - just kill stuff
and carry stuff to the ship. There's little more to it than that.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 110
Treasures: 7
- 1 Gear (60)
- 3 Small Yellow Marbles (85 each)
- 1 Flange Nut (100)
E - 1 Large Red Marble (120)
E - Key (100)
This is actually almost as boring as the last floor. Bitter Spray the
Cannon Beetle, since this one can cause some major havoc if you're not careful.
After that, use the Spicy Spray and sweep down the other enemies, then just
carry crap back to the ship. Extremely boring level.
- Pikmin: 40 Red (flower)
- Sprays: 3 Bitter, 4 Spicy
- Floors: 1
- Type: Normal Cave
______________________
FLOOR 1: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: 130
Treasures: 15
E - 15 Small Red Marbles (85 each)
E - 4 Gems (100 each)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 20
- 15 Dwarf Red Bulborbs (2 each)
- 5 Red Bulborbs (7 each)
A nice change from the previous level - this place is a freaking
battlefield. It's a rather cramped maze FULL of Bulborbs. One of the five big
ones holds the key, so you have to fight them all anyway, even if not going for
a good score. Anyway, this is the first level where you're going to want - no -
almost NEED to leave enemy bodies behind. There's simply too much stuff to
carry. Begin by using a Spicy Spray and killing whatever is closest to you,
whether it's a group of small ones or a big one. Now this is important - when
an enemy dies, there is a pause between when it actually dies and you can pick
it up. During this pause, whistle your Pikmin back so you can move on to
something else. This is integral to getting a good score - the bodies are
simply not worth enough to waste time carrying them. The only exceptions are
ones very close to the ship.
The goal here is to explore the level and mow down everything in your
path. You have a lot of sprays here, so do not be afraid to use them -
especially the Bitters. Since you're not carrying bodies, there is no reason to
hesitate using them on the large Bulborbs, particularly if there are smaller
ones around it, or if two large ones are together. If you manage to collect
everything within the time limit, you can pick up a few bodies if you wish, but
you would still probably get more points if you exit as quickly as possible.
However, my best score was when I actually did collect bodies. It all depends
on the situation. Just whatever you do, don't hesitate to use the Bitter Sprays.
The convenience they bring is more important than the points you get from
collecting the bodies that would be there if you didn't use the spray.
Once again, this level is very different from the last. While the last
level focused on fighting, this level focuses on grabbing as much crap as you
can in the time limit, plus there are a few enemies amok. Try and fight them
with Purples. The Withering Blowhogs are probably going to de-flower many of
your Pikmin, but you'll just have to deal with it, as there is no real way to
prevent this other than perfect planning and trying to hit the two that are
together at the same time. The Mamutas may replace any lost flowers when they
plant them, but it simply takes too long to pluck the Pikmin back out of the
ground, so kill it with Purples before it can do so. But other than those
problems, just seriously grab as much as you can. A few things (rotary phone
dial, potato, and diamond) are found underground, so you'll need to run with
Whites out in a line to find those. But the rest is out in the open and
relatively unguarded, so go crazy.
Time Limit: 150
Treasures: 16
E - 10 Small Marbles: Red, Yellow, Blue (85 each)
- 1 Heart-shaped Diamond (100)
- 1 Yen (100)
- 1 Blue Diamond (150)
- 1 Silver Coin (300)
- 1 Golden Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 11
- 2 Dwarf Red Bulborbs (2 each)
- 4 Female Sheargrubs (1 each)
- 4 Male Sheargrubs (2 each)
BOSS - 1 Beady Long Legs (0)
This is the first level to feature a boss, but luckily, it is a rather
easy one. The Beady Long Legs will drop in somewhere on the level as you pass
by, so your strategy revolves around triggering and completing this fight. When
you begin, try not to collect too many things. Fight the enemies you encounter,
but don't carry anything back, since you will want all your Pikmin with you for
the boss. When it does drop down, don't panic. Use the Spicy Spray you have
and, as quickly as possible, begin throwing Pikmin on it. It will throw some
off and begin stomping, but you should be able to kill it before any damage is
done (hopefully). This method may not always work, and it is somewhat luck-
based, but it is the fastest. As soon as it dies, grab the key and run -
there's no body to collect, and you should make the best of your Spray before
it runs out. Other than that, this level is fairly simple.
Time Limit: 50
Treasures: 2
- 1 Diamond (100)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Doodlebug (0)
The first floor of this level is a good indication of what's to come:
simple caves with next to nothing to collect, but a short time limit. This
would be the easiest floor ever, but the Doodlebug can be a pain to chase down
(and it can kill your Reds if you are extremely neglectful), and the Diamond is
buried. It may be difficult to find it. There are two ways to go about finding
it. You can either throw the whites in random directions, hoping one lands near
the spot and starts digging, or you can just run around with them. There's no
real way to tell which will work best. The diamond can take a while to unearth,
so you can use a Spicy Spray here to speed up the process.
FLOOR 2
Time Limit: Remaining + 75
Treasures: 2
- 1 Red Heart Ring (100)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Watery Blowhog (4)
This is basically the same thing as the last floor. The Watery Blowhog
is easy to kill - just throw your Pikmin on top and start punching it with both
captains for the quickest kill. Once again, the other item (a ring this time)
is buried, so good luck finding it. You can use another Spicy Spray for digging
here, but I don't recommend it. It is best to have two left for the final
floor.
FLOOR 3
Time Limit: Remaining + 65
Treasures: 2
- 1 Oyster Shell (100)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Anode Dweevil (2)
The only reason this is any more difficult than the last floor is
because the Dweevil can cause instant death. Attack it with the Pikmin, but as
soon as it looks like it is going to attack, whistle them off, and finish it
off with punches. Alternatively, you could use a Bitter Spray on it. There's no
real reason not to, other than the couple Pokos lost.
FLOOR 4
Time Limit: Remaining + 50
Treasures: 1
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Fiery Bulblax (10)
A huge step up in difficulty, but this is still easily manageable. Take
your five Reds and then use a Bitter Spray on the Bulblax. Throw them on, start
punching it, and it will fall before it recovers from the spray. If you're
really ambitious, you can try to time it so it doesn't die until it recovers,
and this way you'll get 10 extra points for collecting the body. But trust me -
it's not worth the hassle, and it takes far too long to carry. There's no
buried item on this floor, so just run to the cave when it appears.
FLOOR 5: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 70
Treasures: 1
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
BOSS - 1 Burrowing Snagret (10)
Yes, there's a boss here, but don't freak out. As you should know from
playing the main game, there is an easy way to beat these things. Start by
using a Spicy Spray, and then run out to trigger the Snagret to come out of the
ground. If it comes out slowly, throw them on it before it comes all the way
out. If it comes out quickly, retreat. It should fall after two attacks. If it
is being stubborn and will not come out slowly after luring it out many times,
try to attack it anyway. It's actually faster if you attack no matter what it
does, but this is risky. You can also feed it a White Pikmin to kill it faster,
but this is not recommended - the boss is not that difficult. After you gather
the key, use another Spicy Spray (assuming you have at least one left) to speed
up the geyser-breaking process.
- Pikmin: 2 White (flower)
- Sprays: None
- Floors: 3
- Type: Normal Cave
______________________
FLOOR 1
Time Limit: 70
Treasures: 1
- Key (100)
Enemies: 0
This level is really annoying. Actually, that's a huge understatement.
This is easily the most annoying level in the game. Not the most difficult, but
the most irritating. Your only goal is to find the key and then find the hole
and exit, but this is not easy, as the level is a huge maze. Begin by zooming
out as far as possible and switching to an overhead view. There's no easy way
to do this, but you have to just start exploring to find the key. Only knock
down walls that you have to, and try to cover as much ground as possible.
Once you find the key, pick it up with one Pikmin and leave one captain
with a Pikmin behind. Have the other follow the key. Be sure to watch the
cutscene that shows where the hole appears, as it will help greatly. Now,
hopefully it is near one of the captains, so you can get to it quickly. If it
is behind a wall, you can break it down with the Pikmin you have with you. (In
fact, begin breaking walls with the captain left behind while the key is
returning to the ship) Sometimes you will find a small section that is blocked
by a wall - chances are, that is where the hole will appear, so you are very
lucky. All I can say is good luck.
FLOOR 2
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 1
- Key (100)
Enemies: ?
- Volatile Dweevils in large numbers (0)
This floor is just like the last, but exponentially more difficult. It
is larger, first of all, and there are bomb-rocks and Volatile Dweevils falling
all over the place. Seriously - other than the few things I've already
suggested, there is little more than luck involved in this level. It is
critical that you follow the Pikmin back to the ship, as it/they will likely be
chased by several Dweevils, and you need to protect them.
FLOOR 3: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 50
Treasures: 3
- Black Chess Piece (80)
- White Chess Piece (80)
- Key (100)
Enemies: 0
It's not quite over yet, but the difficult part is. Still, this floor
really pisses me off. Sometimes there are two Queen Candypops here. But
sometimes there's only one. If there's only one, you are NOT going to get the
highest score you can. So pray for two. Either way, use it/them ASAP, and don't
worry about color. You will then (hopefully) have 18 Pikmin. Find the egg
(sometimes it isn't there either) and flower them up, then start grabbing
stuff. Put 15 on a chess piece and 3 on the key, then take the 3 from the key
and have them work on breaking the geyser as you put the 15 on the other chess
piece. If you only have 10, grab the key, break the geyser, and then attempt to
get one of the chess pieces. You can JUST carry it with 10 Pikmin, but it will
go slowly. It goes without saying that time is VERY tight here.
Time Limit: 40
Treasures: 5
- 1 Oil Pastel (30)
- 1 Baby Shoe (100)
- 1 Red Heart Ring (100)
- 1 Gold / Emerald Medallion (150)
E - Key
Enemies: 1
- 1 Red Bulborb (7)
Much like in Level 11, the first floor is a good indication of things
to come. There is one enemy that holds the key, and a bunch of other stuff is
lying around. You have limited time to grab it all. This first floor has a
buried item (the ring), but none of the others do. It should be fairly easy to
find, nonetheless. There are seven floors here and only five sprays, so it is
best to use them on tougher enemies and on later floors. Since you can easily
restart on this floor if something goes wrong, don't use a spray yet.
FLOOR 2
Time Limit: Remaining + 30
Treasures: 5
- 1 Old TV Dial (80)
- 1 Cat Bobblehead Toy (85)
- 1 Castanet (120)
- 1 Large Blue Marble (120)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Orange Bulborb (7)
You can use a Spicy Spray here on the Orange Bulborb, as they tend to
be a bit harder than the Red variety. But it is also worth saving for the next
floor for the simple reason that it is better to restart because of a screw-up
earlier than later. It's up to you, but I recommend saving it.
What you do on this floor depends on what you did on the last. Use a
Spicy Spray if you didn't on the last floor, and go without one if you used it.
It is better to use it here simply because of all the stuff to dig up, hence
why I said saving it is better. But it really doesn't matter much.
FLOOR 4
Time Limit: Remaining + 50
Treasures: 6
- 1 Book of Matches (10)
- 1 Pencil (55)
- 1 Weird Box Thing (90)
- 1 Die (100)
- 1 Mah-Jongg Tile (150)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Hairy Bulborb (7)
Use a Spicy Spray on the Hairy Bulborb here. I see no reason not to.
Same as the floor above - use your last Spicy Spray on this floor
simply because it makes your life easier. But you could also use a Bitter and
save the Spicy for the next floor, where there is more to collect. It's up to
you. In fact, you could skip using a spray here and save it for the last floor
if you wanted.
FLOOR 6
Time Limit: Remaining + 45
Treasures: 6
- 1 Bar of Soap (60)
- 1 Coffee Cream Container (60)
- 1 Rubber Duck (90)
- 1 Broken Metal Thing (90)
- 1 Coffee Mug (130)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Orange Bulborb (7)
This is getting monotonous - use a Spicy or Bitter Spray on the Orange
Bulborb, then collect stuff. What you use depends on what you've already used -
save a Bitter for the next floor, and having one of each wouldn't hurt either.
FLOOR 7: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 60
Treasures: 12
- 5 Gyro Blocks: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, White (80 each)
- 1 D-Pad (100)
- 1 Control Stick(140)
- 1 Love Tester (200)
- 1 Floppy Disk (230)
- 1 R.O.B. Body (250)
- 1 Game & Watch (280)
E - Key
Enemies: 1
- 1 Gatling Groink (7)
Finally, you've reached the end. Bitter Spray the Groink and kill it,
then just grab everything. If you saved a Spicy Spray, use it to make
collecting go faster. There really isn't any more to it than that. I rather
enjoy the simplicity of this level.
This level could be very challenging if you don't know the correct way
to fight Dweevils. The fastest way is to stand directly under the Dweevil and
throw Pikmin as quickly as possible. For all colors except yellow, you
shouldn't have to worry about Pikmin dying. Yellows should be fought the same
way, but be aware of the danger involved. Luckily there are only two of those.
Also notable is the fact that purples take longer to kill for one reason or
another, and they usually get at least one attack completed before dying. But
anyway, this level can be done by going around in a circle collecting and
fighting, then stopping back at the middle whenever your numbers get low. Just
don't save the Key for last - this wastes time.
- Pikmin: 25 Red, 25 White (leaf)
- Sprays: 2 Spicy
- Floors: 1
- Type: Normal Cave
______________________
FLOOR 1: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: 200
Treasures: 7
- 1 Ammonite Fossil (40)
E - 3 Small Red Marbles (85 each)
- 1 Diamond (100)
- 1 Conch Shell (60)
E - Key
Enemies:
- 3 Munge Dweevils (2 each)
BOSS - 1 Raging Long Legs (0)
Another boss level - this one is actually pretty difficult. The Raging
Long Legs is simple in theory, but beating it in a timely manner is quite
challenging. Begin the level by clearing out the fire traps. There are three
tubes on either side of you - three have Munge Dweevils in them, and three have
buried items. For the best score, you have to gather all this stuff first, but
it is going to get very obnoxious, since the Raging Long Legs fight is so
difficult. You should gather the buried stuff and kill the Dweevils, but don't
get the marbles or bodies yet.
After that, head out to the RLL's lair and make it drop. When it drops
down, wait a couple seconds, then use a Spicy Spray and start lobbing Pikmin on
it. If done correctly, it will not attempt to shake them off, but rather, begin
stomping around. This will damage it more than if you only attacked it during
rest periods. Whistle them off before it shakes - this is important - and then
wait as it stomps around quickly. If you are really ambitious, you can throw a
couple Pikmin on it from afar while it is doing so. Once it rests, repeat the
sequence. The Spray is going to run out sometime after the first cycle, so be
ready to use another. Hopefully you will be able to defeat it before any Pikmin
are smashed. When it dies, grab the key and head back to pick up the rest. Once
everything is being carried, begin to break open the geyser.
Time Limit: 150
Treasures: 16
- 2 Small Checkerboard Cookies (10 each)
- 2 Small Light Spiral Cookies (10 each)
- 2 Plain Cookies (15 each)
- 2 Large Dark Spiral Cookies (25 each)
- 2 Pinwheel Cookies (25 each)
E - 1 Slice of Ham (35)
E - 1 Hot Dog (40)
- 2 Large Checkerboard Cookies (50 each)
E - 1 Fried Egg (100)
E - Key (100)
This level is pretty fun. One of my favorites, anyway. Begin by going
after a small breadbug. Once you pull it back to the ship, call all your Pikmin
back so they don't pull anything else up. Throw a Pikmin on top of the Breadbug
to kill it. Now go after the Giant one. Do the same, and once it comes back to
the ship and is pulled up once, it will go after something else under the ship.
You can then easily pull it up again for the kill. After that, just go after
the other two Breadbugs in the same fashion, and begin collecting everything
you can.
You have to begin this level by killing the Gatling Groink, since
nothing can be achieved while it is still alive. Clear an area near you if you
must, then dismiss your Pikmin and take the yellows to the tower it stands on.
Use a Spicy Spray and start throwing them up. Zoom out so you can see what it
is doing. When it shakes them off, whistle the ones that are in the area where
it is going to shoot, and then start throwing again. It is very disorganized,
but this thing is really hard to kill. Try to throw them onto its back, as it
will do much more damage that way.
Once it is dead, be sure to carry it back, and then you can do a number
of things. Use Whites to clear out poison areas, and be very careful around
them. Oftentimes Pikmin will get poisoned and run beyond the level boundaries
so you cannot save them. For the Anode Beetles, flip them with Purples (when
they're not shooting electricity, obviously) and then swarm. Also beware of the
Mitites. You may be temped to hit them with a Purple, but if there is still
poison in the area, don't even think about it. But in short, after disposing of
the Gatling Groink, you can gather everything else in any way you choose.
This level provides an annoyingly diverse number of traps and blockades
that you have to get past. Your strategy will basically revolve on how the
level is set up. There is always a pool of water that completely isolates an
entire section of the level. As a matter of fact, you may want to restart a few
times to get a good setup - so very little is blocked by this pool. Sometimes
the majority of the level is isolated, and this would lead to terrible scores.
You can get Reds across this by throwing them on a nearby ledge and then
whistling them towards you, but don't bother. They can't carry stuff across the
water, so what's the point? You can disable fire traps without Reds anyway, it
just might take a bit longer. But it is faster to do it with Blues than to go
through the hassle of moving Reds around. Take one captain across the pool and
fight stuff there. Once things are being carried back, switch to the other
captain with the Reds and try and achieve something else.
You can also set up a teamwork system where the Blues carry stuff
across the pool and head back while the Reds take it to the ship, but it is a
bit hard to maintain, and if the ship is nearby, there's no real point. Anyway,
the only other noteworthy part of this level is the Fiery Bulblax. Fight it
with a Bitter Spray, but depending on where it is, there may be a twist
involved. If it is across the pool, you'll have to first lure it into the water
by punching it, then use the Spray once the fire goes out, and then you can
fight it with Blues.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 200
Treasures: 13
E - 4 Cherries (20 each)
E - 1 Heart-shaped Diamond (100)
E - 1 Red Star Ring (100)
- 1 Yen (100)
E - 1 Blue Diamond (150)
- 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - 2 Silver Coins (300 each)
- 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
This floor is made up of two main areas and some other, smaller ones.
The two main ones are a large pool of water with a couple treasures in it, and
a hill with a pipe-like thing next to it that can only be entered through the
grate above. There is also a large Orange Bulborb that needs a beatdown. Use
the Spicy Spray on it - hopefully you can attack it from behind to cut down on
risk.
After this, there are plenty of things to do. There are two Dweevils
that you have to coax out of another dimension, four small Bulborbs hanging
around, and three Blowhogs. There are also fire traps galore. So try and put
out the fire traps while sending Blues to get the stuff out of the pool, and
just fight stuff. Be VERY careful when fighting any of the Blowhogs around the
pool - they may throw Reds into the drink, and that spells doom for them unless
you can toss in some Blues to save them. Also, be sure to only throw Blues into
the grate / pipe thing. The water is shallow, but I found out the hard way that
Reds can still drown in it.
This is actually quite a basic level, it just has some interesting
and/or intimidating-looking areas. The Withering (orange) Blowhog holds the
Key, which isn't very obvious ... which is why I'm pointing this out.
Otherwise, there's little to say. Disable fire traps, use Blues in the water,
beware of Male Sheargrubs... nothing you haven't handled before.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 11
E - 6 Feathers (10 each)
- 3 Vacuum Tubes (100 each)
E - 1 Blue Diamond (150)
E - Key (100)
Wow, another really boring level. Well, not really, because there's one
major twist here. The Blowhogs love to hover above pits and knock Pikmin into
them. Since you have two Bitter Sprays, you should use those to prevent mishaps
like that. Also, if you can manage to solidify one as it is above a pit, it
will fall in, die, the object it holds will appear in midair, fall down, and
then reappear on the ground. It's quite amusing. But other than that, it's more
of the same. Hunt down and kill all the Sheargrubs, grab their Feathers (why
they have Feathers is beyond me) and grab the Vacuum Tubes.
Time Limit: 200
Treasures: 9
- 1 Bar of Soap (60)
- 1 Rubber Duck (90)
E - 1 Blue Square Ring (100)
E - 1 Heart-shaped Diamond (100)
E - 1 Green Heart Ring (100)
E - 1 Blue Diamond (150)
- 1 Emerald Clover (150)
- 1 Gold/Emerald Medallion(150)
E - Key (100)
There is very little to say about this. There are some fire traps, a
decent amount of enemies, and a bunch of treasures lying around. So ... do
stuff. You have a ton of Spicy Sprays, so use them without hesitation. Just be
sure to save a couple for the next floor. Seriously. There's nothing else to
say here.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 150
Treasures: 4
- 1 Rubber Duck Head (80)
- 1 Diamond (100)
- 1 Red Heart Ring (100)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
BOSS - 1 Ranging Bloyster (15)
This boss is annoying, but completely manageable. Begin by using a
Spicy Spray, then do your best to split up the Pikmin between the two captains.
You can either throw them or dismiss and then whistle some of them over. Take
both groups to the Bloyster and keep switching captains, then throw the Pikmin
onto its tail-thing. It is going to get very messy after a while, so try to
call the Pikmin back to the captain who has less Pikmin with him. Continue
until it dies. (You will probably have to use another Spray.)
Then locate the Ivory Candypop(s), get some White Pikmin, and start
digging crap up. That's pretty much it. It is probably best to put a few Whites
on each completely buried thing, and split up the Blues among those two and the
partially-buried duck head.
This level can be a pain. The enemies aren't very difficult alone, but
they often come in huge groups, and while you're fighting a Creeping
Chrysanthemum, some Shearwigs can sneak up and kill Pikmin. It was also very
difficult to get an exact count on the smaller enemies, but I believe this is
accurate.
Anyway, you have plenty of sprays, so use them on the Creeping
Chrysanthemums to kill them faster and with less danger. Burrow-nits can grab
Pikmin through walls sometimes, which leads to many cheap deaths. They cannot,
however, grab through gates. So break down gates without worry - just be sure
to call the Pikmin back as the gate falls and then attack. There is one item
and/or enemy in water, but that is the only color-specific task. Everything
else can be done by either color.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 120
Treasures: 1
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
BOSS - 1 Pileated Snagret (15)
This is the boss room, it's as simple as that. The Pileated Snagret is
one of the more unpredictable bosses, so this may require many tries before you
can get it done death-free. Bitter Sprays will not help you, but Spicy Sprays
are extremely valuable. You should have plenty. Begin by using one and then
rush out to get it to come out of the ground. If it comes out slowly, this is
your lucky day. Throw as many Pikmin on it as possible, and don't stop throwing
them onto its head once it comes out - keep going. If it doesn't, still try to
get a few Pikmin on its head. This is easiest if you lure it to bite down, but
retreat. Once you get a couple on, run away so it doesn't eat any.
Like I said, the boss is very difficult. It is certainly faster to
fight it recklessly, but you will lose more points from losing Pikmin than you
would from taking longer to fight it, unless you are pretty lucky. This boss
just takes practice. There's no easy way to do it quickly.
This level is small, fast, and difficult. Begin by using a Spicy Spray,
and then run away from the big Bulbears. Get all three together in a group and
Bitter Spray them, then attack until they die. But it's not quite that simple.
The Dwarf Bulbears will probably screw you over more than the large ones will,
because they eat Pikmin as you are attacking the petrified adults. Try as hard
as you can to take them out at the same time, but it isn't easy. You have two
Bitter Sprays, so consider using the other one on them after the big guys are
taken care of. After everything is dead, it's a simple matter of collecting the
various items strewn about, breaking the geyser, and leaving.
This level has some great ambience, but it will probably infuriate you
with its difficulty. You begin with 2 Bulbmin, and there is a number of Queen
Candypops to discover in order to build up your army. The maximum number of
Pikmin you can have is 50, and your first objective should be to get this many.
Not only is it good to have lots of Pikmin to collect items and fight the
Skitterleaves, but each is worth 10 points to your score. There are no dangers
here other than your time limit.
Skitterleaves are annoying to chase down, but all the treasures they
drop are lightweight. So carry everything (including the marbles, which can
take up to 8 Pikmin) with only one Pikmin each in order to keep the size of
your group high. The ship is always very far out of the way, so only return
when you have to. There is no way to tell which Skitterleaf holds the Key, so
you'll have to chase them all down to find it. One more thing - don't collect
any bodies. It's not worth the trouble for the tiny amount of money you get
from them.
Time Limit: 180
Treasures: 14
- 1 Rubber Duck Head (80)
E - 9 Small Marbles: Red, Orange, Blue (85 each)
- 1 Rubber Duck (90)
E - 1 Yen (100)
- 1 Large Strawberry (190)
E - Key (100)
Another infuriating level. This one is full of dangerous and just-
plain-annoying enemies, most of which fly. When you come across a big batch of
them, use a Spicy Spray and attack like mad. If you're lucky, you can take out
some Dirigibugs before they create bombs. Your biggest challenge is keeping
track of everything. Since most enemies here hang out in groups, you'll have to
be sure that the Pikmin standing around from missed throws aren't in danger of
being blown up by bombs, burned by fire traps and Dweevils, or abducted by the
Jellyfloat or Swooping Snitchbug. To make matters even worse, Bumbling
Snitchbugs will grab captains, often leaving your Pikmin vulnerable while you
can't help them. If you are captured, rotate the control stick as quickly as
possible to break out.
While there's no way to make this fighting easy, you do have one trump
card - the Bitter Spray. Save it for when it is really needed. You can stop a
bomb from exploding with the spray, send the flying bugs falling to the ground,
and incapacitate the Jellyfloat, which by the way is the keyholder here.
Luckily, there isn't anything besides the enemies to make this level difficult.
The few items there are to find are just lying around, although they may
appear on a mountain of some sort.
Be prepared to play through this floor a LOT - the next one is a doozy.
You shouldn't need to use either Spray yet. Just use Purples to stun the
Groinks and then pile other Pikmin on for the kill. Be sure to collect the
bodies before they come back to life. There is also a golden beetle in the
mound in the center, so be sure to get the coin from that. But other than that,
this floor is very simple. Just grab all the stuff and prepare yourself for the
next floor.
FLOOR 2: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 150
Treasures: 6
- 4 Gyro Blocks: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue (80 each)
- 1 R.O.B. Body (250)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
BOSS - 1 Man-at-Legs (0)
Welcome to what is arguably the hardest level in Challenge Mode.
Obviously, the entire floor revolves around the Man-at-Legs. It wouldn't be so
bad if you could fight it with all colors, but you can't really. It is in the
middle of a ring of water. You have a couple options here. Either fight it only
with Blues, or lure it away from the water and fight it with all colors. Both
have their upsides and downsides. When using only Blues, you should have no
problem killing it without any Pikmin dying, but it takes a LONG time. When
using all colors, you are very likely to have Pikmin shot down, as there are
simply too many to handle at once. Here is my preference.
Begin by taking the Blues only to go wake it up and attack it. Hide
from its shots, and then be ready to attack it again. While doing this, use the
other captain to disable the two traps near the ship and gather the treasure(s)
there. Do NOT stray too far away, or else the Man-at-Legs with gun down your
Pikmin. Just continue attacking with Blues for as many rounds as you need until
it reaches just under a half of its life. When this happens, round up the 40
other Pikmin with the other captain and be prepared for an all-out attack. Lure
it away from the water and use a Spicy Spray, then wait for it to rest. (It
shouldn't shoot if you don't attack it) Once it rests, throw as many Pikmin on
it as you can, starting with Purples. Whistle them off when it shakes (so they
don't fall off the edge of the level) and attack again once it takes the gun
out. As soon as it is about to shoot, use the Bitter Spray and retreat to a
safe location. Once it revives, it will shoot, but you will be out of harm's
way. You can then make a final attack and defeat it.
Once it falls, you still have to collect a number of items strewn
about, each guarded with a fire, poison, or electricity trap. Time is going to
be very tight, there's no way around this. Good luck - you'll probably need it.
Time Limit: 100
Treasures: 3
E - 2 Silver Coins (300 each)
- Key (100)
Enemies: 2
- 2 Creeping Chrysanthemums (7 each)
A difficult start to a difficult level. As you probably guessed from
the level name and the fact that you only have 4 Pikmin, you're going to do a
lot of growing here. By the time you finish this floor, you should have 44
Pikmin. Don't waste too much time trying to get even amounts of colors, but you
do need all three for the last floor.
The troublesome things about this level are the stupid Creeping
Chrysanthemums. There's two of them, and the damn things tend to be positioned
right next to Candypops. That's not good. So try and use the other flowers to
build up a mediocre party, then attack the Creepers with a Bitter Spray. You're
going to end up using both of them on this floor, but luckily there's nothing
worth using them on later in the level. Plus you get some free nectar or Sprays
from this, which is always a plus.
FLOOR 2
Time Limit: Remaining + 150
Treasures: 4
E - 2 Large Red Marbles (120 each)
- 1 Gold Coin (1000)
- Key (100)
Enemies: 2
- 2 Red Bulborbs (7 each)
Another floor of mass Pikmin growing. You should leave this floor with
100 Pikmin, but it's not going to be easy, as there's about a dozen walls to
tear down. Begin by finding a couple Candypops and breaking down the walls
blocking them. Just do it one wall at a time. After a wall is down, put all the
Pikmin but one on a different wall, then grow more with the Candypop and
repeat. Once you have used 2 or 3 flowers, use a Spicy Spray and start tearing
down as many walls as you can. You can use a second one if you wish, especially
if you got a free Spicy Spray from the enemies on the last floor. If you got a
Bitter from them, use it on one of the Bulborbs here so you can try and get
another Spicy or some nectar. This floor is pretty obnoxious, and time will be
tight, but it isn't particularly difficult. Just try and get the Key somewhat
early on so you don't waste a ton of time waiting for the hole to appear.
FLOOR 3: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 180
Treasures: 8
- 4 Bells (120 each)
E - 3 Large Red Marbles (120)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 4
- 4 Fiery Blowhogs (4 each)
This level is completely beatable, but really, REALLY annoying. I
realize that I throw the word "annoying" around a lot in this guide, but there
is no better word to describe it. There are fire and electric traps all over
the freaking place, and you have a lot of ground to cover. Use any remaining
Spicy Sprays you might have when you reach an area with lots of traps and at
least one Blowhog, since you'll want to use it to its full potential. One major
danger (rhyme not intended) is having burning Blue Pikmin running into electric
traps and burning Yellows run in the water. Try your best to save all flaming
Piks as soon as possible, but it's going to be hard. There's actually not too
much more to say about this. Good luck with everything, and remember the
basics. Use all your sprays, try to get far-away treasures before the near
ones, and all that stuff.
Time Limit: 160
Treasures: 9
E - 2 Aloe Leaves (10 each)
E - 1 Chestnut (70)
E - 1 Small Red Marble (85)
- 2 Large Marbles: Red, Blue (120 each)
E - 1 Large Strawberry (190)
- 1 Gyroid (250)
- Key (100)
If the Secret Testing Range isn't the hardest level, this one probably
is. The name doesn't lie. Not only is it painful to play this level, but you
may want to inflict pain on others after doing it for a while. The one good
thing is that the level is always set up roughly the same way. You start by a
ramp and a stump. There is a treasure on the stump, and an enemy will drop at
the top of the ramp. If it is the Dwarf Bulborb, restart. You want it to be the
Fiery Bulblax. Kill it with a Bitter Spray and then carry the Chestnut and get
the treasure on top of the stump. While doing so, a Volatile Dweevil is likely
to appear, so call the Pikmin back and retreat until it blows up. Carry the
stuff to the ship, then head for the hallway.
Prepare for lots of falling boulders, bombs, and Volatile Dweevils.
It's a friggin' warzone. Sometimes the Hairy Bulborb will drop here as well. It
is easier to kill if it appears at the other end of the hallway, but this way
is a bit faster because the Strawberry has to go a shorter distance. To kill
it, do your best to lure it into bombs and stuff without getting blown up
yourself, and then use a Spicy Spray and hope for the best. But anyway, once it
is all cleared out, gather the two treasures sitting by and on top of the weird
ramp thing. This will (or should) trigger a couple Anode Dweevils, which you
must kill. Finish carrying that stuff back, then head for the last section.
Upon entering, more rocks, bombs, and Volatile Dweevils will all come
raining down, so pray that you avoid all of it and head for the ramp's
relative safety. If the Hairy Bulborb appears here, run past it for now. If
you're lucky, it may be hurt by some of the explosions. Kill the Dwarf Bulborb
that falls at the top of the ramp, then use a Spicy Spray and kill the Hairy
Bulborb from your current position (it should be coming after you). Get the
stump treasure here, then start carrying crap back to the ship. You'll probably
want to leave the Hairy Bulborb's body behind, as it isn't really worth the
time and Pikmin it takes to carry it back. It's only worth 7 Pokos.
Well, that's my strategy anyway. I tried doing everything in reverse
order, and it should have been faster in theory, but it really wasn't. You can
try other methods, but this is the one that has worked the best for me.
Time Limit: 300
Treasures: 15
E - 6 Small Marbles: Red, Yellow, Blue (85 each)
E - 1 Heart-shaped Diamond (100)
- 1 Yen (100)
E - 2 Large Yellow Marbles (120 each)
E - 1 Blue Diamond (150)
- 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - 1 Baby Doll Head (670)
- 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
This is arguably even tougher than the last level, but in a different
aspect. While the Cave of Pain excels in having hoards of enemies and danger
lurking around every corner, this level is difficult because there's so much
stuff to find. And having slow Purples, many of which will revert to leaf form,
doesn't help matters. So here's the scoop for this level. When the clock hits
270, the Waterwraiths will come down.
Until this happens, spend your time tearing down walls and finding
enemies to fight. The Dweevils (both varieties) hide out in the pipe thingies.
There are two sets of six pipes, so you'll have to investigate them all to find
the Dweevils. They also sometimes contain coins. But the real challenge of this
level is finding all the other enemies. The 6 Anode Beetles and 2 Wollywogs
will not appear unless you throw the Pikmin around and shake them out of the
ceiling. Some are likely to come out when fighting the Waterwraiths, but you
still have to wander around throwing the Pikmin to find them all.
Now for the Wraiths themselves. Sometimes they'll be pretty close
together, and sometimes they'll be pretty far apart. Both of these have their
positive and negative aspects. You are less likely to have accidents if they
are apart, but getting them together saves some time. Use your Spicy Sprays on
them to speed things up, but they still take a long time to kill. Be careful
while they still have the rollers. After a few rounds of attacking, they will
stomp the ground and possibly smash Pikmin. So be ready for this.
The only other advice I have is to only collect bodies if you know
you'll have time for it, and only the ones near the ship. There's just not
enough time for it. Oh, and also, sometimes you will get eggs to drop while
hunting for the hiding enemies. Nectar is extremely valuable here, and having
more Spicy Sprays wouldn't hurt, either.
Yet another horribly difficult level. Like the last, the problem here
is trying to collect everything. The level is too huge for that goal to be
reasonable. If you leave all the bodies behind, it MAY be possible, depending
on the level setup. A lot of this is based on luck and a good level setup, so
be prepared for lots of resetting.
The Gatling Groink sits atop a bucket in one section of the level, and
it should be your biggest worry. To kill it, use a Spicy Spray and start
throwing Pikmin at it. Yellows will be able to reach it, but Purples, if you're
lucky, can stun it even though they never reach the top of the platform. Be
sure to collect its body, since it will revive if you don't. You could use the
Bitter Spray on it if you wish, but I prefer using that on the Decorated Cannon
Beetle because of the chaos it creates with its homing boulders. There is a
Careening Dirigibug somewhere in the level, but it needs to be triggered into
coming out by walking near its hiding place. With Purples, it should pose no
problems.
But like I said, most of this level is based off luck and a good
layout. It is important to collect far-off items first here, and equally as
important to leave bodies behind and use your Pikmin efficiently. Don't put 8
Pikmin on a small marble when 2 or 3 is fine. Save them for the big things. As
your time is running out, make sure you have an escape plan (hopefully the
geyser is broken or can be broken quickly) and collect things until the last
second unless you know for a fact that no items will reach the ship in that
time, in which case it is better to just leave sooner.
Considering the fact that this is the last level, it's actually not
that bad. The first few floors aren't, anyway. There's not much to say about
this floor. Do most of the fighting with Purples, and leave behind the small
bodies if they will take too long to carry back to the ship. And be sure to
clear out all the fire traps in the main path so no Pikmin are burned while
carrying things.
FLOOR 2
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 6
E - 4 Small Marbles: Red, Blue (85 each)
E - 1 Blue Diamond (150)
E - Key (100)
Similar to the first floor, but a bit harder. You can use a Bitter
Spray on the Bulbear if you want, because believe it or not, there's only one
other thing in this level you would want it for. You can kill it without the
Spray for an extra 10 Pokos if you want, though, as it isn't too difficult to
kill. Just watch out for the little ones that might be following it. Other than
that, there's not anything interesting at all other than the groups of fire
traps that need disabling.
FLOOR 3
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 1
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 1
- 1 Fiery Bulblax (10)
There's some Candypop Buds here, and you can certainly use them. Unlike
every other level, you'll want to get exactly the right Pikmin. Get Blue Pikmin
from all three of them, and try to flower them up with an egg. Lead the Blues
to the water, then dismiss them, punch the Bulblax, Bitter it as it steps into
the water, and then kill it. Send one captain across the pond as the Key is
coming back in case the hole appears over there.
FLOOR 4
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 1
E - Key (100)
Now is when things become difficult. Begin by dismissing all the Pikmin
and calling the Reds only to take out the fire traps near you. Then dismiss
those and head to the Empress's rear, punching all the Larvae along the way.
When they're all gone, switch to the other captain and call all the Pikmin,
then use a Spicy Spray and begin throwing them on her face, starting with the
Purples. Call them back before they are thrown all over the place, then back
away a bit as she rolls around, smashing the baby Bulborbs. Take this
opportunity to switch captains and kill the ones that have been attacking him
the whole time. You'll have to repeat this process a number of times, and the
captain getting attacked the whole time is likely to be very low on energy by
the time you're done. But it will be refilled for the next floor, so don't
worry.
FLOOR 5: FINAL FLOOR
Time Limit: Remaining + 100
Treasures: 4
- 1 Gyroid (250)
E - 1 Silver Coin (300)
E - 1 Gold Coin (1000)
E - Key (100)
Enemies: 3
BOSS - 3 Emperor Bulblaxes (15)
This floor is a bit easier than the last. This is also why you wanted
to grow so many Blue Pikmin. There are a few ways to do this. You can lure the
Emperors out of the ground yourself and trick them into eating bombs and then
attack, or start with an attack while they are still buried and then use a
bomb. For an Emperor not in the water, it is best to pile the Purples on and
try and kill it before it can cause any damage. For the submerged ones, either
way is fine, but be use to use a Spicy Spray to make it go faster. Also
remember that there is a Gyroid to collect.
Just please don't be a moron like I was and blow up half of your squad
by tossing a Purple at a bomb. That was one of the worst things that ever
happened to me. Especially considering the fact that it is the last floor of
the last level and I wanted to finish this guide before I died from the pain my
throat sores were causing me at the time. But that is all entirely beside the
point. Congratulate yourself for beating Challenge Mode. W00t!
CONTACT
This guide was written by Joshua "Jish" Adams, starting on April 1,
2006 and finishing the first and possibly final version on June 16, 2006. It
was my first actual guide written, although I have tried writing a couple
others. If you found any mistakes, would like to suggest your own strategies or
information, or just want to give me some feedback, I'll be glad to accept it
and if I put it in the guide, I'll be sure to give credit where it is due. I
can be contacted at jma1188 [at] aol [dot] com. (Screen name is broken apart to
avoid bots that search for email addresses.) Please do not send me spam, I get
enough as it is. And put "Pikmin 2" somewhere in the title so I know that it
isn't junk mail. If you don't, I probably won't read it.
CREDITS
- Me (Jish) for writing the whole guide
- Xabidar for creating the Item/Treasure FAQ that I used a few times for
real-world item names and prices
- Emperess Bowser for creating the Piklopedia FAQ that I checked a couple
times to make sure I got enemy names right and I was too lazy to check in the
game
- Gamefaqs.com for hosting the guide and generally being an awesome website
- Nintendo for creating Pikmin, the Gamecube, and lots of other pwnsome stuff
LEGAL
This guide is only to be used on www.gamefaqs.com. Do not submit it to
another website without my consent, and do not put it on your own. Do not claim
it as your own. You cannot sell it or use it in any other way to get money. You
may save and print out this guide for easier and more efficient use, and may
alter it as you see fit, but not if you do any of the above, which is sort of a
given. In general, don't steal it or use it to make money. Hmm... I think
that's about it. Personally, I don't care if you put this guide on other
websites, as long as I was still given credit for it. But apparently that's a
no-no according to the law. So ... don't do it. 'Kay?
