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Pikmin 3 Deluxe: Tropical Wilds walkthrough

Alph's crash site on the first day, then a later trip with all three captains to a sand arena and the Sandbelching Meerslug.

  • About 64 min in the videos
  • 3 parts · 7 steps
  • 1 boss

Compiled from 1 playthrough video and 9 guides · checked Oct 19, 2026

0 of 3 done
Video: BeardBear on YouTube. Loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play.

What each player can do here

P1 · Player 1
  • Left half of the split screen, leading their own captain and squad.
P2 · Player 2
  • Right half of the split screen, and free to drop in or out mid-game. Either player can open the radar, hints or Onion menu, which pauses the game for both.
  • While the story has only one captain, Player 2 runs a copy of that captain: the two cannot throw or group each other, and neither takes damage.

If your skill levels differ: Split the day's jobs rather than sharing one squad; that is how Nintendo pitches the second player. For a newer player, Deluxe adds lock-on targeting and optional hints that can be switched on. How to split the roles

Alph's landing (day 1)

Part 1 of 3. Find Red Pikmin, grow a squad and reach the S.S. Drake.

  1. Player 1Alph comes round in a shallow pond after the crash.
  2. BothUse the Red Pikmin to piece together a bridge from the fragments nearby.
  3. BothGrow the squad to about twenty (pellets and Female Sheargrubs) so it can shove the cardboard box out of the way.

Following the signal

Part 2 of 3. Reach the sand arena with all three captains.

  1. BothOnce Charlie is rescued in the Distant Tundra, a signal marks Tropical Wilds on the map.single source
  2. BothA dirt wall hides the bridge fragments: knock it down with a group of Pikmin.
  3. BothA sandy path leads to a big round arena with a phone buried in the middle; digging it up starts the fight.single source

Where people tend to fall

  • Bomb rocks from the dirt mound blow up any Pikmin standing near them; save them for walls.

The sand arena

Part 3 of 3. Beat the Sandbelching Meerslug.

  1. BothCarry the phone (the Folded Data Glutton) back to the ship once the Meerslug is down.

Boss

Sandbelching MeerslugThe sand arena boss

  1. Sinkholes: It moves under the sand and opens pits that drag Pikmin down; stay off the slopes and whistle trapped Pikmin out.
  2. Sand spit: When it rises it spits clumps of sand that bury Pikmin back in the ground.
  3. Knocked out: Enough damage flips it out of the sand and leaves it helpless for a while: swarm it then.
  4. Giant pit: Around half health it circles the arena and turns most of it into one huge pit.
  • A bomb rock thrown into its open mouth is one way to stun it.
  • The Dodge Whistle gets the squad out of the way of its sand balls.
Sources (10)

Steps compiled from 1 playthrough video and 9 text guides, checked Oct 19, 2026, and written in our own words. We did not play the game for this guide. A step marked “single source” rests on one guide so far.