Editing Engulfed Castle

|image    =  

|size      =  

The '''Engulfed Castle''' is a [[cave]] in the [[Serene Shores]] in {{p4}}. It has five sublevels. Only Blue Pikmin can access its entrance, as it is submerged in undrainable water. [[Hazards]] of all types appear throughout the cave; [[Glow Pikmin]] spawned from [[Glow Pikmin|Glow Seeds]] or a suitably upgraded [[Oatchi]] can be utilized to clear them, although neither are strictly required, as all hazards can be destroyed or circumvented even with just Blue Pikmin.

The boss of this cave, the [[Waterwraith]], is unique in that it will drop from the ceiling after five minutes have passed in any sublevel. It is extremely dangerous, instantly killing both [[Pikmin]] and [[enemies]] indiscriminately. It cannot be hurt whatsoever until the cave's final sublevel, where [[Violet Candypop Bud]]s will allow for the creation of its only weakness, [[Purple Pikmin]]. Defeating the [[Waterwraith]] unlocks an exit leading to the top of an otherwise inaccessible hill, allowing passage and collection of a good portion of treasures in the Serene Shores' upper half. This cave has {{sparklium|p4|1,145}} worth of treasure.

The entrance to Engulfed Castle is found in a flooded alcove beneath the clay bridge next to the Water's Edge base. No matter if it is past noon or not, the entrance will always be submerged in water, meaning only [[Blue Pikmin]] can enter and exit from here.

The exit can also be used to re-enter the cave. Because it is not submerged, any Pikmin type can enter or exit from here, although the game will still only recommend Blue Pikmin. It is found in the area behind the Water's Edge base, up from the bag that must be pushed down beforehand.

{{transcript|Shortly into my explorations, a loud BANG echoed throughout the cave. My memory's been clouded from fear, but I do recall that '''there was nothing I could do with the Blue Pikmin''' I'd brought with me, and I ran away in desperation. The rest is a mystery...|block=y}}

*Unlike {{p2}}, the Waterwraith '''can''' navigate into corners to crush Pikmin. As such, hiding in corners is generally ineffective. Instead, run to areas with green floors if one needs to escape from it; the Waterwraith will refuse to enter those areas and will disengage the chase, offering some breathing room.

*The Waterwraith moves noticeably slower compared to its depiction in {{p2}}. It is relatively easy to outmaneuver it while riding Oatchi, but be cautious: One wrong move could result in the Waterwraith crushing him, leaving your entire army to its mercy. Additionally, the Waterwraith is powerful enough to instantly knock out Oatchi if he is rolled over without armor upgrades.

*There is '''absolutely no way''' to harm it until the final sublevel, so don't even bother trying. However, items such as Ice Bombs and Lightning Shocks can stun it in a pinch, allowing for a getaway if cornered.

*Move quickly and efficiently to try and complete as much of the sublevel as possible before it shows up. If worse comes to worst, you can always return to the cave after completing it to collect the remaining treasures.

** {{icon|Waterwraith|y|v=P4}} × 1 (Doesn't respawn after being defeated)

** {{icon|Fire generator|v=P4|y}} × 4

This sublevel places an emphasis on [[fire]]-related hazards and enemies, already putting you at an innate disadvantage due to your lack of [[Red Pikmin]]. Do not get discouraged, and keep in mind that this cavern is possible to complete. If Oatchi has been upgraded with [[Gear#Scorch_Guard_.28Oatchi.29|his Scorch Guard]], this sublevel will be much easier to complete, as he can safely handle most of the enemies and hazards with minimal risk to himself. Failing that, you may wish to grow some [[Glow Pikmin]], which will be of great help throughout the entire cavern due to their immunity to all hazards.

From the beginning of the sublevel, the first priority should be taking out the [[Pyroclasmic Slooch]] next to the base, as it will block the transit of the sublevel's treasures, and destroying the dirt wall guarding the exit, to allow for a hasty retreat if the Waterwraith cannot be escaped from. If Oatchi is fireproof, he can swiftly defeat it in a few chomps. If he is not, things will get complicated: You will need to lure it into water to extinguish its flames, and then charge it with your Blue Pikmin to take it out. Alternatively, a Glowmob from a modest Glow Pikmin squad can quickly take it out. Once it is safely defeated, make your way towards the exit hole, which is guarded by a Fiery Blowhog, a dirt wall, and has a fire geyser nearby. There are also five wild Blue Pikmin sprouts here, if you entered the cave with 50 or less Blue Pikmin.

To take out the Fiery Blowhog with no causalities, have your Pikmin charge the back, and be ready to whistle them back when it bucks forward. If Glow Pikmin are available, you may also wish to throw a handful onto it and let them kill it as you work elsewhere, as they are immune to the fire. Assigning Oatchi to destroy the wall in the meantime is a good idea, as he cannot slip through the iron bars. Don't forget to take out the fire geyser too or it may kill Pikmin carrying items through this area.

Regardless, as they work, move through the iron bars west of the hole (facing north). Your objective should be lowering the iron bars, which you can do via a button to the north, in the area with the green-tinted floor on the map. Ignore the [[Hoop of Passion]] for the time being, as the route the Pikmin follow if the bars aren't lowered takes them dangerously close to a Fiery Bulblax. Instead, head north to the aforementioned area. Break the fire geyser near the button, and then have your Pikmin break the dirt wall to access the button. Hit it to lower the fences, at which point Oatchi, finished with the earlier dirt wall, should attempt to make his way back to you.

With the entire sublevel accessible, there are a few paths to take. You can safely assign three Pikmin to carry back the Hoop of Passion with the bars lowered. There is a treasure inside the Fiery Bulblax, which will require some effort to defeat. If Oatchi is not fireproof, your only chance is to extinguish its flames by luring it into a nearby pond, and then Rushing Oatchi into its back before it reignites, but this is very risky. Given the Waterwraith's impending arrival, you may wish to instead use items on it to save time. Tossing two [[bomb rock]]s at it for instance, will instantly kill it. If Oatchi is fireproof, you may also simply have him attack the Fiery Bulblax while working on collecting the treasure on the west side of the sublevel to be efficient, but bear in mind that he will take a significant amount of damage from its bites and may be knocked out, so keep an eye on his health and be ready to use a Scrummy Bone if necessary. Whatever the case, it will spit up the [[Vanishing Cookie]] when it dies. With it dead, you can also safely assign Pikmin or Oatchi to carry the nearby [[Secured Satchel]] back, as well.

** '''Obstacles''':

** '''Tools''':

** {{icon|Pup tunnel|y|v=P4}}

** '''Wild Pikmin''':

** '''Others''':

** '''Treasures''':

** '''Enemies''':

** '''Obstacles''':

** '''Tools''':

** '''Wild Pikmin''':

** '''Others''':

** '''Treasures''':

** '''Enemies''':

** '''Obstacles''':

** {{icon|Poison Spotcap|y|v=P4|l=Spotcap}} × 2

** {{icon|Poison Kingcap|y|v=P4|l=Kingcap}} × 1  

** '''Tools''':

** '''Others''':

** '''Obstacles''':

** {{icon|Numbered gate|y|v=P4}} × 1 (must defeat 1 Waterwraith to open)

** '''Tools''':

**

** {{icon|Candypop Bud|y|v=P4}} × 2 (Purple; if 50 or less Purple Pikmin)

Completing this cave and leaving through the exit geyser affects a few things throughout the entire cavern. First off, the Waterwraith will now ''never'' respawn, even if you return to an earlier sublevel: if you happened to leave any treasure behind on an earlier sublevel, you can now collect it with no time restraints. Second, you will leave through an exit that is not submerged and can freely reenter the cave through it. This means, assuming you reenter the cave through that specific hole, that you can bring any type of Pikmin in. With these two things in mind, revisiting the cave to collect anything left behind should be trivial.

* This cave is a direct homage to the [[Submerged Castle]] cavern from {{p2}}, taking direct inspiration from both the original cave's mechanics and layout. In fact, many of the sublevel layouts are actually direct recreations of the Submerged Castle's sublevels. However, there are some notable differences:

**No sublevel hole is [[clog]]ged. A number of the exits are protected by [[Gate#Dirt_wall|dirt walls]] or [[sticky mold]] instead.

**The original music that plays in the [[Submerged Castle]] doesn't play, at least at first. A remix of it slowly fades in as the Waterwraith's arrival approaches, slowly taking over the Engulfed Castle's ambient track. It doesn't play at all after the Waterwraith has been defeated, as it no longer appears.

**After the [[Waterwraith]] is defeated, the player can unlock the cave's exit above ground, allowing them to enter the cave with other types. The Waterwraith will also never respawn when defeated, allowing one to take their time on return visits, whereas it respawned regardless in {{p2}}.

[[Category:Serene Shores]]