Subterranean Complex

Pikmin Needed: Red, Yellow, White, Purple (recommended)

Sublevel 1: Disable poison traps with white pikmin. Swarm the small bulborbs in small groups to minimize losses. Use your purple pikmin against the larger snowy bulborbs. Sneak up on the sleeping giants and toss purple pikmin on their back. Beware of the aerial grabbers. Steer clear or lure them close and toss yellow pikmin at them. Locate the tape (Exhausted Superstick) and telephone dial (Nouveau Table) and return them to the pod. One might be buried so use your gauge to find and white pikmin to dig up.

Sublevel 2: Scout around with your captain and trigger all of the bombs. Beware of the aerial grabbers. Steer clear until you can use your yellow pikmin to pop those balloons then swarm the bug when it falls. Watch out for falling bombs; get ready to move your force quickly. Secure the bulb (Network Mainbrain) and nut (Spirit Flogger).

Sublevel 3: Disable the fire traps with red pikmin. Use a captain to make the cannons should each other. Finish them off with pikmin tossed from the side (or captains can punch carefully). Locate and recover the spring (Coiled Launcher), gear (Omega Flywheel), and bolt (Superstrong Stabilizer). One might be recovered from inside a cannon bug. Use the white candypop bud if present to trade for white pikmin. Descend to the next level.

Sublevel 4: Trade for white pikmin using the three white candypop buds. Before moving on, gather nectar from the eggs to mature your pikmin.

A captain can detonate a bomb with a single punch.

Sublevel 5: Send a captain out to detonate all of the bombs--just punch the bombs and run. When you explore with pikmin, beware of dropped bombs. Be ready to move them away quickly. Gather the nut (Adamantine Girdle) and clock (Mystical Disc). Continue down to the next level.

Sublevel 6: Use yellow pikmin against the aerial enemies and beetles. Disable poison traps white white pikmin. Combat the spiders with your captains or their corresponding pikmin color. Find and recover the dial (Space Wave Receiver), bolt (Repair Juggernaut), and fuse (Vacuum Processor). Be careful around the edges; tossing a pikmin off the side sends your ally to its death.

Sublevel 7: There are two large, tank-like creatures here called groinks. One stands on a platform and likely holds a treasure. Strike these enemies from behind to avoid their projectile. After killing the one on the platform, return him to your pod because he regenerates. Avoid the bombs and collect the fuse (Indomitable CPU), tape (Furious Adhesive), lid (Thirst Activator).

Sublevel 8: Time to reinforce your pikmin squad. Use the two normal candypop buds to increase your red, yellow, or blue pikmin. Trade other pikmin for purple using the three purple candypop buds. Mature your pikmin with nectar before moving on. This is an excellent place to get purple pikmin. Repeat the Subterranean Complex as desired for more purple pikmin.

Use hit and run tactics against this armed spider. Once it shakes off your attack, retreat behind cover to avoid its projectiles.

Sublevel 9: A mammoth mechanical spider hides in the chamber’s center. Approach and toss purple pikmin on its head. As it rises, whistle your pikmin back. Take cover behind the small walls along the chamber’s edge. Or just keep running. The spider uses a laser targeting system to fire its explosive projectiles. After it completes a volley, return and attack. When it starts to shake pikmin off, whistle them back and retreat again. After defeating the spider, secure the light bulb (Stellar Orb) and return to the surface.

If you’ve followed the walkthrough to this point you’ve completed all three initial areas and have surpassed 10,000 pokos. The only place left is the challenging fourth area: Wistful Wind. If you skipped around the walkthrough, find any object you haven’t collected and read that section of the walkthrough for hints on how to collect the object or complete the section.