Hostile Territory

Stage preview.

Hostile Territory is the tenth 2-Player Battle stage in Pikmin 2. It is arguably the most dangerous arena, with a large number of enemies and bomb-rocks. Bomb-rocks in this area can be picked up and thrown by leaders. As a result of this, it is far more common to see a Pikmin Extinction or a downed Leader than on other stages.

Level information

• Theme: Metal
• Treasures:
  •  Crystallized Telekinesis inside the Careening Dirigibugs
• Enemies:
  •  Anode Beetle
  •  Careening Dirigibug
  •  Fiery Blowhog
  •  Shearwig (under marbles)
  •  Watery Blowhog
• Obstacles:
  •  Bomb-rock
  •  Electrical wire
• Plants and fungi:
  •  Pellet Posy
• Others:
  • None

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name			vs_4_karakuchi
"Main" object maximum (?)			50
"Treasure" object maximum (?)			0
"Gate" object maximum (?)			0
Dead end unit probability (?)			70
Number of rooms (?)			4
Corridor-to-room ratio (?)			0
Escape geyser (?)			No
Clogged hole (?)			No
Cave units file (?)			vs_4_metal.txt
Lighting file (?)			metal_light_cha.ini
Background (?)			build ( steel)
Cave units (?)
Layout 1 (1/3 chance)
Room with rusty hatch (×2)	Circular room with raised corner (×2)	Circular room with 4 exits (×1)	Dead end with item (×2)	Long corridor (×4)	Turning corridor (×2)
Three-way crossing (×2)	Corridor (×2)
Layout 2 (1/3 chance)
Y-shaped room (×2)	Room with rusty hatch (×2)	Dead end with item (×10)	Turning corridor (×4)	Corridor (×2)
Layout 3 (1/3 chance)
Room with blue circles (×2)	Y-shaped room (×2)	Dead end with item (×5)	Three-way crossing (×1)	Corridor (×5)	Turning corridor (×1)
Random units
Dead end with item	Three-way crossing	Four-way crossing	Turning corridor	Corridor	Long corridor
Room with 4 exits	Y-shaped room	Circular room with raised corner	Room with rusty hatch	Room with blue circles

Tips

Explosions and electricity are some of the hazards.

These are the majority of the enemies which appear in this arena. Only very rarely, some boulders may fall from the sky while you are in a remote area, so be careful when you are trekking in an area filled with Anode Beetles, bomb-rocks and Watery Blowhogs. Usually, if this is to happen, it will happen next to one of the three yellow marbles, to hinder you in your path. Take caution as if your leader gets damaged by the boulders, some nearby enemies may squeeze in an attack while your character is stunned, so make sure you can make a hasty retreat.

There is a small area that is enclosed by three electrical wires near one of the players' bases. If you are lucky, this area will generate cherries every 10 seconds, giving you a seemingly unlimited supply of cherries.

Sometimes three Careening Dirigibugs may appear in the same small circular area. This is a great opportunity to stock up on yellow marbles as every Dirigibug on the field contains a yellow marble. This would be an amazing way to win, especially if they were located near your own Onion.

Be sure not to get bombarded into walls by Roulette enemies such as the Volatile Dweevil, otherwise you may get a Pikmin Extinction, and your space suit may be severely damaged. However, if you manage to escape, meaning a few Pikmin sacrifices may have to be chosen, lure it to a gang of enemies grouped together, preferably not Anode Beetles as they will not be damaged by the explosion. Try using it on Blowhogs next to each other to remove at least half or completely all their health, which means you can pass by without any worries or discomforts.

Bomb-rocks

This is also the only arena where bomb-rocks appear, and you can pick them up, unlike story mode. Just walk into them for half a second to pick them up. Throw by pressing  / , and put it down by pressing  / . No matter which method is used, the bomb will become active, and will damage nearby leaders and kill nearby Pikmin when it explodes.

Strategies

• When your opponent is occupied and cannot react, you can get rid of a number of their Pikmin by throwing a bomb-rock at a group of idle Pikmin. Note that bomb-rocks are thrown further than the cursor's reach, in the case of the GameCube release.
• You can also lure enemy Pikmin into attacking you and then detonate a bomb-rock near yourself, killing all the offending Pikmin and leaving you damaged but still alive, assuming you haven't taken too much damage already.
• If your opponent is being accompanied by a large number of Pikmin, you can strike a bomb-rock to start the countdown, then pick it up and chase him or her, allowing the bomb-rock to explode in your hands and eliminating a chunk of the opponent's army.
• Note that you can use an ultra-bitter spray on a live bomb-rock to stop its countdown for eight seconds.
• If you're occupied helping your Pikmin fight and can't stop your opponent's Pikmin from gathering your marble, you can throw a bomb-rock at the carrier Pikmin.
• A questionable and dangerous strategy involves activating bomb-rocks, picking them up again, and chasing your enemy while they have a large amount of Pikmin following them, and letting the bomb-rock explode in your hands. This will do a good deal of damage to you, but if you are lucky, it will take out many of your enemy's Pikmin.
• If your opponent is low on health, keeping a Careening Dirigibug alive can be used to make it difficult for their leader to safely access an area, as doing so allows you to win by using the previous strategy on their captain.

Glitch

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 2. Particularly: Confirm and add to the glitches article.

There is a rare glitch involving the Careening Dirigibugs. As soon as they notice you, they normally excrete a bomb-rock from their tiny mouths. As soon as they release it from its mouth, punch the air, and the bomb may become active, but mostly it depends on where the player is standing. Then, the Dirigibug will have an active bomb in its hands. Often times it will still throw it to the ground, but on rarer occasions the Dirigibug will keep hold of the bomb-rock, even when it explodes. This means the dirigibug will still do the carrying animation, and when it comes to the throwing animation, nothing will be dropped. This is a very weird glitch, and it can also distract players, also taking their mind off gameplay whilst the opponent is taking their marble.

Names in other languages

The following article or section needs help from someone who can translate French text.

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	からくちコース? Karakuchi Kōsu	Challenge Course	The name comes from 辛口?, which can mean dry or spicy. Though in this case, it most likely means harsh or difficult.
French	Terres Hostiles
German	Feindesland	Hostile Territory
Italian	Terreno ostile	Hostile terrain
Spanish	Territorio Hostil	Hostile Territory