Chapter 1 - Pikmin Strategies

This section covers the five types of pikmin, their uses, and tips on utilizing each throughout the game.

Red Pikmin

The red pikmin are the first pikmin you’ll encounter in the game. You’ll find them in the Valley of Repose not far from your landing site (Louie encounters them after he’s separated from Olimar).

• Red pikmin are resistant to fire damage.
• Utilize red pikmin to disable the flame traps encountered underground. Red pikmin won’t start on fire from the trap as other pikmin would.
• Use red pikmin against fiery blowhogs. These creatures spout fire from their snout. Other pikmin will be set on fire and have to be whistled back and saved.
• The red pikmin are the best choice against the fiery bulblax--unless there’s water nearby to put out the fiery bulblax’s fire. Toss the red pikmin rapidly onto the fiery bulblax’s back and stay away from its mouth.
• Attack the fiery dweevil with red pikmin and you won’t have to worry about them suffering from the fiery dweevil’s flame attack.

Yellow Pikmin

You will first rescue yellow pikmin at the Perplexing Pool. They’re characterized by their big ears, which apparently helps them fly higher on a toss.

• Yellow pikmin are resistant to electricity damage.
• Use yellow pikmin to disable electricity traps scattered throughout the underground caves. Electricity traps are the most damaging because you instantly lose any pikmin that bumps into the bolts (in other traps you can rescue them from despair with a whistle).
• Combat the anode beetles with yellow pikmin to avoid the creature’s electricity damage. To defeat the beetle, toss the yellow pikmin onto the beetle’s back. This flips the beetle over--which makes him vulnerable. Swarm your yellow pikmin around the beetle to finish the creature off.
• Attack the anode dweevil with yellow pikmin. This anode dweevil inflicts electricity damage so use only your electricity-resistant yellow pikmin against the creature.
• Use the yellow pikmin to disable the electric fences that block certain passages above ground.
• Yellow pikmin can be thrown higher than other pikmin types. Thus they are the only pikmin that can reach certain treasures. If there’s a treasure out of reach, try yellow pikmin!
• Since they can be tossed so high, use yellow pikmin against the aerial creatures (blowhogs, snitchbugs, etc). Once the creature is forced to the ground, swarm it with all pikmin.

Blue Pikmin

You’ll find blue pikmin in the Awakening Wood but you’ll need yellow pikmin to reach them (an electric fence traps them inside).

• Blue pikmin are resistant to water damage. Essentially, blue pikmin can swim!
• If there’s something in a pond, such as a wall to tear down or a treasure to recover, use your blue pikmin.
• Use blue pikmin against the watery blowhog, which sprays water from its snout. Other pikmin drown (though can be rescued).
• Combat the caustic dweevil with blue pikmin. This dweevil attacks with water so your blue pikmin will be resistant to that damage.
• Obviously blue pikmin are your best choice against creatures currently wading in shallow water.
• Use blue pikmin to destroy the rocks at the bottom of some lakes. Destroying the rock drains the lake allowing other pikmin type to cross!

White Pikmin

You won’t find white pikmin above ground. Instead, search for ivory candypop buds within the underground caves. Sacrifice one of your other pikmin types by tossing it into the ivory candypop bud. You can trade five with each ivory candypop bud.

• White pikmin are resistant to poison damage.
• Utilize white pikmin to disable the poison traps found underground.
• Command your white pikmin against the walls protected by poison traps found above ground.
• Attack the munge dweevil with your white pikmin to counter the munge dweevil’s poison attack.
• Not only are white pikmin resistant to poison but they’re also poisonous! If a creature eats a white pikmin, it will likely perish instantly. You’ll lose a pikmin but at a fair price, depending on the type of creature certainly.
• White pikmin are excellent diggers. They can dig up buried treasures. Other pikmin can’t perform this task.

Purple Pikmin

Like white pikmin, you’ll first discover the rare purple pikmin underground. Sacrifice one of your other pikmin types by tossing it into the violet candypop bud. You can trade five with each violet bud.

• Purple pikmin are the strongest pikmin in the game. Each purple pikmin can carry the weight of 10 other pikmin.
• Purple pikmin are also strong attackers. Toss purple pikmin onto a creature’s back for a strong attack. Avoid swarming purple pikmin around a creature’s mouth--purple pikmin are just too valuable to risk in that fashion. They’re much stronger tossed on the back.
• The weight of purple pikmin can even temporarily stun creatures.
• Purple pikmin are extremely slow unless flowered. Allow them to mature before you pluck them. Otherwise, find some nectar quickly and allow your purple pikmin to soak up.