Pikmin 3

Arctic Cannon Larva

Revision as of 18:34, November 24, 2014 by Scittery Leaves23 (talk | contribs) (Behavior, Strategy)
Arctic Cannon Larva Icon used to represent the enemy on the wiki.
Artwork of the Arctic Cannon Larva from Pikmin 3.
Appears in Pikmin 3
Scientific name Unknown
Family Lithopod
Areas Distant Tundra
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages Silver Lake Remix
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages Silver Lake, Distant Tundra Remix
Side Story days None
Bingo Battle stages None
Attacks Launches snowballs

Arctic Cannon Larvae (ユキフタクチ?, lit.: "Snow Top-Mouth") are enemies in Pikmin 3. They are bright green, with a lavender underbelly, and a variant of Armored Cannon Beetle Larvae accustomed to cold conditions.

Unlike their rock-spitting relatives, Arctic Cannon Larvae launch giant snowballs. While mostly equivalent to boulders in functionality, snowballs are incapable of killing Pikmin, instead simply picking them up and carrying them along until they crash into something; Winged Pikmin won't even be picked up, only knocked back. Captains will be picked up as well, which also traps them until the snowball is destroyed. As a result, the creature is annoying at best, and is only a threat if the Pikmin it rolls away end up next to some other enemy or hazard without the player noticing, but can be killed with relative ease by any Pikmin type.

Notes

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

"The Arctic Cannon Larva is a large, burrowing creature that attacks by launching large Snowballs at its enemies. These Snowballs won't damage your Pikmin directly, but they are capable of incapacitating your Pikmin or carrying them into hazards. When you encounter an Arctic Cannon Larva, dodge its attacks and flank the creature. Throw a steady stream of Rock Pikmin into the creature's back, or send your entire squad charging in to attack."

Behavior

The Arctic Cannon Larva will either emerge from the ground when a Captain or Pikmin is extremely close to it, or it will emerge from a distance and consistently shoot snowballs to hinder the group. In most cases, it will behave the former way, and only a few, notably used in puzzles at the Distant Tundra, will perform the latter. In all cases, the Arctic Cannon Larva behaves the same up-close; it will try to roll its attackers away with snowballs and buck any Pikmin off if they latch onto it. During a battle, it will likely burrow underground, or attempt to, as many times as it can, and when it re-emerges, any Captains or Pikmin standing above will be launched into the air and temporarily immobilized.

Strategy

Template:Subjective Although harmless, the Arctic Cannon Larva can be quite the nuisance. Any Pikmin type can be used to take it down. Simply charge at the Lithopod with your squad and, with time, it will be defeated. Although all Pikmin can get shaken off by its bucking attack, Winged Pikmin are immune to its snowballs, making them slightly more effective for long battles.

To maximize the offensive output, send only a few Pikmin to attack it, and when you realize that it's getting ready to buck them away, send the remainder of your Pikmin to charge at it. This will cause them to attack while the creature is busy blowing a snowball, giving more time for the Pikmin to attack without getting shaken off.

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
  Japanese ユキフタクチ?
Yukifutakuchi
"Snow Top-Mouth". "ユキ?" means "snow", "ふた?" means "top", and "?" means "mouth".