Rock Pikmin | |
---|---|
Resistance | Brute force (i.e. crushing or impaling) |
Attack strength | Strong
|
Mobility | Average |
Throw | Average |
Digging speed | Fast (~2.0× the norm) |
Carrying capacity | 1 |
Rock Pikmin (岩ピクミン?) are a species of Pikmin featured in Pikmin 3. They resemble small polished rocks with Pikmin eyes, limbs, and, just like the Winged Pikmin, have lavender flowers. The main part of their body seems to be a gray texture of graphite that reflects light, while the "skin" on their arms and legs appears to be smooth and gray. When Rock Pikmin are dismissed, their sprouts glow gray. Their ghosts are also shaped like small gray rocks with eyes. Just like all other types of Pikmin in Pikmin 3, Rock Pikmin share an Onion and are reproduced through collecting nutrients from pellets and corpses. Rock Pikmin are the second type of Pikmin Alph discovers in Pikmin 3, the first being Red Pikmin.
Traits and abilities
Rock Pikmin, like most Pikmin types, are immune to a specific hazard. These Pikmin, in particular, are immune to blunt force; when crushed by a large object, they are simply driven into the ground and become temporarily and partially buried. When a creature with a sharp proboscis tries to impale them, they are simply knocked back without taking damage.
Rock Pikmin have very hard exteriors, which allows them to smash through glass, crystals, and even the armor of larger animals (like the Armored Mawdad and the Peckish Aristocrab's claw). However, they do not sink in water, and are thrown just as far as most Pikmin types, revealing that they do not weigh much. The damage caused by a thrown Rock Pikmin depends on the creature, but in general, stronger enemies take more hits, and some smaller creatures, like Dwarf Red Bulborbs or Skutterchucks can be dispatched with a single Rock Pikmin throw.
Despite their increased strength, they do have a setback: Rock Pikmin cannot latch onto their targets like other Pikmin and will instead bounce off and roll back. If left unoccupied, they will repeatedly attack enemies and obstacles by charging head-on into them, doing significantly less damage per time than other Pikmin types: after hitting something, they roll back and stay lying down for a bit before rushing again, making their rate of attack atrocious. On top of that, they only cause 20 points of damage, which is quite weak for how often they attack. For some reason, when Rock Pikmin are told to charge, they cause even less damage when they lunge, serving only 10 points of damage. Although, after they get up from a charge, and are left to lunge by themselves again, they will cause 20 damage, like a normal lunge.
As such, the best way to attack with Rock Pikmin is to have leaders throw them, which causes more damage than a regular lunge, and to whistle them to get up from lying down faster. That said, if they are thrown at the root of a Burgeoning Spiderwort and not directly on its berries, are told to attack the Shaggy Long Legs's hair, or are attacking another Pikmin in Bingo Battle, they will cling on like the other Pikmin types, and they won't lunge (they will lunge when attacking a leader in Bingo Battle, though).
Discovery
The Rock Pikmin are discovered in the Garden of Hope, the second area in Pikmin 3. They are found in a cave located north of the landing site. Residing in this cave is a Medusal Slurker that contains 6 Rock Pikmin, just enough to carry the Medusal Slurker. After defeating it, the player can use the newly-discovered Pikmin species to free the gray Onion from a large crystal. After propagating enough Rock Pikmin, they can be used to break down the crystal wall outside of the cave and free Brittany. At the end of the day, the gray Onion will merge with the red Onion. Interestingly, a few of the Rock Pikmin will have a bud on top of their stem while others will have the usual leaf.
Mandatory uses
In order to progress futher into the game, at least one Rock Pikmin is mandatory to have in the player's party, so the following tasks can be completed:
- Fruits
- Searing Acidshock (Garden of Hope): One of the two in the area is inside of a crystal.
- Enemies
- Quaggled Mireclops: The crystal on the head must be destroyed to finish the first phase of the battle.
- Other
- Rock Pikmin Onion: As stated above, their Onion is encased in a crystal that needs to be destroyed in order to release it.
Recommended uses
Rock Pikmin are recommended for the following tasks, but are not mandatory.
- Fruits
- Fire-Breathing Feast: This piece of fruit is located inside the Armored Mawdad. Although leaders can defeat the creature by punching it (even with its armor), using Rock Pikmin is much faster.
- Disguised Delicacy (Distant Tundra): This fruit is encased in a crystal. It is possible to destroy the crystal with bomb rocks.
- Zest Bomb (Distant Tundra): Ditto.
- Dapper Blob (Twilight River): Ditto.
- Blonde Impostor: Ditto.
- Enemies
- Armored Mawdad: Rock Pikmin are needed to destroy the crystal armor, but the creature can be defeated if leaders punch it.
- Calcified Crushblat: Although the creature is covered in crystal, a bomb rock can destroy it. On top of that, Winged Pikmin can charge at its feet, removing the need to take out the crystal.
- Peckish Aristocrab: The claw can be destroyed to make it unable to eat Pikmin.
- Plasm Wraith: The crystal Elemental Plasms it releases can be destroyed by Rock Pikmin.
- Skutterchuck: The crystal nodules it uses to attack can be destroyed.
- Shaggy Long Legs: Rock Pikmin are extremely helpful in this fight as they are immune to being crushed and they can climb up the Shaggy Long Legs.
Notes
Mission Mode tip
“Rock Pikmin are tough and can cause some serious damage if they land on a target!”
In Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U
Rock Pikmin are not a part of Olimar's moveset in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, but they do appear as a trophy.
- 3DS
- Wii U
Gallery
Alph throwing Rock Pikmin at a glass wall to break it.
- Pikmin3 BetaCrystal.jpg
Rock Pikmin breaking a large crystal.
- ZlCfzR4yh-QlUYNeZy.jpg
A Rock Pikmin buried after being crushed.
- Rock-Pikmin1.jpg
Finding the Rock Pikmin at the E3 2012 demo.
A Rock Pikmin constellation on the day selection screen.
The data file explaining Rock Pikmin's crystal-shattering hardness.
- RockPikmin2.png
Leaf, bud, and flower Rock Pikmin.
- Rock Pikmin 3 Artwork 01.jpg
Pikmin 3 artwork.
- Rock Pikmin cold and shaked!.jpeg
A Rock Pikmin shaking after leaving the water.
Trivia
To do: Describe the "crunching" sound better, and note which enemies make the noise, and which do not. |
- In the happy ending of the first Pikmin game, there are four black or gray Pikmin Onions flying above the planet's atmosphere. These could quite possibly be Rock Pikmin Onions, even though the Onions' appearance in Pikmin 3 has changed.
- In Pikmin Adventure, the Knuckle Seed resembles the ability of Rock Pikmin: a straight and strong impact shot.
- Rock Pikmin release "cracking" particle effects for when they hit breakable objects.
- The stem on a Rock Pikmin's head droops lower than on other Pikmin types.
- Rock Pikmin are the only main Pikmin type not to be utilized by Olimar in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U in any way.
- As seen in this trailer, Rock Pikmin originally had four looks. In the final game, all Rock Pikmin look the exact same.
- Rock Pikmin make a different sound when eaten: there is a much more noticeable crunching sound.
- Strangely, since they have rocky bodies and rocks do not change their form when shaken, it is not known how they stretch when plucked or when they shake off water.
- After being thrown, Rock Pikmin bounce a little when landing, but this is not the case when they are thrown on a lily pad, an elevator platform, or a cardboard box. This is likely to stop them from falling off.
- Interestingly, Rock Pikmin have bigger leafs, buds, and flowers than other Pikmin types. Purple Pikmin also have this quality.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
French | Pikmin Roc | Rock Pikmin |
German | Fels-Pikmin | |
Spanish | Pikmin Pétreo | Rocky Pikmin |
See also
Pikmin | |
---|---|
Types | Red Pikmin • Yellow Pikmin • Blue Pikmin • Purple Pikmin • White Pikmin Rock Pikmin • Winged Pikmin • Ice Pikmin • Bulbmin • Glow Pikmin |
Biology | Candypop Bud • Idle • Maturity • Onion • Flarlic • Pellet Pikmin extinction • Trip • Sprout • Seedling • Soul • Squad |
Abilities | Carry • Dig • Dodge • Fight • Hide |
Controls | Charge • Dismiss • Swarm • Pluck • Throw • Whistle |
Other | Decor Pikmin • Leafling • Mushroom Pikmin • Pikpik carrot |