Ice
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- "Freeze" redirects here. For the state where a game does not respond, see crash.
Ice is a hazard in Pikmin 4. It is non-fatal, and cannot outright harm Pikmin, but it can freeze them solid, leaving them vulnerable to other hazards or to being eaten. Ice Pikmin and Glow Pikmin are completely immune to ice. Ice also affects the rookie and Oatchi if they do not have the Thermal Defense equipped. It is also something that can affect bodies of water, enemies, and some obstacles, mostly by having Ice Pikmin or Ice Blasts hit them.
Sources[edit]
Ice is emitted by a few sources.
Ice Pikmin – they are capable of freezing enemies and bodies of water.- Obstacles:
- Enemies:
Blizzarding Blowhog – enemies capable of spitting icy mist.
Chillyhop – enemies who can create freezing pools when they land.
Freezecake – shellcakes that have a perpetually cold side and emit a freezing burst when landing in their cold side.
Dwarf Frosty Bulborb – grub-dogs that are perpetually cold.
Frosty Bulborb – grub-dogs that are perpetually cold.
Iceblown Dweevil – dweevils capable of blowing out an icy mist.
Icy Blowhog – enemies capable of blowing out an icy mist.
Snowfake Fluttertail – enemies capable of spitting icy mist.
Snowy Blowhog – enemies capable of spitting icy mist.
Ancient Sirehound – uses ice in its second phase.
Ice blast – freezes anything around it when it explodes.- Frozen water – bodies of water freeze anything touching it the moment they freeze.
Thermal Defense[edit]
- Main article: Thermal Defense.
The Thermal Defense is a piece of gear that both the player character and Oatchi can equip. It makes the wearer completely immune to ice hazards.
Ice Pikmin[edit]
- Main article: Ice Pikmin.
Ice Pikmin are the main way of dealing with and making use of ice in the game. They are invulnerable to any ice hazards, and can freeze bodies of water and enemies.
Mechanics[edit]
Freezing Pikmin[edit]
Pikmin that are not Ice Pikmin or Glow Pikmin will instantly be encased in ice if they touch ice from an enemy or obstacle, and in this state they will be unable to move or act. Unlike most other hazards, this is non-fatal, and the Pikmin can stay in this state indefinitely. Also unlike most other hazards, when this happens their maturity does not decrease. The only way to unfreeze a Pikmin is by whistling it or by having it get hit by some other hazard. Bumping against one or making it touch a fire starter does not work.
Pikmin can also be frozen by Ice Blasts, even if used by the player. Wild Pikmin are also able to become frozen. Rock Pikmin become vulnerable to crushing when frozen, which is normally a hazard they're immune to. Enemies will not attempt to freeze a Pikmin that is already frozen, but may attack in other ways, like biting them.
If Pikmin are on or under water when it gets frozen, regardless of depth, they simply instantly go to the ice's surface, and if they were carrying something they become idle instead.[1]
Freezing the leader and Oatchi[edit]
Similarly to Pikmin, the player character and Oatchi will be instantly encased in ice if they touch hazardous ice from an enemy, obstacle, or an Ice Blast. If they have the Thermal Defense enabled, they will not be able to be frozen. While frozen, they will likewise be unable to move or act, and can be unfrozen in the following ways:
- By being whistled by the opposite character.
- By pressing
eight times when controlling them. The game displays a reminder labeled "Break" with the button. - By waiting 5 seconds.
Bumping them with the opposite character or making them touch a fire starter will not unfreeze them. Enemies will not attempt to freeze a character that is already frozen, but may attack in other ways, like biting them; even if an enemy hits them with another ice attack in this state, the time they have left to unfreeze naturally will not reset.
If they are on or under water that is not very deep when it gets frozen, they simply instantly go to the ice's surface. The same happens if Oatchi is swimming on the water's surface. If the player character is underneath deep water, like the coral reef to the east in Serene Shores, they will be teleported out and on top of the surface of the ice, with an animation, regardless of the state of the Thermal Defense.
They can also be encased in ice if they are inside the body of a Creeping Chrysanthemum, Startle Spore, Foolix, Burrowing Snagret, Waddlequaff, Greater Spotted Jellyfloat, or Bogswallow when they freeze, which happens regardless of the Thermal Defense being enabled. For all of these cases, if the player controls the character that is inside, the game shows a reminder with and the label "thrash", but in reality this only has an effect when inside the Foolix, which requires 8 taps of the button to break free.
Neither the player character nor Oatchi can be frozen by Ice Pikmin of the opposite team in Dandori Battles.
Freezing enemies[edit]
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Most enemies can be frozen. Whenever an enemy gets hit by anything that contributes towards freezing it, a cyan ring will appear around its health wheel. There are a few ways for the gauge to increase.
- Being attacked by an Ice Pikmin. Each enemy has a specified amount of hits that it can sustain before freezing.
- Ingesting an Ice Pikmin. This increases the gauge by a value equal to 10 attacks.
- Being hit by an Ice Blast.
- Having an ice blast go off inside their body. This usually freezes the creature instantly.
- Touching another enemy that is icy or attacking using ice. The gauge increases over time with direct contact. Certain instances include the Feasting Center night expedition and sublevel 2 of The Mud Pit.
- Touching a body of water the moment it becomes frozen. This instantly freezes the creature and has some special rules described below.
If 12 seconds go by with no progress made to the incomplete gauge, it will fully reset. Once the gauge is full, the enemy freezes entirely, and can no longer act. The only way to get out of this state is by unfreezing naturally, which happens after 6 seconds, or by losing all of its health. Throughout being frozen an enemy will shake periodically, and when there's about one second left, it will shake violently. When an enemy unfreezes by itself, the ice cracks, and any latched Pikmin will be knocked to the ground.
If an enemy is defeated while frozen, it will instantly shatter into chunks of ice without leaving a corpse, instead producing a drop of nectar or ultra spicy spray (depending on chance and the enemy's size), similar to enemies killed while petrified by ultra-bitter spray. Moss is the exception to this, in that she will instead stop being frozen and become knocked out like normal. Any enemy that is airborne when the freezing happens, whether because it is flying, jumping, or got slightly bounced in the air by a rush slam, will fall to the ground and shatter, instantly dying.[2]
Any enemies that are in contact with a body of water when it gets frozen will instantly freeze. In this way, they cannot unfreeze by themselves, and as soon as the water unfreezes, so do they, instantly. Enemies under the water's surface cannot be reached in this state, but any enemy that's on the surface or partially submersed can be attacked with ease. Enemies that attack using ice cannot be frozen themselves, and for the Ancient Sirehound's case, it is only invulnerable during the second phase.
Greater Spotted Jellyfloats will only freeze from "swallowing" an Ice Pikmin when the Ice Pikmin inside their body gets digested. Whenever a Foolix gets an Ice Pikmin inside its body, it will start freezing at a steady pace, freezing faster the more Ice Pikmin it has in its body. Also unique to this enemy is that regardless of how its gelatinous body is frozen, it will never unfreeze on its own, and will instead shatter, destroying the gel, when it takes enough hits, or when the leader or Oatchi inside thrash out.
Frozen enemy drops[edit]
When an enemy is defeated while frozen, it will drop nectar or ultra-spicy spray. The number of drops, and the chance of each drop being a nectar or an ultra-spicy spray, depend on the type of enemy. Each drop has its own independent probability of being a nectar or an ultra-spicy spray.
Freezing carriable objects[edit]
If any carriable item, such as a treasure or an enemy corpse, is in contact with a body of water when it becomes frozen, the item will become stuck to the ice, making it impossible to move. Pikmin and Oatchi will not grab the item even if sent to do so.