Obstacle

A cardboard box in Pikmin 3, the first and one of the most basic obstacles found in the series.

An obstacle is anything that stands in the way of the Pikmin and their leaders until it has been cleared or overcome. There are several obstacles of different types scattered across the areas of all games, and usually, the Pikmin must work together to clear them effectively. At times, obstacles do not block a path, but clearing them normally yields a shortcut or a reward of some sort.

List of obstacles

Icon	Name	Description	Games
Icon	Name	Description	Pikmin	Pikmin 2	Pikmin 3	Hey! Pikmin
	Arachnode web	Arachnodes often build their webs in the carrying routes of Winged Pikmin. If Winged Pikmin carry something into the web, they will let go of the object and become stuck.	No	No	Yes	No
	Bamboo gate	Gates that must be held open with Winged Pikmin.	No	No	Yes	No
	Bloominous Stemple	Large, white plants that react to light, and act as platforms. They only bloom when there is an active light nearby.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Boulder	Boulders drop from the sky, and crush Pikmin they fall on.	No	Yes	No*	No
	Bouncy Mushroom	Bouncy Mushrooms let leaders and Pikmin bounce to otherwise inaccessible places.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Bramble gate	Bramble gates act like walls, completely blocking off an area. They can be torn down in a gradual process, until they are fully opened. There are multiple types of bramble gates.	Yes	Yes	No	No
File:Brick wall icon.png	Brick wall	Rare walls that can only be destroyed with iron balls.	No	No	Yes	No
	Bridge	Unbuilt bridges can be found on the ledge of some gaps, and Pikmin must build the bridge in order to pass through.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Burgeoning Spiderwort mold	Some form of mold that stops the growth of Burgeoning Spiderworts.	No	Yes	No	No
	Buried treasure, fruit or Sparklium Seeds	While not technically an obstacle, some treasures are found underground, and White Pikmin are needed to clear the dirt and unearth them. Some fruits can also be found buried, but any Pikmin can dig them out, with Yellow Pikmin doing so faster.	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Cardboard box	Cardboard boxes block the path to certain areas, and must be pushed out of the way with a minimum number of Pikmin.	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Climbing stick	Sticks used to climb to higher places. They must be extended first.	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Clipboard	Boards with handles on them. Clipboards often cover objects, and they need 8 Winged Pikmin to lift it.	No	No	Yes	No
	Clog	Some pools of water can be drained by destroying clogs.	No	Yes	No	Yes
	Cobblestone block	Blocks made of stone, that can be destroyed by bomb rocks only.	No	No	No	Yes
	Conveyor belt	Metallic belts that roll in a direction, carrying things on top of them.	No	No	Yes	No
	Crystal nodule	Crystal pebbles used by Skutterchucks as ammo.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Crystal wall	Walls made of glass, destructible using Rock Pikmin.	No	No	Yes	No
	Dam	A stick over a river that blocks the progression of lily pads.	No	No	Yes	No
	Dirt block	This obstacle prevents the player from making progress in an area. It simply needs to be destroyed by throwing a Pikmin at it.	No	No	No	Yes
	Dirt mound	Mounds of dirt that hold small items, which can be revealed by sending Pikmin to dig in it.	No	No	Yes	No
	Dirt wall	Simple walls made of dirt, similar to bramble gates.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Electric gate	Gates covered in electrical current, meaning only Yellow Pikmin can destroy it.	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Electrical wire	Two cut bits of electrical wiring with exposed conductors. They create an arc of electricity from time to time.	No	Yes	No	No
	Electrode	An open circuit that needs Yellow Pikmin to close it. Upon closing the circuit, a light activates.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Elevator platform	Boxes attached to ropes that act similar to seesaw blocks.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Fire geyser	Geysers poking out of the ground or ceiling that shoot fire at regular intervals.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Flames	Flames that prevent Olimar from making progress in an area, until they are smothered out.	No	No	No	Yes
	Flukeweed	Pink, curly plants that are attached to buried objects. Winged Pikmin can lift these objects up.	No	No	Yes	No
	Fragments	Pieces of broken objects found in piles that are used to build bridges. Pikmin deliver them to the bridge, until all fragments have been delivered.	No	No	Yes	Yes
File:Gas pipe icon.png	Gas pipe	Pipes sticking out of the ground that emit clouds of poison.	No	Yes	No	No
	Geyser	Water geysers in the first and third Pikmin games allow access to newer areas, but may need to be activated first.	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Hay	A bundle of hay acts similar fragments. Hay is used to build ramps.	No	No	Yes	No
	High ledges	Some ledges are too high for regular Pikmin to reach, and can only be reached by Yellow Pikmin or Winged Pikmin.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Hydroe bramble	Long bramble with thorns that block the way and move in specific patterns. Pikmin that touch one of these get killed, and there is no way to remove them.	No	No	No	Yes
File:Icicle-like crystal.png	Icicle-like crystal	Some crystals look and act like icicles, and will fall on Olimar when he goes under one of them.	No	No	No	Yes
	Iron ball	Large spheres that can be pushed by a certain number of Pikmin, until they roll off a cliff.	No	No	Yes	No
	Iron block	Blocks of iron that need to be pushed by Pikmin in order to progress in an area.	No	No	No	Yes
	Kingcap	Large, red spotted mushrooms that block passageways.	No	No	Yes	No
	Large crystal	Crystals either block passageways or hold items, and in one case, block a geyser. They can be destroyed with Rock Pikmin.	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Liftable rock	Heavy rocks wrapped in vines that can be held on to by Winged Pikmin, which can then lift the obstacles into the air.	No	No	No	Yes
	Lily pad	Green plants that are used to navigate bodies of water.	No	No	Yes	No
File:Paper bag P2 icon.png	Paper bag	Paper bags that block passageways. In Pikmin 2, they can be crushed with enough Pikmin weight, and in Pikmin 3, they need to be pushed off ledges.	No	Yes	Yes	No
	Pulley rock	A rock attached to a pulley system. Pikmin can hold on to a stick on the other end to lift up the rock, and place it out of the way.	No	No	No	Yes
	Purple Pikmin needed	This icon is used on the wiki to represent a warning that Purple Pikmin are necessary, given their weight and overwhelming strength.	No	Yes	No	No
	Reinforced wall	Strong walls that require bomb rocks to take out. There are multiple types of reinforced walls in Pikmin.	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Seesaw block	Seesaw blocks come in pairs, and when enough weight is applied onto one, the other rises.	No	Yes	Yes	No
	Small crystal	Small crystals that block geysers and hold small items.	No	No	Yes	No
	Spotcap	Small fungi that can block passages in groups.	No	No	Yes	No
	Tin box	Act just like cardboard boxes.	No	No	Yes	No
	Trowel	When upright, it blocks the way forward. It can be tipped over with Pikmin throws, and when it lands, it serves as a makeshift bridge.	No	No	No	Yes
	Tunnel	Shortcuts through the earth. They have a pile of rubble in the front, and Pikmin can be sent to dig them out.	No	No	Yes	No
	Water body	Non-Blue Pikmin start drowning if they come into contact with bodies of water.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
File:Wooden stake.png	Wooden stake	A stake that either blocks the player's path and needs a certain amount of Pikmin to push it in the ground, or sticks below something and can be pushed up.	No	No	No	Yes

* There is an item that causes boulders to fall in Bingo Battle, however.

Minor obstacles

Main article: Minor obstacles.

Several other obstacles appear throughout the Pikmin series; however, they are much more uncommon than the other ones listed above.

Trivia

In Pikmin 2, Pikmin that are attacking an obstacle while latched on will cause damage at a faster pace than those that are standing on the ground.^[1] This can be achieved with bridges by pushing the Pikmin off to the side and letting it go back to the bridge on its own, where it should hopefully cling on instead.