Day 3 - Garden of Hope — Pikmin 3 eGuide

Remaining Juice: 4 canisters

Objectives: Collect the area’s last piece of accessible fruit and locate the mysterious signal.

Brittany and Alph hope to find Captain Charlie by tracking a mysterious signal. Before you head out, make sure you have enough Pikmin to handle any nasty surprises you might find along the way.

When the day starts, pluck any sprouts planted at the landing site. Call between 30-50 Rock Pikmin down from the Onion, then fill out the rest of your group with Red Pikmin. Lead your group to the area north of the landing site and clear out any creatures you might have skipped the previous day. Use any fallen enemies to bolster your Red Pikmin’s numbers.

If you haven’t already destroyed the Dirt Wall at Point 2, use all available Pikmin to do so now. When you’re finished, lead your group through the opening to find a small room.

This area contains two tins hanging at opposite ends of a single rope. Throw five Pikmin and a crew member onto one of the tins. When the they’re in place, throw seven Pikmin on the remaining tin. As the second tin drops to the ground, the first tin is raised flush with the nearby bricks.

Switch crew members and gather the five nearby Pikmin. Lead them onto the bricks, then throw the Pikmin up to the Zest Bomb (lime) on the nearby ledge. You should still have plenty of Pikmin left in your group. Call to any idle Pikmin and head for the signal as the Zest Bomb is carried back to the ship.

Leave the small room and use the bridge to the east to cross the water. Put all of your Pikmin to work destroying the Dirt Wall at Point 5. When the job is done, round up your allies and follow the path toward the signal. You’ll automatically collect another Data File along the way.

Follow the path into the giant tree stump to trigger a cinematic. An Armored Mawdad springs an ambush, beginning the game’s first boss battle. Use your Pikmin to defeat this surprisingly agile creature.

Boss Battle: Armored Mawdad

The Armored Mawdad’s attacks are fairly limited, but they can be very effective. This beast charges along the ground, using its giant pincers to trap any creatures unfortunate enough to be in its path. The Armored Mawdad snaps its pincers before each charge —each time you see this warning, move quickly to lead your Pikmin out of the way.

The strategy for defeating the Armored Mawdad is fairly simple: throw Rock Pikmin to shatter its protective crystal plates, then use Red Pikmin to attack its exposed flesh. The armor protecting its head is very thick. The armor at the tip of its tail, however, is much easier to break—try to focus your early attacks there. If its tail is out of range, just chip away at any bit of armor you can reach.

Each time you shatter one of the Armored Mawdad’s plates, the creature retreats a short distance. Any attackers caught in its path will be knocked to the ground, so try  to stay out of its way. Lock onto the Armored Mawdad and position yourself so that the creature’s exposed flesh is directly in front  of you. Send your squad charging in to attack.  With a little luck, your Red Pikmin will be able to do a considerable amount of damage before they’re knocked loose.

After each attack, collect as many idle Pikmin as you can. When the Armored Mawdad takes enough damage, it climbs up the walls and scurries out of range of your attacks. Use this time to round up your scattered Pikmin, and use the debris falling from the ceiling to track the Armored Mawdad’s position.

If you’re knocked to the ground, waggle the Left Control Stick (or the Nunchuk Control Stick) to get back on your feet. The Armored Mawdad attempts to devour any Pikmin it manages to catch. To free trapped Pikmin or crew members, use Rock Pikmin to shatter one of the Armor Mawdad’s crystal plates, or use Red Pikmin to deal enough damage to send the creature running.

Keep your Pikmin out of harm’s way, and chip away at the Armored Mawdad’s health until you complete the encounter.

When you defeat the Armored Mawdad, it spits out two items. The first is a Firebreathing Feast (dragonfruit), and the second is a Data Glutton (mobile phone)—the source of the signal that brought you here. You’ll need at least 45 Pikmin to carry the Armored Mawdad and both objects back to the ship. Assign a suitable amount of Pikmin to each task, but make sure you keep a few by your side.

Before you leave, look for the two Data Files located in the area. One Data File is in the alcove to the west; the other Data File is hidden in one of the mushrooms on the opposite side of the room. If the second Data File wasn’t uncovered during the battle, use your Pikmin to destroy the mushrooms now.

Unless the battle dragged on, there’s a good chance you’ll still have half a day left when you defeat the Armored Mawdad. You can search previously explored areas of the map for any pellets that may have appeared, or you can simply end the day when all of your Pikmin make it back to the ship. Either way, make sure you pluck any new sprouts before the day ends—it will be quite a while before you return to the Garden of Hope.