Frontier Cavern

Frontier Cavern
Location	Valley of Repose
Sublevels	8
Treasures	15
Hazards

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

The Frontier Cavern (辺境の洞窟^?, lit.: "Frontier Cave") is a cave in the Valley of Repose in Pikmin 2, and is the furthest away from the landing site. It is of above-average difficulty, featuring most major types of grub-dogs and lithopods. The cave features a distinct "festive" theme, with Christmas-themed treasures, sublevels with snow hallways that have red brick walls (as if the player were inside a chimney), and unique music featuring idiophone instruments for two sublevels. The cave's boss is the Empress Bulblax, which is slightly different than the one in Hole of Beasts in that it gives birth to Bulborb Larva every few seconds. In this cave, there are  × 1395 worth of treasures.

How to reach

File:VoR texture.png

Location of the cave.

Like the Subterranean Complex, it is impossible to reach the cave before getting Blue Pikmin. Use Blue Pikmin to remove the clog in the first pond and build a bridge over the second. Once this is done, Pikmin of all types can be brought across. Traveling in a straight line from the bridge will lead to the snowman with the Unspeakable Wonder on its head. Nearby is a slanted bridge that can be built to reach the cave. Defeating the Decorated Cannon Beetles, the various Blowhogs and the Cloaking Burrow-Nit is recommended, but not strictly necessary.

The cave features all hazards, so a Pikmin squad featuring all types of Pikmin is recommended. The Worthless Statue and the Priceless Statue have a high chance of spawning in water, so bringing at least ten Blue Pikmin, or leaving enough room in your squad to obtain the cave's Bulbmin, is highly recommended. Many treasures are buried, so White Pikmin are a must.

Notes

Ship's dialogs

“Yet another cave discovered! Venturing to the farthest reaches has proven rewarding!

You may be tired of walking, but now just one last leap remains! Now, go get that treasure!”

Sublevel 1

Sublevel 1.

• Theme: Snow
• Music: Frontier Cavern
• Treasures:
  •  Essence of Rage (fully buried)
  •  Essential Furnishing (fully buried)
• Enemies:
  •  Doodlebug × 3
  •  Hairy Bulborb × 2
  •  Snow Bulborb × 6
• Obstacles:
  •  Bomb-rock × 4
• Vegetation:
  •  Figwort (large brown) × 0 or 24
  •  Figwort (small brown) × 0 or 24
  •  Shoot (large) × 1 or 12
  •  Violet Candypop Bud × 1 (if max Pikmin requirement is met)
• Others:
  • None

An excerpt from the level's music

An excerpt from the level's music (enemy variant)

This sublevel has many Snow Bulborbs and a couple of Hairy Bulborbs. Before engaging the Hairy Bulborbs, take out any Snow Bulborbs near it first. Explore the sublevel and have your White Pikmin unearth any buried treasures.

There is a Violet Candypop Bud if you have less than 20 total Purple Pikmin. When wandering about the area, you may encounter Doodlebugs. After they have emerged from their cover, they may skitter into a Figwort or a Shoot. If this happens you can wait until they move and release flatulence to locate them. This is a good time to stock up on ultra-bitter sprays.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name			tutorial_3
"Main" object maximum (?)			9 or 35
"Treasure" object maximum (?)			2
"Gate" object maximum (?)			0
Dead end unit probability (?)			50
Number of rooms (?)			3
Corridor-to-room ratio (?)			0
Escape geyser (?)			No
Clogged hole (?)			No
Cave units file (?)			3_MAT_nor4_hit2_blk1_snow.txt
Lighting file (?)			normal_light_lv1.ini
Background (?)			None
Cave units (?)
Dead end with item	Three-way crossing	Four-way crossing	Turning corridor	Corridor	Long corridor
Circular room with lumber	Room with 5 exits	Room with hole in wall

Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
1	Hairy Bulborb	2	None	"Hard" enemy spots
2	Snow Bulborb	3	None	"Easy" enemy spots
3	Snow Bulborb	3	None	"Easy" enemy spots
4	Doodlebug	1	None	"Hard" enemy spots
6	Figwort (small brown)	N/A or 8	None	"Easy" enemy spots
7	Figwort (large brown)	N/A or 2	None	"Hard" enemy spots
8	Figwort (large brown)	N/A or 8	None	"Easy" enemy spots
9	Figwort (small brown)	N/A or 6	None	"Easy" enemy spots
10	Figwort (large brown)	N/A or 2	None	Cave unit seams
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
5	Doodlebug	2	None	Plant spots
11	Figwort (small brown)	N/A or 10	None	Plant spots
12	Figwort (large brown)	N/A or 12	None	Plant spots
13	Shoot (large)	1 or 12	None	Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
14	Essential Furnishing	1	None	Treasure spots
15	Essence of Rage	1	None	Treasure spots
Then it spawns these "dead end" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
16	Violet Candypop Bud	1	None	Dead ends
17	Bomb-rock	4	Falls from the sky	Dead ends

For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

Sublevel 2

• Theme: Snow
• Music: Frontier Cavern
• Treasures:
  •  Icon of Progress
  •  Joy Receptacle
• Enemies:
  •  Decorated Cannon Beetle × 2
  •  Hairy Bulborb × 1
  •  Snow Bulborb × 6
• Obstacles:
  • None
• Vegetation:
  •  Figwort (large brown) × 2
  •  Figwort (small brown) × 8
• Others:
  • None

You are likely to fall where there is a large stump. Shelter all of your Pikmin behind it to protect them. Venture out into the sublevel without any Pikmin and use the Decorated Cannon Beetles to clear out any enemies. Then use one of the rocky projectiles to kill the other Decorated Cannon Beetle. Then have the rock-hurling creature kill itself by having the boulder home in on itself. Afterwards, take your Pikmin and collect the Christmas-themed treasures.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name			tutorial_3
"Main" object maximum (?)			9
"Treasure" object maximum (?)			2
"Gate" object maximum (?)			0
Dead end unit probability (?)			50
Number of rooms (?)			3
Corridor-to-room ratio (?)			0
Escape geyser (?)			No
Clogged hole (?)			No
Cave units file (?)			3_MAT_ike3_mid2_sak1_snow.txt
Lighting file (?)			tutorial_1_light.ini
Background (?)			None
Cave units (?)
Dead end	Three-way crossing	Four-way crossing	Turning corridor	Corridor	Long corridor
Room with ramp and thin ledge	Y-shaped room	Room with trunk in center

Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
1	Decorated Cannon Beetle	2	None	"Hard" enemy spots
2	Hairy Bulborb	1	None	"Hard" enemy spots
3	Snow Bulborb	3	None	"Easy" enemy spots
4	Snow Bulborb	3	None	"Easy" enemy spots
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
5	Figwort (small brown)	4	None	Plant spots
6	Figwort (small brown)	4	None	Plant spots
7	Figwort (large brown)	2	None	Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
8	Joy Receptacle	1	None	Treasure spots
9	Icon of Progress	1	None	Treasure spots

For details on how objects are spawned, and how some may fail to spawn, see here.

Sublevel 3

• Theme: Snow
• Music: Emergence Cave 2
• Treasures:
  •  Danger Chime (inside Spotty Bulbear)
  •  Fleeting Art Form
  •  Gemstar Husband (fully buried)
• Enemies:
  •  Bulbmin × 1
  •  Dwarf Bulbear × 6
  •  Mitite (group of 10) × 0 - 2 (from eggs)
  •  Spotty Bulbear × 1
• Obstacles:
  •  Bomb-rock × 4
  •  Electrical wire × 2
  •  Fire geyser × 2
  •  Poison emitter × 2
• Vegetation:
  •  Figwort (small brown) × 6
  •  Ivory Candypop Bud × 1
• Others:
  •  Egg × 2

When landing on this sublevel, be warned that two wandering enemies will be patrolling the area, so it is advised you act quickly. Gather all of your Pikmin and scout the level, deactivating any electrical wires and defeating Dwarf Bulbears. If you can, locate the Bulbmin and kill it before the Spotty Bulbear as it will make things easier. Defeat these enemies using whatever killing strategy you want, just make sure you bring the Bulbear's corpse back if it did not disintegrate. Explore the area once all the hazards are cleared and collect and unearth any treasures.

Generate sample map →

Technical sublevel information
Internal cave name			tutorial_3
"Main" object maximum (?)			14
"Treasure" object maximum (?)			2
"Gate" object maximum (?)			0
Dead end unit probability (?)			50
Number of rooms (?)			4
Corridor-to-room ratio (?)			0
Escape geyser (?)			Yes
Clogged hole (?)			No
Cave units file (?)			3_MAT_d_g_m_renga.txt
Lighting file (?)			tutorial_1_light.ini
Background (?)			None
Cave units (?)
Dead end with item	Three-way crossing	Four-way crossing	Turning corridor	Corridor	Long corridor
Room with 4 exits	Room with 5 exits and 2 walls	Room with 4 exits and 2 walls

Detailed object list
The game spawns these "main" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
1	Bulbmin	1	None	"Hard" enemy spots
2	Spotty Bulbear	1	None	"Special" enemy spots
-	Danger Chime	Carried inside entry with ID 2
3	Dwarf Bulbear	2	None	"Easy" enemy spots
4	Dwarf Bulbear	2	None	"Easy" enemy spots
5	Dwarf Bulbear	2	None	"Easy" enemy spots
6	Poison emitter	2	None	"Hard" enemy spots
7	Fire geyser	2	None	Cave unit seams
8	Electrical wire	2	None	Cave unit seams
Then it spawns these "decoration" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
9	Figwort (small brown)	2	None	Plant spots
10	Figwort (small brown)	4	None	Plant spots
Then it spawns these "treasure" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
11	Gemstar Husband	1	None	Treasure spots
12	Fleeting Art Form	1	None	Treasure spots
Then it spawns these "dead end" objects:
ID	Object	Amount	Fall method	Spawn location
13	Egg	1	Falls from the sky	Dead ends
14