As the name of the game suggests, Pikmin are incredibly important in Pikmin 4, with each of the nine different Pikmin types bringing something new to the table. However, there's arguably an even more useful tool in the player's arsenal, both when it comes to resource gathering and dealing with hostile creatures. His name is Oatchi: a lovable space pup who serves as the seventh member of the Rescue Corps and a faithful companion to the playable character.
Oatchi can be used in a lot of different ways and will become stronger over time. As his Pup Drive increases, players will be able to teach him new skills, some of which can be incredibly useful. Eventually, players will gain enough Pup Drive to unlock everything, but, when they first start playing, they'll need to pick and choose very carefully. With this in mind, understanding which skills are the best can make deciding which of Oatchi's skills to unlock first a lot easier.
Doggy Paddle
The best skill for Oatchi is Doggy Paddle, but players won't be able to teach it to him the usual way. Instead of going through the Training menu, they'll need to ride Oatchi into some water until a special cutscene triggers, then simply wait a few days until they get a notification from Captain Shepherd. Once Doggy Paddle has been unlocked, players will be able to ride Oatchi through water, with the cute little space pup also carrying any Pikmin that happen to be following the playable character.
Heal Lv.1 (3 Pup Drive)
Though somewhat expensive, players should make a point of having Oatchi learn Heal as soon as possible. As per its name, the skill allows Oatchi to recover health while out of battle. This greatly decreases the chances of him being knocked out and having to return to base and recover, which can be pretty detrimental to an expedition. Of course, players can use Scrummy Bones to heal Oatchi, but those require resources, whereas having Oatchi heal himself does not.
Chomp Lv.2 (2 Pup Drive)
Granted, leveling up Oatchi's Buff skill may be cheaper, but there's a good reason for that. Having Oatchi drag stuff back to base can often leave players short-pawed, as there are certain tasks for which Oatchi is a lot more suitable than Pikmin, particularly the types of Pikmin that players have access to during the early stages of the game. With this in mind, it's better to keep the rescue pup close by at all times, so making Oatchi a more skilled fighter makes the most sense.
Command Lv.2 (3 Pup Drive)
Eventually, there will come a point where players need to have Oatchi help out with some of the heavy lifting, as Pikmin shortages will inevitably happen from time to time. In these situations, having the ability to call Oatchi back to the playable character's location rather than having to head back to base to retrieve him can be invaluable, which makes the Command skill upgrade one of the best Oatchi skills in Pikmin 4.
Pikmin 4 is available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
