With double the normal challenges offered during Challenges week, learn how to build the best Pikmin squad and overcome them!
Challenge Days start now! From February 24th, 2022 to February 28th, 2022, Pikmin Bloom is hosting Challenge Days, with 6 Challenges available each day instead of the usual 3.
Challenges, first unlocked at level 15, pit Pikmin against mushrooms in order to win fruit. After a Challenge is completed, the fruit may be collected, at which point it becomes nectar. Nectar may then be fed to Pikmin and produce flowers of multiple color varieties, depending on the original color of mushroom.
In order to reap the maximum reward of fruit, however, it’s important to get maximum stars with the highest strength points.
Improving Strength Points
The first method requires leveling up to increase squad count. As players progress through Pikmin bloom, they can increase their level. The requirements for each level can be found on the home screen and by tapping on the user profile. Requirements may include completing Expeditions, planting a certain number of flowers, or walking a certain number of steps.
Beyond increasing Pikmin count, it’s important to use the same colored Pikmin as the targeted mushrooms. For example, a Pink Pikmin squad should be used almost exclusively for Pink Mushroom Challenges. This is because same colored Pikmin are given the highest premium in strength points over any other color.
Sometimes the same colored Pikmin may not be the strongest. This is because max strength requires that the friendship level on Pikmin be at their max level of 4 hearts. To raise a Pikmin’s friendship level, they can be sent on Expeditions to fetch fruit and seedlings, fed nectar to grow flowers, or otherwise included on Challenges.
Once a Pikmin has reached their max friendship level, an Expedition to receive a decor item will become available for that Pikmin. Upon completing, the Pikmin will wear the item, which corresponds to where the Pikmin’s seedling was originally obtained. Similarly, some large seedlings contain Pikmin that are already wearing their decor. They start with no friendship level, as all other Pikmin do, but they receive a higher score than Pikmin at their same level up until they reach max friendship.
Because friendship level and decor may take priority over color, another color Pikmin with a higher friendship level may be moderately stronger. Using the same Pink Mushroom example, the next most effective colors are Red, Purple, Gray (Rock), Blue, Yellow, and White.
Players may find that they’re missing one or more of the Pikmin color types. Not to worry, as additional Pikmin colors are unlocked as the player level increases. There is one mushroom color, Brown, that does not correspond to any one Pikmin type. As such, Brown Mushrooms are the ultimate proving grounds for a Pikmin squad.
Max Out Flower Power
Just as feeding nectar to Pikmin may help raise their friendship level, it also serves another purpose—increasing a squad’s strength points!
Players who have participated in prior events may have flowers outside of the standard White, Yellow, Red, and Blue. These are less common and, by feeding Pikmin the nectar of rare flowers, such as Poinsettias or Roses, it’s possible to further increase strength in Challenges for the highest points possible.
Players don’t have to worry if they can’t max out their stars this time, however, as Niantic reports that similar events will come in the future. At the very least, these challenges will help to further build stronger squads and prepare for future events!