Editing Combat

{{game icons|p=y|p2=y|p3=y|hp=y|pa=y}}

[[File:Yellow Wollywog attacked P1 art.png|thumb|right|200px|Artwork of various Pikmin fighting a [[Yellow Wollywog]].]]

In the {{ps}}, [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] and [[leaders]] need to engage in '''combat''' against the many different [[enemies]] they encounter. Combat is a core mechanic of the series, as it is frequently required to open up paths or retrieve [[:Category:Collectibles|collectibles]]. There are many ways of damaging enemies and many technicalities of the combat system. To defeat an enemy, its [[health]] must be reduced to 0.

The main way Pikmin damage enemies is by slapping them with their stem. Unless [[throw]]n directly onto an enemy, a Pikmin will stand next to them, periodically jumping at the enemy to smack them with their stem. There is also the possibility of them eventually latching on and dealing damage at a much faster rate. Some enemies, like [[Female Sheargrub]]s, are far too small to be latched onto but have a small enough health pool that they die quickly. Other enemies, like the [[Anode Beetle]], are larger but still cannot be latched onto. Idle Pikmin will automatically begin hitting nearby enemies, [[obstacle]]s, and [[egg]]s. In {{p1}} and {{p2}}, [[swarm]]ing an enemy will cause most of the involved Pikmin to latch onto it, if possible, and begin attacking. In {{p3}}, Pikmin that are [[charge]]d into an enemy will always immediately latch onto it if they make contact with it. However, Pikmin will still be unable to latch onto enemies that aren't much larger than they are.

In competitive modes like [[2-Player Battle]] in ''Pikmin 2'' and [[Bingo Battle]] in ''Pikmin 3'', Pikmin can be commanded to harm other [[leader]]s or their Pikmin. This can be accomplished by throwing, swarming, or charging Pikmin into another player's leader or forces, although in 2-Player Battle, Pikmin merely need to be standing by the opposing leader or their Pikmin to initiate combat. In {{p}}, [[Mushroom Pikmin]] can also attack [[Captain Olimar]] and his Pikmin in a similar fashion.

! colspan="3" | Damage

! ''Pikmin'' !! ''Pikmin 2'' !! ''Pikmin 3''

| [[Red Pikmin]] || 15 || 15 || 15

| [[Yellow Pikmin]] || 10 || 10 || 10

| [[Blue Pikmin]] || 10 || 10 || 10

| [[Purple Pikmin]] || N/A || 20 || 15

| [[White Pikmin]] || N/A || 10 || 5

| [[Bulbmin]] || N/A || 10 || N/A

| [[Rock Pikmin]] || N/A || N/A || 20

| [[Winged Pikmin]] || N/A || N/A || 5

{{main|Purple Pikmin}}

In {{p2}}, when a Purple Pikmin is [[throw]]n onto an enemy, it will pound onto that enemy from above, dealing much more damage than a standard hit. The exact damage depends on the enemy. Each pound also has a chance of stunning an enemy; the duration of the stun also depends on the enemy.

{{main|White Pikmin}}

When a White Pikmin is eaten by an enemy, that enemy will instantly take damage from the White Pikmin's poison. The amount depends on the enemy and the game.

{{main|Rock Pikmin}}

When Rock Pikmin are [[throw]]n directly at an enemy, instead of latching on and hitting it, they will bounce off it like a rock, dealing a high amount of damage. This damage varies by enemy, as every enemy has an internal value for the number of Rock Pikmin impacts it takes to defeat it. For example, a [[Bulborb]] normally has 1000 [[HP]] and takes 25 Rock Pikmin hits to kill, so each hit does 40 damage, whereas a [[Medusal Slurker]] normally has 750 HP and takes 10 Rock Pikmin hits to kill, so each hit does 75.

When [[charge]]d onto an enemy or when running towards it while idle, Rock Pikmin will attack by rolling into the enemy. This normally deals 20 damage, but it happens much less frequently than slap attacks, which means calling Rock Pikmin and throwing them again usually deals more damage than letting them attack on their own. There are some situations where Rock Pikmin can latch onto enemies, such as on the legs of the [[Shaggy Long Legs]], and they will attack at the normal speed in these situations.

When a [[leader]] doesn't have any Pikmin in their squad, they can perform a punch, or in the case of ''Pikmin 2'' with the [[Rocket Fist]], a series of punches. The exact damage depends on the game and the type of punch.

Bomb rocks can be used in combat. Their explosions deal a variable amount of damage to objects in range, though they usually cause much more damage to an enemy that ingests it directly.

 

 

Some enemies have weakspots, can only be attacked at a certain part of their body, or can only be attacked in a special way. Bulborbs in ''Pikmin 3'' can have Pikmin thrown at their eyes, which causes them flinch. The [[Toady Bloyster]] in ''Pikmin 2'' is most usually attacked at its bulbous tail, but [[Purple Pikmin]] can pound its main body to cause damage. Some enemies, such as the [[Quaggled Mireclops]], are only vulnerable at certain parts of its body: in this case, the creature's fleshy hooves and fruit-like head are the only vulnerable parts. [[Breadbug]]s and their [[Giant Breadbug|larger counterpart]] cannot be swarmed, but Pikmin can be thrown onto their back to inflict damage. Smaller enemies such as dwarf bulborbs and most [[Mandiblard family|mandiblards]] can be killed instantly by throwing a single Pikmin onto its back.

 

Although Pikmin that are captured by an enemy will quickly be swallowed and killed, they may be able to be saved. By killing an enemy with Pikmin in its grasp before it can swallow them, the Pikmin will be released safely. In ''Pikmin 2'', enemies can also be petrified with a dose of [[ultra-bitter spray]] to prevent them from eating any Pikmin they may have in their mouth, buying precious time for the player to finish the creature off. Some enemies may also forcefully spit out Pikmin that haven't been swallowed yet when attacked in a certain way, like if a Pikmin is thrown at a bulborb's eyes in ''Pikmin 3''.

[[File:P2 Combat High Scores Artwork.png|right|thumb|The drawing used to represent combat in the [[high scores]] menu of ''Pikmin 2''.]]

Pikmin do not seem to have health that can be depleted, although this is hard to confirm, as explained [[Health#Pikmin|here]]. During combat they can still be harmed. In ''Pikmin'' and ''Pikmin 2'', Pikmin that are knocked down by an enemy have a chance of their maturities being reduced as explained [[Maturity#Decreasing|here]]. In ''Pikmin 3'', Pikmin that are shaken off of an enemy or fall off of one will retain their maturities. In any ''Pikmin'' game, Pikmin that are shaken off of an enemy will briefly lie on the ground before getting up, but this is not always the case. Pikmin battling a [[Shaggy Long Legs]] that fall off one of its legs after picking the hairs off one of its joints will get up on their own, but Pikmin the creature shakes off normally will remain on the ground indefinitely until they are [[whistle]]d, as bumping into them does nothing.

Enemies have a variety of ways to harm or kill Pikmin, such as deflowering them, burying them, crushing them, eating them, or using another hazard against them. Most enemies have a limit on how many Pikmin they can kill or harm at once in a given attack. For example, a Spotty Bulborb in ''Pikmin'' can only gobble 3 Pikmin at most in a single chomp, but a [[Spotty Bulbear]] can capture up to 5. Some enemies can also harm other enemies or themselves; a prime example is the [[Decorated Cannon Beetle]], a creature that spits boulders which can be led into other enemies or even the creature that launched it.