Day 8 - Tropical Wilds — Pikmin 3 eGuide

Remaining Juice: 24 canisters

Objectives: Locate and secure the source of the latest signal, then open new paths and collect more fruit.

The work you did on the previous day has opened the path to the latest signal. There’s sure to be another dangerous enemy lurking near the source, but you’ve cultivated plenty of Pikmin, and the extra day you spent in the Distant Tundra gave you plenty of time to gather more Ultra-Spicy Berries. Track down the signal, then spend the rest of the day exploring the area.

When the day starts, call a full squad of Pikmin down from the Onion. Consider bringing 50 Red Pikmin and splitting the rest of the slots between the remaining varieties. With all three crew members on the team, lead the squad up the Paper Bag ramp southwest of the landing site and follow the path toward the signal.

When you reach the enclosure, attempt to dig up the half-buried object in the center of the area. This triggers a short cinematic and begins another boss battle. When the cinematic ends, gather your Pikmin and defeat the Sandbelching Meerslug.

Boss Batte: Sandbelching Meerslug

The Sandbelching Meerslug spends the bulk of its time hiding beneath the sand, so it’s important to attack whenever the creature is vulnerable. This enemy has two basic attacks: it can rise out of the ground to spit-launch sandy projectiles, or it can create a pit in the sand and swallow any Pikmin that slide down to its waiting jaws. To survive the encounter, you must quickly identify which attack is being initiated and respond appropriately.

The ripples in the sand make it easy to identify the creature’s current location. Keep your distance and wait for the Sandbelching Meerslug to begin an attack. If a pit starts to form, run away and wait for the next attack. If any of your Pikmin fall into the pit, use the whistle to rescue them.

If the sand rises into a narrow peak, it means the Sandbelching Meerslug is about to emerge. Use a dose of Ultra-Spicy Spray, then run in to attack. If you react quickly, you shouldn’t have any trouble slipping under the creature’s projectiles. When you’re close enough, lock onto the Sandbelching Meerslug and send all of your Pikmin charging in.

The charge should be enough to pop the Sandbelching Meerslug clear out of the ground, knocking your entire squad to the ground in the process. Quickly gather your Pikmin, then attack the temporarily incapacitated creature with another charge. With your entire squad affected by Ultra-Spicy Spray, you should be able to take at least 25 percent of the creature’s health.

Attack until the Sandbelching Meerslug dives back underground. If any Pikmin were struck by a projectile, use all three crew members to pluck them from the sand. When the creature stops moving through the area, identify the next attack and react accordingly: avoid any pits the creature creates and charge the creature each time it emerges from the sand. To ensure the battle ends as quickly as possible, reapply Ultra-Spicy Spray as needed.

When the Sandbelching Meerslug’s health drops below 50 percent, it begins creating much more dangerous pits. Some pits are so large they fill almost the entire area, while other pits have such sudden drops, there’s no way for your Pikmin to escape. When the creature dives underground and begins circling the area, get to the edge of the enclosure as quickly as you can. If possible, stand on the solid ground near the enclosure’s exit and wait for the attack to end.

With these upgraded pit attacks, it’s much more important to keep your distance from the Sandbelching Meerslug. That said, there’s no reason to change tactics. Avoid the pits and charge in to attack each time the creature emerges. If you react to each attack and use plenty of Ultra-Spicy Spray, you should be able to defeat the Sandbelching Meerslug within the first quarter of the day.

Alternate Method

If you opt to use Bomb Rocks during this battle, you can easily counter the Sandbelching Meerslug’s pit attacks. Each time a pit appears, throw a Bomb Rock into the creature’s mouth. When the Sandbelching Meerslug swallows the Bomb Rock, the explosion causes the creature to fly out of the ground. When the creature lands, gather your squad and attack the Sandbelching Meerslug until it recovers.

When you bring Bomb Rocks into this battle, you must be very careful to avoid accidental detonations. If the Pikmin carrying the Bomb Rocks are knocked to the ground, the resulting explosions can wipe out the bulk of your squad.

Even without Bomb Rocks, it’s possible to counter the Sandbelching Meerslug’s pit attacks. When a pit appears, simply run into the trap, gather your Pikmin, and have the entire squad charge the creature’s mouth. This tactic is a bit risky, however. If your Pikmin don’t do enough damage to knock the Sandbelching Meerslug into the air, you’ll lose a good chunk of your squad when the creature’s jaws snap shut.

When you defeat the Sandbelching Meerslug, it spits out the Folded Data Glutton (flip phone) and a Crimson Banquet (watermelon) that breaks into several chunks. As you assign Pikmin to carry each item, keep at least two Yellow Pikmin in your squad.

As the objects are being carried back to the landing site, look for the two Dirt Mounds on the ledge surrounding the enclosure. Toss a Yellow Pikmin into each of the Dirt Mounds and collect the Data Files they toss down to the sand. When you’re ready, gather any idle Pikmin and leave the enclosure.

Move to the Dirt Mound just west of the landing site and assign a couple of Pikmin to unearth the buried Bomb Rocks. Leave one crew member to wait for them as they work, then gather any idle Pikmin waiting at the landing site.

Many of your Pikmin should still be carrying items to the landing site. Leave one crew member by the ship to wait for returning Pikmin, then use the available squad to collect more Bomb Rocks.

Use the “Go Here” command to plot a route across the bridge to the south and up to the Dirt Mound you discovered on the previous day. As the main squad follows your command, use the remaining crew members to monitor  the tasks still being completed. As each task is finished, gather the idle Pikmin and use the  “Go Here” command to rendezvous  with the main squad.

When your main squad reaches their location, assign several Pikmin to dig in the Dirt Mound. While you wait for the other crew members to arrive, use the time to smash the nearby Nectar Eggs and check the area for Swarming Sheargrubs.

By the time all crew members have reached the “Go Here” destination, your Pikmin should have recovered all of the Bomb Rocks from the second Dirt Mound. Reform into a single large squad, and use three of the Bomb Rocks to destroy the Reinforced Wall near the Dawn Pustules (green grapes) just past the path’s hairpin turn.

After the explosion, head through the remains of the Reinforced Wall and use the remaining Bomb Rocks to defeat the Orange Bulborb sleeping near the Electric Gate to the west. Toss the Bomb Rocks just in front of the creature, then run clear of the blast. If you fail to catch the Orange Bulborb in the explosion, flank the creature and send your Pikmin charging in. When it’s safe, throw a crew member and 10 Rock Pikmin into the nearby Fragment pile.

Head back toward the hairpin turn and look for the Fragment pile near a Dirt Mound. Assign 10 Pikmin to the Fragment pile and send at least twice as many into the Dirt Mound. As your Pikmin dig, additional Fragments are tossed onto the pile.

Leave a crew member to wait near the Dirt Mound until the bridge is finished. Assign a few Pikmin to gather the nearby Ultra-Spicy Berries, then use rest of your squad to transport defeated enemies.

Switch to the crew member you left near the first Fragment pile and gather the idle Rock Pikmin. Use them to clear out the Skutterchucks to the north. At this point, the bridge should be nearly complete. Leave the enemies for now and take the Pikmin to rendezvous with the main squad.

When the bridge is complete, switch to the crew member you left at the Dirt Mound. Gather the idle Pikmin and rejoin the main squad. Take all of your remaining Pikmin back to the newly destroyed Reinforced Wall and have them collect the nearby Dawn Pustules (green grapes). With the new bridge in place, it’s a very short trip back to the landing site. Use what’s left of the day to collect defeated enemies and Ultra-Spicy Berries.