Ice Blast

Screenshot of the Ice Blast from the Lab in Pikmin 4

Ice Blasts are an item introduced in Pikmin 4. They look like cyan bomb rocks and function very similarly to them. Their explosion can freeze enemies, water, and deep mud like Ice Pikmin. They can also freeze hydro jellies and replace the need for Ice Pikmin in many situations. Their effect on water and mud is very short lived (about 8 seconds) but useful when carrying objects over smaller pools or allowing Oatchi to jump to an area he couldn't normally reach when swimming. Using 2 ice blasts in the same body of water or mud can slightly lengthen the effect if one is thrown right before another explodes, but this is rarely beneficial. Unlike bomb rocks, they cannot be used to destroy jars or any type of gate.

Up to 5 per day can be purchased with 8 raw materials each in the lab after  × 1,500 Sparklium has been collected. In the side mode Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, Olimar rarely gains Ice Blasts as bonuses for recovering ship parts. In both modes, they can also be found in dirt mounds.

Overview

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 4. Particularly: List the locations this obstacle or tool appears in.

Overview

Type	Effect	Raw material cost
Pack	A bomb that can freeze enemies and water when it explodes.	8

In-game Description: When this bomb explodes, it saps away all warmth from its surroundings. It can freeze creatures and water immediately!

Uses

The player who is about to throw an ice blast.

Ice Blasts can be used in multiple ways.

Freezing enemies

When playing Pikmin 4, there may be some enemies that are challenging and hard to defeat. With the ice blast, the player can throw it at one of the critters and watch them freeze immediately for a few seconds. Not all enemies can be frozen. Also, when the player defeats a frozen enemy, they won't receive the body. Instead, they will receive a handful of nectar, ultra-spicy spray or both.

These enemies cannot be frozen:

•  Arctic Cannon Beetle
•  Arctic Cannon Larva
•  Blizzarding Blowhog
•  Chillyhop
•  Dwarf Frosty Bulborb
•  Freezecake
•  Frosty Bulborb
•  Iceblown Dweevil
•  Icy Blowhog
•  Snowfake Fluttertail
•  Snowy Blowhog

Additionally, Ice Pikmin and Glow Pikmin will not become frozen if in the radius of Ice Blast explosions. This also applies to enemy Pikmin of those types in Dandori Battles.

Freezing water

If an ice blast is tossed into a body of water, it will freeze it for a little while. The player can use this as a replacement for Ice Pikmin if none are on hand, it also freezes any enemies which are in the water. However, the effect will not last very long.

Freezing hydro jelly

The frozen hydro jelly cutscene

A hydro jelly can be frozen by either using Ice Pikmin or an Ice Blast. It can then be shattered by Pikmin, Oatchi, another explosive, or a combination of these.

How to acquire and use

The Ice Blast is unlocked in the Lab when the player reaches  × 1500. They cost 8 raw materials. In Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, Olimar gains Ice Blasts as bonuses for recovering 26 and then 29 ship parts.

In order to use the ice blast, the player has to open the pack. This item can be assigned as a shortcut.