Combat
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In the Pikmin series, Pikmin and leaders need to engage in combat against the many different enemies they encounter. Combat is a core mechanic of the series, as it is frequently required to open up paths or retrieve collectibles. There are many ways of damaging enemies and many technicalities of the combat system. To defeat an enemy, its health must be reduced to 0.
Attack types
Slap
The main way Pikmin damage enemies is by slapping them with their stem. Unless thrown directly onto an enemy, a Pikmin will stand next to them, periodically jumping at the enemy to smack them with their stem before eventually latching on and dealing damage at a much faster rate. Some enemies, like Female Sheargrubs, are far too small to be latched onto but have a small enough health pool that they die quickly. Other enemies, like the Anode Beetle, are larger but still cannot be latched onto. Idle Pikmin will automatically begin hitting nearby enemies, obstacles, and eggs. In Pikmin and Pikmin 2, swarming an enemy will cause most of the involved Pikmin to latch onto it, if possible, and begin attacking. In Pikmin 3, Pikmin that are charged into an enemy will always immediately latch onto it if they make contact with it. However, Pikmin will still be unable to latch onto enemies that aren't much larger than they are. In Pikmin 3, the first hit that a Pikmin delivers to an enemy after latching on will inflict double damage. Maturity doesn't have an effect on how much damage a Pikmin does, but it does affect how swiftly they can move around.
In competitive modes like 2-Player Battle in Pikmin 2 and Bingo Battle in Pikmin 3, Pikmin can be commanded to harm other leaders or their Pikmin. This can be accomplished by throwing, swarming, or charging Pikmin into another player's leader or forces, although in 2-Player Battle, Pikmin merely need to be standing by the opposing leader or their Pikmin to initiate combat. In Pikmin, Captain Olimar can be latched onto and repeatedly struck by Mushroom Pikmin until he shakes them off of himself.
Each Pikmin will attack with a constant rhythm, and as a result, having more Pikmin on an enemy increases the rate of damage. Different Pikmin types deal different amounts of damage per hit in different games, as shown in the following table:
| Type | Damage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikmin | Pikmin 2 | Pikmin 3 | |
| Red Pikmin | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Yellow Pikmin | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Blue Pikmin | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Purple Pikmin | N/A | 20 | 15 |
| White Pikmin | N/A | 10 | 5 |
| Bulbmin | N/A | 10 | N/A |
| Rock Pikmin | N/A | N/A | 20[note 1] |
| Winged Pikmin | N/A | N/A | 5 |
When any type of Pikmin is under the effect of ultra-spicy spray, they will deal 10 damage per hit and attack much faster than normal. Petrified enemies will remain immobile until they either die or break out. Whilst petrified, normal enemies will have their defense reduced by 25%, while bosses will have their defense increased by 25%.
Purple Pikmin pound
- Main article: Purple Pikmin.
In Pikmin 2, when a Purple Pikmin is thrown onto an enemy, it will pound onto that enemy from above, dealing much more damage than a standard hit. For most enemies, this is 50 damage, though some enemies and objects only take 10 damage. Each pound also has a 30% chance of stunning an enemy for 5 seconds, though some enemies have a higher or lower chance.
White Pikmin poison
- Main article: White Pikmin.
When a White Pikmin is eaten by an enemy, that enemy will take damage from the White Pikmin's poison.
Rock Pikmin throw
- Main article: Rock Pikmin.
When Rock Pikmin are thrown directly at an enemy, instead of latching on and hitting it, they will bounce off it like a rock, dealing a high amount of damage. This damage varies by enemy, as every enemy has an internal value for the number of Rock Pikmin impacts it takes to defeat it. For example, a Bulborb has 1000 HP and takes 25 Rock Pikmin hits to kill, so each hit does 40 damage, whereas a Medusal Slurker has 750 HP and takes 10 Rock Pikmin hits to kill, so each hit does 75.
Punch
- Main article: Punch.
When a leader doesn't have any Pikmin in their squad, they can perform a punch. A punch deals 10 damage in Pikmin, 7.5 damage in Pikmin 2 (when the Rocket Fist is obtained, the third punch in a group of 3 will deal 18.75 damage), and 3 damage in Pikmin 3.
Bomb rock
- Main article: Bomb rock.
Bomb rocks can be used in combat. In Pikmin and Pikmin 3, they can be picked up and thrown, which will deal a variable amount of damage. While they cannot be picked up in Pikmin 2, they deal 500 points of damage in that game. A bomb rock inflicts much more damage to any enemy that ingests it versus being in the range of its explosion.
Taking damage
Leaders and Pikmin, too, can be damaged during combat. As with Pikmin, leaders can be bitten, knocked back, crushed, and suffer negative consequences for touching a harmful hazard. Leaders can collect upgrades, which can help protect them from damage. Depending on the game, leaders may be thrown back a distance and knocked to the ground after being damaged in a certain way. Such causes are taking consecutive hits, being nearly crushed, or touching certain hazards. Being crushed forces a leader to the ground immediately. Leaders eventually get up on their own, but rapidly twirling the control stick will make them get up faster.
Pikmin, although they do not necessarily have health, can be harmed. In Pikmin and Pikmin 2, Pikmin that are shaken off of an enemy have a chance of their maturities being reduced to the leaf stage upon hitting the ground. In Pikmin 3, Pikmin that are shaken off of an enemy or fall off of one will retain their maturities. In any Pikmin game, Pikmin that are shaken off of an enemy will briefly lie on the ground before getting up, but this is not always the case. Pikmin battling a Shaggy Long Legs that fall off one of its legs after picking the hairs off one of its joints will get up on their own, but Pikmin the creature shakes off normally will remain on the ground indefinitely until they are whistled, as bumping into them does nothing.
Flower-stage Pikmin that die in Pikmin have a chance of leaving behind a seed that becomes a sprout the following day and can be plucked. Hazards like fire, water, and poison will respectively cause all but Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, and White Pikmin to begin scrambling wildly with that corresponding hazard on the end of their stem. Enemies in Pikmin 2 that use electricity are arguably the deadliest, as electricity in that game can instantly kill Pikmin. Electricity in Pikmin 3, however, is harmless, only causing non-Yellow Pikmin that come in contact with it to be thrown back, onto the ground, paralyzed, until they are whistled.
Enemies have a variety of ways to harm or kill Pikmin, such as deflowering them, burying them, crushing them, eating them, or using another hazard against them. Pikmin that are in an enemy's mouth, but are not yet swallowed, can be saved by killing that enemy before it can swallow them. In Pikmin 2, enemies can be petrified with a dose of ultra-bitter spray to prevent them from eating any Pikmin they may have in their mouth. In Pikmin 3, if a Pikmin is thrown at a bulborb's eyes whilst it has Pikmin in its mouth, it will spit the Pikmin out. Most enemies have a limit on how many Pikmin they can harm or kill at once. Some enemies can also harm other enemies or themselves; a prime example is the Decorated Cannon Beetle, a creature that spits boulders which can be led into other enemies or even the creature that launched it.
Tactics
It's usually a good idea to pile as many Pikmin at once onto an enemy, maximizing the damage done to it as well as causing it to focus more on shaking off its attackers rather than eating them. Some enemies have weakspots, can only be attacked at a certain part of their body, or can only be attacked in a special way. As previously mentioned, bulborbs in Pikmin 3 can have Pikmin thrown at their eyes, which not only causes them to spit out Pikmin they have in their mouth but also causes them to flinch. The Toady Bloyster in Pikmin 2 is most usually attacked at its bulbous tail, but Purple Pikmin can pound its main body to cause damage. Some enemies, such as the Quaggled Mireclops, are only vulnerable at certain parts of its body: in this case, the creature's fleshy hooves and fruit-like head are the only vulnerable parts. Breadbugs and their larger counterpart cannot be swarmed, but Pikmin can be thrown onto their back to inflict damage. Smaller enemies such as dwarf bulborbs and most mandiblards can be killed instantly by throwing a single Pikmin onto its back.