Editing Engulfed Castle

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. [[Hazard]]s of all types appear throughout the cave; [[Glow Pikmin]] spawned from 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. In most circumstances, it cannot be hurt whatsoever until the cave's final sublevel, where purple [[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 to much of the Serene Shore's upper half. This cave has {{sparklium|p4|1,145}} worth of treasure.

 

Because of its placement, and requirement to complete to access the upper half of Serene Shores, it's likely to be where the player first discovers Purple Pikmin.

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

{{clear}}

*The Waterwraith does not move particularly quickly. It is relatively easy to outmaneuver it while riding Oatchi, but be cautious: One wrong move could result in the Waterwraith crushing him and knocking Pikmin off of him.  Additionally, the Waterwraith is powerful enough to knock out Oatchi in four hits (and the player in two) if rolled over without armor upgrades.

*Items such as [[Ice Blast]]s and [[Lightning Shock]]s can stun it in a pinch, allowing for a getaway if cornered. However, the Waterwraith cannot get stuck in frozen bodies of water.

* Despite the fact that it is possible to kill the Waterwraith in all sublevels before the final one using [[Mine]]s and Ice Blasts, it will still spawn back in the following sublevel. Notably, it will not drop the treasure and its theme will still continue to play.

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 not, you will need to lure it into one of the nearby water puddles to extinguish its flames, and then charge it with your Blue Pikmin to take it out. Alternatively, if you chose to grow Glow Pikmin, a single Glowmob from a decently sized squad will quickly kill it. 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 instead wish to throw a handful onto it and let them kill it as you work elsewhere; their fire immunity means the Blowhog cannot kill them. Assigning Oatchi to destroy the wall in the meantime is a good idea, as he cannot slip through the nearby iron bars. Don't forget to take out the fire geyser too or it may kill Pikmin carrying items through this area.

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. Given the Waterwraith's impending arrival, you may wish to instead use items on it to save time. A single [[Ice Blast]] will extinguish its flames on the spot and will freeze it solid, allowing you to Rush into it for massive damage, hopefully shattering it before it can thaw. Otherwise, using two [[bomb rock]]s will instantly kill it, and even a single one will dramatically simplify the battle. 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. However, bear in mind that he will take a significant amount of damage from its bites and may be knocked out. Keep an eye on his health and be prepared to use a [[Scrummy Bone]], or to rouse him at the base if he is knocked out. Whatever the case, the Bulblax 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.

* This cave is a homage to the [[Submerged Castle]] from {{p2}}, taking direct inspiration from both the original cave's mechanics and layout. In fact, many of the sublevel layouts are actually near-perfect 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 [[Dirt wall]] or [[sticky mold]] instead.

**The [[Submerged Castle]]'s signature theme 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.

**If the Waterwraith is killed prior to the final sublevel through use of [[Ice Blast]]s and [[Mine]]s, it will respawn anyway on the next sublevel. In ''Pikmin 2'', if the Waterwraith somehow dies before the final sublevel, which is only typically possible through hacking, it would not respawn until the final sublevel.

**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 ''Pikmin 2''.