Gear



In most Pikmin games, players are able to obtain diverse pieces of gear that empower the main characters, typically by granting immunities to some hazards, increasing stats, or unlocking new abilities. The method by which they are obtained depends on the game, and some pieces of gear appear in multiple games. Before these upgrades were not given a name, and are specifically referred to as "gear" in various places of Pikmin 4. Also unique to Pikmin 4 is the ability to enable or disable any upgrade (besides the Survey Drone, Idler's Alert and Homesick Signal) once obtained.

Obtaining
In Pikmin 2, the player needs to retrieve certain treasures, usually guarded by bosses. When the Hocotate ship takes the treasure in, it is able to make use of it to create an upgrade. The upgrades can be found on a checklist called the Exploration Kit on the pause menu, and there is a distinction between the treasure itself and the upgrade. If the player exits the cave from the pause menu after getting the treasure instead of using a geyser, the treasure will be left behind but the leaders will keep the upgrade.

In Pikmin 3, the two important pieces of gear that allow reaching new areas are cellphones that need to be retrieved to the S.S. Drake, while the optional spacesuit upgrades can be found buried or off the beaten path in the form of capsules; these too need to be brought back to the S.S. Drake and there isn't much of a difference between the object and the upgrade proper.

In Pikmin 4, upgrades can be obtained by purchasing them from Russ's lab, or by completing certain missions. In the case of the lab, they will have an associated raw material cost, and some only become available in the shop when certain Sparklium thresholds are met or when certain things happen in-game. In Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, upgrades are among the rewards that Olimar may receive for each ship part he recovered during a day.

List
In addition, there is a list of upgrades in Hey! Pikmin.

Air Armor (Oatchi)
A decent if expensive strategy is to feed Oatchi 5 Scrummy Bones, nearly doubling his HP. All tiers of Air Armor also apply the damage reduction percentage to the temporary HP, making Oatchi much harder to knock down than he already is.

Anti-Electrifier
The Anti-Electrifier, when unlocked, makes the leaders' suits immune to electricity, including electrical attacks.

In Pikmin 2, it is obtained by defeating the Giant Breadbug in the Glutton's Kitchen, and collecting the Dream Material. Although leaders become invulnerable to electrical attacks, the Titan Dweevil's Shock Therapist will still manage to stun them, despite not causing any damage.

In Pikmin 3, it can be found buried near the place where Charlie crashed onto the planet's surface in the Distant Tundra, guarded by an Arctic Cannon Larva. The capsule has a weight of 10, and can be carried by up to 20 Pikmin. This device is particularly useful when trying to pass by electrical hazards with a group of Yellow Pikmin.

Anti-Electrifier (Oatchi)
The Anti-Electrifier (Oatchi) is an upgrade for Oatchi which makes him immune to Electricity such as from an or from enemies like the shockcake. In Pikmin 4 it can be obtained from the Lab for x 100 but only after the player character or Oatchi takes electric damage

Charging Horn
The Charging Horn grants the player the ability to charge.

Data Glutton
The Data Glutton is an old cellphone, and is found within the belly of the Armored Mawdad in the Garden of Hope. It has a weight of 10, and can be carried by up to 20 Pikmin. It emits a signal that Alph and Brittany first assume to be Charlie. Upon collecting the device, Alph uses its technology to boost the signal strength of the S.S. Drake, allowing them to access the Distant Tundra.

Dodge Whistle
The Dodge Whistle can be found on a small cliff a short distance away from the exit to the Vehemoth Phosbat cave, where the Pikmin will carry the spoils of the battle through. It can be obtained by throwing Pikmin onto the Bouncy Mushroom between it and the path. There are some enemies in the way, however: two Swooping Snitchbugs are guarding the object, and Joustmites, Skeeterskates, and Bearded Amprats can be found on the route the Pikmin will use to take it to the Drake. However, this all can be bypassed by having Winged Pikmin carry it. It has a weight of 10, and can be carried by up to 20 Pikmin.

Collecting it allows the leaders to dodge left or right, guiding the Pikmin. It is done in a straight line normally, or in an arc around a lock-on target (in the original Pikmin 3 only). When rolling, the leaders do not lose height, making certain sequence breaks possible.

Extra Hand
The Extra Hand can be obtained after finishing all of Louie's side missions, which unlock once he's rescued from the Ancient Sirehound.

It grants the player character the ability to carry objects like the Pikmin (with a carrying weight of 1).

Folded Data Glutton
The Folded Data Glutton is a folding cellphone, found within the belly of the Sandbelching Meerslug in the Tropical Wilds. It emits a signal that the leaders first assume to be Olimar. Upon collecting the device, Alph uses its technology to boost the signal strength of the Drake, allowing them to access the Twilight River. It has a weight of 10, and can be carried by up to 20 Pikmin.

This cellphone has an image of two s on its display. Despite its supposed lack of recent use, the interface on the phone claims that its current battery life is quite high, implying that it was either recently charged, or has been only recently turned back on after a long period of dormancy.

One can throw Pikmin at it when it is first found and have them dig it out without triggering the cutscene where the boss awakens. This is possible if the leaders are positioned just far away enough to not trigger the event, but still close enough for the Pikmin throw to reach. However, the Pikmin will never make any progress towards digging it out, forcing the player to face the boss. Alternatively, using a sequence break involving the Dodge Whistle, it is possible to observe this behavior regardless of proximity, by reaching the Meerslug's arena before rescuing Charlie from the Vehemoth Phosbat.

Headlamp
The Headlamp dramatically increases the amount of light given off by leaders in caves. Certain caves are considered "dark" and will warn the player to not enter without a Headlamp, though this warning may be disregarded. Exploring a dark cave without a Headlamp will also result in nothing at all being revealed on the radar map.

Homesick Signal
The Homesick Signal summons all Pikmin that are not with a leader towards the current location of the base. Unlike the Idler's Alert, Pikmin will abandon their current task to respond to the signal. If the base moves, Pikmin in motion will not redirect to the new location.



Idler's Alert
The Idler's Alert is a piece of gear which calls all idle Pikmin to the location it was used. It does not cure status effects from Pikmin, and does not affect Oatchi.

Lineup Trumpet
The Lineup Trumpet grants the player the ability to swarm.

Mega Tweeter
The Mega Tweeter is obtained by defeating the Ranging Bloyster in the Shower Room, and collecting the Amplified Amplifier. This upgrade increases the range of the whistles of all leaders. The diameter of the visible circle projected on the ground increases to about 144% of its original size, thus more than doubling the area the whistle affects. This makes it easier to call scattered Pikmin to the leader's side.

Metal Suit Z
The Metal Suit Z increases the integrity of the leaders' suits, reducing damage taken by half. In Pikmin 2, it is obtained by defeating the Pileated Snagret in the Snagret Hole, and collecting the Justice Alloy. In Pikmin 3, it can be found on a strip of path that connects the shore near the Mock Bottom and the place where Alph crash-landed, and must be reached by throwing leaders up either side. To note is that the Hermit Crawmad near the bridge could interfere with the carrier Pikmin.

This upgrade is useful for attempts in defeating a large Bulborb or Spotty Bulbear with leaders alone without coming to much harm. The Hocotate ship in Pikmin 2 claims that it will make enemy bites and being stepped on produce minimal pain. This is a gross simplification on its part, intended to avoid having to explain the intricacies in detail. In reality, all sources of pain will be reduced dramatically, not just those two, and enemies like Shearwigs and Wollywogs will still produce a significant amount of damage.



Napsack
The Napsack can be obtained by defeating the Burrowing Snagret in the White Flower Garden, and collecting the Five-Man Napsack. This upgrade provides a quick method of returning to the Pikmin Onions above ground or the Research Pod when underground, which is achieved by holding once it has been obtained. When used, the leader in control falls asleep, and any nearby Pikmin, up to a maximum of four, carry him to their associated Onion (or Research Pod), a minimum of just one being required.

Pluckaphone
The Pluckaphone is obtained by defeating the Waterwraith in the Submerged Castle and collecting the Professional Noisemaker. It is an upgrade that allows the leaders' whistles to call buried Pikmin out from the ground, saving precious time that would otherwise be spent plucking them out. As well as picking newly produced Pikmin at the Onions, this is useful for calling out Pikmin that were planted by a Mamuta or a Swooping Snitchbug, as well as transformed by Candypop Buds.

In the first trailer for, Olimar is seen calling Pikmin from the ground, so the Pluckaphone may be an implementation of a prerelease element from the first Pikmin game.

Plucking Whistle
The Plucking Whistle is Russ's final upgrade, available for purchase once all other gear is bought. It works identical to the Pluckaphone from Pikmin 2, uprooting Pikmin from the ground by using the whistle. This is particularly useful for several Dandori Challenge stages and Trial of the Sage Leaf floors, as some Pikmin can be called from a distance and save precious time.

Rocket Fist
The Rocket Fist can be obtained by defeating one of the Mamuta in the Frontier Cavern, and collecting the Brute Knuckles. It enables a new, stronger punching combo attack for use by the leaders, which makes defeating enemies with leaders alone much easier and more efficient. Without the upgrade, the button will produce a simple right punch. Once this treasure has been collected, pressing a second time will perform a left-hook, and a third time launches a devastating wind-up punch. Due to a glitch, punching while moving makes the attacks come out faster, which greatly boosts the Rocket Fist's effectiveness.

Rush Boots
The Rush Boots can be obtained by defeating the Empress Bulblax in the Frontier Cavern, and collecting the Repugnant Appendage. It is a modification to the leaders' footwear that allows them to run more quickly, around 1.3 times faster, or at around the same speed as flowered White Pikmin. The Rush Boots also renders the blowing attack of Puffy and Withering Blowhogs ineffective against leaders (in Pikmin 2 only; this effect requires the Brace Boots in Pikmin 4). The ship explains both functions as the result of lowered air resistance. It can provide to be a minor hindrance however, as the Pikmin's speed is not increased alongside the leader's, so they fall behind, are harder to control and often get stuck when going around corners.

Scorch Guard
The Scorch Guard is an armor upgrade that makes all leaders' suits impervious to fire. In Pikmin 2, it is obtained by defeating the Emperor Bulblax in the Bulblax Kingdom, and collecting the Forged Courage. In Pikmin 3, it can be found buried on a ledge to the north of the strip of wood Pikmin and leaders hop to when the lily pad ride ends. The Burrowing Snagret and Desiccated Skitter Leaves could stop the Pikmin from carrying this piece back. Should the paper bag outside the Snagret's arena not be pushed down, the Pikmin may take a longer route to the Drake, which involves some Desiccated Skitter Leaves, an Arachnode, and a Flighty Joustmite.

With this upgrade, there is no need to worry about being hurt when destroying fire geysers, or fighting enemies such as the Fiery Blowhog or Fiery Bulblax. However, the Titan Dweevil's Flare Cannon will still be able to stun leaders, even if it does not harm them.

In Pikmin 4, both the Scorch Guard and the Scorch Guard (Oatchi) must be equipped in order to enter the Frozen Inferno, making them one of the few pieces of gear required to 100% explore the game.

Scorch Guard (Oatchi)
The Scorch Guard (Oatchi) is an upgrade that makes Oatchi immune to all fire hazards. It's only in Pikmin 4 and can be obtained from the lab for x 100 but only after the player character or Oatchi take fire damage. With this upgrade, Oatchi doesn't need to worry about being hurt whilst attacking Fire geysers or fiery enemies such as a Fiery Bulblax. The upgrade is also able to be toggled off and on.

In Pikmin 4, both the Scorch Guard and the Scorch Guard (Oatchi) must be equipped in order to enter the Frozen Inferno, making them one of the few pieces of gear required to 100% explore the game.

Sniff Saver (Oatchi)
The Sniff Saver makes Oatchi immune to poison hazards, allowing him to take out poison geysers and toxic mushrooms safely. As the player character is naturally immune to poison, there is no armor equivalent.

Solar System
The Solar System can be collected by defeating the Man-at-Legs in the Subterranean Complex, and collecting the Stellar Orb. It is a device that will illuminate any sort of darkness inside a cave's sublevels. This way, it is possible to see things that are very far away when underground. Although the name refers to a system that produces solar-like light, it is also a play on words on the system that planet Earth is located in.

When it is collected, the game gradually changes the cave's lighting to fit the new, brighter settings. This lasts around 3 seconds, and can be seen on the retrieved treasure analysis cutscene.

Cavern of Chaos 10
Oddly, the upgrade has an opposite effect on sublevel 10 of the Cavern of Chaos: the sublevel will be darker if the Stellar Orb was retrieved. The reason for this is because this sublevel uses the lighting configuration file, which is both only used on this sublevel, and the only configuration file that is in the version 0000 format (besides any unused files and settings in the disc). All other sublevels use a file in the 0001 version. Version 0000 has no support for different lighting with and without the Solar System; it only has one set of data for lighting instead of two. When a lighting file on this version is loaded into the final game, the values that are there are used to light up the cave when the Solar System is present, and because there is no data for what lighting to use when the upgrade is missing, it uses some default values. These default values make the tenth sublevel of the Cavern of Chaos look lighter when the upgrade has not been collected yet.

Sphere Chart
The Sphere Chart is the name given by the ship to the data found within the Spherical Atlas. By collecting the Spherical Atlas from the Emergence Cave, the ship is able to create charts of the Awakening Wood, allowing the player to explore that area.

Survey Chart
The Survey Chart is the name given by the ship to the data found within the Geographic Projection. By collecting the Geographical Projection from the Awakening Wood, the ship is able to create charts of the Perplexing Pool, allowing the player to explore that area.

Survey Drone
The Survey Drone switches the player's perspective to a fully-controllable flying camera, allowing scoping out of the entire map and the placing of beacons. Areas revealed by the Survey Drone do not get revealed on the radar map; they must still be travelled to on foot. By default, time is paused while flying the drone, but it can be unpaused and re-paused freely.

The game does not prevent the Pebble Pitcher from being used while the Survey Drone is in operation when time is unpaused. This can allow the second player to do many things in very unintended ways.

Treasure Gauge
The Treasure Gauge is a device found in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4 that helps with tracking down every treasure in the game, no matter if is out in the open, an enemy has it or it is buried. It detects castaways, including conscious or unconscious leaflings, in the same manner in Pikmin 4. In Pikmin 2, it is obtained by collecting the Prototype Detector from the Empress Bulblax in the Hole of Beasts. When it is in the Exploration Kit, a gauge appears on the HUD. In the device's Pikmin 2 iteration, there is a needle that wiggles continuously when a treasure is in the current field or cave, and the closer the current leader is to a treasure, the farther to the right it goes, and the harder it beeps. In Pikmin 4, the needle is replaced by a row of lights that light up, starting from the left, as the leader approaches whatever the device has detected. If there are no treasures or castaways in a given area or sublevel, a chime will sound shortly after collecting the last relevant item. In Pikmin 2, the needle goes to the left edge while the gauge grays out; in Pikmin 4, the entire display goes black. It can be interfered with by the Antenna Beetle, Gildemandwee, and Gildemander, the only Exploration Kit upgrade to be specifically targeted in gameplay.

In Olimar's Shipwreck Tale in Pikmin 4, Olimar can acquire a device called the Parts Detector. It shares its icon with the Treasure Gauge and works exactly the same, except it detects Olimar's lost ship parts instead of treasure.

Hey! Pikmin upgrades
In, upgrades are provided by the S.S. Dolphin II, after the player collects certain amounts of Sparklium. These become unlocked at the specified levels of Sparklium, and don't decrease the Sparklium count when doing so.

In Pikmin
While does not have an upgrade system, some ship parts change the appearance of the S.S. Dolphin, and one ship part, the Whimsical Radar, does provide a change to gameplay by unlocking the radar.

Badges
In, there are two badges the player can gain from collecting upgrades:
 * Evasive Action: Acquire the Dodge Whistle.
 * Strong on the Inside: Acquire the Metal Suit Z, Anti-Electrifier, or Scorch Guard.

Trivia

 * In the North American version of the New Play Control! game, with the language set to French, the Sphere Chart is called "Carte Sphérique" (Spherical Map) in the Ship's dialogs and "Système Solaire" (Solar System) in the pause menu. Since another upgrade is also called "Système Solaire" (the Solar System), this is likely a mistake.
 * If Oatchi is fed 5 Scrummy Bones, he gets extra health equivilent to a full healthbar with Tuff Stuff equipped.

Names in other languages
Sphere Chart

Survey Chart

Data Glutton

Folded Data Glutton

Scorch Guard

Anti-Electrifier

Metal Suit Z

Napsack

Rocket Fist

Rush Boots

Mega Tweeter

Pluckaphone

Solar System

Treasure Gauge