Plasm Wraith

Plasm Wraith
	File:Plasmwraith.jpg
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Unknown
Family	unknown
Areas	Formidable Oak
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	None
Side Story days	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Spew gold liquid; Crush Pikmin; Electrocute Pikmin; Drown Pikmin; Burn Pikmin; Eat Pikmin

The Plasm Wraith is the final boss of Pikmin 3, and is responsible for capturing Captain Olimar. It resembles an amorphous, ominous, golem-like being similar to the Waterwraith made completely out of a golden plasmic substance. It is virtually featureless aside from a torso, two stumpy legs, short, asymmetrical arm-like structures that can stretch, and a hole in the middle of where its "face" would be, which seems to act as both an eye and mouth.

As with most final bosses, the path leading up to it, as well as the boss fight itself, requires knowledge and the utilization of every Pikmin type.

First Encounter and the Chase

Just like in the first Pikmin game, the level the Plasm Wraith is fought in the Formidable Oak, the level that is entirely devoted to its battle. Upon walking up the termite mound-like structure by the landing site, the player and their Pikmin will proceed to attack the small Plasm Wraith in order to save the unconscious Olimar. The being will collapse into a lifeless puddle and the player can escape down into the nearby cave with Olimar. However, entering the cave causes the being to shapeshift into a massive Goolix-like creature called the Mysterious Life Form, which will chase the player down the chasm. The player must stay ahead of it while overcoming the various obstacles present within the chasm in order to safely escape. There are a few notes that the player should take at this point...

The Mysterious Life Form is impossible to defeat or get around, so the player must always move forward.
There are multiple paths the player can take, so take whichever is easier to overcome.
Many of the paths in the chasm are circles, so, while the Alph and Charlie are figuring out the puzzle, Brittany can go around in circle to distract the Mysterious Life Form.
Every enemy in the chasm are illusions created by the Mysterious Life Form; when killed, they disintegrate into gold.
The Mysterious Life Form and the Pikmin carrying Olimar will always follow Brittany; this can be utilized to buy time.
It is best to use 10 flowered Pink Pikmin to carry Olimar, as they will be fast and can cross gaps and do not require bridges. However, if you do use Pink Pikmin, make sure you clear Spiderwebs using Alph or Charlie BEFORE Brittany arrives, or the Pink pikmin will get stuck and drop Olimar.
If the beast manages to get hold of Olimar by any chance, it will stop following Brittany and try to leave the cave via a hole found at the beginning of the level (Pictured on the right).
The mysterious life form can't go into water, so it is best to move Brittany into the water to prevent it from getting Olimar.
when brittany is in the water and the pikmin (flying or blue) who are carring Olimar, the mysterious life form will continue to pursuit Brittany even though it can't get to her, but it will roam the whole dark area so keep Alph, Charlie and their pikmin out of its way

After the player successfully escapes the chasm, they will appear in an arena outside. After the Mysterious Life Form gets to the exit as well, it transforms into the Plasm Wraith, inhales Olimar, and the final battle begins.

Strategy

When the Mysterious Life Form transforms into the Plasm Wraith and recaptures Olimar, it is best to call all your Pikmin and end the day, coming back the next so that you have more time for the battle. All types of Pikmin can be utilised for specific parts of the fight, although none are specifically required. You can take 20 of each Pikmin for the battle, although it may be better to bring 25 Reds, Yellows, Blues and Rocks, as Winged Pikmin will be the least useful.

Upon entering the arena, the Plasm Wraith will begin slowly walking toward the player and their Pikmin. When close enough, it will extend thin, needle-like arms from its "shoulders" to skewer Pikmin, raise them to the hole in its head and "eat" them. Rock Pikmin are immune to this attack. Throwing any Pikmin at its body will do damage to it. However, its health meter differs from all other creatures in the Pikmin world in that it is a beveled-gold color, rendering it more difficult to tell exactly how much health the boss has lost.

It will not actively attack Pikmin, instead, he will follow the captains and attack when they are close. You can seperate the captains as a distraction, with one captain handling all the Pikmin. It is unwise to attack it head-on, as he will not be phased by attacks, and can easily kill the Pikmin. Instead, throw just a few Pikmin at it, preferably it's backside, until it tries to shake Pikmin off by twisting it's body. This will cause gold liquid to fly off of its body. Throw Pikmin at the liquid, or free your Pikmin inside the goo, the latter is not recommended however, as the Plasm Wraith follows captains specifically, and Pikmin in range will be killed. The Pikmin will destroy the liquid, which will hurt it. As the Pikmin attack the gold liquid, throw a few Pikmin at it, repeating the process.

After a quarter of health is depleted, the boss will attack by spewing large masses of liquid gold onto the arena, then spitting out a solid cube of gold. The mass will form around this solid cube and take on the form of an element to guard it. If the boss spits out a cube, quickly call all Pikmin away from it. It has many forms, each of which can only be killed with certain Pikmin types...

The gold will protect the cube in a bubble of water. Only Blue Pikmin can break it.
The gold will turn molten and surround the floor with fire. Only Red Pikmin can break it.
The gold will form a spike underneath the cube, setting it high up in the air. The cube will them generate an electric barrier around it and the gold. Only Yellow Pikmin can break it.
The gold will turn into a glass cube that slowly tumbles around the stage, crushing Pikmin. Only Rock Pikmin can break it.
The boss itself can also become airborne, a state during which only Winged Pikmin can reach it.

Once the Elemental Plasm has been destroyed, any type of Pikmin can be used to destroy the bits of gold matter still left on the floor. The more gold the boss uses, the smaller and faster it becomes. At this time, the boss will also be capable of healing itself by bringing gold liquid that is on the ground back to it. Any cubes will dissolve before this, and the element surrounding it turns back to goo. After a while, it is able to drop multiple cubes. Attack one at a time, and make sure there are no idle Pikmin near them.

After its health depletes by 3/4, the boss can become airborne. It can only be reached by Winged Pikmin in this state, but the boss usually stays airborne for 5-15 seconds. When airborne, it will not move from its spot, so as long as no Pikmin are near it, they will not be killed. However, it can turn around, even when attacking. It also cannot kill Pikmin directly under it. If the boss is hit with Winged Pikmin, it may fall down and struggle to get up, which can give you an opening for attack.

Once its health is down to red, you can give your Pikmin a Super-Spicy Spray and send all your Pikmin to attack It. Since the Onion is right beside the battlefield, you may go and deposit all your Pikmin, and pull out all your Red Pikmin and 5 winged Pikmin first, as Red Pikmin do more damage, and Winged Pikmin will knock it down from the air. When near death, it becomes very small in stature, and will hardly be able to attack your Pikmin. Once it "dies", it expells a gold cube, which dissolves to reveal Olimar inside, and the remaining gold on the floor crawls away and retreats back into the cave.

Trivia

Even though the Plasm Wraith is defeated, it is revealed to still be alive in the final cutscene. One can notice this because the small trail of gold-like remains after its defeat slowly moves away from the site.
The Plasm Wraith and its previous form, the Mysterious Life Form (Japanese Amebouzu), may have been inspired by the Umibouzu, a Japanese cryptid that snatches treasures and captains from their ships, and then crashes the ships. Both creatures are described as having similar traits.
The Plasm Wraith is the first final boss in the Pikmin series to have multiple phases.
The Plasm Wraith bears a resemblance to some bosses in the Pikmin series: In its final form, it resembles the Waterwraith from Pikmin 2. It also has a phase when it resembles the Goolix from Pikmin.
When idle, the Plasm Wraith's right "shoulder" is longer than the left, making it one of the two abnormally-asymmetric creature in the Pikmin series, the other being the Mamuta.
In Olimar's Data File entry about the Plasm Wraith, he states the creature has been stalking him since he first crashed, and that every time he tries to evade, the creature does something to him that makes him pass out, then takes him all the way back to Formidable Oak, where it cares for him. This mother-like attitude is the reason the Wraith attacks the captains trying to rescue Olimar from it.
The mysterious life form can't enter water, so its best to move Brittany and her pikmin (blue or flying) into the water to protect Olimar.
The Plasm Wraith's Final Form somewhat resembles ancient Venus sculptures.