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Cave

A cave entrance in Pikmin 2, which is the same as the holes found within caves.

CaveP4

A cave entrance in Pikmin 4 (also the same inside caves).

Caves are the underground areas in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4 (and somewhat in Pikmin 3 considering the existence of some sub-areas, and somewhat in Pikmin). In Pikmin 2, despite a large overworld, most treasures are found in these caves, so most of the time playing the game is spent inside them. All enemies, including bosses, respawn between visits in Pikmin 2, however in Pikmin 4 it is only when you explore the cave 100%. However, in some of Pikmin 2's caves, such as the Frontier Cavern and the Hole of Beasts, Violet Candypop Buds and Ivory Candypop Bud do not appear once the player has twenty or more Purple Pikmin or White Pikmin; this is to stop the player from easily gathering large numbers of those, considering their rarity. In Pikmin 2, time does not pass while the player is in a cave, whereas in Pikmin 4, it passes 600% slower.

Entering caves[]

Pikmin 2[]

The holes in which you enter the caves are round, rocky mounds, with a small hole in them with wisps of steam coming out. Simply press the A button 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 except for Bulbmin and/or Queen Candypop Buds.

Pikmin 4[]

As opposed to the more natural look that caves held in Pikmin 2, all of Pikmin 4's caves are clearly man-made, resembling a metal or plastic cylinder protruding from the ground with a light-blue lid (or, on occasion, a gray or orange one, distinguishing Dandori Challenges or Battles respectively, or in an even rarer case, a complete lack of one). When entering, they prompt a menu identical to the UI viewed when interacting with Onions, rather than having you take your current Pikmin in. However, the same rule is applied to any Pikmin not in your squad - they will stop their tasks to reside safely in the Onion when a cave is entered. Due to the game's lack of Bulbmin or Candypop Buds that produce more Pikmin than inserted, the only way to increase the Pikmin count in caves is by finding Wild Pikmin or using Glow Seeds.

Sublevels[]

Pikmin 2[]

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. Every time you enter a sublevel, the game will save. So, if you reset the game while in a cave, you'll start over in the current sublevel you are on. The cave will always look different when you restart the game, as Pikmin 2's caves feature randomized layouts.

Pikmin 4[]

Pikmin 4's caves also are set in a system of sublevels, albeit with a cumulative total of considerably less, with, for example, almost all caves in the Sun-Speckled Terrace having only one or two. However, the longest cave in the game has a whopping 20, so this lack is evened out appropriately. The game also focuses less on caves than Pikmin 2, so the system is generally advantageous in the game's existence. Similar to Pikmin 2, most sublevels have at least a single treasure, as well as an amount of enemies. The game's Rewind feature also has a unique mechanic of being able to restart you directly at the beginning of the sublevel, which could definitely be put to great use if something unacceptable were to occur.

Types[]

Normal Sublevels[]

Normal Sublevels usually have a few to many harmful enemies. These levels usually have most of the treasure in them.

Rest Sublevels[]

Rest Sublevels either lack enemies or only have harmless enemies. A somewhat common exception to the "harmless enemy" rule is, in Pikmin 2, Doodlebugs or, in one case, Bulbmin, and, in Pikmin 4, pools of water deep enough for Pikmin to drown in. Rest Sublevels often have Pikmin-supporting items, such as Nectar, Sprays, or Candypop Buds. Usually, these sublevels don't have treasure of much value in them.

Boss Sublevels[]

Boss Sublevels are usually the final level of a cave. In Pikmin 2, the only cave without a Boss Sublevel is the Emergence Cave, and the one with the most is the Hole of Heroes, whereas in Pikmin 4 a fair amount of caves lack Boss Sublevels, particularly small ones such as the few found in early-game areas. They hold one large boss enemy (although in some rare circumstances there may be more than one[confirmation needed]) and occasionally a few normal enemies, and when the boss is defeated, it often drops an item which upgrades the captains' space suit or ship in Pikmin 2 or a Castaway in Pikmin 4.

Cave Designs[]

These are a number of different cave designs, with each game having their own unique styles and some shared ones.

Pikmin 2[]

Common Cave Design[]

Emperor's Realm

The most commonly seen type of cave design that varies in size. It often 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[]

The Giant's Bath

Another semi-common type of design. Tiles cover nearly the whole sublevel and many hazards are found on this design. Wolpoles will sometimes fall from the cave ceiling.


Outside Design[]

Three Color Training

This type of design appears as if you are outside. These type of designs always have harmful enemies in them. 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[]

Hidden Garden

This design is slightly rare. These are rest areas with water not deep enough for Pikmin to drown in, and harmless enemies such as Mamutas, Skitter Leaves, and Unmarked Spectralids. If not already apparent, this design is often used for Rest Sublevels[confirmation needed]. They sometimes have small pipes to connect areas.


Battlefield Design[]

Dream Den-sub5

This type of sublevel is another common one that normally consists of Careening Dirigibugs, Gatling Groinks, or Lithopods. Bombs are the most common method of attack from enemies on these floors. Pikmin can also die by being thrown off of the edges in these sublevels, so watch your aim, and ensure that nothing bucks them off into the Abyss. Certain enemies can also be guided off the edge as well. The first area that you can see a floor of this design is the first sublevel of the White Flower Garden.


Toybox Design[]

Lost Toy Box

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 spans so far that the size is not determinable.


Snow Design[]

Cave of Pain

A common sublevel design in the Valley of Repose, these sublevels are blanketed with snow. The floors are commonly littered with dying FigwortsHairy Bulborbs and Snow Bulborbs are considerably prominent on these sublevels.


Swamp Design[]

Screenshot 2014-05-10 at 10.26

The rarest type of cave design. Only two 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 enter 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 Wolpoles, Water Dumples, Wollyhops, and Jellyfloats here. The tough-to-navigate layout and difficult enemies makes this sublevel's scarce appearance warranted, as it's one of the hardest sections of the entire game.


Boss Design[]

Empress Bulblax beta screenshot

These cave designs are the designs that appear on sublevels where bosses are battled. Each one is different, though they commonly have an "arena" segment directly where the boss appears. Keep note that some Boss Sublevels have a Tile or Battlefield design, rather than just the usual seen in the image.


Pikmin 4[]

Pikmin 3[]

Pikmin 3 has multiple sub-areas that don't follow the cave formula that Pikmin 2 and 4 use, but still technically count as caves. For example, the Vehemoth Phosbat's arena is a large underground segment, therefore counting as a cave of sort. These sub-areas play out just like normal terrain, except are sometimes with a darkness effect that requires Yellow Pikmin to remove by the use of conducting electricity. They also are, possibly coincidentally, often home to some major story elements, like a party separation, the discovery of a new Pikmin type, or a boss encounter.

List of caves[]

Valley of Repose[]

Awakening Wood[]

Perplexing Pool[]

Wistful Wild[]

Rescue Command Post[]

Sun-Speckled Terrace[]

Blossoming Arcadia[]

Serene Shores[]

Hero's Hideaway[]

Giant's Hearth[]

Primordial Thicket[]

Glitches[]

  • There is a glitch that can happen when proceeding to the next sublevel in Pikmin 2. In the animation where you jump into the hole, some pikmin may appear idle and won't jump in with you. Thankfully, these Pikmin that don't jump in will appear on the next sublevel.
  • In Pikmin 2, if a Pikmin is suffering from a hazard (excluding instant-death hazards like Explosions and Electricity) and you choose to go to the next sublevel, the Pikmin will still have the suffering animation when jumping down the hole. Luckily, they will be fine on the next sublevel. Similarly, if they make that last cry, and then you advance to the next floor, they will be alive with that hazard on their head (or, if thrown into the Abyss, completely unscathed), but they will still count to the Pikmin lost count, even though they really didn't die.
  • There is a rare glitch in Pikmin 2 where the random cave generator can be kind of odd. Monsters can sometimes be spawned in a hole that leads to the next sublevel. It's unknown if this can happen with treasures or geysers.

Trivia[]

  • In an earlier version of Pikmin 2, you could leave caves with half of the collected treasure if you leave the cave through the pause menu. However, you lose all of your Pikmin if you do so.
  • The first cave explored by Olimar is actually The Forest Navel.
  • While both Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4 have caves, and they seemingly use the same system, they actually serve considerably different purposes. Caves in Pikmin 2 are long, difficult, and a main staple of the game. You're intended to spend as much time in there as possible to collect every treasure, proved by the lack of a time limit. Pikmin 4's caves are still important to the game, but are less focused-on considering their return of a time limit, less prominent difficulty, greatly smaller length. There are also many more things to do outside of caves in Pikmin 4, as opposed to Pikmin 2 being almost entirely made up of caves.
  • Caves in Pikmin 4 appear to be modeled after Japanese curb boxes.
CurbBoxCave

A Japanese curb box.

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