Quaggled Mireclops

Quaggled Mireclops
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Trestripods gigahenum
Family	Mireclops
Areas	Garden of Hope
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	None
Side Story days	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Drown, eat and crush Pikmin

The Quaggled Mireclops (ヌマアラシ^?, lit.: "Swamp Storm") is a boss in Pikmin 3, and is the fifth major boss encountered in story mode. It is first seen by Louie, who tries to escape the Koppaites after they capture him. He is then swallowed by the creature along with a Wayward Moon he found, and both get spit out when the explorers defeat it.

The enemy resembles a massive chunk of land (complete with plant life growing on it) that is supported by three enormous hooved legs, making it a tripedal creature. It walks around much like creatures from the arachnorb family. When first found, the boss' only vulnerable part – its plant-like bulb near its teapot-like mouth – is encased in a crystal (called a "Mireclops crystal"), which must be broken by Rock Pikmin. When the boss stomps on the muddy terrain that makes up its entire arena, it leaves a depression that is filled with water, presenting the threat of drowning to any non-Blue Pikmin.

This is the first ever Pikmin enemy whose remains become a permanent part of the environment after death. If the player returns to its arena the following day after the creature has been killed, a garden of assorted Pellet Posies will be found growing on its body. This will also become the only area in story mode where the player can encounter Red Spectralids. Some of the pellets may appear in abnormal colors.

Stats

Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
20	40 (normally)	50	N/A	8000

Notes

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: fruit-like protrusion
Weight: 20

I thought it was an ordinary fruit trapped in crystal until it started stomping around the bog. Its stony hull is invulnerable to damage everywhere except its toes. If you can hit them enough, it'll fall over and leave its fruit-like bulb open to attack. But even then, it has a fallback mechanism in the form of its huge tongue. When it starts shaking, it's best to back away unless you have Winged Pikmin to send after it.”

Brittany's comments

“Its giant head perplexes me. I know now that it's not a Sunseed Berry, but what is it? A plant? An animal? I thought I'd figure it out once I tasted it, but the captain snapped at me not to lick everything we fight. How else am I supposed to do science?!”

Charlie's comments

 US version

“I don't like doing it, but I had to put my foot down when Brittany tried to taste its brightly colored core. (Talk about forbidden fruit!) I must put the safety of my crew before their research, and I don't know where that thing's been.”

 European version

“I don't like doing it, but I had to put my foot down when Brittany tried to taste its brightly coloured core. (Talk about forbidden fruit!) I must put the safety of my crew before their research, and I don't know where that thing's been.”

Louie's comments

“A fruit so sweet, it could be a dessert unto itself. Remove and discard peel and core. Slice fruit into small pieces and enjoy!”

Olimar's comments

 US version

“Quaggled Mireclops
Trestripods gigahenum
Mireclops family

A rule of thumb is that the larger a creature is, the more it must consume to support its body weight. The quaggled mireclops is no exception. It uses its rootlike legs to drain its environs of nutrients, to the point that puncturing it could improve the entire surrounding area's ecosystem. It also catches small insects using a hidden tongue in the wide mouth found all about its circumference. What prey it manages to catch, it dissolves to their base compounds, such as nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potassium. Its insides are fertile ground for a wide variety of plants, including Sleeping Beauty and Dusty Mushrooms. Some theorize that the fruit-like growth atop its main body is in itself a parasitic species living off the nutrients it drains from the mireclops's enormous body.”

 European version

“Quaggled Mireclops
Trestripods gigahenum
Mireclops family

A rule of thumb is that the larger a creature is, the more it must consume to support its body weight. The Quaggled Mireclops is no exception. It uses its root-like legs to drain its environs of nutrients, to the point that puncturing it could improve the entire surrounding area's ecosystem. It also catches small insects using a hidden tongue in the wide mouth found all about its circumference. What prey it manages to catch, it dissolves to their base compounds, such as nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potassium. Its insides are fertile ground for a wide variety of plants, including Sleeping Beauty and Dusty Mushrooms. Some theorise that the fruitlike growth atop its main body is in itself a parasitic species living off the nutrients it drains from the Mireclops' enormous body.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“The Quaggled Mireclops is located in the Garden of Hope. When you encounter this creature, throw Rock Pikmin at it Mireclops Crystal until the creature wakes up. Once active, the Quaggled Mireclops creature stomps around its enclosure, creating pools of water in the soft mud. Use your Blue Pikmin to attack one of the creature's feet until the Quaggled Mireclops collapses. When it does, use your Rock Pikmin to destroy the Mireclops Crystal and expose the enemy's spike-covered bulb. Although the Mireclops is vulnerable from this position, it's not helpless. When the creature sweeps its giant tongue around the area, make sure all of your Pikmin are safely out of its path. When the Quaggled Mireclops recovers, use your Blue Pikmin to attack one of its feet. Once the creature collapses, use your Blue Pikmin (and/or Winged Pikmin) to attack the Quaggled Mireclops' spiked bulb. Repeat the process until you defeat the creature. The Quaggled Mireclops grows more aggressive as the battle progresses take care to keep your Pikmin safe as the creature charges around the enclosure.”

Defeat Bosses!

The Quaggled Mireclops can be refought in Defeat Bosses!, where the player is given 15 minutes to defeat it. The arena's only exit is blocked by a "keep out" sign. The player starts off with 30 Blue Pikmin and 20 Rock Pikmin, and can find additional Pikmin buried around the Quaggled Mireclops: 10 Red Pikmin, 20 Blue Pikmin and 10 Rock Pikmin.

The following table lists what medal the player gets according to the time they take:

Bronze	Silver	Gold	Platinum
10:00 - 8:01	8:00 - 6:01	6:00 - 4:01	4:00 - 0:00

These are the world records for the challenge, as obtained from the in-game global rankings feature. The following scores were retrieved on December 9^th, 2015.

• Solo: 0:41
• Co-op: 0:46

Strategy

The central bulb, made vulnerable after destroying the crystal.

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

Attacks

The Quaggled Mireclops has very few attacks, but has many different ways of executing them:

• As stated above, it will stomp around the arena, leaving holes in the ground filled with water. This poses a threat to non-Blue Pikmin, on top of being able to crush Pikmin.
• After being attacked, it will lash out its bizarre tongue, with which it can eat many Pikmin at a time. Be sure to avoid it. Leaders can also be swallowed, but the Mireclops will quickly spit them out.
• If any leaders or Pikmin are on the Mireclops as it stands up, the Mireclops will tilt over, knocking all of them off.

After destroying the Mireclops crystal, it will have a few new, more devastating attacks:

• The Mireclops may quickly run across the arena, leaving many pools in the ground, as well as quickly crushing any Pikmin.
• The Mireclops may suddenly fall to the ground, crushing anything underneath its body. It is the only attack that is known to easily kill a full squad in one execution, leaders included.
• The Mireclops may drop to the ground and move forwards, flopping on the ground as it advances. This attack can be devastating should the squad be too close to the boss when it performs this attack.

Regular strategy

At first, this creature will be submerged underground with only the top of its body exposed, encased in crystal. It will not move until the crystal is damaged enough to release one of its eyes; at that point, it will rise out of the ground and begin stomping around. At this point, its large, fleshy "hooves" are its main weak point. Throw Pikmin at the hooves and they will attack them, causing them to turn red. When one becomes bright red, the colossal creature will collapse onto the ground and become stunned. During this time, the top of the creature will be accessible, so use your Rock Pikmin to finish breaking the crystal on top. It is recommended to swarm it with as many Rock Pikmin as possible before it has a chance to extend its tongue.

After it breaks, the beast's vulnerable bulb will be exposed. Continue the process of attacking the creature's hooves and then its bulb to defeat it. Note that standing on top of the creature will cause it to retaliate by spinning its massive tongue in a circle to eat many Pikmin at once. It is recommended to use most of your Blue Pikmin combined with the ultra-spicy spray at this stage in the battle, since they cannot be drowned in the water, or Winged Pikmin to attack the bulb when it rises up off the muddy terrain it is fought in. As it loses health, it will begin to charge faster and more aggressively and will also slam its body into the ground, crushing and/or drowning any Pikmin underneath it. In addition, it will perform its tongue spin twice in a row, with the second spin rotating at a higher speed.

An effective strategy is to, after waking up the Mireclops, head near the entrance of the arena and split up the leaders. Have one hold 10 Rock Pikmin and a large number of Red Pikmin, and give another a large number of Blue Pikmin. Have the leader with the Blue Pikmin work on stunning the creature, and once it's stunned, send in the leader with the Rock and Red Pikmin. Break the crystal with the Rock Pikmin and when it's stunned for the rest of the battle, use Red Pikmin on the bulb. When you see the base of the Mireclops start to rotate, throw a few extra Pikmin on the bulb and retreat, as they will get in extra damage while it attempts to lick up your Pikmin. Once it gets back up, have the Red and Rock Pikmin leader retreat, and repeat until it dies.

Expert strategy

Winged Pikmin are especially useful for this boss. It is advised to bring in 50 Winged Pikmin and 30 Rock Pikmin. Once it has been awakened, use an ultra-spicy spray (if you only have one, you're better off saving it for later) and order the Pikmin to attack a foot as soon as it touches down. Proceed to the crystal and quickly mob it with Rock Pikmin. It should break, and then the next phase of the fight will begin.

Now have one leader go outside of the arena with the Rock Pikmin, as they are no longer needed for the fight. Again, use an ultra-spicy spray and attack a foot as soon as it touches down. Beware of the Mireclops's new attack, where it rapidly moves across the arena. Once it calms down, throw a few Winged Pikmin onto the bulb. This will cause the boss to shake them off and trigger its tongue attack. During this time, run around the boss' body, throwing a few more Winged Pikmin onto it. After the tongue has made it about half way around its body, swarm all of your spiced-up Winged Pikmin at the bulb. Since the tongue will be preparing to go into its "retraction" animation, the boss will be unable to shake off Pikmin. If done right, the boss' health will immediately drain completely and it will be dead in a single attack. This tactic can be used to defeat the boss in under one minute. An easier way that is just as fast is to charge when its tongue is 50% through, call back when at half health, then charge again when it hiccups. This is possible with all types except Rock Pikmin, but Winged Pikmin make this way easier.

Technical information

Body

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	shima
HP	8000
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	400
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	0
Bomb rock explosions to kill	0
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	10
Territory radius	0
Mission Mode value	0

Bulb

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

Other information

• Musical theme: Boss battle

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

The Quaggled Mireclops makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as a trophy.

	US description: “A gigantic creature that appears in Pikmin 3. It's so large that it has often been mistaken for a forest. It's pretty docile until its crystal head is attacked, at which point it goes on a rampage! It'll lose its balance if the hooves are attacked. Be careful though—it likes to slurp up Pikmin with its tongue. Appears in: Pikmin 3 (08/2013)”
	EU description: “Making its debut in Pikmin 3, this creature is so large that it's almost like a walking forest. It's pretty docile until its crystal head is attacked, at which point it goes on a rampage! Damaging its hooves can throw it off-balance, leaving it open to attack. Just remember to stay well away from its Pikmin-slurping tongue! Related Games Pikmin 3 (07/2013)”
How to obtain: Random appearance.		Type: Series Related	Trophy Box: 61. Distant Planet & Indigenous Creatures

Naming

See more: Mireclops Family#Naming.

The Quaggled Mireclops name is a play on "quagmire", a type of swamp marked by soft ground that yields when stepped on (such as the Mireclops's arena). The second word is also a play on cyclops, referring to its lone, huge eye. Its Japanese name is ヌマアラシ^?, which translates to "Swamp Storm". Internally, the creature is called shima, or しま^? (lit.: "island"). The internal name for the eye bulb is shimafruit.

Its scientific name is Trestripods gigahenum.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ヌマアラシ? Numa Arashi	Swamp Storm
French	Paludambule	Paludambulist
German	Schlammstampfer	Mud Stomper
Spanish (NoA)	Islote zancudo	Leggy islet
Spanish (NoE)	Islote zancudo	Leggy islet

Gallery

• 

  The Quaggled Mireclops being scanned in the French version of the game. It shows its massive tongue as well.

• 

  The Quaggled Mireclops being defeated.

• 

  The last horrified stare as the Mireclops passes away.

• 

  The Quaggled Mireclops's bulb.

• 

  A close-up of the Mireclop's eye.

• 

  Analysis of the Mireclops Crystal.

• 

  Different angle of the Mireclops Crystal.

• 

  The Quaggled Mireclops's corpse being carried by some Pikmin.

• 

  The first data file for the Quaggled Mireclops.

• 

  The second data file for the Quaggled Mireclops.

• 

  Defeat Bosses! icon.

Trivia

• The Quaggled Mireclops is the largest known creature in the Pikmin series, also making it the largest boss, in striking contrast to the previous boss, the Scornet Maestro, which is the smallest boss.
• The Quaggled Mireclops is one of three bosses which require a certain type of Pikmin to defeat. The others are the Goolix and the Waterwraith.
• The Quaggled Mireclops is one of the only three creatures in the "Pikmin" series that have plants growing on their bodies, the others being the Emperor Bulblax and the Flatterchuck.
• The Quaggled Mireclops is the second tripedal creature in the Pikmin series, the first being the Skeeterskate.
• The Quaggled Mireclops is the only known creature in the "Pikmin" series that has three eyes.

See also

• Garden of Hope
• Louie
• Creeping Chrysanthemum

External links

• 41 second run on Mission Mode, on Nicovideo

References

This article was a featured article from February 1st, 2017 to April 2nd, 2017.