Waterwraith

Waterwraith
Appears in	Pikmin 2
Scientific name	Amphibio sapiens
Family	Unknown
Areas	None
Caves	Submerged Castle
Challenge Mode stages	Bully Den
2-Player Battle stages	None
Attacks	Crushes Pikmin

The Waterwraith (アメボウズ^?) is a boss from Pikmin 2, found in all of the sub levels of the Submerged Castle and in the Bully Den in Challenge Mode. It can only be defeated by Purple Pikmin; however, the entrance to the cave is flooded, making them impossible to bring along.

Its appearance is generally humanoid in shape, with the suggestion of a head, body, arms and legs, but without distinct characteristics, and with a watery, transparent body. As a matter of fact, its scientific name is Amphibio sapiens, which is similar to the human's scientific name: Homo sapiens. The ship notes that although it can be seen, its sensors somehow detect nothing, leading to the conclusion that the Waterwraith's physical form is anchored in another dimension. It is one of the most dangerous enemies, as it can instantly kill Pikmin by just rolling over them, and cannot be deterred or defeated until the final floor. However, it does not appear immediately, instead giving the player a five minute grace period before appearing. In the Bully Den, both Waterwraiths will fall when the seconds counter falls to 270, leaving you with only 30 seconds to get settled and prepare. When encountered in the Submerged Castle, but not in the Bully Den, its music will play - music that is played only then.

A sample of the music.

The Waterwraith is one of the few enemies in Pikmin 2 which has its own background music, along with the Titan Dweevil and the Giant Breadbug. In the Submerged Castle, when it appears, its own music track plays. When it is in the last Sublevel, normal boss music plays and when it has no rollers, a different kind of the normal boss music plays, which has a more positive/silly mood.

The Waterwraith's name is a combination of water, given its watery appearance, and wraith, which means ghost or phantom.

Before the Fight

The Waterwraith will come on any sub level of the Submerged Castle, usually after about 5 minutes. When encountered, the beast falls from the sky. This will give two falling noises followed by two explosion-like sounds and then a noise like a scream underwater. It lifts up its front roller, and smashes it on the ground, crushing any Pikmin underneath. It then commences moving around on its stone 'rollers'. However, before Sublevel 5, there is no way at all to harm it; not even Bomb Rocks will have any effect. With that in mind, there are a few things to remember:

• The player should collect treasures as quickly as possible and avoid collecting corpses. Doing so could allow the player to escape without having the Waterwraith spawn. 
• The Waterwraith can kill other enemies and disable traps. This should be used to an advantage.*
• It follows the active captain. This can be used to the player's advantage, similar to the fight with the Ranging Bloyster.*
• It is advise to at least have the Rush Boots power up, which can allow you to qucikly escape the Water wraith.The Stellar Orb also helps to illuminate the area, giving the player a good view of where the Waterwraith is. 
• The Waterwraith does not go into small corners, crevices, and dead-ends, making these places safe to hide in.*
• The Captains must quickly collect as many treasures as they can. If they forget to get a treasure, they can always go back and get it later.
• If the player has a very difficult time with the Waterwraith, they can always reset in attempt to get an easier layout for the floor.
• The Waterwraith crushes Pikmin instantly, so it is best to keep all Pikmin with the Captains while it is active.

These tips mostly apply only to the Submerged Castle. Items marked with an * can be used in theBully Den as well. 

Battle Strategy

In the Piklopedia.

When encountered, it will chase Olimar and any Pikmin nearby, with greater focus on crushing the active Captain. It is invincible to any Pikmin assault, even if petrified, except that of the Purple Pikmin. When a Purple lands on or near the Waterwraith in a fashion that would stun any other beast, it turns a deep shade of purple not dissimilar to that of the Pikmin that cause this state to come about. In this state, it is vulnerable to all Pikmin attacks. When the Wraith's health has been fully depleted, the rollers crumble and the Waterwraith will run aimlessly around the cave, no longer a threat to your Pikmin. Attack with more Purples and then you can easily attack it with other Pikmin. When defeated, it will vanish into nothing, and you will be troubled no more. It drops the Professional Noisemaker, a useful addition to the Exploration Kit the first time you beat it in the Submerged Castle.

A stunned Waterwraith, vulnerable to attacks.

Strangely, petrifying the Waterwraith makes it less vulnerable to Purple Pikmin, in which case the Pikmin must be thrown in a perfect arch for enough impact to make the creature susceptible to attack. In other words, Purples make a certain "thudding" sound when they hit an enemy or a plant; when this sound is performed, a creature may also be stunned. These effects can only occur when the Purples have a straight fall downward after they're thrown (the distance in which they fall vertically is irrelevant, as long as it exists). Finally, when all these circumstances are achieved, the Waterwraith may gain damage; this will not happen when Purples are thrown on it without the drop.

Note: In the Submerged Castle, you will only be able to get Purple Pikmin on the final sub level via the Violet Candypop Bud.

In the Bully Den, you will already have 25 Purples, but no other type of Pikmin. Here, there are two Waterwraiths and a variety of other creatures.

Notes

Ship's dialogs

“What is this?!? I can see it with my optical receptors, but my sensors cannot detect it!

Could its physical form be anchored in another dimension? ...Attacking it is futile!

If only we could force it to take on physical form... But in its current state... Krzzzt-zrrrk!

Danger! Danger! Danger!”

Olimar's notes

“All that is known about this creature stems from a few sightings deep underground. All reported sightings feature the same core set of details: a giant, viscous form with a clear, hazy sheen not unlike hard candy. One theory holds that it may be the ectoplasmic incarnation of a kind of psychic phenomenon, but as is usually the case with such theories, it is very difficult to prove. All witnesses report being suddenly overcome with fear upon sighting the creature, approaching a state of panic and near insanity. In fact, every report contains an inordinate amount of extremely vague details, which has led to suspicions that exhaustion and fear have caused some simple natural phenomenon to be viewed as a living creature.”

Louie's notes

“Inedible. Known to cause mass hysteria, followed by leg spasms and internal thunderings.”

Nintendo Player's Guide

"The anxious Water wraith appears before the final floor of the Submerged Castle, but you won't be able to defeat it until you use Violet Candypop Buds to create purple Pikmin on the cave's lowest level. One touch from a purple will make the beast temporalily vulnerable."

Glitches

The Waterwraith while sitting on petrified rollers.

The Waterwraith is the cause of a few glitches in Pikmin 2. It's possible to petrify its rollers, by petrifying the creature on the Piklopedia just as its archive is opened. When the Waterwraith itself lands, it too will be encased in stone, but the roller will revert to its normal state before the creature itself. Petrify it again, and the Wraith is normal, but not the rollers; the Wraith will have problems lifting them. Its audio will get messed up, as it cries with each attempt to pick up the front roller. It is possible to do this in the main game (and Challenge Mode) as well, but the beast won't turn purple when Purple Pikmin are thrown at it. This is because it needs to lift its rollers first. You can also make the Waterwraith float if you have AR by doing the one hit code.

When the Waterwraith pulls the rollers up, petrify it. Then when it wears off, do it again. If your timing is correct you should only petrify its rollers. The Water wraith's arms will be stretched backwards, grabbing the roller that is in mid-air while it sits on the other roller facing the ground, trying to pull back the roller.

It is possible to defeat the Waterwraith while petrified. First, it must be without its rollers, and the player must deplete its health as far as possible. Then, when frozen, if Purple Pikmin are thrown onto it, it should die in that state, shattering and leaving 6-7 pools of nectar and spray of any kind.

Yet another glitch can be performed by knocking it off its rollers, and frantically switching characters, will cause the Waterwraith to appear to "ice skate" instead of sprinting.

It is likely that if the Waterwraith's head comes into contact with the Research Pod after having lost its rollers, another glitch will occur. The outcome is a change in the way it moves: instead of walking, the creature glides along; and any Pikmin that touch it are thrown out-of-the-way, though unharmed. The amount of health it had previous to the glitch occurring determines whether or not it can be damaged in this state.

Another glitch may occur when the Waterwraith attempts to turn around sharp corners. Instead of successfully completing a 360 degrees turn, it may get wedged in the middle of a tight space. This could either be helpful, allowing the player to avoid the Waterwraith, but this glitch could also block crucial pathways, such as a pathway to the next floor. Unfortunately, the only solution for this is to reset.

Yet another glitch happens when the Waterwraith is hit with a Purple Pikmin while running. The Waterwraith may turn clear while in the crouching position, instead of it having a purple hue.

Another possible glitch is known to happen in the Bully Den. The cause of this glitch is unknown, but the effects are strange. When both Water wraith have had their rollers taken away, they will sometimes only frantically run away from Olimar, and will casually walk past Louie and even stop right in front of him, as if they do not even notice him. They can still be attacked, though. 

Technical information

Creature

Pikmin 2 technical information (?)
Internal name			blackman
Global properties (List)
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
s000	friction(not used)	Friction	0.5
s001	wallReflection	Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?)	0.5
s002	faceDirAdjust	Unknown	0.25
s003	accel	Acceleration	0.1
s004	bounceFactor	Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?)	0.3
fp00	ライフ	HP	1500
fp01	マップとの当り	Unknown (related to slopes)	50
fp02	ダメージスケールXZ	Horizontal damage scale	0.2
fp03	ダメージスケールY	Vertical damage scale	0.25
fp04	ダメージフレーム	Damage scale duration	0.35
fp05	質量	Unknown (weight?)	0.01
fp06	速度	Move speed	80
fp08	回転速度率	Rotation acceleration	0.04
fp09	テリトリー	Territory radius	300
fp10	ホーム範囲	"Home" radius	10
fp11	プライベート距離	"Private" radius	50
fp12	視界距離	Sight radius	700
fp13	視界角度	FOV	180
fp14	探索距離	Unknown (exploration radius?)	250
fp15	探索角度	Unknown (exploration angle?)	0
fp16	振り払い率	Successful shake rate	1
fp17	振り払い力	Shake knockback	250
fp18	振り払いダメージ	Shake damage	0
fp19	振り払い範囲	Shake range	50
fp20	攻撃可能範囲	Unknown (shock attack max range?)	30
fp21	攻撃可能角度	Unknown (shock attack max angle?)	15
fp22	攻撃ヒット範囲	Unknown (attack hit range?)	30
fp23	攻撃ヒット角度	Unknown (attack hit angle?)	15
fp24	攻撃力	Attack damage	10
fp25	視界高	Unknown (height visibility?)	50
fp26	探索高	Unknown (exploration height?)	0
fp27	ライフの高さ	HP wheel height	100
fp28	回転最大速度	Rotation speed	3
fp29	警戒時間	Unknown (warning time?)	0
fp30	警戒ライフ	Unknown	0
fp31	ライフ回復率	Regeneration rate	0
fp32	LOD半径	Off-camera radius	70
fp33	マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定	Collision processing radius	50
fp34	ピクミンとのあたり	Pikmin damage radius	30
fp35	石化時間	Petrification duration	1
fp36	ヒップドロップダメージ	Purple Pikmin drop damage	10
fp37	地震気絶確立	Purple Pikmin stun chance	0 (0%)
fp38	地震気絶時間	Purple Pikmin stun time	60
ip01	振り払い打撃Ａ	Shake mode 1 – hit count	10
ip02	振り払い張付１	Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement	5
ip03	振り払い打撃Ｂ	Shake mode 2 – hit count	13
ip04	振り払い張付２	Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement	6
ip05	振り払い打撃Ｃ	Shake mode 3 – hit count	16
ip06	振り払い張付３	Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement	9
ip07	振り払い打撃Ｄ	Shake mode 4 – hit count	20
Specific properties
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
fp01	ポッド移動速度	Unknown (roller speed?)	20
fp02	逃げ速度	Unknown (running speed?)	250
fp03	逃げ回転速度率	Unknown (rotation speed rate while walking?)	0.2
fp04	逃げ回転最大速度	Unknown (max rotation speed while walking?)	30
fp05	2段階速度	Unknown (second stage speed?)	120
fp06	2段階回転速度率	Unknown (second stage rotation speed?)	0.04
fp07	2段階回転最大速度	Unknown (second stage max rotation speed?)	3
fp11	歩き速度	Unknown (walking speed?)	50
ip01	2段階へのタイマー	Unknown (time until second stage?)	0
ip03	ドシン停止タイマー	Unknown	200
ip04	逃げ停止タイマー	Unknown (walk time?)	200
ip05	連続逃げタイマー	Unknown (running time?)	200
ip06	つかれ停止タイマー	Unknown (rest time?)	200

Rollers

Pikmin 2 technical information (?)
Internal name			tyre
Global properties (List)
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
s000	friction(not used)	Friction	0.5
s001	wallReflection	Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?)	0.5
s002	faceDirAdjust	Unknown	0.25
s003	accel	Acceleration	0.1
s004	bounceFactor	Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?)	0.3
fp00	ライフ	HP	1800
fp01	マップとの当り	Unknown (related to slopes)	50
fp02	ダメージスケールXZ	Horizontal damage scale	0.2
fp03	ダメージスケールY	Vertical damage scale	0.25
fp04	ダメージフレーム	Damage scale duration	0.35
fp05	質量	Unknown (weight?)	0.01
fp06	速度	Move speed	30
fp08	回転速度率	Rotation acceleration	0.1
fp09	テリトリー	Territory radius	300
fp10	ホーム範囲	"Home" radius	30
fp11	プライベート距離	"Private" radius	50
fp12	視界距離	Sight radius	700
fp13	視界角度	FOV	180
fp14	探索距離	Unknown (exploration radius?)	0
fp15	探索角度	Unknown (exploration angle?)	0
fp16	振り払い率	Successful shake rate	1
fp17	振り払い力	Shake knockback	150
fp18	振り払いダメージ	Shake damage	0
fp19	振り払い範囲	Shake range	50
fp20	攻撃可能範囲	Unknown (shock attack max range?)	30
fp21	攻撃可能角度	Unknown (shock attack max angle?)	15
fp22	攻撃ヒット範囲	Unknown (attack hit range?)	30
fp23	攻撃ヒット角度	Unknown (attack hit angle?)	15
fp24	攻撃力	Attack damage	10
fp25	視界高	Unknown (height visibility?)	50
fp26	探索高	Unknown (exploration height?)	0
fp27	ライフの高さ	HP wheel height	100
fp28	回転最大速度	Rotation speed	10
fp29	警戒時間	Unknown (warning time?)	0
fp30	警戒ライフ	Unknown	0
fp31	ライフ回復率	Regeneration rate	0
fp32	LOD半径	Off-camera radius	120
fp33	マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定	Collision processing radius	50
fp34	ピクミンとのあたり	Pikmin damage radius	10
fp35	石化時間	Petrification duration	1
fp36	ヒップドロップダメージ	Purple Pikmin drop damage	10
fp37	地震気絶確立	Purple Pikmin stun chance	0.05 (5%)
fp38	地震気絶時間	Purple Pikmin stun time	60
ip01	振り払い打撃Ａ	Shake mode 1 – hit count	1
ip02	振り払い張付１	Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement	1
ip03	振り払い打撃Ｂ	Shake mode 2 – hit count	2
ip04	振り払い張付２	Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement	2
ip05	振り払い打撃Ｃ	Shake mode 3 – hit count	5
ip06	振り払い張付３	Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement	3
ip07	振り払い打撃Ｄ	Shake mode 4 – hit count	10
Specific properties
ID	Japanese comment	Property	Value
fp01	回転スピード	Rotation speed	25

Gallery

• 

  The Waterwraith appears.

• 

  A Waterwraith as seen from behind.

Trivia

• The Waterwraith is similar to the Goolix, in that both enemies are watery in appearance and can only be defeated by a certain type of Pikmin.
• Its scientific name, Amphibio sapiens, means "Water Man".
• The French name in this boss's entry, "Spectreau", translates into "Water Specter".
• In the Piklopedia, it is possible that the Waterwraith will roll out-of-bounds.
• The Waterwraith is one of two enemies outside of the Wistful Wild to not appear in the Hole of Heroes, the other being the Giant Breadbug. They both reside in caves within the same area, the Perplexing Pool.
• The Waterwraith seems to be related to a boss of Pikmin 3, the Plasm Wraith. Interestingly, the first form of the Plasm Wraith shares its japanese name with the Waterwraith, as they are both called "Amebouzu". If they are, in fact, related, this would make them the first related "unknown family" creatures.
• Also, just like the Plasm Wraith, which has a unique, golden life meter, the Waterwraith also has a unique life meter; it has 2 separate life meters. one being its own health and the other being for the health of its rollers. Intrestingly, both these creatures have the "Wraith" suffix in their names.
• From sublevel 1 to 4, it might be best to do the Frontier Cavern first, because there you can get the Repugnant Appendage. That will make you walk faster, and you can go hide easily. Having Bulbmin in your team might be a bit better, because those will not be able to leave the cave, and can be crushed without any decrease of Pikmin. Also, going to the Subterranean Complex to get the Stellar Orb is helpful, because the Stellar Orb lights up the area. It is very helpful to be able to see farther, since the Waterwraith can easily sneak up on you.
• The Waterwraith's Japanese name is "Amebouzu", which can be a portmanteau of "amoeba" (written in katakana like "ameba"), an unicellular organism usually found in water, and "umibōzu", which is, in Japanese folklore, a watery creature, with a bald head similar to a Monk.
• In the game's files, the Waterwraith's model contains a dummy texture, that reads "fb dum". This is the texture applied to the model before the shaders are applied:

This article was a featured article from March 24th to September 23rd, 2010.