Arachnode

Arachnode
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Clavo fictusphera
Family	Awrapnid
Areas	Twilight River, Formidable Oak
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Twilight Hollow Remix
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Twilight River Remix, Beastly Caverns
Side Story days	Another Part Found
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eat Pikmin

The Arachnode (マリグモ^?, lit.: "Ball Spider") is an arachnorb-like enemy in Pikmin 3, and the first arachnid-based enemy in the Pikmin series with an interactable web. While dormant on its web, it resembles a cocoon, with a black and yellow striped and sphere-shaped body. This shape and coloring comes from the eight legs wrapped tightly around its body; the actual body is a small black orb with yellow circles instead of stripes. Once a Pikmin or leader gets caught in the web, it uncurls its legs after a while, and wanders up to its prey, consuming them quickly once it has reached them. It may also wander around the web freely in order to avoid Pikmin that are being thrown at it. The web will collapse once the Arachnode is defeated.

Pikmin caught in the web can be saved by whistling at them. This is important, especially with a small squad, as Pikmin shaken off by the Arachnode will usually get stuck in the web. Winged Pikmin carrying objects will get stuck in webs that are along their route, making webs the primary obstacle for these types of Pikmin.

Its behavior and anatomy differ from both the arachnorb and dweevil families: they both have noticeably longer and thinner legs than the Arachnode, and neither eat Pikmin when fought. The game states that they are related, albeit distantly.

Stats

Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
3	6 (normally)	4	× 25  × 25	600

Notes

Alph's comments

 US version

“Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 3

This creature's most dangerous weapon isn't its jaws—it's its web. Anything that touches the web, such as thrown Pikmin, gets stuck and must be quickly rescued before it's eaten. I've seen its web trap Winged Pikmin and withstand blows from Rock Pikmin, so those fibers must be tougher than they look. If we could build a suit out of them, I could be that tough too!”

 European version

“Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 3

This creature's most dangerous weapon isn't its jaws, it's its web. Anything that touches the web, such as thrown Pikmin, gets stuck and must be quickly rescued before it's eaten. I've seen its web trap Winged Pikmin and withstand blows from Rock Pikmin, so those fibres must be tougher than they look. If we could build a suit out of them, I could be that tough too!”

Brittany's comments

“Be quick and you can whistle to get Pikmin unstuck from its webs. If you're feeling daring, you can touch the web to lure the arachnode away, but if you're on the wrong side, you'll see your Pikmin get eaten in front of you.”

Charlie's comments

“This is a tricky one. We can't charge until it moves, but it doesn't move unless it senses prey in its web. Since I mustn't risk the lives of my squad, there's no other choice. I must volunteer to be the bait! Good luck, troops! My life will be in your hands!”

Louie's comments

 US version

“Pluck off the legs, crack open, and savor the meat inside. Dip them in soy sauce first for a nice mix of sweet and salty.”

 European version

“Pluck off the legs, crack open, and savour the meat inside. Dip them in soy sauce first for a nice mix of sweet and salty.”

Olimar's comments

 US version

“Arachnode
Clavo fictusphera
Awrapnid family

This spiderlike creature has distinctive yellow stripes on its black carapace. It spins webs in high-traffic areas and waits for prey to blunder into them. Unlike its relatives in the arachnorb and dweevil families, it's ambisexual and has eight legs. Some theorize that its gynandry is meant to aid in reproduction, though of course it cannot reproduce on its own. There is another theory that this species is in fact two organisms of opposing gender stuck together, but since no one has ever found a four-legged, single-sexed specimen, this remains speculative.”

 European version

“Arachnode
Clavo fictusphera
Awrapnid family

This spiderlike creature has distinctive yellow stripes on its black carapace. It spins webs in high-traffic areas and waits for prey to blunder into them. Unlike its relatives in the Arachnorb and Dweevil families, it's ambisexual and has eight legs. Some theorise that its gynandry is meant to aid in reproduction, though of course it cannot reproduce on its own. There is another theory that this species is in fact two organisms of opposing gender stuck together, but since no one has ever found a four-legged, single-sexed specimen, this remains speculative.”

Pikmin 3 website

“An eight-legged creature that traps its prey in a sticky web.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“The Arachnode is only able to attack Pikmin that become tangled in its web. When you first encounter a web, look for the attached Arachnode. To defeat the enemy quickly, throw a few Rock Pikmin directly at an Arachnode. You can also use a squad of Winged Pikmin to overwhelm an Arachnode with a single charge attack. Because the Arachnode's web is fairly tall, the creature often moves out of your standard throwing range. Use Yellow Pikmin or Winged Pikmin to attack an Arachnode when it retreats to the top of its web. If any of your Pikmin become ensnared in the web, use the whistle to rescue them. When you defeat an Arachnode, its web unravels.”

Behavior

The Arachnode sits still when nothing is near, but when a leader or a Pikmin is thrown into its web, it will take on its spider-like form and attack its ensnared prey. It eats Pikmin by clamping down on them with its wide mouth, and it eats pretty quickly, so it can be difficult to save them in time. When all Pikmin are removed from the web, the Arachnode will take a moment and then go back into its resting state. It does not return to a specific point on the web to rest, so it can be put in a more vulnerable position for a second attack. When an Arachnode is defeated, it will fall to the ground and its web will collapse.

If unsupervised Winged Pikmin carry an item right into an Arachnode's web, they will get stuck, whatever goods they had will fall to the ground, and the creature will proceed to eat them. Fortunately, Arachnodes pose no threat to any other types of Pikmin when left unattended.

Bizarrely, when a leader is thrown into an Arachnode's web, said leader will become slightly two-dimensional. If the enemy attacks, the leader may shrink even further or disappear altogether. This is merely aesthetic, however.

Strategy

The following article or section contains guides. The strategies shown are just suggestions.

Rock Pikmin will kill an Arachnode in just three hits, and can hit the Arachnode from either side of its web. Other Pikmin types can only attack the Arachnode on the side in which it rests, and they can get stuck if the Arachnode is too high or if they are thrown from too close to the web. Winged Pikmin are best for getting an Arachnode down from a high point in its web since they can charge at it, after which point other, stronger Pikmin can be employed. If Winged Pikmin are not available, any Pikmin can latch on to a low-resting Arachnode with a careful throw, and Yellow Pikmin can usually reach a high-resting one. As a last resort, a Pikmin or a leader can be thrown into the web to bait the Arachnode into a vulnerable position.

Technical information

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	kumo
HP	600
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	3
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	1
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	10
Territory radius	100
Mission Mode value	25

Naming

"Arachnode" is a pun on "arachnid" and "node". In Japan, it is called マリグモ^?, which simply translates to "Ball Spider". Internally, its is called kumo, which is a Romanization of グモ^? (lit.: "spider").

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	マリグモ? Mari Gumo	Ball Spider
French	Arachnodule	Portmanteau of "Arachnide" (arachnid) and "Nodule"
German	Hornissarak	Portmanteau of "Hornisse" (hornet) and "arak" (German name for the Dweevil family)
Italian	Aracnopalla	Arachnoball
Spanish (NoA)	Bolaraña	Portmanteau of "bola" (ball) and "araña" (spider)
Spanish (NoE)	Bolaraña	Ball spider

Gallery

• 

  The form it takes while waiting for something to fall on its trap.

• 

  Charlie caught on the web.

• 

  Alph caught on the web.

• 

  Side view of the Arachnode.

• 

  Analysis of the Arachnode.

• 

  The data file for the Arachnode.

See also

• Dweevil family
• Arachnorb family