There are many different types of obstacles in Pikmin 4, from unfinished bridges to yellow electric gates. The most troublesome of these is arguably water though, as most Pikmin are unable to swim and will drown if they're left alone in the water for too long. Thankfully, the same isn't true of the playable character, although, without the help of Oatchi and the Pikmin, their ability to survive in water is somewhat useless.
The good news is that there are several different ways to get across the water in Pikmin 4, most of which become possible fairly early on. Some involve using Pikmin types that are better suited to the blue stuff, while others require players to force their space pup into a somewhat awkward situation. By the time they're finished, though, players will be able to survive in water with very little trouble.
Method 1: Ice Pikmin
It's possible to freeze water by throwing in some Ice Pikmin, with the number of Ice Pikmin required determined by the size of the body of water. Once the water is frozen, players will be able to walk across, bringing Oactchi and any other Pikmin that may be following along with them. Players will first start to encounter Ice Pikmin while exploring the Sun-Speckled Terrace area. They can be found in several of the area's Sublevels, with players able to pick up at least 30 between Last-Frost Cavern, Hectic Hollows, and Aquiferous Summit. Unfortunately, however, they won't be able to get the Ice Onion until they reach the game's fourth area, meaning that they'll need to keep the Ice Pikmin they find safe until then.
Method 2: Blue Pikmin
While Ice Pikmin can be used to freeze water, Blue Pikmin can simply swim through it. This is great in situations where players only need one type of Pikmin, or when they need to retrieve an item that's in the water. It's also worth noting that Blue Pikmin will always take the shortest route back to base, even if that means swimming through water, so players can sometimes transport items a lot more quickly by having Blue Pikmin do the heavy lifting. Although they won't find any Blue Pikmin in the caves there, players can find a Blue Onion in the Sun-Speckled Terrace area. However, they'll need at least 30 Ice Pikmin in order to freeze the water that leads to it.
Method 3: Oatchi
When players first try to ride Oatchi through a body of water he'll very nearly drown. However, cruel though it may seem, players should make a point of doing this as early as possible, as Oatchi will learn to swim two days after his first negative experience with water. This means that if players have Oatchi almost drown during their expedition on Day 3, they'll unlock the ability to ride him through water at the beginning of Day 5. After that, the cute little space pup will have no trouble surviving in water, nor will any of the Pikmin that happen to be clinging to his back.
Pikmin 4 is available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
