Rugged Tundra

 The Rugged Tundra is the first area you play in Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds'' and serves as the tutorial level for the first two days. Red, Purple, and Cyan Pikmin are all found here. It consists of a snowy mountain, a freezing river and a frosty field, which mean ice-based enemies are a common find here. There is also a river flowing from the top of the level, which divides it into sections. The antagonists of the game tried to make a base here, but as it could easily be found by government officials, they tried other places. That's why there's barely any enemies here for the first few days, as well as an abandoned, snow-covered base. There are also nine treasures above ground.

Initial Visit

 * See here...

Second Visit
After discovering Yellow and Blue Pikmin in the Garden, Olimar and co. return to the Rugged Tundra to find the source of a strange radio signal they believe resides here. Using the Yellow Pikmin's abilities, they scale the mountain and find a new Pikmin species, the Cyan Pikmin, in a cave at the top of the mountain... Shortly after their discovery, the radio signal becomes even stronger, allowing the Ship to locate it. The source of the signal resides in a foreboding labyrinth filled with many dangers.

After a harrowing encounter with the main antagonists, and subsequently defeating their creation, Olimar and friends go to the Distant Desert, where they explore the vast, sun-baked sands.


 * Continue...

Subareas
This area is split into seven subareas.

Subarea 1: Landing Site
This is the landing site of the area. Strange is that it eerily resembles the landing site from the from , only on a larger scale. To the west is the landing zone is the area where the President landed. Going even further west is a bridge that leads to an island in the nearby river (however, it is blocked by a paper bag that needs at least 40 Pikmin to crush it). On this island, you can see a bridge and a block of ice (behind this is another bridge).

Subarea 2: Frigid Fields
The bridge that goes left will lead you to the other side of the river. Here, off in the distance, you may be able to see some very tall grasses. To reach the Frosty Depths at the end of this subarea, you must delve into the seemingly never ending grass. As you voyage on, the grasses get taller and taller. They eventually get so tall that they fill the entirety of the camera's view. In the deeper sections, enemies hide, so figure out their attack patterns to evade them. At the very end is a clearing; that is where the Frosty Depths is located.

Subarea 3: Freezing Coastline
The bridge that goes right will lead you to the river's coastline. However, at first, it is blocked by ice, so you will need Cyan Pikmin to deal with the issue. The bridge will take you right to the coastline of the river! The beach is made of... cyan colored sand? It's not really just sand, rather, ice crystals mixed in with rocks and dirt. Sometimes it can get really windy here, so be sure to huddle your Pikmin close by or they'll get blown away. In the icy sand, sometimes enemies may hide, waiting to ambush you, so be observant. If you keep walking up north, you'll find the river's source...

Subarea 4: Arctic Springs
Soon, you find the river's source- cold, icy springs with water bubbling up. However, the water is coming out with great force, so find a switch to turn off the springs. You can walk around on the beach and explore. If you do so, and look at the center of the springs, you may realize there's an island in the center of it. On that island is the Frigid Cavern, a long, icy cave. A treasure is somewhere in the spring pool; use Cyan Pikmin to find it.

Subarea 5: Snowy Slopes
The path leading right from the Landing Site will take you to a slope. However, at first, it is blocked off by a paper bag that needs 30 Purple Pikmin to crush. Behind it is the Bronze Mega Key. Anyway, if you keep going up, you'll find part of the icy river hindering your progress; again, there's an island in the middle of it. Throw some Yellow Pikmin up to it and they'll start building a bridge, which will let you go further up. If you do so, you will then find yourself within a snowy maze of sorts. As you get closer towards the center, you'll notice a lot of scrap metal and frozen robots, as well as ice barricades. At the very center is the Icy Labyrinth. Keep going upwards to be at the coldest part of the whole area...

Subarea 6: Frostbite Ridge
You are now near the very top of the mountain, but you cannot go further. Here, it snows always and is very windy. If you swivel the camera to look back, you can faintly see the Landing Site — that is, if the clouds permit. You have to keep your Pikmin moving always, because if they stop moving, they could freeze and die. The Icicle Abyss, where you find the Cyan Pikmin, is here.

Final Subarea: Iced Grotto
If you continue upwards past the Icicle Abyss, go as high as you can and you'll see a waterfall. Underneath it are three random-colored 20-pellets! This is accessed by going all the way back to the beginning, where you might see a dent in the wall. That's the passageway leading to the Iced Grotto with the 20-pellets, but you need Brown Pikmin to make this tunnel. The pellets can regenerate about every five days, so check often! Just be careful, though: the floor here is very icy and slick, so your Pikmin could slide right off the edge.

Enemies

 * Snow Bulborb
 * Hairy Bulborb

Climate
For most of the year, the entirety of the Rugged Tundra is covered in snow. In the winter time, there may be heavy snowfall, reducing vision, icicles that hang from the ceilings of enclosed areas, deep snow that your Pikmin could fall into, and strong winds. The first half of spring is cold, but the second half warms up, melting snow and causing minor flooding. When summer arrives, all the snow at ground level has melted away and is sunny most of the time; however, thunderstorms may appear and cause flooding. Early fall is also warm, but later on, the snow comes back, and the wind picks up. By winter, the Rugged Tundra returns to its snowy state.