Pikmin 2 #13 - "Bulblax Kingdom"

[@metroidfoosion73]

Just a warning you guys, this and gluttons kitchen are the last easy caves in this game. After that, everything is harder than snagret hole.

[@romanreigns3373]

Metroid Foosion Shower room is easy too

[@metroidfoosion73]

+Omar Yousef if I remember correctly, there are bulbears and fiery bulblaxs in there

[@danhood3185]

Nah, no fiery or bulbears. Most dangerous things in there are probably the volatile dweevils. Boss is arguably easiest in the game too

[@romanreigns3373]

Metroid Foosion Nah there's only orange bulborbs in there

[@awesomeness1122]

Shower room Has a lot of tough enemy's that are easy if you are good at fighting however they are not that good at fighting so they should have a tougher time then Snagret hole.

[@ethanmoore9286]

stephen, take out 20 of each pikmin type and walk around and you'll get an easter egg

[@edmundlucas4140]

Ethan Moore i saw that on chuggaaconroy channel

[@xenotheincineroar3279]

stay quiet when doing this

[@lackinggnat]

Ethan Moore You know, I was going to say that when they first got the blues, but #SlackingGnat.

[@dtdragon1558]

Really!? 😲😯🙀

[@the.pikmin]

Take out 16 each Pikmin type and you'll thank me later

[@ArenConcordia]

Yes Stephen, apologize for going over time, because extra content is just the worst.

[@BowserJrDood]

First20 viewers know for a fact going over time is a terrible sin that you should apologize for.

[@NintendoBlurb]

Unpopular opinion here but I'm actually one of those people that doesn't like longer content. He doesn't have to apologize for it by any means but the reason why I stopped watching Fallout 4 was because the episodes were getting to long in length for me to watch. 20-30 minutes is the perfect length for me but when it gets around to 40-60 minutes then I usually can't watch it all in one sitting.

[@ArenConcordia]

NintendoBlurb that's very interesting to me, because I've never had that problem. if I find content interesting, I will watch it to the end, regardless of length.

[@NintendoBlurb]

For me it has to be interesting the whole length of the video. With Fallout sometimes there were moments where you're just exploring for like 10 minutes and that got a bit boring and I would stop paying attention to Stephen's commentary. I'm also trying to get away from KZbin and engage in some other interests so I'm trying to cut down on my KZbin time.

[@The_Intelligent_One]

For me it's similar, just for a different reason. 35+ minute videos feel like they're a bigger commitment, because of the length and because of that I feel less like watching them. I haven't stopped watching, because it's interesting enough, but I definitely ended up with a few episodes in the backlog, because I didn't get around to watching them before the next one came out.

[@powderlead]

Your instinct to take 100 pikmin with you in caves is correct (because the queen candy pop buds are only really useful for regaining numbers), HOWEVER there is one cave called the submerged castle where you will want to take ONLY 75/80 pikmin with you. I won't spoil why but just know that this is very important.

[@IncredulousPasserby]

Hey, cheers to you for navigating the comment section as toxic as it's been. I know I've been bordering on that level myself; I was trying to avoid being totally awful but I know I was heavily critical so I do want to apologize. So, advice that may help: in the end, this is up to playstyle, but I got a lot of help thinking of most of my pikmin as cannon fodder. Like....IDK. You know in Magic, when you're playing black or black/white, you need to sacrifice creatures in order to get the best results, and it's better to think of your creatures/life total as resources instead of things to protect? That mindset /may/ help when going through the game. Even if it takes backtracking (and angry comments), you can always make more pikmin. I think one of the reasons you get conflicting advice on being cautious/aggressive, aside from playstyles, is that it depends on the situation. And that's an individual call, obviously. Being able to switch between those playstyles is ultimately gonna be better than listening to X comment or Y comment, both in that it will fit how you want to play the game and that you'll probably be more successful as you go through. I'm sorry that I/we have been seemingly angrier than most of your other LPs in the comment section, and I'm glad you're still having fun with the game.

[@Jobrosfanish]

dear Stephen and Mal, I don't know a thing about Pikmin apart from you guys and Emiles playthroughs of these games but I have to say it seems to me that you guys doing pretty well :) here's a positivity comment that you won't need aspirin for :) love you guys and hope you have a good day when you read this, whenever that would be :P

[@FeyPhantom]

Stephen and Mal, don't get down because of the comments! I think everyone's just so passionate about these games that the comments end up coming across as really serious. The LP has been tons of fun so far and you're both doing well! Keep it up and thanks for the enjoyable content! :D

[@TennelleFlowers]

Great job this episode! You guys forgot about the electric bugs since your last play session, but you figured it out again pretty quickly. lol Those poor purples... You guys are already playing a lot better though! I'm honestly impressed how well you both are doing, Pikmin 2 can be ROUGH (and mean, oh boy howdy does it get mean) but don't let the comments discourage you, you're doing fantastic! :D

[@veldhuis94]

You'll mostly encounter Queen Candypop Buds on lower sublevels, to refill your Pikmin count after you've lost some on previous floors.

[@MythDoesMc]

It's always best to have at least a little bit of every color in case you find candypop buds or you need them to deal with something unexpected

[@grimthemariofan5923]

Coff coff bome rocks coff coff

[@YourPalRal]

I love how the different types of Pikmin have different features, such as the purples have eyelashes or the yellows having ears.

[@mintystingmoon4787]

So, about the two enemies that regenerate health. One of them is called the Spotty Bulbear. It's a black and red Bulborb from the first game. The other one is the Gatling Groink, and will first appear in the next and last area you go to. It's orange and gray, and it shoots little bombs that hurt Pikmin. Be alert, because these things can wander almost anywhere, even into your base. Something I would recommend you do is when you get to another sublevel, take one captain and wander around the area to get an idea of what you're doing and what enemies you'll fight. Make sure to leave the other captain near the base with the Pikmin.

[@bluepolarbear]

Here is a tip: Any flying enemy can be grounded just by throwing a single purple Pikmin onto them. For flying enemies, toss one purple on, then swarm with the others for major damage.

[@the.pikmin]

Captain lawnmower I found red pickman's KZbin channel I meant on tiktok the underscore Pikmin

[@markenstrom2211]

Olimar, do the purples sumo wrestle?

[@TryclydeTamer]

Great episode! One thing I strongly advise is "maximizing" your Pikmin. Clear a sublevel first, convert any Pikmin, THEN go for nectar with ALL of your Pikmin, because there's no reason to just take a small group, especially when you convert flowers to leaves in Candypop Buds after flowering some. Candypop Buds always convert 5 Pikmin, no more and no less. You can only toss one into a Queen bud, but you get eight new Pikmin. But I see your argument about starting with 100, because you can always just grow Pikmin above ground, and any Pikmin lost before a Queen bud can be made up for. Since this is a new session, Mal probably had a heck of a time with this cave's boss, one that can be killed in literal seconds with tossed Purples before even giving it the time of day. Also, regarding dead ends with "nothing," there actually may be something. Remember that you have to have at least one Pikmin with you to trigger any things that fall from the sky, most particularly nectar or sprays.

[@TripleRedShell]

Stop trying to get them to play YOUR way.

[@TryclydeTamer]

I'm not. They appreciate tips, and I give them, often well-received by fellow commenters. If I wanted them to play my way, I'd be telling them to reset if even one Purple dies and make it an 8 Day Run no matter how grueling it is, haha.

[@bryonsmothers]

@Triple Red Shell Stop telling people what to comment!

[@TryclydeTamer]

You're right in that an LP shouldn't be dictated by the audience, but Stephen and Mal are willing to take advice on certain game mechanics, and still be able to play how they want. I do shame those who outright spoil things like "you fight a harder version of this boss" or "the final boss is--" so I don't resort to that, just clarifying things that they actually ask about.

[@Athados1]

Wow, someone's a little pissy lol

[@TasmanianGrenade]

I love how Mal always has to fight the bosses

[@Armydillo62o]

People waiting for the Submerged Castle remember that the Shower Room will come first. That's one of the games biggest difficulty spikes imo.

[@Armydillo62o]

Cavern Of Chaos will make Snagret Hole look like a joke.

[@furrykun9139]

Armydillo62o, The Hole of heros makes every cave look like a joke.

[@Armydillo62o]

Furry Kun I dunno I think Chaos is harder.

[@furrykun9139]

Armydillo62o, but in The Hole of heros there are multiple bosses and the raging crawbster is pretty easy if you know how he works.

[@danhood3185]

Tbh, I think with the increase in experience, confidence and enemy difficulty, I think Stephen and Mal will have an easier time with Shower Room than Snagret Hole. In my personal difficulty list, Snagret Hole ranks as the hardest AW cave and harder than the first 3 PP caves.

[@Dandyliondreamer]

omg you read every comment? that's gotta be tiring! but I'm glad cause that means you see me cheering you on!! don't mind others this game is stressful and you're doing your best!!

[@mattjaskowiak8484]

Don't forget you can use the map underground so you can make sure you went everywhere you can go!

[@Ayvangarde]

A tip for dealing with those little spider dudes: Move underneath them and then toss rapidly. Nearly every pikmin you throw will instantly latch on for a quick kill. Great work moving through the Bulblax Kingdom!

[@WingedFish66]

As an extra note, they'll come across electric ones in which case use ONLY yellow Pikmin on those.

[@batofdestiny]

That was a Glint Beetle that gave you the giant crystal thing. You want to go after them quickly as they will run away.

[@Starbracer]

Stephen, Mal, I love these videos. Please don't feel bad about not knowing what's happening in this freaking insane game. I'm enjoying watching you two play blind and creating, for the most part, your own play styles. Play how you want above ALL ELSE!!! And have tons of fun!!! Keep up the great content!

[@sfeng73]

Overall, you guys, contrary to popular opinion, are doing really good for your first playthrough. The following tips at this point are just advanced tricks and small tidbits to help facilitate your experience of Pikmin. 3:40 Those people saying that caves "lie" to you aren't necessarily wrong and there will be instances of hazards that will appear but the key thing to remember is that *there are ways around those hazards*. Take for example this hole. By today's upload, you will have played through it, but there will be water in this hole but when you see it and it is very much possible to solve the puzzle here without losing a single Pikmin. Same goes for the other holes that you will have. You may encounter certain hazards not mentioned, but it isn't impossible to get through with them without losing all your Pikmin. 5:55 Here's a quick tip. Your Pikmin don't have to be right alongside you when you go in. Even if you can't group all your Pikmin onto that tree trunk, so long as the bottom box showing Pikmin under your direct command (the big left box) says 100 or whatever amount you decided on, you can enter with those Pikmin even if they aren't next to you. 7:44 Not sure if it has been mentioned before, but after purple Pikmin squish some smaller enemies (small bulborbs in most cases) to death, they will cling onto the dying thing like it's trying to choke what's left the enemy's life out. This may or may not lead to some Pikmin deaths in the future if there are nearby enemies. 10:10 Quick reminder, and I know it has been said before, but if Pikmin are stuck in the ground as sprouts, they will be leave behind. You saw enemies that can do this, like the bee-like enemy that picks up two Pikmin and if left alone, will throw Pikmin into the ground as sprouts. There will be other enemies that do similar attacks in the future, but keep this in mind to make sure you pluck every Pikmin before leaving a floor. 14:32 Funny thing about the roaming enemies, but the few you will see (from my memory) are actually the ones that regenerate health as well. I remember them well because I found that those guys are the ones that pissed me off the most in my playthrough as well. One additional detail that you should know about these enemies is that unlike other enemies, *their souls don't fly out of their bodies*. If you observe, most enemies have that weird red-purplish circle soul that floats into the rapture upon defeat, but not for these roaming enemies. Thankfully, you won't see them that often. 16:59 I don't know if this has been mentioned, but flying enemies can be immediately floored again if they try to get up if there are enough Pikmin wearing it down. They will try and shake them off, but so long as you keep tossing Pikmin onto it, they won't even have a chance to attack. 19:54 For eggs, captains or flower Pikmin can attack them. You can then rally Pikmin with leaves separately and have them swarm the nectar. It's what I found to be the most efficient way of ensuring that most leaves get flowered so that you don't get confused trying to swarm flower Pikmin onto something they aren't willing to drink at the moment. You kind of did it here, but I thought I'd offer a more concrete method. 20:30 On the subject of reds being fodder, I do agree here. The hazards they deal with aren't instant kill, since yellows have to deal with electricity and waters have to deal with swaths of water that don't usually disappear, especially in caves (and whites and purples are clearly the rare ones). The argument can be made for reds being fighters, but with purples around, that really isn't as much an argument anymore. Nevertheless, they are still pretty important to have around, but since you get them first and had more time to farm them up compared to other Pikmin, they usually get converted first when I play. 23:50 Those enemies in particular, if I recall correctly, can't be stunned since they are technically "stunned" by being flipped over, so use caution when fighting them with purples, since as you can see, they are electric. 24:18 Actually, to be honest, a lot of enemies regenerate health on their own. It's only those select few that regenerate health after defeat. 26:38 Wollywogs (official name), with their amphibious nature, tend to be wet regardless of environment. They aren't capable of drowning Pikmin ever unless they happen to be in water and you have the bright idea of bringing all your non-blue Pikmin to fight it. 29:10 From this point on, there aren't any caves that would only be 5 sublevels deep. As you saw with Snagret Hole, later caves aren't going to be as nice with having a few sublevels to torment you on. In fact, if I remember correctly, the deepest hole you will have is roughly 20 sublevels deep, but this is something I'm unclear about it. Also, in case you ever want to farm purples and whites on your own time, this cave is one of my favorites to go to in the early stages of the game. The flowers you need appear within the first 4 floors and you can then manually choose to leave the cave with your new Pikmin types. Additionally, there aren't any walls or hazards that would prevent captains from moving to the next floor. There is another cave that I like to go to as well, due to the sheer volume of purples and whites you can get from it, but I will save that for when you guys get there.

[@BurningNight314]

Reading all the comments is a lot of work. I sure know that I wouldn't, so thanks, guys.

[@pumabread]

Woah, you actually showed me a new thing! I didn't know the large orange bulborbs could regenerate health while they're still alive

[@chaosDesigner9]

OK, I've decided I would leave my own, not-so-little (it's actually huge) batch of advice here: First off, Pikmin usefulness. I will list all the Pikmin types in the order of usefulness they have, in my opinion, which should give you an idea about how many of each type you should have in order to be prepared for pretty much anything this game can throw at you: -Yellow Pikmin are the single most useful type in this game, simply for the fact that electricity is insta-kill in this game (it isn't in Pikmin 3). Electricity, out of the four in-game hazards, is the only one of them that is insta-kill, while you can save Pikmin before they die to the other hazards. The fact that their throwing height has been greatly increased in this game also helps. -Then come white Pikmin, as they are the single most versatile type. They are immune to poison, they can dig up buried treasure and the are the fastest type, meaning that you can put them to carry stuff back to base if you want it to arrive quickly. They are also poisonous, which means that, if an enemy eats them, it gets poisoned and loses some health. However, I wouldn't recommend relying on this, since it makes you lose whites, and they have a more limited supply than the types with Onions. Then come purples. They are only useful for combat and carrying things that need more than a hundred Pikmin to carry them, but since you will be fighting a lot of enemies in caves, that makes them super useful. Always try to throw purples directly on top of enemies, because it does crazy amounts of damage. On the flipside, purples aren't immune to any hazards, so you have to be careful with them. They're also the slowest type, which means that you shouldn't put them to carry stuff if you want it to arrive quickly. -Then come blues. Water is now less dangerous, due to better AI and bug fixes, and less abundant. This means a few things: Blues aren't as useful as they were in the first game, Pikmin that fall in the water can be more easily saved simply by blowing your whistle at them (provided you react fast enough), and now you can throw blue Pikmin at drowning Pikmin, and the blues will throw them to shore (provided its close enough). Technically, this was also a feature in the first game, but it was really buggy, and didn't usually work. All of this doesn't necessarily mean blues are useless, since traversing water is still something you'll be doing a lot. Also, be sure to raise a lot of them, since the entrance to a cave in the Perplexing Pool is in water. More on that later. -Lastly, red Pikmin. Fire is usually a very non-threatening hazard in this game, and, since purples outclass reds at fighting, they don't really seem to have much use aside from cannon fodder and transforming into purples or whites. Then comes the cave I mentioned. That cave is the only remaining cave to have only 5 sublevels. However, this doesn't speak about its difficulty AT ALL. It's one of the hardest caves in the game, and I suggest that, if you find it, you go in prepared. I also suggest working fast inside it, since it might help you delay the inevitable. I'm not going to spoil exactly why that cave is so hard, but take heed: It' hell in there. Next is a little fact about the late-game you should know about as soon as possible: There's a treasure in the fourth and final area of the game that is right beside the base, but it requires 100 purple Pikmin to carry. I would recommend starting to stockpile them as soon as possible. Also, that thing Stephen mentioned about the hazards shown on the cave entrance being a lie: It really only applies to the Bulblax Kingdom (as far as I know, at least), and it isn't really that important, so you won't have to worry about that on the next batch. One last thing: Mal should really start to practice her aim in this game because, no offense, it's deplorable. She rarely aims directly at the enemy, as she should, and she should practice that.

[@Hunter-et3iy]

I knew about the area getting harder, but I thought it was every area. Thank goodness it's not, because The new enemy (not the big one) that shows up is scary to me, mainly because I hate all enemies in its family. I'm trying desperately not to spoil this! xD

[@xenotheincineroar3279]

tip for later, using march when you have a large amount of pikmin can kill enemies faster than throwing them. this applies when you have thrown your purples or around 15 pikmin. also be careful on which enemies you use this tip on, enemies with directional attacks or bulborbs are great for this

[@arbaruhin9098]

Just a small tip: if you see some nectar alongside a purple or white flower, you should use the flower first. That way your newly sprouted pikmin can become flowers immediately.

[@djsherbetx]

Stephen and Mal here's some tips 1. (even though it's not that helpful since most caves have all hazards and are the spawn of the devil) If there is one hazard that is not listed bring that type of pikmin so you can use them to gain purples and whites. 2. Orange Bulborbs are light sleepers yes, they will wake up if they hear a small (dwarf) orange bulborb and will come to revenge kill 3. at the end of the day press the z button when it shows you the number of pikmin at start of day verse at the end of the day to see how you killed your innocent david blanes and others 4. some enemies lock on to the captains so what you can do is have one captain act as bait and the swap between bait captain and pikmin leading captain 5. have 1 white pikmin to start digging underground treasures (please!) because traps will fall either as you walk into the alcove with treasure or during the digging process. Have a white pikmin as the run the quickest away from the hell falling from the sky. When the treasure is uncovered and the pikmin walk a trap may fall from the sky as well too and always have an eye on them. 6. 6 is the magic low number for here on in for caves, 1 has 6 there rest are more (there is one that has less than 6 but it will feel like you've gone through about 14 floors of hell) 7. Candypop buds always give 5 pikmin. Unless it's the spotted candypop bud (aka queen candypop bud) which takes one and gives out anywhere up to 9 pikmin depending on how much you've lost By the way guys you are doing really well (i know i may be in the minority) I made two references to the devil and hell that's because this game does fell like the spawn of satan. but there are some times (walking to the entrance of the bulblax kingdom) where i can't watch but hey who's good at a game they've never played! :p

[@MultiClassicgamer]

Here's a helpful tip with the eggs containing nectar. Always grab a purple flower pikmin and throw it on top of the egg. By doing this, it will automatically kill any and all of those small creatures that sometimes inhabit those eggs.

[@danhood3185]

Hey Stephen and Mal! A very good start to Bulblax Kingdom, with a much more confident attack style. Thank you very much for explaining the batch system, I hope people will stop spamming you now haha. The fact that you go through the comments is very impressive, and I hope that I have not offended you by things I have previously posted, the main comment perhaps being my dislike of Stephen's backseat gaming last episode. First comment I'm going to discuss is numbers. In all but one cave (The cave of fear that has been mentioned many times) I would always recommend going in with 100 pikmin. Queen Candypop Buds and the second undiscovered method of regaining pikmin in caves are helpful, but as the former only replenishes the three colours which are easily farmed above ground, I would argue that it is more beneficial to enter the cave with a full squad and then the candypop buds are only required if you suffer casualties, which is very likely in the harder caves, even from seasoned players! On sublevel you encountered the lovely red Withering Blowhogs. These are a cousin of the Puffy Blowhog from Pikmin, which will also appear in this game. As their name suggests, their wind attack is much more effective at '"withering", or deflowering your pikmin, although it has a smaller AoE than its cousin. You are able to reach them with purples alone, but you have to throw them onto the blowhogs underside. Due to their 10x weight, purple pikmin are immune to the wind and will not be knocked backwards. It is also worth noting that the weight of one purple can bring down any flying enemy, making them vulnerable on the ground. With eggs the best strategy is to throw 2 purples at it in quick succession. The first purple will instantly break the egg, and the second will instakill any mitites that spawn, allowing you to get lots of nectar without any chaos or panicking pikmin. Eggs are also never booby trapped. Today you also met the joyous electrical themed Anode Beetles. You guys have discovered that the only way that they can be damaged is by hitting them once on the top to flip them. They attack in pairs, meaning that if there is only left it is completely harmless, although killing them is fun :p Yellows are probably the best way to deal with them as when they are in clusters there is a lot of electricity flying around, and as you saw in this video it is quite easy for purples to die :( This cave is a great place for farming purple pikmin. It is arguably the second best cave to do this, granting 15 purples and 10 whites per trip. Good to see your steady improvements and use of the comments, and I look forward to seeing Mal take on the Emperor!

[@Hunter-et3iy]

Daniel Hood Read More disguised how much you commented. Wow.

[@danhood3185]

+mrmartinLgore Yep! Think it's only Emergence Cave and Hole of Beasts that stop spawning Violet Candypops once you hit 20 (EC goes down from 2-0 and HoB 3 to 1 so is not efficient). I've received conflicting research on other caves though, and am not currently able to test on my own but I know for sure that BK always respawns so is best purple farming cave that Stephen and Mal have encountered so far.

[@danhood3185]

mrmartinLgore SC is a better cave for farming due to the ivory, queen and violet candypop buds and the fact that they are on rest levels. I was just referring to the caves that they had explored so far, to avoid giving too much away to Stephen and Mal :)

[@BurningNight314]

As a quick note, only use flower pikmin to break open eggs. That way you don't have to risk losing a whole nectar to a handful of pikmin.

[@SpotterX4]

All in all, y'all are doing a great job in this playthrough. Don't let the comments get you down; most of us are just very experienced with this game and tend to cringe a bit more at beginner mistakes. This also explains why our advice sometimes conflicts.

[@BanraiTeraByte]

Stephen and Mal, the color-changing candy pop bud flowers are Queen Candypop Buds, if you throw one pikmin in, you get 8 back of the color you land on. it helps a LOT in later caves when you need more after several deaths happen. another thing: when you reach a certain cave in Perplexing Pool, you have to just bring blues despite its hazards (other fans you know which one i'm talking about) just don't overthink it and bring a sizable (but not 100) number of blues.

[@Jethro-goro]

Fun fact: out of all four elemental hazards in this game, electricity is the only one that is instant-kill. Really makes yellows useful, especially since they can't use bomb rocks anymore.

[@Pyrax99]

Just saying Stephen and Mal, i'd HIGHLY reccomend bringing 20 of each pikmin types not only will you get an easter egg, but staying around the 20 to 30 number of a pikmin type is WELL enough to take down elemental hazards and very few treasures require a lot of pikmin to carry (especially in water)

[@actuallyentertaininggaming5950]

even if their has been some hate this is so far my favorite pikmin 2 play through just because mal fed the snagrets so many pikmins

[@WingedFish66]

A bit of a mini tip, but when you break eggs use two purples and throw one about a second after the other. That way in case you get the mite creatures (which are harmless but cause Pikmin to scatter in a panic) they'll all die instantly from the second hit. As a bonus they drop a LOT of nectar.

[@ZeldaWizards]

Keep going over the time limit! It may be frustrating at times but this series makes my week

[@IceMaverick13]

Stephen a note about the purples: For reference to what I'm talking about, see the fight at 9:00. Purples ONLY Stun when they're coming *down* from their throwing arc. If they hit the enemy before they start falling, they'll simply latch on and start attacking, which negates nearly all of the benefits of fighting with purely Purple. If you find that you aren't getting a Stun (You can tell if you do by the way the ground shakes and the enemy bounces) with every single throw, you may be too close and need to back up a little bit before you continue throwing. One of the best ways to take enemies down is to actually throw Purples a bit *slower* (Like, think to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, or thereabouts) so that you can chain the Stun effect through the enemy's entire health bar, thus negating any risk of being eaten. This, of course, tends not to work on some truly monstrously huge enemies, so be wary of that. If you see the first Stun take hold, move to start chaining that Stun effect. If it doesn't... Well, spam-throw away, my friend.

[@IceMaverick13]

There are some dungeons (Perplexing Pool comes to mind with this) where I strongly recommend you only go in with 90-95. There's an interesting species in several of those caves that are incredibly helpful, but only spawn if you have less than 100 Pikmin in your party when you reach their floor. Wanting to go in full strength with 100 Pikmin is a good policy, but sometimes leaving even a little wiggle room (even if it's only like 5 Pikmin) for potential growth will be helpful in many of the caves, especially as you get later in the game.

[@scottrappo6849]

There are 7 sublevels in this cave. When you face the boss you will see a set of eyes sticking out of the sand. What you need to do is before you engage the boss, use a red potion and throw your purple pikmin between the eyes of the boss. Once the purples hit, the boss will come out of the sand, but it will lose three quarters of its health because the purples will be attacking it during its animation. Again use this strategy on the boss on the final sublevel, it makes it that much easier. Also this cave has rock traps if I remember (like the wollywog trap seen earlier). Rocks will fall from the sky so it is useful to explore while holding a pikmin to activate these traps.

[@nathannihmac1721]

we weren't saying to bring less pikmin for candypop buds, we were saying that (especially in submerged castle) because there is a final speciql type of pikmin that are only found in caves. Not through candypop buds either. just kill the big one and whistle the small ones, dont attack the small ones. its confusing but i dont want to spoil what they are. But they are immune to everything but crushing. OH and if you throw a pikmin into the same color candypop bud (red pikmin into red candypop bud) the bud doesn't count it as a use so you can still throw in five alternate colors.

[@zodiacm8168]

You seem to have gotten a lot better! I really enjoy seeing a first time play through. Great work! =P

[@Sebby_Nineteen]

People are saying only to bring 100 Blues for the Submerged Castle. I recommend only 90. There is something in there that may help, but won't appear if you have max Pikmin.

[@eviltables8510]

Sorry for some rude sounding comments I had made in the last batch of episodes. This game has a special place in my heart so I want to see you two get better and do this game justice. Now for tips on the future. - This cave is lying since there is water on the final sublevel but you don't need blues for that area since they expect you to throw Pikmin up a cliff by the water and use a captain to go up a slope in the water - There is another way to get Pikmin in caves. There is an enemy called Bulbmin (this is a roaming Enemy) That is a Bulborb with a leaf on its head with babies behind it (The amount of babies goes up to ten and the number with it depends on the pikmin you have in that sublevel. For example, if you have 94 Pikmin when entering a sublevel, the Bulbmin will have 6 babies with it but if you have 89 Pikmin in a sublevel, there will be 10). After you kill the Mother, you can whistle the babies. The babies work like a normal Pikmin (They can be thrown, join in swarming, they go from leaf, to bud, to flower, etc) but they are immune to the 4 main hazards (Fire, Electricity, Water and Poison) but they can still die by other means (Being Eaten, Thrown off a cliff, Crush, etc.). The big thing however is that you can't take them out of caves. All Bulbmin you have will be left behind when exiting a cave. This makes them perfect for being thrown in Candypop buds (The Flowers) so they can be changed into regular Pikmin and can leave with you - The Only things hidden underground are treasures so don't stress yourselfs when there is an odd setpiece. As long as the treasure radar is off, there are no more things hidden underground - After This cave, I would recommend going to the perplexing pool and doing the Glutton Kitchen as In my opinion, that is the last easy cave - If a cave has a water hazard, I would recommend taking at least 30 Blues Since you can destroy Fire Holes, Electric gates and poison generators but you Can't get rid of water in caves - If you ever need to find Pikmin, you can pause the game and there is a map that will show you where all the Pikmin and the captain's are at

[@R00m5green]

Speaking of taking 100 pikmin into caves, there are 3 caves where you absolutely do not want 100 pikmin with you when you enter, because if you do than something special you find in them doesn't show up. those caves are the submerged castle, the fronteir cave, and the hole of heroes. I would say 80 or 90 pikmin is a good amount for those areas

[@philiprobinson5500]

Pro tip: dealing with the golden beetles (or green ones even) is easier with purples. Even if they don't land right on it, the impact of the purple will sometimes hit the beetle anyway. Keep up the good work!

[@ImpulsiveInferno]

Quick tip, toss all the purple Pikmin between the eyes on the Final Sub-level

[@Aarhead]

Yes. Stephen and Mal, do this ^

[@ImpulsiveInferno]

...While it's still in the ground

[@23mrbee]

they probably already recorded fighting the boss of this dungeon.

[@ZeldaWizards]

sadly, yes

[@metacrossing1061]

For future reference...

[@zapfreak1020]

Already you guys are definitely improving just by watching the beginning of the video, I have a little note about aim which if you push up on the d-pad it gives sort of a top-down view making it much easier to aim

[@chiva7695]

You guys should generally bring less than 100 pikmin to caves (like maybe 95-99) because there will sometimes be a certain type of "pik"min that is immune to every hazard. I don't know all of caves that they appear in but this is mandatory for a certain cave called the submerged castle

[@MadroxMonoxide777]

I'm loving this series. But you can bet your sweet booty that if it was Mal controlling this episode in this exact way, there would have been a "oh my god! You have to pay attention! You can't just throw purples onto electric enemies!"

[@thelurker8169]

There are 3 caves where it would be in your best interest to not bring a hundred Pikmin. Frontier Cavern, Hole of Heroes and, Submerged Castle.

[@devonpayette9142]

there is a treasure in this game that requires 1000 pikmin, which means 100 purple pikmin, so for sure use all the purple flowers you find and be a little more cautious with your purples. those electric beetles you had foughten before in one of the previous caves and you could see them sparking up before you went to attack them.

[@NITE-LIVES]

Hey Stephen and Mal. Huge fan of your work. I don't think I have any super useful advice for you guys but I do have 2 things. 1. If you wait long enough on the dungeon completion screen, Totaka's song will play 2. If you take 20 of each pikmin, they will all sing a special song. Not really useful advise, but who doesnt like easter eggs, right? Anyways, best of luck to you guys!

[@MaxT152]

(i don't know if you already seen this tip) if your going to go and check for traps, bring at least 1 pikmin as captains don't cause traps to spawn

[@JustCrazyDK]

26:11 One purple can flip a bunch of those electric bugs over, but do be careful of the hazard.

[@lightningyaya]

stephen and mal i feel like how you are playing is fine and hilarious, so you shouldnt worry on how the commenters want you to play.

[@NintendoBlurb]

Always fully explore each level of a dungeon even if you've gotten all the treasure. There might be a purple or white flower hiding on a level still.

[@gregbiory3909]

Stephen & Mal, I am quite fine with you guys going over 30 minutes. In fact, I am one of the ones that encourage to go longer in your episodes.

[@JustCrazyDK]

Mal got : Red Potions got : 9;3 off screen Red Potions used: 5;4 Purple potions got : 3;1 off screen Purple Potions Used: 1

[@mikeshoe4779]

CrazyDK96 what the heck are these ratios?

[@JustCrazyDK]

Totals; This episode. I left that part at the top of the stats.

[@JorgeEnriqueValle]

I know it's 5 years old and all but I got a video of this series and say, ooohh that's pretty rare to see but glad that you played this game that it's really good. I remember playing this at my 14-17 years and it was chaotic playthrough, I kill a lot but make like 999 of the all onion Pikmin and like 500 of the other and was like half through XD But well hope you read this comment after so many time :3 Btw: The way you play it's good maybe farther in the series you get braver but it's cool :3

[@chompompcharly]

The Pikmin series is just a rather difficult series, especially your first time through it, but eventually you can do zero death runs like it's nothing. Also i'm sorry if it has already been said but i would suggest reading the piklopedia every once in a while, olimar's notes can give you helpful information on the creatures.

[@Nin-Saber]

It's good that you play cautiously since it's your first time playing the game, but a later cave will punish you for taking too long so it's best if you work more on multitasking when you go into future caves.

[@Klang4evre]

Stephen a bit of helpful advice. Wait to kill the Honeywisp after you convert the Pikmin into Purples and Whites. Same thing with the eggs.

[@29C-p5i]

For future episodes, I hope they will realize bilbears can come back to life even after dying

[@dashyburd]

You read every single comment?? My respects, dude. That by itself sounds like an ordeal. I am glad that you're taking the advice but at the same time figuring some stuff on your own. Makes me feel useful. Might as well continue to do so! -This cave is the only instance (at least that I remember) where the game "lies" about the hazards. There is only water in the last floor, but it can be easily circumvented using reds. And you're kinda meant to use them since there's a lot of fire in that place. -You've seen and done this before, but I just wanna make it clear again: some small enemies (like dwarf bulborbs, shearwigs, sheargrubs, skitterleaves and the like) can be easily killed in one hit if you land a pikmin right on top of them. You can even shoot shearwigs out of the sky when they're flying. This doesn't apply to water dumples (basically water bulborbs) tho, but good aiming still helps your pikmin latch on to them and be safer. -Bosses have sweet spots where you want to aim for massive damage or make your pikmin be safe. These are pretty easy to figure out. -Keep your button mashing skills in check because you wanna get as many pikmin on an enemy as possible for maximum damage and sometimes you get very little time to do so. -Oh boy, Mal is gonna take down another boss! She should be fine as long as she doesn't take the entire squad and run circles around the boss. And this boss will be found again later on so here's the easiest way to kill it: stand right in front of it before it comes out of the ground, aim directly between the eyes, and MASH A LIKE HELL! Throw ALL your purples on its face and it will be dead in 5 seconds flat! *Note: in case you haven't figured it out yet, purples demolish everything :V -Also, Mal, don't try to aim directly at enemies. That only works in Pikmin 3. In this game and the previous you only aim to the ground, so aim to the ground *under* the enemies, keeping in mind your throwing arc. No matter how far you throw, pikmin always fly the same height. -Finally, if you don't know how an enemy works, you can try to figure out its pattern with one captain with no pikmin. You guys are losing less pikmin than I did in my first try (I was a little kid tho but still), so you're doing pretty good!

[@hyperspark2697]

A big warning here, as you saw with the Wollywog falling out of the ceiling that's the introduction to traps and you did find out from comments before that they can appear through these ways: -You walk around with only a captain and no Pikmin -You walk around with Pikmin -Pikmin digging up buried treasure -Pikmin carrying treasure However the warning here is that in later caves where they go full force with the traps, when you look at the hazards bar they don't mention any traps before going in, they only mention hazards that will appear in the cave. So you have to be extra careful with the later caves as some of those traps are especially nasty to come across without realizing it through the small sound queue it gives/brief visual tell it gives off (these traps commonly occur when you are going through a small passage and entering a larger area of the floor). Which is also why being as careful as you are now can be a risky move if you randomly stop multiple times and not be wary of your surroundings much.

[@Andrewpog]

I am excited to watch them play the submerged castle

[@Athados1]

People are worried that Stephen will already know the SC enemy, so it's good to know they can't even remember the electric beetles from a few episodes ago =P lol

[@williamclift4142]

great job today! just so you know, we appreciate the extraordinary effort you put into your work a lot. we're very lucky fans. some tips: •white pikmin carry things much faster than any other color. this can be used to your advantage when you need to get stuff back quickly, and even a few whites will speed up the other colors. •electricity is the only hazard that instantly kills non-resistant pikmin (i.e. you can't whistle to save them). be extra careful with it! •this might be moot for this batch, but I hope you guys head back to the valley of repose soon, because I personally think the boss treasures from the two remaining caves there are very helpful. also, the subterranean complex (floor 8) is the best place to stock up on purples and whites, and you can do it as many times as you want!

[@williamclift4142]

also, you can look at your map in caves, too! you won't see the layout of the whole floor until you explore it all, but it does mark where the exit is right away, so you can know which general direction to head.

[@Hunter-et3iy]

P.S. Only go into the Subterranean Complex if you don't treasure your existence. -a former Subterranean explorer

[@kingboo6128]

Three tips: 1. The more time you take to fight Snagrets, the more Pikmin you will lose. Constantly attack it no matter what. Obviously, the dreaded Pileated Snagret (the one with the foot at the end of the Snagret Hole) will have to be refought in later caves. 2. Take about 80 Pikmin into the caves. Not only will there be the special spotted color-changing Candypop Buds, but there will sometimes be a special variety of Pikmin called "Bulbmin" in certain caves that will appear if you have less than 100 Pikmin in that cave. 3. If I were you, I wouldn't just use Purples to attack enemies, especially since you have such a low amount of them. Use Reds to put in extra damage. I hope these tips helped, and it's nice to see another complete playthrough on Pikmin 2 being done by such awesome folks. Rock on! :)

[@scottrappo6849]

Never take less than 100 pikmin. Always take 100. Don't listen to the above comment. ALWAYS TAKE 100 in case of high causalities.

[@kingboo6128]

Scott Rappo I said ABOUT 80. Which is assumed you bring at least 80 or less.

[@scottrappo6849]

There is zero reason to bring less than 100 except for submerged castle. Yeah there are candypop buds and bulbmin but the bulpmin are only vital for submerged castle and the candy pop buds are usually for later floors after a lot of deaths. Go in with 100 pikmin for every cave except submerged castle

[@kingboo6128]

Scott Rappo I suppose they could go in with 100, but it seems kind of redundant to me to go in with that many Pikmin.

[@scottrappo6849]

Stephen and mal are going to lose 20 to 30 pikmin in some of the later caves. They are really difficult. Bring 100 pikmin isnt redundant. Its smart.

[@dinglebingle4211]

I can agree that red Pikmin are obsolete compared to purples most of the time, but in later dungeons, there are certain enemies bosses that require swift movement as well as constant damage. You still could use purples, but I feel reds would not only be a better choice, but will also make it easier to not lose Pikmin in general.

[@JustCrazyDK]

I Believe Bulblax kingdom is the only cave that lies about the hazard. And then some caves that have no poison hazards, but buried treasure.

[@Minishroom123]

There's more than the candy pop bud reason for not taking 100 pikmin to a cave. It's only in a few dungeons, but it's useful.

[@furrykun9139]

Three purples die to the Anode beetles Stephen: "well I didn't know about that." Actually you did because you saw them in a previous cave Stephen.

[@RichiRay97]

I don't know if anyone else has said this already, but if you have 20 of each Pikmin in your party, they sing a different tune than they usually do called "Ai no Uta". This doesn't boost their power or anything, it's just a nice little Easter egg if you wanted to hear it.

[@lackinggnat]

In this episode, Stephen apologizes for stuff he could have not known while jumping into a cave. They also realize what they should do in always getting the candypop buds. A few -Fat- Fighting type Pikmin faced the death of... hmm... Let's just say a Peliper and will maybe be missed. Stephen and Mal are getting better, however. Slowly, but surely.

[@TheDibi]

I don't know if someone gave you guys this advice but, if you march your guys and spin the pointer around, you can cluster them together in a little ball, which will make it easier to march all of them into nectar. It also works from side to side to make a line of pikmins, in case you want to cross narrow spaces in a straight line. Good luck, you guys are doing great!

[@Gobi_no_inu90]

Tho I'm sure many others have said this, for 100% you NEED 100 purple pikmin so using them recklessly​ will​ cause some headache by going back though dungeons you've already completed

[@JinxProductions]

The Withering Blowhog is a relative of the Puffy Blowhog. It cannot kill Pikmin, it can only de-flower them

[@BlockSquad1000]

Tip for the future, you should scout out the floor without any Pikmin before fighting enemies. It allows you to know what you are up against, set off traps so you won't lose any Pikmin and observe any new enemies to see what element they are.

[@Christophee1987]

I think you need at least one Pikmin with you to set off traps, but you can just carry it to keep it safe.

[@BlockSquad1000]

Christophee1987 In my playthroughs I haven't had to do that.

[@Christophee1987]

Interesting. Maybe it only applies to certain drops. I think some only trigger when you attempt to carry a treasure, so maybe I'm getting confused.

[@soupahmario5869]

Fear the Wraith. You'll be meeting him soon, Stephen. I pray it's your episode, that level will beat you silly and Mal had to deal with the Bird Snakes.

[@thefluffypotato5942]

When fighting the balloon guys use only leafs because then you can not lose more flowers Your doing great keep it up

[@SuperGameguy001]

"The Awakening Wood can go straight to hell" oh buddy just wait until the wistful wild.

[@CaptinPigpin]

as a tip when you are trying to kill the spiders that pick up treasures/dead enemies try throwing your pikmin from right underneath them

[@princeofhyrule2205]

A couple tips: 1: Pikmin can more easily be thrown onto a ledge if your character is not hugging the cliff. This is especially helpful for getting purples onto ledges 2: Use purples to destroy eggs in case the swarm of those weird looking bugs come out. U can get a load of nectar from them that way 3: Play the game u want to play. I really like seeing how u guys go about new obstacles without relying solely on comments. 4: U were trying to throw your pikmin onto the ledge so that all the pikmin are ready to go down the hole. Ofc, u could have walked them up by that route that the captain has to take. But, the mechanic that would help u the most for this would be where u gather all the pikmin u want together with one captain. Then bring the other captain up to the hole. Then, bring the captain with the pikmin near the base of the hole (where u were standing to throw the pikmin would work fine). Finally, just whistle the captain with pikmin with the captain by the hole. Even though the pikmin won't physically be able to get up to the hole, it does not matter. As long as they are in your squad, they will go down with u. Just a side note: I think it would be cooler to watch the rest of the lets play without u relying on the comments at all (as in, don't read them any more). Y? Because u guys know the mechanics of the game now and reading the comments, u will get spoilers to beating enemies and such that u haven't met yet. That really eats away at the surprise of the enemy and it is just far more fun to watch u guys realize the weakpoint. (i'm sure it is satisfying when u do too). All i'm trying to say is I would like u not to read any more comments and play the way that u 2 think u should play and overcome obstacles as they come without being spoiled by the comment section. Hope the advice helped!

[@princeofhyrule2205]

Also, advice in the comments about how to beat an enemy Stephen and Mal already beat is fine. i just get mad when people spoil enemies, events, and secrets before they reach them. That is y i think it would be good to not read comments any more

[@keanuworley8333]

when you can take 20 of each pikmin, they sing a lovely lil song that is actually very morbid if you look up the lyrics

[@nostalgiafactor733]

Yall did great this episode!

[@batofdestiny]

Those beetle things that killed the 3 purples... refer to them as Love Bugs. As long as there are 2 close to each other they will make an electric shock. They have have to have two with each other to kill Pikmin.

[@supergamerfrost1564]

Stephen and Mal what the commenters meant about the menu lying about caves the hazards that are listed before the cave, are the hazards that are necessary to complete the cave but not get all the treasures

[@bwdsword]

We all need to remember the first time we played Pikmin. We were probably just as good as Stephen and Mal and hell I think I was worse.

[@JackitK]

"Awaking Wood can go straight to hell" ...hohoho poor poor Stephen. ... Awakening Wood is the easy world. Or at least every world is going to have at least one dungeon that will make you say that. (Especially the first world)

[@foofking118]

If you see a purple or white candy pop bud, and eggs or a honeywhisp (those flying enemies that drop nectar) in the same floor, you should save the nectar for the pikmin that you transform, especially if the ones that you exchange for the purples/whites are flower pikmin. I hope I helped.

[@r.j.etrogames]

Steven, you need more purples and whites. I say you should take 15 white, 15 purple with every cave. That leaves 70 divided up. Reds are basically throwaways. I would take 30 reds just so you get more whites and purples. There's​ a part in the game that requires 100 purples, so make sure you have throwaway stuff. Also, throw leaf PIKMIN into candypop buds. And also, expect this game to be way longer than expected. There's more after you recover the debt. There's my advice.

[@xJC4Rx]

All things considered, you guys ARE doing a decent job. I've chimed in a few times, but I'm not trying to be an ass with anything I suggest. The thing to me about having a huge group of Pikmin is that people fail to mention that carrying 100 guys into battle makes you a bigger target. You will rarely find an enemy that can have all 100 thrown onto him without him shaking them off. That didn't exactly help during the final boss with the Snagret hole,.

[@bloonninja9226]

the electric beetles can only kill pikmin when two of them are near each other so if a beetle is by itself its completely harmless

[@rafettcaceres4157]

i think you should use more of the potions like 1 or 2 of each type at a boss because they will be really useful

[@ZeldaWizards]

12:25 just saying there is electric, water and poisonous forms of those enemies, youll know by their colour

[@jamespolk5428]

On cave floors with open air, metallic walkways, such as in White Flower Garden and Snagret Hole, Pikmin can fall off the edge and plummet to their deaths in the transition cutscenes (jumping down a hole or into a geyser). Be careful; you should be able to skip these cutscenes, if you want to be totally safe.

[@Hocotatium111]

This is for Stephen and Mal and my fellow commentors. Just remember that this is just a game and don't stress out about it too much. Pikmin 2 is my favorite game of all time and I've become very good at optimizing my play in it, but I'm watching because I want to see the learning experience that comes with playing the game from a fresh perspective. Experiment a little bit and learn from your mistakes. That's what it's all about. And for commentors, remember that the Pikmin games are highly stressful, and that's part of what makes them so great. Being able to manage and handle multiple challenges at a time is a great feeling. But I don't want comments to add an extra layer of stress to everything.