Volatile Dweevil
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Appears in | Pikmin 2 | ||
| Scientific name | Mandarachnia explodus | ||
| Family | Dweevil | ||
| Areas | None | ||
| Caves | Subterranean Complex, Shower Room, Submerged Castle, Hole of Heroes | ||
| Challenge Mode stages | Concrete Maze, Cave of Pain, Bully Den | ||
| 2-Player Battle stages | None | ||
| Attacks | Self-destructs | ||
The Volatile Dweevil (サクレショイグモ?, lit.: "Exploding Carrying Spider") is an enemy in Pikmin 2. At first glance, Volatile Dweevils appear to be bomb-rocks with legs, but are actually Dweevils that have picked up bomb-rocks, much like how other members of the Dweevil family pick up treasures and corpses. Unlike other members of that family, Volatile Dweevils are known to only carry bomb-rocks and are never seen without one.
Volatile Dweevils are roulette options in 2-Player Battle. When activated, a Volatile Dweevil drops onto the opponent player and begins to detonate. It is best to use this power-up when the opponent is preoccupied with many tasks.
While the species is absent from Pikmin 4, other Dweevil species can be encountered carrying Bomb Rocks. Functionally, the only notable difference is the presence of the Dweevil's recoverable corpse after the explosion. Aesthetically, these Bomb wielding Dweevils do not sit down when idle like the Volatile Dweevil does. Killing such a Dweevil before it can set off the Bomb Rock allows the player to collect the Bomb Rock as their own.
Stats[edit]
| Weight | Max. carriers |
Seeds | Value | Health | Regen. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A | 0[note 1] | 150 | No |
- ^ Although the creature does not leave a corpse, the Piklopedia states its value as specifically 0 instead of the usual "----".
Behavior[edit]
In terms of gameplay, Volatile Dweevils are more-so hazards than traditional enemies. They can unexpectedly drop from the ceiling and are often found falling near treasures, making them a big threat towards any Pikmin attempting to retrieve the treasure. Once near enough to a leader or Pikmin, it will begin to pursue them.
After a few uninterrupted seconds of chasing its target, the bomb-rock on its back will activate and begin a countdown until it explodes. The countdown can triggered early by attacking the creature, most reliably triggered via a punch. Once the bomb-rock explodes, the Dweevil will die, leaving behind no corpse. Any Pikmin caught within the explosion's radius will also be killed. Additionally, if the Dweevil ends up near any other enemies, the explosion will deal great damage to them. The explosion is capable of killing smaller creatures in one blow, like Dwarf Bulborbs.
If the Volatile Dweevil's target escapes its range of interest, which is particularly easy for a leader with the Rush Boots upgrade), then it will switch it target to the next closest leader or Pikmin. If no targets are nearby the Volatile Dweevil, it will go into a dormant state, lowering its head to the ground. At this point, it looks similar to a bomb-rock, though with the differences of it wobbling in place, and its thin legs still being visible. The creature will only get back up when approached once again by a leader or Pikmin.
Locations[edit]
Caves[edit]
- Subterranean Complex
- Eight can be seen on sublevel 6.
- One, and an indefinite amount, can be seen on sublevel 7.
- Shower Room
- One can be seen on sublevel 6.
- Submerged Castle
- Five can be seen on sublevel 4.
- Hole of Heroes
- Five can be seen on sublevel 3.
Challenge Mode[edit]
- Concrete Maze
- Thirty-six can be seen on sublevel 2.
- Cave of Pain
- Six can be seen on sublevel 1.
- Bully Den
- Two can be seen on sublevel 1.
Strategy[edit]
|
The following article or section contains guides. |
Volatile Dweevils attack by igniting the bomb-rock on their head and walking towards leaders and their Pikmin, attempting to include them in the blast radius. If you can see one in the open, neutralizing the threat is quite simple; simply walking near it with a leader will prompt it to ignite the bomb-rock, at which point you can simply run away and leave it to detonate itself on its own. If needed, a punch from one of the leaders can activate its bomb-rock earlier.
Volatile Dweevils are at their most dangerous when they drop from the ceiling as an ambush. In these situations, it is best to drop what you were doing, and corral any and all nearby Pikmin away from the creature. Several of these 'trap' Dweevils only drop if Pikmin are nearby; if a floor is trapped with a large number of them, such as the Subterranean Complex's fifth sublevel, a viable option is to grab a single Pikmin, keep holding it, and run around the floor to drop and detonate every Dweevil, although bear in mind that a few Dweevils will only drop if nearby Pikmin are carrying objects.
White Pikmin are the only type of Pikmin capable of outrunning a Volatile Dweevil while carrying, allowing for a relatively effortless escort of an object through territory the creatures occupy. For the least chance of risk, they should preferably be flowered, and as many of them should be on a given carriable object as possible. If in a pinch, a direct slam from a Purple Pikmin can be used to detonate a Volatile Dweevil's bomb-rock early, potentially allowing you to kill the creature early before it can reach any Pikmin out of range of your whistle.
If you are unable to flee, using a lone leader or Pikmin as bait will be your best bet, as they can distract any approaching Dweevils, making them stay in place. To avoid them taking damage or dying, recalling them back when the bomb-rock's timer reaches about a quarter is recommended. A less committal alternative is simply having a leader run under the Volatile Dweevil's legs and back, as this will briefly keep it in place as it turns to try and face the leader.
Volatile Dweevils are immune to most conventional attacks unless they are affected by ultra-bitter spray, which allows them to be killed with little risk. Petrifying them also pauses the bomb-rock detonation timer for the effect's duration, allowing for an easy escape in an emergency.
Notes
Olimar's notes
Louie's notes
Pikmin 2 Nintendo Player's Guide[edit]
Technical information[edit]
| Pikmin 2 technical information (?) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal name | bombotakara
| ||
| Global properties (List) | |||
| ID | Japanese comment | Property | Value |
| s000 | friction(not used) | Friction | 0.5 |
| s001 | wallReflection | Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?) | 0.5 |
| s002 | faceDirAdjust | Unknown | 0.25 |
| s003 | accel | Acceleration | 0.1 |
| s004 | bounceFactor | Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?) | 0.3 |
| fp00 | ライフ | HP | 150 |
| fp01 | マップとの当り | Unknown (related to slopes) | 30 |
| fp02 | ダメージスケールXZ | Horizontal damage scale | 0.1 |
| fp03 | ダメージスケールY | Vertical damage scale | 0.1 |
| fp04 | ダメージフレーム | Damage scale duration | 0.5 |
| fp05 | 質量 | Unknown (weight?) | 0.01 |
| fp06 | 速度 | Move speed | 80 |
| fp08 | 回転速度率 | Rotation acceleration | 0.25 |
| fp09 | テリトリー | Territory radius | 200 |
| fp10 | ホーム範囲 | "Home" radius | 75 |
| fp11 | プライベート距離 | "Private" radius | 70 |
| fp12 | 視界距離 | Sight radius | 200 |
| fp13 | 視界角度 | FOV | 180 |
| fp14 | 探索距離 | Unknown (exploration radius?) | 300 |
| fp15 | 探索角度 | Unknown (exploration angle?) | 90 |
| fp16 | 振り払い率 | Successful shake rate | 1 |
| fp17 | 振り払い力 | Shake knockback | 250 |
| fp18 | 振り払いダメージ | Shake damage | 1 |
| fp19 | 振り払い範囲 | Shake range | 25 |
| fp20 | 攻撃可能範囲 | Unknown (shock attack max range?) | 25 |
| fp21 | 攻撃可能角度 | Unknown (shock attack max angle?) | 25 |
| fp22 | 攻撃ヒット範囲 | Unknown (attack hit range?) | 60 |
| fp23 | 攻撃ヒット角度 | Unknown (attack hit angle?) | 0 |
| fp24 | 攻撃力 | Attack damage | 0 |
| fp25 | 視界高 | Unknown (height visibility?) | 50 |
| fp26 | 探索高 | Unknown (exploration height?) | 50 |
| fp27 | ライフの高さ | HP wheel height | 75 |
| fp28 | 回転最大速度 | Rotation speed | 4 |
| fp29 | 警戒時間 | Unknown (warning time?) | 15 |
| fp30 | 警戒ライフ | Unknown | 50 |
| fp31 | ライフ回復率 | Regeneration rate | 0 |
| fp32 | LOD半径 | Off-camera radius | 50 |
| fp33 | マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定 | Collision processing radius | 25 |
| fp34 | ピクミンとのあたり | Pikmin damage radius | 5 |
| fp35 | 石化時間 | Petrification duration | 1 |
| fp36 | ヒップドロップダメージ | Purple Pikmin drop damage | 50 |
| fp37 | 地震気絶確立 | Purple Pikmin stun chance | 0 (0%) |
| fp38 | 地震気絶時間 | Purple Pikmin stun time | 5 |
| ip01 | 振り払い打撃Ａ | Shake mode 1 – hit count | 6 |
| ip02 | 振り払い張付１ | Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement | 5 |
| ip03 | 振り払い打撃Ｂ | Shake mode 2 – hit count | 12 |
| ip04 | 振り払い張付２ | Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement | 10 |
| ip05 | 振り払い打撃Ｃ | Shake mode 3 – hit count | 17 |
| ip06 | 振り払い張付３ | Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement | 20 |
| ip07 | 振り払い打撃Ｄ | Shake mode 4 – hit count | 22 |
| Specific properties | |||
| ID | Japanese comment | Property | Value |
| fp01 | オタカラライフ | Unknown (remnant from other dweevils; treasure HP?) | 80 |
| fp10 | ノーマルアタック | Unknown (normal attack?) | 1 |
| fp11 | オタカラアタック | Unknown (remnant from other dweevils; treasure attack?) | 1.25 |
| fp21 | オタカラキャッチ | Unknown (remnant from other dweevils; treasure catch?) | 2.5 |
Other information[edit]
- Size: Leg span: 54mm, as per the e-card
- Pikmin 2 Piklopedia number: #41
Naming[edit]
- See also: Dweevil family#Naming.
- Common name: Volatile Dweevil. "Volatile" means "something that can blow up all of a sudden", which fits the Volatile Dweevil's explosive tendencies.
- Japanese nickname: サクレショイグモ?, lit.: "Exploding Carrying Spider".
- Japanese name: セオイカナエグモ?, lit.: "Carrying Ding Spider". It is shared with the Fiery, Anode, Hydro, Iceblown, Munge and Venom Dweevils.
- Scientific name: Mandarachnia explodus. Explodus is a corruption of "explode".
- Internal names: Internally, this enemy is called
bombotakara, which is the same name used for all dweevils, but starting with "bomb". - Prerelease: None.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
サクレショイグモ? Sakure Shoi Gumo |
Exploding Carrying Spider |
 Dutch |
Explosieve tooiwagen | Explosive Dweevil |
 French |
Araknéak Volatil | Volatile Dweevil |
 German |
Granatarak | Portmanteau of "Granate" (grenade) and "Arak" (the German name for the dweevil familiy) |
 Spanish |
Bombaraña | Portmanteau of "bomba" (bomb) and "araña" (spider) |
Gallery[edit]
A Volatile Dweevil chasing Captain Olimar. The Dweevil's black head is visible here.
A Volatile Dweevil about to explode in the Piklopedia.
The Volatile Dweevil, and the bomb it carries, falling from the ceiling. The bomb and the dweevil fall separately, so the Volatile Dweevil's body can briefly be seen unobscured.
The Piklopedia icon of the Volatile Dweevil in the Nintendo Switch version of Pikmin 2.
The Volatile Dweevil's e-card, #42 (13th yellow card).
Trivia[edit]
- In this enemy's Piklopedia entry, petrifying the creature with an ultra-bitter spray just as it breaks free from being petrified by another spray makes it possible to freeze it and its bomb-rock separately. It shares this trait with the Waterwraith, which similarly can be frozen separately from its rollers with good timing in Pikmin 2.
- If sufficiently agitated by repeatedly petrifying it in this matter while throwing pikpik carrots, it will eventually ignite its bomb-rock and detonate. If performed on the Japanese Gamecube version, this will crash the game.
