Co-op Mode

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Co-op Mode is a gameplay mode in Pikmin 4 where a second player controls the Pebble Pitcher, allowing them to throw pebbles and other items into the screen. This mode can be enabled or disabled at any time, and applies to Story Mode and the Dandori Battle dedicated mode present on the title screen.

Overview

The assisting player takes control of the Pebble Pitcher, which takes the form of a pink reticle on-screen in a similar fashion as the Star Pointer in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. During gameplay, the player can aim it using motion controls or at enemies or tasks and pitch a pebble at wherever the reticle is pointing. Note that it still works off-screen, even if it can't be seen. The pebbles fly from the left or right sides of the screen, whichever side the reticle is closest to, and hit the target after only a fraction of a second if it's close, and a little more than a second if the target is far away.

Hitting an enemy will lower its health by a small amount, and can even kill it. The same applies to obstacles, including obstacles that include some hazard and are usually meant to be destroyed with the appropriate Pikmin types. Hitting an object that is being carried by Pikmin or Oatchi (but not swallowed by Oatchi) will make it be carried much faster for a short time, indicated by a springing sound effect. Hitting a buried object will slowly dig it out.

Whenever the Pebble Pitcher successfully hits a target, or whenever player 1 completes a task, they receive Co-op Points, meaning the Co-op Gauge above the reticle fills slightly. When the gauge fills up fully, it resets to empty and the Pebble Pitcher receives an item for their inventory. A message also appears on-screen notifying of this. Once the player has an item in their inventory, an icon of said item will appear beneath the reticle, with a number above that icon indicating how many of that item they have. As the player receives other types of items, they will also appear on their inventory to the left or right of the large central icon, indicating that the player can scroll left and right to see and select other items.

The Pebble Pitcher can throw an item toward the reticle at any time, using it up from the inventory. Some of the items can only be gained once they are available in The Lab.

Items available from the start:

• Scrummy bone
• Pikpik carrot

Item available when it is used by Pikmin or Oatchi:

• Nectar

Item available once obtained:

• Bomb rock
• Ice blast
• Lightning shock

Co-op Mode can be enabled or disabled from the options menu, accessible from any point of the game. When disabled, any items that the Pebble Pitcher has accumulated via Co-op Points will be gone.

The player can also use the Pebble Pitcher like normal from the Survey Drone's viewpoint, allowing the player to kill enemies and destroy obstacles without player 1 needing to expose themself to danger, although it only works when the gameplay is unpaused from within the Survey Drone. Likewise, they can also shoot from the CPU player's viewpoint in Dandori Battles. It is also possible to throw a pikpik carrot at a button to press it before the intended time, though the buttons after the Frozen Inferno can only be pressed when the cave has been finished.

Controlling

See: Controls#Pebble Pitcher

 / throws a pebble. A tiny icon on the bottom-right of the reticle reminds the player of this fact.

When using the Motion Control option, the second player can press  / to realign the Pebble Pitcher reticle at the center of the screen. Whenever the Pebble Pitcher falls offscreen, a reminder will show-up informing the player of that button.

The shoulder buttons change which item is selected left and right, respectively. Icons for these buttons also appear above the respective items in the Pebble Pitcher's inventory, though they're present even if the player has no other items. / throws one of the selected item; this too is represented by a tiny icon of the button on the bottom right of the currently selected item in the inventory.

Strategy

In terms of stockpiling items, the best source of earning points efficiently and continuously is a pair of Burgeoning Spiderworts. Hitting one can grant lots of points, but be careful to not hit the berries, or else they cannot be damaged much.

While fully damaging one Burgeoning Spiderwort at a time, the other one will replenish its berries as soon as one drops all its berries, allowing for a continous cycle. Additionally, to allow the Burgeoning Spiderworts to continously produce more berries, have Oatchi or one Pikmin gather the dropped berries. Finally, using the Rewind Time feature can prevent the day from being wasted, or allow more time to earn points.

Two recommended areas to attempt this are Serene Shores (Water's Edge base), and Giant's Hearth (The Central Flame base).

Trivia

• If the opponent's Pikmin drinks nectar in a Dandori Battle, the Pebble pitcher unlocks nectar. This could most likely occur in Battle in a Box in Story Mode, since the default Pikmin are Ice Pikmin, which can freeze enemies and killing them in a frozen state will leave drops of nectar.
• Oddly, nectar can also be unlocked if the player starts Olimar's Shipwreck Tale for the first time.

Names in other languages

Pebble pitcher

Language	Name	Meaning
German	Steinschleuder	Stone thrower
Danish	Stenkastere	Stone thrower
Swedish	Stenkastare	Stone thrower

See also

• Category:Game modes
• Off-TV Play