| Arachnode | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | Pikmin 3 |
| Scientific name | Unknown |
| Family | Unknown |
| Areas | Twilight River, Formidable Oak |
| Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages | None |
| Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages | None |
| Side Story days | None |
| Bingo Battle stages | None |
| Attacks | Eats Pikmin |
The Arachnode is a spider-like enemy in Pikmin 3. It is the first arachnid-based enemy in the Pikmin series with an interactable web. While dormant on its web, it has a black and yellow striped and sphere-shaped body. This shape and coloring comes from the eight legs wrapped tightly around its body; the actual body is a small black orb with yellow circles instead of stripes. Its behavior and anatomy differ from both the Arachnorb and Dweevil family: they both have noticeably longer and thinner legs than the Arachnode, and neither eat Pikmin when fought. The game gives no information as to the relations of the different families.
The Arachnode will remain dormant until Pikmin are thrown, or in the case of Winged Pikmin, fly into its net. After a while, it will stand up and wander to the Pikmin, consuming them quickly once it has reached them. It may also wander around the web freely in order to avoid Pikmin being thrown at it. The web will collapse once the Arachnode is defeated.
Winged Pikmin carrying objects back to the Onions and S.S. Drake will get stuck in webs that are along their route, but they can nonetheless carry Olimar underneath the web that is in the Formidable Oak without any trouble.
Strategy
Rock Pikmin will kill an Arachnode in a single hit. Though it is not grounded, the Arachnode does not count as an airborne enemy, and Winged Pikmin deal little damage, so using them is only recommended if no Rock Pikmin are present and the Winged group is rather large. The Arachnorb can eat Pikmin from either side of the web, yet can only be attacked from the side it is on.
Pikmin caught in the web can be saved by whistling at them. This is important especially with a small squad, as Pikmin shaken off by the Arachnode will usually get stuck in the web.
Trivia
- It is possible that Arachnodes are a part of or related to the Arachnorb family due to the fact that they share features such as being orb shaped and being split in the middle vertically.