Pikmin 4 – Combat Guide | Tips & Tricks
01.08.2023 - 20:23
/ gameranx.com
Pikmin 4 has catapulted itself into the hearts of newcomers and long-time veterans alike. Despite taking 10 years to materialise, the general consensus is that it was well worth the wait. There is something undeniably moreish about running around gathering bits-and-bobs using teeny-tiny carrot people.
Of course, that’s not all you will do as there are dastardly enemies seeking your demise. It is rare that a treasure is undefended, and if you want to complete your mission and get out alive, you are going to need to do battle. This guide will give you a rundown on how you can best tackle the myriad problems that await you.
More Pikmin 4 content:
Blue Pikmin | Beginners Guide | Every Pikmin Type | Shortcuts | Oatchi Upgrade Guide | Swim Guide | Foolix Guide | Hectic Hollows
At the start of the game you will have a very limited set of tools when it comes to slaying your foes. In fact, you only have one option – throwing. Throwing your Pikmin, whilst basic, never stops being an effective strategy. This allows you to launch your rainbow-buddies onto the backs of just about anything, allowing them to safely deal damage.
Not only that, some enemies are flying or have hard to reach weakpoints. Throwing gets around this in most cases. The games does have a fairly generous ‘Target Lock’ (ZR) system, but you still need to aim properly. Pikmin that miss their mark will be left stranded in the open and this can lead to a very quick death. Nobody wants that on their conscious.
After a short while you will unlock the ability to mount your trusted companion, Oatchie. Oatchie is a very powerful asset in combat, and one of his first abilities is to Rush. This causes damage, of course, but more importantly, it can quickly dispense Pikmin onto your enemies.
Whilst you are mounted, all Pikmin under your control will also mount Oatchie. When Oatchie lands a Rush in this state, your Pikmin are flung onto the enemy you hit. This is amazingly powerful at all stages of the game, but only gets more powerful as your squad increases in size. Very few enemies can survive a 100-Pikmin coordinated assault.
Sometimes you don’t have time to mount Oatchie, or maybe you don’t have access to Oatchie for whatever reason. This would normally leave you stranded without your best offensive tool, however, there is a solution. If you go to Russ and buy the Charge Horn, you unlock a very powerful new ability.
The Charge Horn lets you command all Pikmin of a single colour to charge in the selected direction. Blow that horn multiple times, and you can quickly get all of your Pikmin into combat. Unlike Rush, however, your Pikmin won’t climb enemies. This makes them more vulnerable to attack, but the trade off is a much faster offensive.
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