Arctic Cannon Larva

Arctic Cannon Larva
Appears in	Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Granitus frostitum (larva) (Pikmin 4); Granitus frostitum (Pikmin 3 Deluxe)
Family	Lithopod
Areas	Distant Tundra
Caves	Subzero Sauna, Frozen Inferno
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Silver Lake Remix
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Silver Lake, Distant Tundra Remix
Side Story days	None
Dandori Challenge stages	Trial of the Sage Leaf
Dandori Battle stages	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Launch snowballs

The Arctic Cannon Larva (ユキフタクチ^?, lit.: "Snow Two-Mouth") is an enemy in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4. Arctic Cannon Larvae are bright green, with lavender underbellies, and are a variant of the Armored Cannon Larva accustomed to cold conditions. They are the larval form of the Arctic Cannon Beetle.

Unlike their rock-spitting relatives, Arctic Cannon Larvae launch giant snowballs. While mostly equivalent to boulders in functionality, snowballs are incapable of killing Pikmin, instead simply picking them up and carrying them along until they crash into something (even other snowballs); Winged Pikmin won't even be picked up by the projectiles, only knocked back. Leaders will be picked up as well, which also traps them until the snowball is destroyed. As a result, the creature is annoying at best, and is only a threat if the Pikmin it rolls away end up next to some other enemy or hazard without the player noticing, but can be killed with relative ease by any Pikmin type.

Stats[edit]

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
(?)	7	14 (normally)	8	× 50 × 50	1275
	7	14	8^{[note 1]}	× 7	900

^ This enemy cannot be delivered to Onions in-game. This information is obtained from the Piklopedia.

Behavior[edit]

The Arctic Cannon Larva will either emerge from the ground when a leader or Pikmin are extremely close to it, or it will emerge from a distance and consistently shoot snowballs to hinder the group. In most cases, it will behave the former way, and only a few, notably used in puzzles in the Distant Tundra, will perform the latter. In all cases, the Arctic Cannon Larva behaves the same up-close; it will try to roll its attackers away with snowballs and buck any Pikmin off if they latch onto it. During a battle, it will likely burrow underground, or attempt to, as many times as it can, and when it re-emerges, any leaders or Pikmin standing above will be launched into the air and temporarily immobilized.

An unfortunate Dwarf Frosty Bulborb stuck in a snowball.

Depending on the game, the snowballs have different properties. In Pikmin 3, when one of the snowballs hit an enemy, they will break upon contact. They are also incapable of damaging leaders. In Pikmin 4, enemies hit by a snowball now take damage, they're also capable of trapping smaller enemies; similar to how they trap the leader and Pikmin.

Additionally, any leaders caught in snowballs in Pikmin 4 can now be damaged, so long as they hit a wall. A button appears, and if rapidly pressed, allows for the snowball to be broken out of. These snowballs are also capable of destroying frozen hydro jellies, though they cannot destroy ice walls.

Locations[edit]

Pikmin 3[edit]

Areas[edit]

Distant Tundra
- There are four Arctic Cannon Larvae in this area. The first two Arctic Cannon Larvae can be found towards the northwest in the area's main segment, locked behind an electric gate. This enclosed section holds a Whiptongue Bulborb and an iron ball. One Arctic Cannon Larva is located on the small platform accessed by the geyser. The other Arctic Cannon Larva is located further north, and it can be reached by using the other geyser, or by walking up the slope towards the east; however, this Cannon Larva will be spitting snowballs down this slope. The area's third Arctic Cannon Larva can be found west of the landing site, at the end of a narrow pathway and on a raised section guarding a Zest Bomb (encased in a large crystal). Just below this Cannon Larva, there will be a pile of blue bridge fragments. The fourth and final Arctic Cannon Larva is located in the segment that Charlie crash-landed in. It is towards the far west in this segment, directly next to where Charlie crash-landed specifically. It is guarding the Anti-Electrifier.

Mission Mode[edit]

Collect Treasures![edit]

Silver Lake Remix
- There are three Arctic Cannon Larvae in this stage. The first one can be found directly north of the landing site, across the red fragment bridge. It is between an electric gate and a large pile of nuggets. The remaining two Arctic Cannon Larvae are both located in the large, snowy section towards the north of the stage that also contains a Calcified Crushblat. The two Cannon Larvae will be in between an Insect Condo and a Golden Sunseed.

Battle Enemies![edit]

Silver Lake
- There is one Arctic Cannon Larva in this stage. It is located directly east of the Blue Onion, with it being on the circular platform covered in snow. Multiple Water Dumples and a Bulborb can be found nearby as well.
Distant Tundra Remix
- There are three Arctic Cannon Larva in this stage. They can be found in similar locations as the ones found during Story Mode. The first Cannon Larva is located at the end of the raised narrow path west of the Red Onion, sharing the same location as the one during Story Mode guarding the Zest Bomb. The second and third Cannon Larvae are both located towards the northwest, in the section blocked off by an electric gate. One Cannon Larva can be found next to the snowman shaped like the President, shooting snowballs out of the hole where an iron ball would be found in Story Mode. The other Cannon Larva can be found on the small platform accessed by using a geyser (that is encased in a small crystal), sharing the same location as another Arctic Cannon Larva during Story Mode.

Pikmin 4[edit]

Caves[edit]

Subzero Sauna
- There are two Arctic Cannon Larvae on sublevel 2. The first one is located in a square-shaped room located towards the northwest. It shares this room with 5 Ice Pikmin sprouts. The second one can be found directly south of the previous Cannon Larva, guarding a pile of 20 raw materials. Adjacent to this Arctic Cannon Larva is a pair of rusty iron fences.
Frozen Inferno
- There are two Arctic Cannon Larvae on sublevel 3. The first Cannon Larva can be found in the southeasternmost room, at the top of a slope. It is next to a rusty iron fence, and it is guarding an ice block. The other Cannon Larva is located in the center of this sublevel, in the room containing the lit bonfire altar. The Cannon Larva is in the middle of this room, between the bonfire altar and a Seed Hive.

Dandori Challenges[edit]

Trial of the Sage Leaf[edit]

2nd Story: Snow Problem
- There are three Arctic Cannon Larvae found in this story. The first Arctic Cannon Larva is located in the southeastern room, directly south of the base. It can be found towards the southwest in this room, on a raised platform next to an unlit bonfire altar. The second Arctic Cannon Larva can be found in the northwestern room; directly west of the base. In this room, the Cannon Larva can be found towards the west, at the end of the slope and next to a Dwarf Frosty Bulborb. The third and final Arctic Cannon Larva is located in between the southwestern room and the south central room. A pile of raw materials can be found on either side of this Cannon Larva, and an Icy Blowhog is located on the right side.
Final Story: The Purple Key
- There is one Arctic Cannon Larva found in this story. It is located towards the southwest, directly south of the base. It is the second-to-last obstacle in this story, with it spitting snowballs down the straight, narrow path. Just north of the Cannon Larva is a paper bag weighing 100 units, and the base will be on the opposite side.

Strategy[edit]

The following article or section contains guides.
The strategies shown are just suggestions.

Although harmless, the Arctic Cannon Larva can be quite the nuisance. Any Pikmin type can be used to take it down. Simply charge at the lithopod with your squad and, with time, it will be defeated. Although all Pikmin can get shaken off by its bucking attack, Winged Pikmin are immune to its snowballs, making them slightly more effective for long battles.

To maximize the offensive output, send only a few Pikmin to attack it, and when you realize that it's getting ready to buck them away, send the remainder of your Pikmin to charge at it. This will cause them to attack while the creature is busy blowing a snowball, giving more time for the Pikmin to attack without getting shaken off.

Notes

Alph's comments

“Structural flaw: weak hide
Weight: 7

Snowballs are an ingeniously nonlethal weapon! I'm in love with a design that effectively keeps predators away without overdoing it. Full marks.”

Brittany's comments

“When I saw this one spitting snowballs and sending Pikmin rolling, I thought it looked like a good time. So I walked right into its line of fire, waved my arms to catch its attention, and waited for the fun to start. But all I got was dizzy.”

Charlie's comments

US version

“They're more annoying than dangerous, but if you want to avoid the pushback from their rolling snowballs, it's just a matter of fancy footwork. Remember to do your warm-up exercises first! You wouldn't want to get a Charlie horse! Ha!”

European version

“They're more annoying than dangerous, but if you want to avoid the pushback from their rolling snowballs, it's just a matter of fancy footwork. Float like a skitter leaf, sting like a scornet!”

Louie's comments

“Peel back the shell and sprinkle the tender meat with a dash of salt before slurping it up raw. For a refreshing dessert, pour fruit juice over its snowballs!”

Olimar's comments

US version

“Arctic Cannon Larva
Granitus frostitum
Lithopod family

Like other members of the lithopod family, its internal bacteria are specialized to form ice compounds from ambient moisture, which it then expels as projectiles. It technically doesn't rely on cold temperatures to create this ice, which is formed by pressurized internal fluids that act as a coolant. When the projectiles rapidly expand, they absorb ambient heat, lowering the air temperature enough for the moisture in the air to freeze.”

European version

“Arctic Cannon Larva
Granitus frostitum
Lithopod family

Like other members of the lithopod family, its internal bacteria are specialised to form ice compounds from ambient moisture, which it then expels as projectiles. It technically doesn't rely on cold temperatures to create this ice, which is formed by pressurised internal fluids which act as a coolant. When the projectiles rapidly expand, they absorb ambient heat, lowering the air temperature enough for the moisture in the air to freeze.”

Dalmo's notes[edit]

“Whether or not there's snow on the ground, when this surprising sweetie comes around, you can have a snowball fight anytime. But don't expect it to go easy on you. You're in for a one-sided defensive battle, and you might end up looking like a snowman by the end!”

Olimar's notes (Pikmin 4)[edit]

“Like other members of the Lithopod family, its internal bacteria are specialized to form ice compounds from ambient moisture, which it then expels as projectiles.

It technically doesn't rely on cold temperatures to create this ice, which is formed by pressurized internal fluids that act as a coolant.

When the projectiles rapidly expand, they absorb ambient heat, lowering the air temperature enough for the moisture in the air to freeze.”

Louie's notes (Pikmin 4)[edit]

“Peel back the shell, and sprinkle the tender meat with a dash of salt before slurping it up raw. For a refreshing dessert, pour fruit juice over the snowballs!”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide[edit]

“The Arctic Cannon Larva is a large, burrowing creature that attacks by launching large Snowballs at its enemies. These Snowballs won't damage your Pikmin directly, but they are capable of incapacitating your Pikmin or carrying them into hazards. When you encounter an Arctic Cannon Larva, dodge its attacks and flank the creature. Throw a steady stream of Rock Pikmin into the creature's back, or send your entire squad charging in to attack.”

Technical information[edit]

Pikmin 3 technical information (?)
Internal name	`futakuchi (yuki)`
HP	1275
Rock Pikmin throw hits to kill	20
White Pikmin ingestions to kill	0
Bomb rock explosions to kill	1
Bomb rock ingestions to kill	0
Number of direct hits on top to kill	0
Damage to leaders	10
Territory radius	200
Mission Mode value	50

Other information[edit]

Pikmin 4 Piklopedia number: #25

Naming[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ユキフタクチ^? Yuki Futa Kuchi	Snow Two-Mouth
Chinese (traditional)	雪地雙口 Xuědì Shuāng-Kǒu	Snowfield Two-Mouth
Chinese (simplified)	雪地双口 Xuědì Shuāng-Kǒu	Snowfield Two-Mouth
Dutch	Arctische kanonlarve	Arctic cannon larva
French	Scaracanon arctique (Pikmin 3) Scaracanon des neiges (Pikmin 3 Deluxe) Larve de scaracanon des neiges (Pikmin 4)	Arctic scarannon (Pikmin 3) Snow scarannon (Pikmin 3 Deluxe) Snow scarannon larva (Pikmin 4)	"Scaracanon" is a portmanteau of "scarabée" (beetle, scarab) and "canon" (cannon)
German	Eis-Crustabitzenlarve	Ice Crustawitzer Larva	"Crustabitze" is a portmanteau of "Crustacea" and "Haubitze" (howitzer)
Italian	Bruco sputaneve	Snowspitting worm
Korean	눈두입호롱 Nun-Du-Ip-Horong	Snow Two-Mouth Oil Lamp
Portuguese	Larva de escaracanhão ártico	Arctic scarannon larva	"Escaracanhão" is a portmanteau of "escaravelho" (scarab) and "canhão" (cannon)
Spanish	Larva de tirador ártico	Arctic shooter larva