Citadel of Spiders
Sublevel 2 of the Citadel of Spiders.
Location Perplexing Pool
Sublevels 5
Treasures 11
Hazards Fire Electricity

The following article or section contains guides.
The strategies shown are just suggestions.

The Citadel of Spiders (クモの根城?, lit.: "Citadel of Spiders") is commonly the first cave found in the Perplexing Pool in Pikmin 2. It is just as simple as the White Flower Garden and Hole of Beasts in the Awakening Wood, with mild enemies and a mildly strong boss: the Beady Long Legs. The total value of all the treasure here is Poko × 795 in the US version of the game, and Poko × 725 in the European version.

How to reachEdit

 
Location of the cave.

Very little effort is required to reach the cave. By proceeding from the landing site and approaching the Yellow Wollyhop (Shearwigs on later days), you will find it in plain sight.

This is most likely your first cave with the luxury of choosing an appropriate Pikmin squad. However, it is very likely that your numbers of Yellow Pikmin, White Pikmin and Purple Pikmin are low, requiring you to pad out the squad using Red Pikmin. The only source of electricity in the cave is in sublevel 3 in the form of Anode Beetles, so your squad of Yellow Pikmin will mainly be applied for the Beady Long Legs.

Your Yellow Pikmin squad should sit around 15-20 and you will likely use every White Pikmin and Purple Pikmin you have (around 15 White Pikmin and 20-25 Purple Pikmin) which leaves room for 30-50 Red Pikmin. There is a Queen Candypop Bud present, so some room may be left for the eight Pikmin to be collected from it.

Notes

Ship's dialogs

Krzzt! My sensors are giving out foreboding signals. These signals could very well mean...

...that this hole is filled with wretched, nasty bugs! Vicious, program-terminating bugs!

Sublevel 1Edit

The first sublevel of the Citadel of Spiders should be pretty easy. There are many maze-like pathways, and also other twig covered areas in the cave. The only enemies here are a few measly Shearwigs and harmless Skitter Leaves.

Take a squad of Purple Pikmin, and one throw should take out any one of them easily when aimed correctly. After you are sure there are no enemies left that can pose a threat, take some Pikmin in and have them transport the Love Nugget to the pod. After you have recovered it, you may move on.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name yakushima_1
"Main" object maximum (?) 8
"Treasure" object maximum (?) 1
"Gate" object maximum (?) 0
Dead end unit probability (?) 50
Number of rooms (?) 2
Corridor-to-room ratio (?) 0.2
Escape geyser (?) No
Clogged hole (?) No
Cave units file (?) 1_NARI_4x4c_conc.txt
Lighting file (?) normal_light_lv0.ini
Background (?) None
Cave units (?)
Dead end with item Three-way crossing Four-way crossing Turning corridor Corridor Long corridor
Room with roots
Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
1   Shearwig 3 None "Hard" enemy spots
2   Shearwig 2 None "Easy" enemy spots
3   Skitter Leaf 2 None "Hard" enemy spots
4   Skitter Leaf 1 None Cave unit seams
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
5   Shoot (small) 6 None Plant spots
6   Clover 2 None Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
7   Love Nugget 1 None Treasure spots
Then it spawns these "dead end" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
8   Skitter Leaf 2 None Dead ends
9   Egg 1 None Dead ends
Then it spawns "dead end" objects in as many dead ends as it can. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
9   Egg 100% None Dead ends
For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

Sublevel 2Edit

The next level in this pest-filled cave is filled with many fiery hazards, and also some very pesky enemies. You will spawn in an enemy free area, so you can organize your Pikmin to clear the area. Take a squad of Red Pikmin and have them clear the area of fiery geysers, avoiding the jumps of Yellow Wollyhops. Then take your burly group of Purple Pikmin and have them defeat all of the Yellow Wollyhops and Fiery Dweevils, being wary if the Dweevils release fire.

After the area is clear of all the enemies, you should have cleared a path to the treasures, even if the Dweevils had stolen them. There are three treasures that you need to get here, the Creative Inspiration, held by one of the Yellow Wollyhops, the Lip Service, and the Paradoxical Enigma, which is in an alcove, partially buried. There are a few alcoves that may have eggs that fall, and a Violet Candypop Bud will appear if you have less than 20 Purple Pikmin. After clearing the area, it would be imminent for you to move on.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name yakushima_1
"Main" object maximum (?) 10
"Treasure" object maximum (?) 2
"Gate" object maximum (?) 1
Dead end unit probability (?) 50
Number of rooms (?) 2
Corridor-to-room ratio (?) 0.2
Escape geyser (?) No
Clogged hole (?) No
Cave units file (?) 1_NARI_4x4b_conc.txt
Lighting file (?) normal_light_lv1.ini
Background (?) None
Cave units (?)
Dead end with item Three-way crossing Four-way crossing Turning corridor Corridor Long corridor
Room with 4 exits
Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
1   Yellow Wollyhop 1 None "Special" enemy spots
-   Creative Inspiration (US)
  Activity Arouser (EU)
  Milky Team (JP)
Carried inside entry with ID 1
2   Yellow Wollyhop 1 None "Special" enemy spots
3   Fiery Dweevil 2 None "Hard" enemy spots
4   Fiery Dweevil 1 None "Easy" enemy spots
5   Fire geyser 2 None "Hard" enemy spots
6   Fire geyser 3 None Cave unit seams
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
7   Shoot (small) 4 None Plant spots
8   Fiddlehead 4 None Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
9   Paradoxical Enigma 1 None Treasure spots
10   Lip Service (US/EU)
  Family Raft (JP)
1 None Treasure spots
Then it spawns these "dead end" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
12   Violet Candypop Bud 1 None Dead ends
13   Egg 1 Falls from the sky Dead ends
Then it spawns "dead end" objects in as many dead ends as it can. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
13   Egg 100% Falls from the sky Dead ends
Then it spawns 1 "gate" objects. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
11 Gate (4000 HP) 100% None Gate spots
For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

Sublevel 3Edit

The next floor of the cave is plenty different from the previous one. Instead of fire, the area is rigged by electricity producing Anode Beetles. Swooping Snitchbugs also fly above the ground to trouble your Pikmin in their actions. First take some Yellow Pikmin, or Purple Pikmin instead if you are experienced at dodging the strings of the electricity made by the Anode Beetles. Go in and defeat any of the ground crawling Beetles you see, make sure when using purples that you do not throw while the electricity is visible, otherwise, they will meet a shocking death.

If you see a Snitchbug, go and defeat it too, for they can taunt you while moving treasures, purples can come in handy when grounding them too. After the enemies are gone, take all of your Pikmin and destroy every wall and explore every alcove. The Patience Tester, a large can, should be in an alcove partially buried, and sometimes behind one of these walls. To find the other treasure, the Memorial Shell, take a group of White Pikmin, and use the Treasure Gauge, for it is buried completely underground.

After all the items are gathered, if you haven't already, you can use the Queen Candypop Bud that drops from the ceiling in an alcove to gain some Pikmin, especially if you're short in your total amount of Yellow Pikmin since you recently discovered them. After your other needs, such as recuperation via the nectar and sprays of eggs, you can progress to the next sublevel.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name yakushima_1
"Main" object maximum (?) 10
"Treasure" object maximum (?) 2
"Gate" object maximum (?) 2
Dead end unit probability (?) 50
Number of rooms (?) 3
Corridor-to-room ratio (?) 0.2
Escape geyser (?) No
Clogged hole (?) No
Cave units file (?) 1_units_a_conc.txt
Lighting file (?) normal_light_lv2.ini
Background (?) None
Cave units (?)
Dead end with item Three-way crossing Four-way crossing Turning corridor Corridor Long corridor
Room with 4 exits
Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
1   Swooping Snitchbug 2 None "Hard" enemy spots
2   Anode Beetle 4 None "Hard" enemy spots
3   Anode Beetle 2 None "Easy" enemy spots
4   Anode Beetle 2 None "Easy" enemy spots
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
5   Fiddlehead 8 None Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
6   Memorial Shell 1 None Treasure spots
7   Patience Tester (US)
  Open Architecture (Europe/Japan)
1 None Treasure spots
Then it spawns these "dead end" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
9   Queen Candypop Bud 1 Falls from the sky Dead ends
10   Egg 1 None Dead ends
11   Swooping Snitchbug 1 Falls from the sky Dead ends
Then it spawns "dead end" objects in as many dead ends as it can. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
10   Egg 100% None Dead ends
Then it spawns 2 "gate" objects. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
8 Gate (4000 HP) 100% None Gate spots
For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

Sublevel 4Edit

The penultimate level of the cave is still mildly difficult; there are only two enemies found here, Water Dumples, and Hermit Crawmads, which may be new to you so far if you started to play. Take a squad of Purple Pikmin and Red Pikmin. Use the purples for defeating enemies, and reds for destroying fire-spouting geysers.

You can also use White Pikmin for quickly transporting treasures. Find the three treasures, the Flame of Tomorrow, the King of Sweets, and the Time Capsule. They switch locations but one is found in an alcove, another is found on specific ramps or an alcove, and the third is held by one of the Crawmads.

Once you have recovered all of the treasures, you can use a nearby Ivory Candypop Bud if you really need some White Pikmin. Eggs are also nearby for your use. After you are finished restoring the quality of your team if necessary, move on to the last area of this dungeon.

Note that due to the way sublevel generation works, it is possible for no Hermit Crawmad to appear, and as such, for you to miss out on the King of Sweets, as detailed here and here.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name yakushima_1
"Main" object maximum (?) 10
"Treasure" object maximum (?) 2
"Gate" object maximum (?) 3
Dead end unit probability (?) 50
Number of rooms (?) 3
Corridor-to-room ratio (?) 0.2
Escape geyser (?) No
Clogged hole (?) No
Cave units file (?) 3_ABE_d_pypen_dani_conc.txt
Lighting file (?) normal_light_lv3.ini
Background (?) None
Cave units (?)
Dead end with item Three-way crossing Four-way crossing Turning corridor Corridor Long corridor
Room with 4 exits 2 conjoined rooms Rectangular room with pipe
Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
1   Hermit Crawmad 1 None "Special" enemy spots
-   King of Sweets Carried inside entry with ID 1
2   Hermit Crawmad 1 None "Special" enemy spots
3   Water Dumple 3 None "Hard" enemy spots
4   Fire geyser 2 None "Hard" enemy spots
5   Fire geyser 3 None Cave unit seams
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
6   Fiddlehead 4 None Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
7   Time Capsule 1 None Treasure spots
8   Flame of Tomorrow 1 None Treasure spots
Then it spawns these "dead end" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
10   Ivory Candypop Bud 1 None Dead ends
11   Egg 1 None Dead ends
Then it spawns "dead end" objects in as many dead ends as it can. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
11   Egg 100% None Dead ends
Then it spawns 3 "gate" objects. Chances:
ID Object Chance Fall method Spawn location
9 Gate (4000 HP) 100% None Gate spots
For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

Sublevel 5Edit

 
This is the layout for the last sublevel of the Citadel of Spiders. The map actually remains the same; this map is slightly outdated. However, object placement of the map can switch from time to time for each visit.
See also: Beady Long Legs strategy.

The final floor of this cave is very big, and likewise, it has a considerably big enemy lurking in it, the infamous Beady Long Legs. This is its first appearance in Pikmin 2. You will be far from the boss, but you should get ready, take your Yellow Pikmin, or your Purple Pikmin, if you can handle them well, and move forward. You will be in another area where the Regal Diamond is buried, but ignore it for now.

Once you reach the large circular plain, dismiss your Pikmin and run forward to make the Beady Long Legs appear. Go back and call your Pikmin, and get ready to battle the creature. If you need to, you can hype up your Pikmin with ultra-spicy spray, and then fight it using the strategy linked to above.

It will release The Key from its spherical torso, and you can then take it back to the pod, once you do, you get a transmission saying that you can now access Challenge Mode from the title screen. If you still have some White Pikmin, take them and throw them onto the ledges you saw earlier so they can dig up the completely buried treasure, the Regal Diamond, the Treasure Gauge may come handy if you're having trouble finding it.

If you're interested, take a small group of Purple Pikmin and walk in front of one of the Common Glowcaps in the area, throw a Purple Pikmin on them and see if an Iridescent Flint Beetle comes out (only one can be found here per visit), fight it for nectar and one ultra-spicy spray; once you recover from your battle, you can finally exit the cave by using the geyser nearby in a narrow passageway.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name yakushima_1
"Main" object maximum (?) 10
"Treasure" object maximum (?) 1
"Gate" object maximum (?) 0
Dead end unit probability (?) 0
Number of rooms (?) 1
Corridor-to-room ratio (?) 0
Escape geyser (?) Yes
Clogged hole (?) No
Cave units file (?) 1_units_DKumo_conc.txt
Lighting file (?) normal_light_lv4.ini
Background (?) None
Cave units (?)
Beady Long Legs arena
Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
1   Beady Long Legs 1 None "Hard" enemy spots
-   The Key Carried inside entry with ID 1
2   Iridescent Flint Beetle 1 None "Special" enemy spots
3   Clover 3 None "Easy" enemy spots
4   Figwort (small brown) 5 None "Easy" enemy spots
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
5   Common Glowcap 2 None Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID Object Amount Fall method Spawn location
6   Regal Diamond 1 None Treasure spots
For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning
  Japanese クモの根城?
Kumo no Nejiro
Citadel of Spiders
  Chinese
(traditional)
蜘蛛大本營
  French Fort des Toiles Webs' Fort
  German Spinnenburg Spider Castle
  Italian Forte dei Ragni Fort of Spiders
  Spanish (NoA) Ciudadela Arácnida Arachnid Citadel

See alsoEdit