Pikmin 2 FAQ/Walkthrough


Basics


Characters

Captain Olimar - The hero of the original Pikmin has returned to their planet in order to save his failing company.

Louie - Your stereotypical bumbling idiot, Louie botched a really important delivery, and needs to aid Olimar in rectifying his mistake.

President - The Prez of Hocotate Freight's looking to save his company from bankruptcy.

The Ship - Your new ship can talk, and it's got a lot of advice to dispense; disregard its yes-man disposition.


Controls

Start - Enter pause menu

Control stick - Move cursor/captain

A - Punch; pluck Pikmin; pick up/throw Pikmin; enter/exit caves

B - Call Pikmin

C-stick - Command Pikmin toward certain direction

X - Separate Pikmin/captains

Y - Switch captains

Z - Change camera angle (bird's-eye/third-person)

L - Center camera behind captain

R - Zoom in/out

D-pad up - Use ultra-bitter spray (stun enemy); switch leaf/bud/flower Pikmin (while holding one with A)

D-pad down - Use ultra-spicy spray (speeds up, strengthens Pikmin); switch leaf/bud/flower Pikmin (while holding one with A)

D-pad left/right - Switch Pikmin (while holding one with A)


The Pikmin

Red Pikmin- The first type you'll find. They're the best fighters, and are fire-resistant.

Purple Pikmin- One of two new type, these are basically sumo Pikmin. Each one has the strength and weight of 10 normal Pikmin, but are really slow.

White Pikmin- The other newcomers. These guys are really fast, poisonous and poison-resistant, and can dig up buried treasure when necessary.

Yellow Pikmin- These guys don't have bomb-rocks to hold anymore, but they're now resistant to electricity, and can still be thrown highest.

Blue Pikmin- They can swim.

Bulbmin - You'll find these Pikmin/Bulborb hybrids in caves. When you kill their leader, you can command them with your other Pikmin.

Walkthrough

While Olimar was trying to survive on Earth in Pikmin, his company, Hocotate Freight, had to send another employee, Louie, on a job delivering golden Pikpik carrots. Unfortunately, a huge space bunny devoured the entire load, and Hocotate Freight had to take out a loan of enormous proportions, starting them on the road to bankruptcy.

However, upon Olimar's return (shortly after his ship is reposessed), they discover that a simple souvenir from the other planet is worth a whole 100 pokos! The president of the company sends Olimar and Louie back to the planet to get enough treasure to repay the other 10,000 pokos. And thus our adventure begins...

Note: I was going to organize it so there was one section for each level, but I decided to make it so you could read straight through without hopping about (since you can't get everything at once in any level, except the last). Also, treasures will be listed in this manner:

Proper Name (what it is; ### pokos)

This walkthrough is not spoiler-free.


Valley Of Repose

-- The First Day --

You'll end up making a near-crash landing in the Valley of Repose, seperating Olimar from Louie. You'll start out as the former, and the ship will point out some Pikmin in battle. Call them over with B (you'll be instructed), then us the C-Stick to swarm the Bulborb and kill it. The ship will then find Louie, so press Y to switch to him.

Run up the slope to encounter the red Onion. Pluck the Pikmin that appears with A, then have it knock down all of the flowers around the Onion and produce more Pikmin. Once you've got 11, head down the other path (past the battery, which the ship will make a fuss over) to the paper bag. Throw all of your Pikmin on, then switch to Olimar and have him throw his on.

Reunited, have the Pikmin take the Bulborb to the Onion to produce just enough Pikmin to dig the battery out and carry it back to the ship; it will be appraised as the Courage Reactor (280 pokos). So ends day one.

-- All Proceeding Days --

The next day, take your Pikmin and gather more from all of the flowers in the area. Once you're done (you should have 42), take them to the other paper bag and flatten it. Swarm the Dwarf Red Bulborb to kill it, then sneak up behind the large Red Bulborb and throw Pikmin on its back unitl it dies (you shouldn't lose any). Take their bodies back for more Pikmin if you'd like, then go back and grab the Utter Scrap (crushed can; 170 pokos).

Take them all back and order them toward the stick wall to break it down. Head toward the hole in the ground and the ship will make a remark, then go up to it and press A to enter the Emergence Cave.

-- Emergence Cave --

Necessary Pikmin: red

Sublevel 1: Separate all the Pikmin and go up to the hole in the next area with just Olimar to see a cutscene (to prevent the beasts from getting your Pikmin). Go back and get them, then kill all of the beasts and bring them back to the pod (they're worth something), along with the Quenching Emblem (bottle cap; 100 pokos) and the Citrus Lump (orange; 180 pokos). Continue to the next floor.

Sublevel 2: Swarm two Bulborbs, then pass the globe (you need 101 Pikmin for it) and continue on until you reach the Violet Candypop Buds. Throw 5 Pikmin into each one, and they'll come out as purple Pikmin; each one has the strength of 10 Pikmin. Pluck them all, then go back and retrieve the Spherical Atlas (globe; 200 pokos), which will become the Sphere Chart and let you access the next area. Grab the rest of the beasts, then go to the geyser and press A to exit the cave.

--

Outside the cave again, the ship will make a big fuss, then the day will end. You're done getting treasure here until a bit later.


Awakening Wood

Upon landing, grab your red Pikmin and kill all of the Bulborbs in the area in front of the ship. Once that's done, get the Sunseed Berry (strawberry; 170 pokos) from the elevated area. Go up the slope near the ship and use the Pikmin to grab the berries from the plants there; ten of them will get you an Ultra-Spicy Spray that can temporarily strengthen and speed up your Pikmin. Go back and knock down the wall, then kill the enemy behind the wall by swarming it. Take the left path (watch out for the Creeping Chrysanthemum) and go right to find the Hole of Beasts.

-- Hole Of Beasts --

Necessary Pikmin: red, purple

Sublevel 1: A simple level. Go forward and kill the sheargrubs that appear, then grab the Stone Of Glory (d-pad; 100 pokos) and go on to the next floor.

Sublevel 2: Only things here are two more Violet Candypop Buds; get yourself 10 more purple Pikmin and head on down.

Sublevel 3: There are fire spouts all over the place; take your fire- resistant red Pikmin to disable them all, then get the Strife Monolith (Mah-Jong tile; 150 pokos) and the Cosmic Archive (floppy disk; 230 pokos).

Sublevel 4: You'll need your red Pikmin to take out fire spouts here. Kill the Bulborb here to get the Dream Architect (Game and Watch; 280 pokos), then get the Luck Wafer (playing card; 140 pokos) near the Candypop Bud (5 more purple Pikmin).

Sublevel 5: This'll be your first boss, the Empress Bulblax. Take your purple Pikmin and throw a few on her to wake her up. Throw some on her face; then call them off when she tries to shake them off. Once she starts shaking wildly, call them off and keep them off until she stops rolling around. She'll die eventually, and will leave behind the Prototype Detector (Love Tester; 200 pokos); the ship will derive from it the Treasure Gauge, which will alert you when treasure is near. Head outside.

--

Back out, head back along the path toward the Hole of Beasts, but instead of taking a left past the old wall, head forward and flatten the paper bag. Kill the enemy here, then head into the next cave, the White Flower Garden.

-- White Flower Garden --

Necessary Pikmin: red, purple

Sublevel 1: Watch out when throwing Pikmin around here, they can fall to their deaths. Swarm all of the sheargrubs around here, then grab the Alien Billboard (shoe polish; 80 pokos).

Sublevel 2: Go around with your red Pikmin and take out the [[Fiery Blowhogs]] here, then throw some Pikmin down (if necessary) to the Petrified Heart (jewel; 100 pokos) and grab the Drought Ender (bottle cap; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 3: Nothing here but three Ivory Candypop Buds; throw some red Pikmin into these to get white Pikmin back out. Once you've got 15, use your Treasure Gauge to track down a treasure, and the white Pikmin will dig it up. Haul the Superstick Textile (masking tape; 80 pokos) back to the pod.

Sublevel 4: Use your white Pikmin to take out the poison spouts, then grab the Survival Ointment (chapstick; 90 pokos) and the Toxic Toadstool (mushroom; 30 pokos).

Sublevel 5: Prepare yourself for the easiest boss fight ever. Take a smallish number of red Pikmin (like 25) into the next area, and the Burrowing Snagret should pop out. If he comes out all at once (up to the neck), run away. If he pokes his beak out, throw your Pikmin on him. Rinse and repeat. He'll go down like a sack of potatoes. You get from him the Five-man Napsack (glove; 100 pokos), which in turn becomes the Napsack; hold X to take a nap, and a couple of Pikmin will take you back ot the Onion. I, like most of the world, am mystified by what purpose this could possibly serve. humber_pig@hotmail.com suggests: "The nap function I have found very usefull it allows me to send one of the leaders back to the ship or onions with out leading him there. so I can continue useing the other one."

--

Once you're outside again, take your army (reds, purples, whites) and head back to where the White Flower Garden was. Have your white Pikmin break down the wall and destroy the poison spouts (note: it takes 15 Pikmin forever squared to knock down a wall). Go over to the blocks and throw a single red on the raised block, then stand on the lower one and throw all of the others on the ledge. The lower block will eventually rise, so call your Pikmin and head forward to some purple berries. Have some Pikmin gather these, and have a few more get the Chance Totem (die; 100 pokos) from the ledge. After a bit, the berries will grow back, so pick them again and you'll get a helping of Ultra-Bitter Spray to paralyze the enemy.

Get all of your Pikmin (don't forget that one red) and head back to the Hole of Beasts and go the opposite way at the T-split to find another poison wall; use whites to knock it down. Bring the rest along to roll out a bridge (watch out for a Creeping Chrysanthemum), and you can transport the Geographic Projection (globe; 200 pokos) to the ship, creating the Survey Chart and opening up The Perplexing Pool. This should exhaust your options for this area without yellow or blue Pikmin. No, you can't get the blue Pikmin yet.


The Perplexing Pool

This place seems like a later form of Pikmin's Distant Spring. Anyway, our first task is getting ourselves some yellow Pikmin. If you go forward a bit, the ship will alert you to their presence. Grab all your whites and maybe 50 reds. Go down the slope, then left. Sneak up on the Yellow Wollywog and throw Pikmin on until he turns around, then run. Your Pikmin will kill him by the time he lands. Continue on to the blocks; throw a red on one, throw the rest on the ledge. Take the Pikmin on the ledge and go forward to the [Fiery Bulblax]](if a Bumbling Snitchbug Snitchbug]] takes your Pikmin, throw more Pikmin on it, then swarm).

Separate your Pikmin and take your reds to the Bulblax, then continually throw them on until he dies. You can have reds haul stuff back if you want, then take your white Pikmin and knock down the poison wall. Once they're done, go forth alone to the tree with the yellow Pikmin; call them down, then have them get all of the yellow flowers here to generate a total of 24 yellows. Go back and get your reds, then take them past the entrance to the yellow Pikmin area, toward a Fiery Blowhog. Defeat it, then have them unfurl the bridge.

Take a few yellow Pikmin (10 at least) to the bridge and go toward the large stump near it. Go around until you're up higher, then throw the Pikmin up to the Impediment Scourge (bottle opener; 50 pokos) and they'll bring it back. Go back there with yellows, to the weird platforms, and go to the very left, near a ramp. Throw the yellow Pikmin up, then walk up the ramp. Carefully walk along the left edge until you come to a dead end, then throw the Pikmin up to the Gherkin Gate (pickle jar top; 100 pokos).

Go back once again with all of your yellow Pikmin and walk back toward where the blocks were, then knock down the nearby electric fence. Once it's all down, get some more Pikmin (reds, purples, maybe) and enter the Glutton's Kitchen.

-- Glutton's Kitchen --

Necessary Pikmin: yellow Recommended Pikmin: red, purple

Sublevel 1: Interesting level...anyway. Dwarf Bulbears are everywhere. kill them however you wish (I prefer throwing purples on them), then grab the Master's Instrument (crayon; 30 pokos).

Sublevel 2: The Breadbug makes his reapparance here. He'll try to steal your stuff, but if you swarm the item he's carrying you can drag him back to the ship and do serious damage (do not try this with Sheargrubs). Otherwise, just throw Pikmin on him. If he drags a Pikmin back to his hole, it will die, but if you kill the Breadbug, its hole will disappear, and sometimes treasure will come out. Grab the Imperative Cookie (swirly cookie; 25 pokos) and the Massive Lid (bottle cap; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 3: You'll want to run around with your yellows for a bit, destroying electric traps and killing Anode Beetles (throw them on). There's also a Puffy Blowhog, and more Breadbugs. Here's a strategy: kill anode beetle, bring it near ship, have Breadbug grab, swarm, kill Breadbug. One of the Breadbugs is holding a treasure, either the Harmonic Synthesizer (castanets; 120 pokos) or the Director Of Destiny (broken compass; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 4: Some Breadbugs are running around, as well as a Spotty Bulbear and some Dwarfs. Kill them off, and get the Happiness Emblem (bottle cap; 100 pokos); the Bulbear will come back to life unless you bring him to the ship quickly. There's also an Invigorator (coffee mug; 130 pokos) outside the boundaries a little, and a White Goodness (white chocolate; 60 pokos) up on a ledge; use yellows to get it.

Sublevel 5: Some Cannon Beetles are wandering about; using their rocks to kill enemies is always fun. Afterward, take care of them (throw Pikmin in front of them between rocks), then collect the Boom Cone (party hat; 100 pokos) and the Sulking Antenna (portable antenna; 150 pokos).

Sublevel 6: The boss level pits you against a Giant Breadbug. You can lure him back to your ship, as always, but use only yellows due to the electric traps and beetles; two whacks will do it. Also kill the Anode Beetles and Breadbugs or cash and perhaps treasure. Treasures here include the Hideous Victual (egg; 100 pokos), the Sweet Dreamer (donut; 40 pokos), the Meat Of Champions (ham; 35 pokos), and the Dream Material (eraser; 100 pokos) which comes out of the Giant Breadbug. This will give you the Anti-Electrifier, making you invincible to electric attacks. Once done, leave.

--

Okay, you're back outside. There's a cave right next to the landing site, the Citadel of Spiders. Get some reds, whites, yellows, and purples and head in.

-- Citadel of Spiders --

Necessary Pikmin: red, yellow Recommended Pikmin: white

Sublevel 1: Not much here; some Sheargrubs, and some Skitter Leaf enemies (throw one Pikmin on and it dies). The only treasure around is the Love Nugget (tomato; 40 pokos).

Sublevel 2: I recommend running around with reds to take out the flame traps. There are a couple of Yellow Wollywogs around, not too much trouble; one's holding a Creative Inspiration (bottle cap; 100 pokos). Some Fiery Dweevils (spiders) will be lurking about, picking up treasures. Get the Lip Service (lipstick; 50 pokos) and the Paradoxical Enigma (duck head; 80 pokos). Break down the wall to get to the exit.

Sublevel 3: A level for yellows. Anode Beetles and Bumbling Snitchbugs abound. The treasures are the Patience Tester (water chestnuts can; 130 pokos) and the Memorial Shell (shell; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 4: We've got some Water Dumples going round that pretty much instantly kill Pikmin; I used Olimar to kill them. I also used him to kill the crab-thing (lure him out, attack his butt). Otherwise, fire spouts make red Pikmin excellent for exploring. You can find a Flame of Tomorrow (matchbox; 10 pokos), and there's a Time Capsule (locket; 70 pokos) somewhere, and one of the crabs is holding a King of Sweets (dark chocolate; 15 pokos).

Sublevel 5: This final level pits you against a Beady Longlegs. About 15 Pikmin (try not to use whites) should suffice. Take them and throw them on his body when he rests, then call them off before he spins. Don't let him squish your Pikmin. He'll drop The Key (key; 100 pokos), which will unlock Challenge Mode. Use your white Pikmin to dig up a Regal Diamond (diamond; 100 pokos) on a ledge, then leave.

--

You're done with the Perplexing Pool for now. You should have about 5000 pokos by now.


Return To Awakening Wood

With yellows in tow, you can finally get the blue Pikmin. Grab all of your whites from the ship (and others, if you have less than 20) and go left of the ship to the flowerpots. Go around to the slope and go up, then throw whites into the upper pot to uncover the Pilgrim Bulb (bulb; 55 pokos); throw yellows onto it to get it down. Once it's back, put the whites away and grab all the yellows, then head toward the two caves (swarm the mold if it's there). On the way, you'll pass a stump with a Healing Cask (Carmex lip baum; 60 pokos); throw some yellows up to bring it back. Go back when they're done and head toward the White Flower Garden.

Separate the Pikmin and go through the water alone, then use Olimar to kill the Burrow-nit near the electric fence. Go back and throw the yellows onto the ledge, then have them knock down the electric fence (you might want to throw them on). Go through and whistle the blue Pikmin off of the enemy, then have them kill it (not easy). Collect all of the flowers/enemies here to get max Pikmin, then have them return the Decorative Goo (paint tube; 80 pokos) to the ship.

Once there, take out all the whites and purples, then put back yer blues (e-mail me if you get that reference and I'll put your name here - first five only!) and all but 20 yellows and take out as many reds as you can. Take only your blues toward the wall that's in the water (to the right of the path to the other two caves). Have them break the rock in the ground to drain the water, then take all your Pikmin over to break the wall. Go forward and throw your yellows up to break the electric fence, then take the other Pikmin up to the entrance via the stump bridge on the other side. Enter the Bulblax Kingdom.

-- Bulblax Kingdom --

Necessary Pikmin: red, yellow, white Recommended Pikmin: purple

Sublevel 1: There's a red Candypop Bud here, but who cares. Kill off the orange Bulborbs by throwing Pikmin on its back when it's facing away (purples are always nice for this); you can lure it out if you want, then it'll turn around when it gives up on you. You can kill it with Olimar if you want, but it takes a while without the Rocket Fist from later. One of them has the Crystal Clover (emerald broach; 150 pokos).

Sublevel 2: This here's red Pikmin country. Fiery Dweevils and flame spouts abound; take them out and collect the Tear Stone (gemstone; 150 pokos). It may be up on the high ledge; to get it, throw reds onto the lower end, then go into the alcove, call them and direct them to the treasure, and they'll probably take out the flame spouts as well.

Sublevel 3: Nothing here can kill you, luckily, but dang, those Blowhogs are annoying. Approach them from behind and throw Pikmin on to kill them without losing flowers. You can turn 5 reds into whites here, but you probably won't need that many to dig up the Olimarnite Shell (seashell; 40 pokos).

Sublevel 4: You can turn 10 reds to purples here, and you'll want to for later. We've got some Anode Beetles here for yellows to kill, plus some electric traps, a gold Flint Beetle, and a gray Wollywog, the latter two of which hold the Unknown Merit (tablet; 100 pokos) and the Crystal King (crystal; 110 pokos).

Sublevel 5: More Orange Bulborbs. There's an Anxious Sprout (closed pinecone; 50 pokos) to be dug up here, but watch out for the falling bomb-rocks, unless you're using them to kill Bulborbs.

Sublevel 6: Still more Orange Bulborbs here, and they've thrown in some Fiery Dweevils to annoy me. There's red and purple Candypop Buds here; I would use the latter. Bomb-rocks still fall around here, near treasures sometimes, so keep on your toes. You can get the Colossal Fossil (skull; 140 pokos) here, and an Orange Bulborb holds the Eternal Emerald Eye (emerald broach; 150 pokos).

Sublevel 7: Here you're fighting a fairly watered-down Emperor Bulblax that you can actually defeat in seconds. Use reds to disarm the traps leading up to him, then take purples and reds and throw them between its eyes (as always, start with purples). Keep throwing, and he'll die with no trouble at all. If you fail, run away and he'll go back to sleep; if you have to, throw Pikmin onto his face and watch out for his tongue. He'll leave behind the Forged Courage (robot; 100 pokos), which will turn into the Scorch Guard, which makes you invincible to fire. Once that is stored, knock down the far wall, then take reds along the right side and throw them onto the ledge. Go up the slope, then call them over to collect the Gyroid Bust (statue; 250 pokos). Leave via the geyser.

--

Back outside, you'll need an army with at least 31 blues and all of your whites. Head to where you got the Geographic Projection (left at the Hole of Beasts) and keep going to the water. Use the blues to take out the Wollywog and unfurl the bridge. Have the whites unfurl the poison bridge and destroy the poison flumes, then take out the other Wollywog.

Take the blues and both captains over to the block next to the wall, then throw at least 15 Pikmin on it, but it must be less than half of the blues (no going 50-50). Put one captain on with them, then take the other captain and throw the rest of the blues on the other block near the bridge. Switch back to the other captain and throw the blues up to the Air Brake (shuttlecock; 100 pokos) and bring it back, completing the above-ground treasure hunt here.

Return to the poison bridge with an all-typed army of 76 Pikmin (you can get 24 from Queen Candypops in the cave). Take only about 15-20 agile ones (and by agile, I mean not purple) over to fight a Burrowing Snagret. Once he's gone, knock down the wall and enter the Snagret Hole.

-- Snagret Hole --

Necessary Pikmin: yellow, blue, white Recommended Pikmin: red, purple

Sublevel 1: Some Sheargrubs are around here, and these can actually kill your Pikmin, so be quick in killing them. Kill off the Orange Bulborb to get the Crystallized Telekinesis (marble; 120 pokos), then go up the long path to get the Levaithan Feather (feather; 10 pokos) and go down.

Sublevel 2: Bunch of enemies here, including Creeping Chrysanthemums, Burrow-nits and Sheargrubs. Take them out and collect the Combustion Berry (strawberry; 190 pokos) and the Taste Sensation (sushi; 40 pokos). There's a white Candypop Bud here, too, if you want to utilize it.

Sublevel 3: There's two Burrowing Snagrets around here; this should be easy for you by now, and one's got a Meat Satchel (hot dog; 40 pokos). Kill the Swooping Snitchbug, then knock down walls to get eggs with nectar.

Sublevel 4: There are lots of enemies around here, and they can be killed off by boulders from the Cannon Beetles. Finish those off when you're done and grab the Heavy-duty Magnetizer (magnet; 150 pokos), then take out the electric traps and collect the Crystallized Telepathy (marble; 120 pokos) and the Cupid's Grenade (cherry; 20 pokos).

Sublevel 5: Your treasure antenna's going nuts here; take out the Antenna Beetle to fix this and get the Emperor Whistle (whistle; 75 pokos). Dwarf Bulborbs are raining from the sky; kill them off to get the Crystallized Clairvoyance (marble; 120 pokos).

Sublevel 6: Lots of water and poison flumes around here. Another two Burrowing Snagrets are here, one with a Triple Sugar Threat (stick candy; 60 pokos); I suggest using blue Pikmin to kill them. Another Antenna Beetle's running around, along with a Bulborb holding a Stupendous Lens (binoculars; 120 pokos). Also around is the Salivatrix (yogurt top; pokos) and the Science Project (clover; 20 pokos). Can't forget a Queen Candypop; I recommend blues for the treasure hunting here, and for later. There's also a blue Candypop Bud, in case you need more for the yogurt top.

Sublevel 7: The boss here is a Pileated Snagret; it's like a Burrowing Snagret, except it pops out fully and hops after you. You'll have to get quite far away for it to go back in the ground (or else run behind it). Takes longer, too. It'll drop the Justice Alloy (robot; 100 pokos), which will become the Metal Suit Z, making the captains more damage-resistant. More Queen Candypops are hanging around; go for blues.

--

You're done with the Awakening Wood, as far as I can tell.


Return To Valley Of Repose

This level is why we wanted all the blues from the last level. Take all of your blues and as many whites as you can and head to the Emergence Cave (kill the Bulborbs if you want). Take the blues and knock down the wall in the water, then destroy the rock plug to the right, draining the water. Once that's done, take the whites to the other side of the former pond and have them dig up and bring back the Spiny Alien Treat (flower bud; 50 pokos). Take your blues and kill the enemies in the water, then unfurl the bridge that's so high up. Go back to the pond and find the narrow path. Take about 20 blues through to defeat the Burrowing Snagret there, then have the whites dig up a Pink Menace (ring; 100 pokos).

That done, take some reds, yellows and whites up past the bridge, then take out some of the nearby creatures (the Cannon Beetle can help you out). Follow the right wall to a poison wall and break it with whites. Go up the hill and enter the Subterranean Complex.

-- Subterranean Complex --

Necessary Pikmin: red, yellow, white

Sublevel 1: Couple of Snowy Bulborbs here, some poison flumes. Bumbling Snitchbugs, too, that will try to grab the captains and injure them; throw some Pikmin on, then swarm. The Exhausted Superstick (tape; 50 pokos) should be semi-buried here, and there's a fully buried Nouveau Table (telephone dialer; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 2: We've got Snitches, Careening Dirigibugs and bomb-rocks everywhere; make sure you don't throw Pikmin off the edge trying to kill them all. Especially dangerous are falling bomb-rocks; they're all over the entire cave. Grab the Network Mainbrain (NCL tube; 100 pokos) and the Spirit Flogger (gear; 70 pokos).

Sublevel 3: Armored Cannon Beetles are hanging around here; try to get them to kill one another, since one of them has the Superstrong Stabilizer (bolt; 60 pokos). There's also flame spouts around here for your reds to take out. Collect the Coiled Launcher (spring; 70 pokos) and the Omega Flywheel (gear; 60 pokos).

Sublevel 4: No treasure here, just white Candypop Buds. Maybe some sprays in the eggs.

Sublevel 5: All that's around here is a ridiculous amount of bomb-rocks and bomb Dweevils. Make sure to explore everything with a Pikmin before you send them in to collect the Adamantine Girdle (nut; 70 pokos) and the Mystical Disc (clock face; 75 pokos).

Sublevel 6: This level sports poison flumes, Anode Beetles, Dweevils (who can pick up treasure, and sometimes will walk off the edge - the treasure will reappear next to you) and Careening Dirigibugs. Take out as much as you can before collecting the Repair Juggernaut (bolt; 85 pokos), the Vacuum Processor (FEE tube; 100 pokos) and the Space Wave Receiver (TV dial; 80 pokos).

Sublevel 7: More Careening Dirigibugs and bomb-rocks, but the new addition is a cannon enemy called a Gattling Groink. He'll come back to life after a while, and holds the Indomitable CPU (cathode ray tube; 100 pokos). Draw his fire with one captain (he can't hurt you) as the other throws Pikmin on until he dies. There's also a Furious Adhesive (red tape; 60 pokos) and a Thirst Activator (bottle top; 300 pokos).

Sublevel 8: The level for collecting purple Pikmin. You can get 15 each time you come here. This is where you'll want to return when you need 100 purples.

Sublevel 9: Start off by hiding all but your reds carefully away in a corner with one captain. The boss for this cave is an annoying creature called Man-at-Legs. It's like Beady Long-legs, but with a bloody laser. Luckily, it's low-lying, so it shouldn't be too hard to take cover behind something when it fires. Stay near it so it hangs around the raised center, which lets you throw Pikmin on it more easily when it rests. You'll obtain the Stellar Orb (lightbulb; 100 pokos), from which you'll get the Solar System, which lights up the dark caves (notice the difference).

--

(Note: at this point I had earned back the 10,000 pokos. Once this happens, you can return to the planet, but since you left Louie behind, the President will join you instead. And your ship's got some fancy gold plating. Lastly, the Piklopedia, Treasure List and treasure counters list the total number as well.)

Back outside, there's still plenty more to do. Take out a bunch of blues and about 30 yellows and head across the bridge again. Leave the Pikmin and take just the captains over to the left; kill the Cannon Beetle, then head forward into the water and kill the Fiery Bulblax (I hope you have the Scorch Guard; if not, lure him into the water). Take your blue Pikmin to collect the Temporal Mechanism (watch; 110 pokos), then take your yellows past the pond and throw them onto a ledge near the Fossilized Ursidae (bear statue; 160 pokos); there'll be a slope to the right that you should go to to throw your Pikmin.

Bring the blues back and follow the path between the Subterranean Complex and where the Fiery Bulblax was. Follow the path until you come to the slope, then leave your Pikmin behind while you take out the Cannon Beetle. Once it's gone, bring the blues up and throw them to the Unspeakable Wonder (crown; 120 pokos). You've collected all of the above-ground treasure now, so take an army of 80 Pikmin (you can get 20 from the next cave) of all colors past that slope and have them kill the Puffy Blowhog. Unroll the bridge and enter the Frontier Cavern.

-- Frontier Cavern --

Necessary Pikmin: red, yellow, blue, purple, white

Sublevel 1: Snowy Bulborbs are hanging around, alogn with a Doodlebug that farts poison, so keep on your toes (you can whistle Pikmin out of danger if poisoned). Have the whites dig up the fully buried Essence of Rage (ruby; 70 pokos) and the Essential Furnishing (ornament; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 2: Lots of Bulborbs around, along with Cannon Beetles that will gladly off them for you. Get rid of the enemies, then collect the Icon of Progress (boot; 85 pokos) and the Joy Receptacle (gift; 60 pokos).

Sublevel 3: Here you'll have your first encounter with the Bulbmin. If you kill the leader, the others will scatter about; if you whistle to them, they'll hang around and do your bidding. They are omni-resistant. Anyway, there's a Bulbear wandering around that's holding the Danger Chime (bell; 120 pokos). He'll regenerate after a while, so bring him back. Otherwise, we've got various traps to take care of, and dig up the Gemstar Husband (ring; 100 pokos) and collect the Fleeting Art Form (candle; 75 pokos).

Sublevel 4: Yellows and Bulbmin will be useful here, for there are a lot of Anode Beetles and Snitchbugs of both kinds. Treasures include the Omniscient Sphere (marble; 85 pokos) and the Innocence Lost (star; 100 pokos).

Sublevel 5: This level is a nice relief; those stone things, Mamutas, look mean, but all they'll do is replant your Pikmin. You can flower them that way, if you want. Also try to kill the butterflies, and remember to change your Bulbmin to another color (preferably purple) so you can take them out of the cave. There is a water Dweevil here, but he's no problem. One of the Mamuta's packing the Brute Knuckles (fist; 100 pokos), which will give you the Rocket Punch, making the captains' punches more powerful.

Sublevel 6: More Bulbmin to collect here, and the Cannon Beetles can help to take out enemies, so go around with a captain first. Blues and Bulbmin will be needed to collect the Priceless Statue (black queen; 80 pokos) and the Worthless Statue (white king; 80 pokos); Bulbmin especially will be necessary to take out fire traps. To get to the exit, take some with one captain to the exit while leaving the rest with the other captain.

Sublevel 7: You should turn your Bulbmin into whites on this level. I recommend wandering around the whole level with a couple of Pikmin to discharge the falling rocks and other things. Once that's done, take out the Bulborbs and collect the Spouse Alert (bell; 120 pokos) and the Flame Tiller (yo-yo; 120 pokos).

Sublevel 8: It's the return of Empress Bulblax. She's not sleeping anymore; now, she's creating larvae that will kill your Pikmin pretty much instantly. Luckily, they also die pretty much instantly. Take the purples you brought and head up the path to the Empress, but when larvae show up, dismiss your Pikmin and punch them out. Once you've gotten to the Empress' face, throw the purples on until she dies, like last time. You'll have to stop every now and then to handle larvae, but luckily she'll kill some of them off with her rolling around. After she's gone, get rid of the remaining larvae, then collect the Repugnant Appendage (shoe; 100 pokos). You'll get the Rush Boots, letting you run faster.

--

Make a note of the purple Pikmin you have now. If you have less than 85 (I did), you may want to go through the Subterranean Complex a few times up to level 8; bring one red Pikmin along, and you can get 15 purples per go. Otherwise, you're finished with the Valley of Repose.


3.6 - Return To The Perplexing Pool


3.7 - Wistful Wild