Pikmin 4 - How To Unlock Blue Pikmin Early

Pikmin 4 is finally here after a gruelling 10-year wait. It brings all kinds of new and interesting concepts to the series and nails just about everything. This is the gold standard for the series, which is mighty fine praise considering the quality of each entry. Despite all the new gubbins to mess around with, it can be easy to forget the old.

Blue Pikmin make their fourth appearance in the series, although they are not quite as straightforward to find as in other games. There are a number of ways to unlock them, and how/when you get around to doing so will vary based on your playstyle. You can unlock these water-borne carrots pretty early on, providing you have a few things ready to go.

More Pikmin 4 content:

Beginners Guide | Every Pikmin Type | Shortcuts | Oatchi Upgrade Guide |

How To Unlock Blue Pikmin In Pikmin 4

What You Need

Before you head off on your adventures, you are going to need a few things in hand. Firstly, you need to have upgraded Oatchi to Buff Level 3. This will only cost you 2 Pup Drive and it will allow Oatchi to lift as much as 10 Pikmin.

Secondly, Oatchi needs to learn how to swim. We have a guide on this here, but in short, run Oatchi into any body of water and trigger the drowning cutscene (don’t worry, he’s fine). After two in-game days, you will be informed that Oatchi can now swim.

You will also need a whopping 30 Ice Pikmin. This is easily the hardest part of this method as Ice Pikmin can’t be made – only found. Be sure to explore every Sublevel and nab all the Ice Pikmin you can.

Finally, you need to have a total Pikmin Capacity of 40. The required Flaric are very easy to find just by exploring. You should hit 40 early on in your play experience.

With all of that in hand, it’s time to get yourself some Blue Pikmin.

Head To Sun-Speckled Terrace

Head to the first area of the game – Sun-Speckled Terrace. Head to the large body of water infested with tadpoles. You will see to your left a broken wall that can be built up with Raw Materials. Throw/Charge your 30 Ice Pikmin into the water to freeze it. Send your other 10 Pikmin to build the Climbing Wall.

Once constructed, climb the wall and defeat any enemies. You will see the Blue Onion in the ground. Dig it up, and bump into your first hurdle – it requires 20 Pikmin and you only have 10. Oatchi currently can’t help due to his inability to climb the wall.

Getting Oatchi To Help With The Onion

Recall all of your Ice Pikmin and have them climb the wall to your location. This will cause the water to unfreeze, but now you have enough Pikmin to carry the Onion. They will drop down to a ledge near the water and then get stuck.

Recall your Ice Pikmin again and then send them all back into the water and refreeze it. With the water traversable again, switch to Oatchi and have him jump up onto the ledge with the Onion.

Command Oatchi and your remaining 10 Pikmin to carry the Onion. They will now take it across the frozen lake and upgrade your Onion with Blue Pikmin capabilities.

With Blue Pikmin unlocked you can more easily traverse and battle in water-heavy regions.

That’s all we have on Pikmin 4 for now. Be sure to check out our other Guides and Lists for more Pikmin content.