Obstacle

A dirt wall in Pikmin 3, an obstacle that blocks a path until it has been destroyed.

To do: Check if Pikmin contribute to a task in a linear fashion or logarithmic fashion. i.e. do 50 Pikmin take exactly twice as long to take down a gate as 100, or are they faster? Check other obstacles too, and check all games.
Care to do so?

Obstacles are interactive objects that stand in the way of Pikmin and leaders. Some obstacles can be destroyed by having Pikmin attack them, some can be overcome through the use of tools, and some cannot be destroyed at all and must be worked around. With creative use, some of these obstacles can end up helping the player in unique ways when they are cleared, like a cardboard box initially being pushed to get out of the way, but also ending up next to a ramp to serve as a makeshift bridge. In this sense, some obstacles can partially serve as tools in and of themselves.

List of obstacles

Icon	Name	Description	Games
Icon	Name	Description	Pikmin	Pikmin 2	Pikmin 3	Pikmin 4	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	Yes	No
	Bag	Paper bags that block passageways. They can be crushed with enough Pikmin weight.	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Bamboo gate	Gates that must be held open with Winged Pikmin.	No	No	Yes	No	No
	Boulder	Boulders drop from the sky, and crush Pikmin they fall on.	No	Yes	No*	Yes	No
	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	No
	Breakable pot	Pots that block paths and can only be destroyed by charging them with Oatchi.	No	No	No	Yes	No
File:Brick wall icon.png	Brick wall	Rare walls that can only be destroyed with iron balls.	No	No	Yes	No	No
	Bubble generator	These produce bubbles that can trap Pikmin.	No	No	No	Yes	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	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	Yes	No
	Clipboard	Boards with handles on them. In Pikmin 3, Clipboards often cover objects, and they need 8 Winged Pikmin to lift it. In Pikmin 4, however, they work as bridges. Needing 10 or 20 Pikmin, they can only be lowered from one side.	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
	Clog	Some pools of water can be drained by destroying clogs.	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
	Cobblestone block	Blocks made of stone, that can be destroyed by bomb rocks only.	No	No	No	No	Yes
	Crystal nodule	Crystal pebbles used by Skutterchucks to attack Pikmin.	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Crystal wall	Walls made of glass, that can be broken with Rock Pikmin or bomb rocks.	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
	Dam	A stick over a river with Flukeweeds on top that blocks the movement of lily pads.	No	No	Yes	No	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	No	Yes
	Dirt wall	Simple walls made of dirt, similar to bramble gates.	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Dried plant	Groups of plants that can only be destroyed trough the use of Fire starters.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Electric gate	Gates covered in electrical current, meaning only Yellow Pikmin can destroy them.	No	Yes	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	No
	Fire geyser	Geysers poking out of the ground or ceiling that shoot fire at regular intervals.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Flames	Flames that prevent Olimar from making progress in an area, until they are smothered out.	No	No	No	No	Yes
File:Gas pipe icon.png	Gas pipe	Pipes sticking out of the ground that emit clouds of poison gas.	No	Yes	No	No	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	Yes
	Hydro jelly	Hydro jelly is a substance that requires Ice Pikmin to freeze.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	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	No	Yes
	Ice wall	Gates covered in freezing ice, meaning that only Ice Pikmin or fire starters can break it.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	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	No	Yes
	Iron block	Blocks of iron that need to be pushed by Pikmin in order to progress in an area.	No	No	No	No	Yes
	Iron fence	Several upright metal bars arranged to form a wall, preventing Oatchi and treasures to pass through. Some of them can be lowered.	No	No	No	Yes	No
File:Jacob’s ladder icon.png	Jacob’s ladder	A 3-pronged electric node that generates electricity.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Kingcap	Large, red spotted mushrooms that block passageways.	No	No	Yes	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	No	Yes
File:Mud icon.png	Mud	Shallow mud slows down anything that enters it, and deep mud will drown even Blue Pikmin and players. Like bodies of water, they can be frozen by Ice Pikmin to allow safe travel.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Numbered gate	Indestructable metal gates that have a dot-matrix display on them. They will only lower once the numbers on them reach 0.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Paper bag	Paper bags that can be pushed off ledges to create a new path up the ledge.	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
File:Poison geyser icon.png	Poison geyser	Geysers that spit out poison gas.	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
	Purple Pikmin needed	Some bags and treasures are too heavy to overcome or carry with most Pikmin types as they weigh over 100 weight units, so Purple Pikmin are necessary to overcome or carry them.	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Potted plant	Blocks of dirt that act like walls that require a plant to be pulled in order to destroy them.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Pup tunnel	Shortcuts through the earth that can be used only by Oatchi.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Reinforced wall	Strong walls that require bomb rocks to take out. There are multiple types of reinforced walls in Pikmin.	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
	Small crystal	Small crystals that block geysers and hold small items.	No	No	Yes	No	No
	Sizzling floor	Red-hot patches that will burn all Pikmin except for Red and Glow Pikmin. They will be extinguished once all of the pieces of burning charcoal or fiery enemies have been removed.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Spotcap	Small fungi that can block passages in groups.	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
	Sprinkler	These objects constantly rain down water that blocks every Pikmin except Blue Pikmin. They can also be used to extinguish Sizzling floors.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Sticky mold	Yellowish mold that will slow down and prevent all Pikmin except for Winged Pikmin from carrying objects. They will be destroyed once all mushrooms or poison enemies have been removed.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Switch gate	Metal gates that can be raised and lowered with switches, and come in white, red, and blue varieties.	No	No	No	Yes	No
	Tin box	Act just like cardboard boxes.	No	No	Yes	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	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	Yes	No
	Water body	Most non-Blue Pikmin start drowning if they come into contact with bodies of water. Ice Pikmin instead float on the surface of a body of water; it can then be frozen solid if a certain number of Ice Pikmin are present in it and will remain frozen until they are recalled.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	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	No	Yes

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

Minor obstacles

Main article: Minor obstacles.

Several other kinds of obstacles appear in the Pikmin series, but are much rarer than the obstacles 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.