Submerged Castle

Submerged Castle
Location	Perplexing Pool
Sublevels	5
Treasures	13
	Other hazards

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|} The Submerged Castle is usually the second-to-last cave in Perplexing Pool in Pikmin 2 and is arguably one of the hardest dungeons in the game. It is also submerged in water, so it is only accessible to Blue Pikmin; even if one manages to get a non-Blue Pikmin to come with them as they enter the cave (which can be done by utilizing the Blue Pikmin to throw the other Pikmin as they drown), they still will not enter. It has been programmed into the game that they cannot enter the cave in any way whatsoever, making it pointless to attempt. All types of hazards are found here, though there are Bulbmin to be found as well. In order for Olimar and Louie to gain forty Bulbmin, one of them must have a maximum of 60 Pikmin.

The boss Waterwraith appears on every level, making it crucial that Olimar and Louie completes the cave's sublevels quickly. For them to get to the cave, they need to defeat many Yellow Wollywogs and tear down the black gate near Glutton's Kitchen. After the gate is gone, Olimar and Louie needs to defeat two Hermit Crawmads, Water Dumples, and a Withering Blowhog. The cave's entrance is surrounded by undrainable water. The Waterwraith appears after 5 minutes of exploring a sublevel. This is not the case on the final floor where it is instead triggered by the player coming into its arena.

The Submerged Castle has a dreary music unique to the cave. This music is very similar to the music that played in the "Cave of the Past", the final dungeon in another of Nintendo's popular games, EarthBound. Both of the bosses in these caves were supernatural beings with somewhat unintelligible forms and seeming invulnerability.

Treasures

Bug Bait
Diet Doomer
Pastry Wheel
Comfort Cookie
Confection Hoop
Chocolate Cushion
Compelling Cookie
Activity Arouser (NTSC)/Pondering Emblem (PAL)
Succulent Mattress
Pale Passion
Drone Supplies (NTSC)/Open Archive (PAL)
Proton AA
Professional Noisemaker

Enemies

Music

Submerged Castle
The Waterwraith Appears
The Waterwraith is Coming
Boss Battle
The Waterwraith's Pathetic Escape

Strategy

On sublevels 1-4, the Waterwraith appears after five minutes of being in the level. A few key points to remember about the Waterwraith are:

The Waterwraith steams around the level on two stone rollers, which crushes and defeats Pikmin in the way, but also defeats most enemies and disable traps.
The Waterwraith does not go into small corners or spaces, making it safe to hide.
The best way for Olimar and Louie to deal with it is for them to quickly snag all of the treasures and leave the sublevel before he appears. Olimar and Louie must ignore enemies and avoid bringing back their carcasses.
The Waterwraith is deadly to Olimar and Louie's Pikmin, so they must stay out of its way. If they are careless, they could lose every one of their Pikmin.
It follows the active captain. However, Olimar and Louie can use this to their advantage, much like fighting the Ranging Bloyster.
There is no way to harm the Waterwraith before Sublevel 5.
Olimar and Louie must quickly collect as many treasures as they can. If they forget to get a treasure, they can always go back and get it later.

Sublevel 1

This sublevel contains many fire hazards that Olimar and Louie must avoid/defeat when first entering. Olimar and Louie can collect some treasures on this floor. When they defeat a Fiery Bulblax in the water, the Bug Bait appears. Olimar and Louie must search for the other two treasures, the Diet Doomer and the Pastry Wheel. After that, Olimar and Louie can move on to the second Sublevel. There is also a geyser on this floor, allowing Olimar and Louie to escape after having found all treasures.

Sublevel 2

This area contains Careening Dirigibugs, Fiery Dweevils, and Bulbmin. Olimar and Louie must focus on looking for an entrance of a pipe and walk inside it to avoid the Waterwraith. Olimar and Louie must then take the pipe to a slide-like passageway, where they go down quickly and fall out of the pipe, landing near the Chocolate Cushion.

Afterwards, Olimar and Louie must focus on finding the Bulbmin. The parent can be defeated by Olimar and Louie getting close and by throwing Pikmin onto its back. The Mother Bulbmin gets a few mouthfuls of Pikmin if Olimar and Louie swarm it with their Pikmin. Once they see their leader is dead, the smaller Bulbmin panic and begin running around; Olimar or Louie must blow their whistle to gain control of them. The game decides the amount of Bulbmin at the beginning of the sublevel depending on the amount of Pikmin. Occasionally though, the player can possibly find an Ivory Candypop Bud on this sublevel and get White Pikmin. However, Olimar or Louie throwing a White Pikmin at the Waterwraith does not have a different effect than any other non-purple Pikmin. A checkered chocolate cookie known as the Comfort Cookie then comes out of the parent Bulbmin once defeated. The final treasure, a Confection Hoop can be found on a ledge guarded by some Dwarf Orange Bulborbs. Olimar and Louie can get there by walking to the opposite side and throw some Pikmin up to collect the treasure and defeat the Bulborbs. The exit is sealed, so Olimar and Louie has to use Pikmin to smash the rock and open the cave to the next sublevel. Getting the treasure back to the Research Pod takes Olimar and Louie effort because of the Waterwraith always coming down a small isle that is required to walk through. Quickly calling Pikmin to the side of the isle can avoid them being crushed. Then Olimar and Louie can get the treasure back to their pod and advance to the next sublevel.

Sublevel 3

This level contains electrical hazards which Olimar and Louie must avoid. Olimar and Louie must swarm the electricity generators the very second they turn off. It is possibly safer for Olimar and Louie to throw Bulbmin instead of swarming them. Olimar and Louie must get the Withering Blowhog as it holds the Activity Arouser. Anode Dweevils only require Bulbmin to be thrown on them, as Bulbmin are immune to all hazards. Olimar and Louie must defeat the Wollywog the same way as defeating a Yellow Wollywog.

For Olimar and Louie to end the sublevel, they must collect the two treasures Succulent Mattress and the Compelling Cookie and take them back to the Research Pod. These treasures can be anywhere, usually behind a gate. The Waterwraith likely has appeared by this time so Olimar and Louie must break the exit if it appeared. It is also covered in rocks.

There is an additional Ivory Candypop Bud in one of the alcoves on this floor, but it is best ignored as the White Pikmin have a harder time following the rest of their group throughout the next sublevel's bothersome puddles.

Note: Olimar and Louie must not swarm electric generators when treasure is about to reach the ship. Olimar and Louie may be paused while the ship identifies the treasure, but the genetator won't, causing a lot of Olimar and Louie's Pikmin to get shocked.

Sublevel 4

This floor is difficult due to the Bomb Rocks and Volatile Dweevils that fall from the ceiling, and the Careening Digiribugs. Olimar and Louie must first focus on getting the Drone Supplies and the Proton AA. There is an Iridescent Glint Beetle running around the place. Olimar and Louie must throw a Pikmin at it to make it to drop the Pale Passion. In order for Olimar and Louie to make the path safer for their Pikmin, they must quickly run through the area with a single captain and detonate all the Bomb Rocks and Volatile Dweevils. Then, Olimar and Louie must finish by breaking the hole and diving on down to the Final Floor. It is also possible for the Waterwraith to get stuck in one of the corners of this sublevel. Though, the Waterwraith still follows Olimar and Louie to the next sublevel once they leave.

the layout for sublevel 5

Sublevel 5 (Final Floor)

The Waterwraith appears in the arena after entering. However, it appears in the arena by itself if Olimar and Louie wait too long. Olimar and Louie should have plenty of Bulbmin by this point. They must start out by smashing the three gates in the starting area and use their Bulbmin to produce ten or more Purple Pikmin from the two Violet Candypop Buds. Olimar and Louie must then smash the three eggs and use the nectar to give their Pikmin flowers. Olimar and Louie must then smash the final black gate that blocks access to the boss arena.

Final Floor Battle

First, Olimar and Louie must get Purple Pikmin to harm it. The Purple Pikmin must stun the Waterwraith and make it scared, this makes it solid and purple. Also, it is recommended that Olimar and Louie change the Bulbmin into Purple Pikmin as Bulbmin cannot go overground. This boss starts out by falling and lifting its front steamroller. Then, Olimar and Louie must get to the side of it as it lifts it and once it drops it, Olimar and Louie must throw a Purple Pikmin at it. Then, the Waterwraith turns solid and purple. When it's purple, Olimar and Louie can damage it; if it doesn't become purple, then Olimar and Louie must call their Pikmin back and wait for their chance to throw more purples at it. Olimar and Louie must rapidly throw Pikmin at its purple body when the Waterwraith is solidified. Soon, the Waterwraith roars a few times and turns clear again, sending Olimar and Louie's Pikmin flying. The Waterwraith roars again and smashes rocks and rolls around if the Pikmin don't hit again fast enough. Olimar and Louie must gather their Pikmin when the Waterwraith does so. When the waterwraith is scared, throw purple pikmin onto it super-fast, then if you have any bulbmin left, throw them on as well, this will make it easy to defeat it 1st form, and 2nd.

Olimar and Louie must avoid being squished with the rock rollers or they will crush Olimar, Louie, and the Pikmin. After repeating several times, the Waterwraith's health circle falls to zero and runs away from the Olimar and Louie. They can see the rock rollers shatter and go away. Olimar and Louie must then chase the Waterwraith until it bends down and starts panting. Olimar and Louie can not become hurt by it, so they must unleash all of their Pikmin on it. The Waterwraith still shakes a lot, but continues to hurt the Pikmin. This is the only boss that a captain can damage. If Olimar and Louie wait too long, the Waterwraith starts running some more. When the Waterwraith runs out of health this time, it tilts its body and bubbles start popping out. After it does that, the Waterwraith shatters into many bubbles, being fully vaporized.

Once defeated, the Waterwraith drops a Professional Noisemaker which gives Olimar and Louie a device called the Pluckaphone, which allows them to pluck Pikmin sprouts from the ground just by whistling at them.

Alternative Strategies

If you are having problems collecting all the treasures in each sublevel before the Waterwraith appears, reset the game until the treasure locations for at least one is favorable. Collect one treasure from each sublevel as you go down, and defeat the boss, then re-enter the cave and collect the remaining treasures in a similar fashion - the Waterwraith will appear on both trips, though. This is only recommended if you are finding the normal route too challenging.

Also, you can simply visit the Submerged Castle multiple times collecting as much treasure as you can before the Waterwraith appears, and then continue on to the next level, until you have everything, thus finishing with minimal interactions with the Waterwraith.

Trivia

The cavern contains thirteen treasures, a famously unlucky number; this appears to be intended to reflect the cave's nature, and especially that of its boss.
If an external cheat is used to make all Pikmin types immune to drowning and the player tries to enter the Submerged Castle with them, the game will outright deny the player from entering, stating that only Blue Pikmin may enter.
The Submerged Castle was originally going to be called "The Submarine Castle."

Gallery

Template:Map Perplexing Pool

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