You won’t get very far in Pikmin 4 without the right buddies. Nintendo’s latest is designed like a Metroidvania, with lots of locked areas you must return to when you have certain types of Pikmin. In total, the game has nine Pikmin, each with special abilities and quirks. However, getting your hands on them can be challenging, as many of them are locked inside caves or other hidden locations.
Below, we’ll run down what all nine Pikmin do and where to find each variety Pikmin 4.
All 9 Pikmin Types and What They Do
- Red Pikmin: Fire-resistant, strong fighters.
- Yellow Pikmin: Electricity-resistant, good at digging, can be thrown farther.
- Ice Pikmin: Can freeze water and enemies, can float in water.
- Blue Pikmin: Water-resistant, can swim.
- Purple Pikmin: Strength and weight of 10 Pikmin.
- Rock Pikmin: Can break crystal walls and can survive being stepped on.
- Winged Pikmin: Can fly.
- Glow Pikmin: Exclusive to nighttime expeditions.
- White Pikmin: Poison-resistant, fast.
Where to Find All Pikmin Types
Red Pikmin
The Red Pikmin are found in the Rescue Command Post and are the first ones you’ll encounter at the start of the game. They cannot be missed.
Yellow Pikmin
You’ll find the Yellow Pikmin on the Sun-Speckled Terrace stage. To find them, you’ll need to enter the Crackling Cauldron Sublevel cave in the center of the area. The Yellow Pikmin will appear on the first Sublevel within the cave.
Ice Pikmin
Multiple of the caves on the Sun-Speckled Terrace stage give you access to the Ice Pikmin. You can find them within the Aquiferous Summit, Last-Frost Cavern, and Hectic Hollows.
Blue Pikmin
The Blue Pikmin are found in various locations but the soonest you can find them is on the Sun-Speckled Terrace level. Unlike the previous two, you’ll need to unlock the Blue Onion. The Blue Onion is located between the Hectic Hollows entrance and the Trial Run mission and is found across a body of water. You’ll need at least 30 Ice Pikmin to freeze the water and then 20 other Pikmin to cross and carry the Blue Onion back to the base.
Purple Pikmin
Unlike some of the previous Pikmin, the Purple Pikmin are hard to come by. In fact, there are only a couple of places to find them in the entire game. The soonest you can collect them is within the Engulfed Castle cave on the Serene Shores stage. This is one of the toughest caves to complete to 100 percent, but if you use Oatchi to sniff out the Purple Pikmin, you can quickly find them and escape the cave without collecting everything (you can come back to it later).
Rock Pikmin
Next up, you’ll want to visit the Kingdom of Beasts cave on the Blossoming Arcadia stage to find the Rock Pikmin. This cave is found right after you cross the mushroom bridge. You can also find Rock Pikmin in the Frozen Inferno and Plunder Palace caves on the Hero’s Hideaway level.
Winged Pikmin
Winged Pikmin are another rare type of Pikmin, with only a couple of locations throughout the game. The first time you can encounter them is from the Below-Grade Discotheque cave on the Serene Shores stage.
Glow Pikmin
Glow Pikmin are only accessible during nighttime expeditions. Partway through the story, you’ll be forced to talk to Yonny to explore at night, and doing so will unlock the Glow Pikmin. These Pikmin are hard to miss.
White Pikmin
There are a few White Pikmin locations, but the first encounter will likely be within the Subzero Sauna cave on the Serene Shores stage. Though, you can also find White Pikmin during the Giant's Hearth stage which is unlocked after completing the game.
Pikmin 4 is available now for Nintendo Switch.
