Caves are the underground areas in Pikmin 2, of which 14 exist in all. Although there is a large overworld, most treasures are found in these caves, so most of the time playing the game is spent down them. All enemies, including bosses, respawn between visits - the only exceptions to this are Violet Candypop Buds and Ivory Candypop Buds, which, in some caves such as Frontier Cavern and Hole of Beasts, do not appear once the player has 20 or more Purple Pikmin or White Pikmin already; this is to stop the player from easily gathering large numbers of purples and whites. Time does not pass while the player is in a cave.
Entering caves
The holes through which you enter the caves are round, rocky mounds, with a small hole in them with wisps of steam coming out. Simply press (A) to enter it. Any Pikmin under your control will jump down with you, and any that are idle or working will return safely to their Onions. Once you enter a cave, there is no way to increase Pikmin population save Bulbmin and/or Queen Candypop Buds.
Sublevels
The caves are split into several sublevels. The shortest cave has two sublevels and the longest has fifteen. Each sublevel usually has at least one treasure for you to find, and almost always one or more enemies. There are three types of sublevels. Every time you enter a sublevel, the game will save. So if you turn the game off then back on, you'll start over in the current sublevel you are on.The cave will always look slightly different when you restart the game.
Normal levels usually have a few harmful enemies, and sometimes don't have any treasure.
Rest levels either lack enemies or only have harmless enemies. A somewhat common exception to the "harmless enemy" rule is Doodlebugs or, in one case, Bulbmin. Rest levels have Pikmin-supporting items, such as nectar, Ultra-Bitter Spray, Ultra-spicy spray, or Candypop Buds.
Boss levels are usually the final level of a cave. The only cave without a boss level is the Emergence Cave, and the one with the most is the Hole of Heroes. They hold one large boss enemy (although in some rare circumstances there may be up to three) and maybe a few normal enemies, and this enemy, when defeated, often drops an item which upgrades Olimar/Louie's space suit or ship.
Cave Designs
There are a number of different cave designs.
- Common cave design
- The most commonly seen type of cave design that vary in size. Has plants, dirt floors and walls, and sometimes small pools of water. Rocks, Eggs, and Bomb-rocks will occasionally fall from the cave ceiling.
- Tile design
- Another semi-common type of design. Tiles cover nearly the whole sub-level and many hazards are found on these types of design. Wogpoles will sometimes fall from the cave ceiling.
- Swamp design
- The rarest type of cave design. Only 2 sublevels have this design in the whole game. There is one in the Hole of Heroes and one in the Dream Den. There are many Shoots here. Both times you come to sublevels with this type of design, you will land on a giant tree stump with a root that, when you walk down it, leads to a small piece of land, since these types of levels are mostly water. Even though these level consist almost entirely of water, there are other hazardous enemies such as Fiery Blowhogs (keep in mind that there is not much where you can run and there is a Gatling Groink in the Dream Den swamp level). You may encounter Wogpoles, Water Dumples, Wollywogs, and Jellyfloats here.
- Boss design
- These cave designs are the designs that appear on sub-levels where you fight bosses. Each one is different, though they commonly have an 'arena' where the boss is fought. This design can also be a Tile or Battlefield design at the same time.
- Outside design
- This type of design appears as if you are outside. These type of designs always have harmful enemies in them, save Mitites. These types can be found in caves such as the Snagret Hole and in Challenge Mode. The second to last level in Challenge mode, the Sniper Room, is the only nighttime outdoor level.
- Garden design
- Slightly rare. These are rest areas with water not deep enough for Pikmin to drown in, and enemies such as Mamutas, Skitter Leafs , and Unmarked Spectralids. They can also have pipes to connect areas.
- Battlefield Design
- This type of sublevel is another common one that normally consists of Careening Dirigibug , Gatling Groinks or Lithopods . Bombs are the most common method of attack from enemies on these floors. By going over edges, Pikmin can die on these floors. The first area that you can see a floor like this is the 1st sublevel of the White Flower Garden.
- Toybox design
- These cave designs are in caves such as Glutton's Kitchen and the Dream Den. These levels are often filled with giant toys and treasures that are used for food, entertainment, and office supplies. The borders of the sublevels are smaller toys that Pikmin and enemies can cross, but not captains. They sometimes can be covered with a large carpet that expands so far that the captains cannot see how large it is.
- Snow design
- A common sublevel design in the Valley of Repose, these sublevels are blanketed with snow. The floors are commonly littered with dying Figworts. Hairy Bulborbs and Snow Bulborbs are often present on these sublevels.
