Dark Desert Cave

Right after you cleared the Highland Field, your next step should be to finish this cave, the last one in the Desert Oasis. With Blue Pikmin from the Mountain Springs you'll be able to drain the watering hole and scale the cliffs and venture through the wilderness plateaus at the far end of the area. At the final point, you'll reach the second of the dark caves. It takes you through a series of sprawling subterranean wastelands loaded with enemies, with the occasional rest stop. Get used to the sheer number of enemies here, this is a war. Speaking of which, you'll have plenty of encounters with enemies built like they were made for fighting, including the boss. Once you get its Dark Spore, assuming you found the one at the end of the Dark Field Cave, you will have opened the way to the next area, the Ancient Wetland!

Sublevel 1

 * Crimson Candypop Bud
 * Dwarf Orange Bulborb
 * Orange Bulborb
 * Shearwig
 * Treasures

This dungeon starts off pretty easily, with nothing too complicated. This floor sort of resembles the landing site terrain from the, with hilly ground that means a longer route going backward even if it's easy to move forwards. There are also plenty of enemies to contend with, in the form of Orange Bulborbs, and Shearwigs will join in the battle as well once you take on the visible foes. If you progress somewhat carefully and pummel enemies with Purple Pikmin, it's simple to make it through the enemies without losing Pikmin. To find the floor's treasure, just look for a slightly raised plateau. Toss your Yellow Pikmin up there and they'll bring down the treasure. Once you have it, look for the way down to the next floor at the end of the trail. You can also search down the opposite trail to find a small patch of flowers where a couple of Crimson Candypop Buds are in bloom. Make sure you have Red Pikmin for the next part of the dungeon before moving on.

Sublevel 2

 * Acidic Blowhog
 * Armored Cannon Beetle
 * Fiery Blowhog
 * Lighter Shearwig
 * Shadow Sheargrub
 * Shearwig
 * Fire geyser
 * Treasures

This area is slightly dimmer and larger than the previous one and consists of narrow passageways which slowly reach up the side of a hill. On the way up the trail, you'll encounter swarms of burrowing insects with new forms and abilities. Shadow Sheargrubs appear as if from nowhere but aren't particularly resilient. The Lighter Shearwig is definitely a more dangerous enemy than its normal counterparts, so you'll want to fight that enemy with Red Pikmin alone. To further reinforce the fact that Red Pikmin is useful on this floor, you'll encounter fire vents and Fiery Blowhogs aplenty. One of the Blowhogs is different from the others. It has a green-tipped snout and it fires acid that instantly kills any Pikmin it touches. Defeat this enemy with Purple Pikmin's might and it'll give up one of the treasures. The other treasure is held by the heavyweight, bad-tempered Armored Cannon Beetle. It guards the way down to the next floor at the top of the hill, and its rolling boulders will be a nuisance as you make your way to the top. After you take down that powerful enemy, head down the hole.

Sublevel 3

 * Careening Dirigibug
 * Dwarf Orange Bulborb
 * Lighter Shearwig
 * Watery Blowhog
 * Treasures

You start off by the edge of a series of reservoirs. Obviously, your Blue Pikmin will be key in crossing the treacherous expanse. The problem is, not only will you be battling Dwarf Orange Bulborbs, but there are some deadly Lighter Shearwigs as well! You'll have to take them out to safely build the stick bridges. If you run into problems with the Lighter Shearwigs, retreat into the water temporarily, where they cannot follow. The Careening Dirigibugs will also prove to be an annoyance, as their bomb rocks work perfectly well in the water. Take out all the enemies and build the bridges to help your other Pikmin through. You'll need to bring Yellow Pikmin across to snatch down another treasure from up high. After you have it, look around for a raised switch. You need to throw Yellow Pikmin on top of it to press it down. By doing so, it'll raise an underwater switch in one of the reservoirs, opening a crevice for the water in that pool to flow through. Follow the passage with a squad of Blue Pikmin, and you'll reach a vast area full of shallow water. Defeat the Watery Blowhogs here and one will drop a treasure. The hole leading to the next floor is on an island here, but so long as you can reach it with Pikmin of some sort, all the others will follow without trouble.

Sublevel 4

 * Armored Cannon Beetle
 * Dwarf Orange Bulborb
 * Orange Bulborb
 * Puffstool
 * Shadow Sheargrub
 * Shearwig
 * Fire geyser
 * Gas pipe
 * Web
 * Key
 * Treasures

Unfortunately, this floor is pretty dark. You've got glowcaps to light the area up, but not much else. There are a couple of visible small Bulborbs and fire vents in this area. There's a trap here which is particularly evil. There's a treasure in an alcove in plain sight. Don't remove it with any Pikmin other than Black Pikmin, for you'll soon find out that it was covered in webs! Also, as soon as the treasure is touched, a bunch of Shadow Sheargrubs will appear around it to attack the defenseless Pikmin, so you can't afford to let any Pikmin get stuck in webs. The area seems somewhat small at first, but if you have Black Pikmin cut the webs holding the boulder on the hill in place, it'll roll down into a weak wall, opening the way forwards. Go through there to fight yet another Armored Cannon Beetle, with Dwarf Orange Bulborbs assisting it, and a few Shadow Sheargrubs as well. Due to the scattered small enemies, you're better off going in there alone with a leader and taking out the small enemies before bringing in a large group for the Armored Cannon Beetle. Take the treasure it drops, then climb up the left ramp to find a web on the wall. You're actually supposed to walk on it with non-Black Pikmin because they'll stick to the adhesive surface. The web goes up high, over an arch, and down to a ledge with a switch. Weigh it down with Pikmin, and the entire wall at the north end of this room will collapse! There are a couple of Orange Bulborbs in here, and more fire geysers as well. The floor has a web cover, so remove that first by attacking the web cluster in the corner with Black Pikmin. Afterward, clear out the enemies and fire geysers, and have White Pikmin dig up the buried key. Once returned to the ship, the key will dispel a metalwork gate in the first room. Go through there and you'll find the final chamber to be full of gas pipes, with a strange new enemy, the Puffstool. Take out the scattered gas pipes first with a small group of White Pikmin. Fight the Puffstool by attacking its base, causing it to flip over. When it's flipped over, call your Pikmin back and throw them at its wiggling base which is now in the air- the cap of the mushroom is invulnerable. Beware... if it starts shaking, run away from its spores which it will release in a cloud around its body. These spores will turn your Pikmin into Mushroom Pikmin that attack you! After a few rounds of this, you'll have the Puffstool defeated. Take its treasure, then drop down the hole to the next floor, located at the back of the Orange Bulborbs' chamber.

Sublevel 5

 * Queen Candypop Bud

After those long floors, you've got a rest floor. This place will add on slightly to your Pikmin population, but if you're feeling unsure about your skills on the floors that lie ahead, take a hop on this geyser and return to the dungeon with reinforcements... because the second half of the dungeon has no escape until you've beaten the final floor's boss! The next three floors are sheer tests of colosseum endurance that feature deadly combinations of this dungeon's enemy forces. Make sure you've got capable fighting forces- the more Purple Pikmin and Red Pikmin, the better.

Sublevel 6

 * Dwarf Orange Bulborb
 * Puffstool
 * Shadow Sheargrub
 * Shearwig
 * Key
 * Treasures

Chaos reigns supreme on sublevel six. A horde of small enemies will do battle with your Pikmin, and if you aren't careful around the triumvirate of Puffstools, your Pikmin will do battle with themselves! One Puffstool holds a treasure here, and once you wipe out all of the enemies the key to the next floor will appear.

Sublevel 7

 * Acidic Blowhog
 * Fiery Blowhog
 * Watery Blowhog
 * Key
 * Treasures

You'll have to brave the elements to overcome lucky number seven, where Blowhogs await to burn, drown, and corrode your forces. There's enough light to tell the color of the caps at the ends of your opponents' snouts. Logically, use the right colored Pikmin to take down each Blowhog. Of course, the threatening ones are the instant death, acid-spewing Acidic Blowhogs. Watch out for those green-tipped snouts! Fortunately, they are less common than the others here. One of them holds a treasure, and the other treasure is buried, requiring White Pikmin to unearth it. After you defeat every Blowhog, a key will appear. Bring it back to the ship and it will open the way down to the last in the series of enemy group fights.

Sublevel 8

 * Armored Cannon Beetle
 * Careening Dirigibug
 * Lighter Shearwig
 * Key
 * Treasures

Finally, it's time to deal with two Armored Cannon Beetles at once, complete with plenty of Careening Dirigibugs and Lighter Shearwigs to strike your squad at the worst possible moments. It's good to know that the boulders and bombs can defeat the Lighter Shearwigs for you, but then there's the matter of avoiding the attacks yourself. Focus on the most aggressive enemies first, the beetles. Then, take out the bombers. Eliminate any pesky Lighter Shearwigs you encounter. You'll get the key to the next floor for your efforts, and one of the Armored Cannon Beetles has this floor's treasure.

Sublevel 9

 * Queen Candypop Bud

After the massive battles on the previous floors, chances are that your Pikmin population has declined. On this semifinal floor, you're given a chance to breathe easy, and there are a couple of Queen Candypop Buds to boost your Pikmin population by 14. Will this be enough to overcome the sinister guardian that awaits you on the final floor? Prepare yourself for that last battle. When you're ready, break open the sealed hole and dropdown.

Sublevel 10

 * Obelisk Burrow-nit Boss
 * Treasures

Check the enemy link for information on how to beat this boss and take its dark spore. This fight isn't too tough if you manage to stay in close quarters and always make sure you're in the boss's face... yet you still need to know when to bail out occasionally. After its defeat, the exit geyser will be made apparent. Ride it and you'll escape the dungeon, hopefully with lots of Pikmin and all the treasures intact. Assuming you've cleared out all the area's easier challenges, that's all for the Desert Oasis!