How to Get Rock Pikmin in Pikmin 4

While the Blue, Ice, Red, and Yellow Pikmin are all relatively common in Pikmin 4, Rock Pikmin aren’t! You’ll really only find them in one spot in one map for much of the game. You can’t get them by tossing existing characters into special flowers. You can’t find an Onion for them. This means revisiting a specific spot and going into that cavern a few times to build up an army.

How to get Rock Pikmin in Pikmin 4

Editor’s Note: To avoid spoilers immediately after launch, this guide will only cover their locations in the first four areas.

After Ice Pikmin, Rock Pikmin are the next “wild” type you can encounter in Pikmin 4. Typically, you’ll already see them fighting an opponent in a cavern or buried in the ground, waiting to be plucked. In the former situation, you need to defeat the enemy to “recruit” them. Much later in the game, a Rock Onion will be available to acquire in Giant’s Hearth.

Two “easy” ways to find them exist. One is to check the main “explore” screen before choosing an area. When you highlight an area, icons will show what sorts of Pikmin could be found there. Once you are in an area, you can also task Oatchi with sniffing them out. Once you find them once, you can use Command to ask him to find that type in an area in Pikmin 4. If you are riding on his back, he will automatically take you to a cavern that houses them.

Also, after finishing a cavern or exploring and area, it will tell you what sorts of wild Pikmin live inside both on the area exploration selection screen and when highlighting a cavern on the map.

Since I’m avoiding spoilers immediately at launch, there’s really only one place to find Rock Pikmin in the first three areas of the game. That’s the Blossoming Arcadia Kingdom of Beasts cavern. There are a lot of enemies in here, with some appearing for the first time, so be prepared to lose some Pikmin on your first attempt. I recommend using Red ones, as they’re stronger in a fight.

• Blossoming Arcadia: Kingdom of Beasts
• Hero’s Hideaway: Frozen Inferno and Plunder Palace

Eventually, when you reach Giant’s Hearth, you will be able to get a Rock Pikmin Onion.

Screenshot by Siliconera

Why do you want Rock Pikmin in Pikmin 4?

Rock Pikmin are basically the only kind of Pikmin that can “smash” certain barriers or objects. Most commonly found in caverns, you might find a crystal “wall” typical Pikmin can’t break. Some later enemies, particularly in the fourth area, will also carry small crystals that they will toss at you and your Pikmin. The Rock Pikmin can shatter them, removing that foe’s weapon and getting you a piece of material to take back. I also found they are better at breaking through enemy defenses sometimes.

Pikmin 4 is available for the Nintendo Switch.