Pikmin 2 Tips and Tricks
Want to know how to get more of an edge when playing Pikmin 2? We dove deep into this highly replayable game to pull out tips, tricks, and strategies that even veterans might not be familiar with. Be it fruit techniques, going on dungeon adventures, boss fights, or an overview of your surroundings and the tools available to you, we've got a tip for it all.
No strict deadlines
In Pikmin 2, players won't have a strict time limit to meet - instead, there are only the guidelines given by the leaders. Players can play it safe and take the time to observe an enemy and discover its behavior before engaging with it. In the original game, players could whistle to redirect Pikmin while they're already in the middle of attacking an enemy.
In Pikmin 2, players can think about the right solutions for each obstacle and experiment with them instead of rushing because of a locked-in deadline. Having two captains is also convenient, as players can send one in one direction and another in the other, allowing for more efficient treasure collection. For example, players could have one captain sit at a site that's spewing out crates of goodies and then have the other explore a cave infested with enemies from which treasure flies into the air when they're crushed.
Keep a Pikmin on hand specifically for activating hazards when necessary and have the other hasten to the treasure hoard once the mechanism is complete. This way, players aren't stuck on one task while fruit and treasure rot. Sending two captains in opposite directions also increases flexibility when exploring and managing monsters.
Purple and white Pikmin
A lot of the enemies players encounter drop purple and white, or white, Pikmin. Purple and white Pikmin are rare and, if they die while exploring in the field, limit players' abilities in the underground layers. Because of this, players should immediately turn some of those enemies into purified Pikmin types with the grab-and-swap technique we'll discuss. Players should turn immediately towards a mixing point and deposit their newly-purified Pikmin there, paying special attention to their safety. Players should conserve purple and white Pikmin for use against special enemies, useful obstacles, or to recover items.
With these impure Pikmin saved, players can immediately turn their captain into a pure Pikmin and use them instead to instigate hazards, crush enemies, and explore dangerous terrains. It's not just for the captain though, the opponent's inability to convert enemies into mixed Pikmin means players can use pure Pikmin to their advantage and strategically leave them to function as traps.
Whistling and enemies
If players are facing a challenging enemy and want to turn and run without losing their Pikmin collection, they can press A or B as they're moving away and they'll whistle in their direction to draw them back. This comes in handy when players are desperate to keep a group intact, especially during boss encounters.
While we're on the subject of enemies, it's a good idea to learn about their behavior. Unlike familiar foes found in everyday life, these creatures can be tricked into exposing themselves and then taken advantage of in various ways. Some will charge, others wander and wait to ambush players. A few burrow into the ground and can only be revealed and crushed through whistle or tossing a Pikmin onto the ground they just occupied. There are a few tips we've come across that can solve encounters before they even begin.
Areas with monster nests will have the beasts on the surface, and they carry fruits, objects, and nectar to be collected. Players should keep an eye on the map for these treasures and take out these monsters to avoid future conflicts. We also recommend keeping track of the map, following dotted lines to treasures, and the area itself, such as the Awakening Wood in which strange fruits sprout from a tree that allow for an Ultra-Spicy Spray (which we'll get to).
Dungeons
While character tropes make more sense now after the first Pikmin game, the concept of exploratory underground floors contained entirely within a single dungeon
