Dark Field Cave

In order to take on the final cave in the Highland Field, you need to have found Blue Pikmin in the Mountain Springs. Using the skills of Black Pikmin and Blue Pikmin, you'll be able to continue on the path past where you encountered the Yellow Pikmin. At the farthest end of the fields you'll find the first of the series of the dark caves. It's tougher than any dungeon you've been in up to this point, which means a tier above the likes of places such as Black Flower Garden and Snowstorm Grotto. You have to navigate open fields similar to the Serpent Garden, only they are dark like the Sniper Room from Pikmin 2. Eventually, the dungeon layout will change to a more cavernous feel with some actual puzzles- then you'll take out the boss that waits at the deepest sublevel.

Floor 1

 * Anode Beetle x 12
 * Creeping Chrysanthemum x 2
 * Female Sheargrub x 9
 * Male Sheargrub x 5
 * Puffy Blowhog x 2
 * Skitter Leaf x 7
 * Gas pipe x 8
 * Treasure x 1

The dungeon starts off like a dark version of the Serpent Garden, but a little bit more challenging. This time, there are Anode Beetles aplenty to make fighting the Puffy Blowhogs a bit more dangerous. It's up to you which ones you take down first. Try taking on the floor with a squad of Yellow Pikmin for low-risk fighting. You'll also need them to solve the small twist on this floor- you have to throw them onto the stone border that surrounds the area to look for a stick bridge that they can roll down to you. After they build up, climb on up and search the border for the treasure! Beware of a pair of lurking Creeping Chrysanthemums that have cleverly chosen to hide up here. Sorry, but you can't go over the border- turns out that there's just a larger, natural border above that one to stop you from progressing.

Floor 2

 * Burrowing Snagret x 1
 * Creeping Chrysanthemum x 3
 * Dwarf Yellow Bulborb x 18
 * Female Sheargrub x 12
 * Male Sheargrub x 9
 * Shearwig x 7
 * Yellow Bulborb x 3
 * Treasure x 2

This area is a huge, open field, true to the dungeon's name. A lot of it is covered in yellow flowers, and the whole place is just crawling with enemies. A lot of the bulborbs tend to blend in with the foliage, so be on your guard. The treasure gauge will be a major help here, as you have basically no other leads as to where the treasures are. One of them will be buried near the Yellow Bulborbs, and of course White Pikmin are needed to dig it up. The other is held by a Burrowing Snagret. You can find this terrifying creature in one of the flower patches, in a suspiciously empty circle. The way down to the next floor is blocked off, so you need to break it open to enter. You can find this hole near the Yellow Bulborbs.

Floor 3

 * Armored Cannon Beetle x 1
 * Cloaking Burrow-nit x 3
 * Water Dumple x 8
 * Skitter Leaf x 8
 * Violet Candypop Bud x 1
 * Treasure x 3

This area is not quite as large as the others- especially that huge previous one. It seems to be a pleasant enough place, but it has its shares of dangers. The three treasures are located specifically around three "trials" of sorts. The first of these trials is on a large stump right next to where you land. The treasure is on top of the stump, but it is surrounded on three sides by Cloaking Burrow-nits. Only Yellow Pikmin will be able to reach it. Toss them up, then be skillful in manipulating them to avoid getting eaten and getting away with the treasure. This can be done easier by entering one of the many holes around the stump so that you can walk directly underneath the action, giving you very precise control over the squad. Giving them a bit of Ultra-Spicy Spray might help. The second trial is in a small pond area full of Water Dumples. There are several stumps in this area, hollowed out to make platforms. They get successively higher until the fourth one, which has the treasure. You have to start by going into the water and breaking open the jump geysers for the captains. These will allow them to reach each stump. Then, throw your Blue Pikmin onto the lowest stump and jump up to them. Toss them to the next stump, then jump there. Repeat until you reach the end. Lastly, there is a stone enclosure with a powerful, but beatable barrier. Take it down, and say hello to a new (or rather, old) and powerful enemy: the Armored Cannon Beetle! The strategy to beating it is the same as in the first Pikmin game- toss a Pikmin into its airhole to clog it, stopping its firepower. Then, attack the exposed back. Repeat until you win and gives you your treasure, and this floor is done. The hole to the next floor is between the first and third trials.

Floor 4

 * Burrowing Snagret x 3
 * Treasure x 1 (inside one of the Burrowing Snagrets)
 * Key x 1

You're at the edge of a lake, and the Key to the next floor is on a small spot of land at the other side of the lake. Gather a squad of Blue Pikmin and set out to retrieve it. Unfortunately, on the way back through the lake there will be a triple Snagret ambush, all at once a little bit past the middle! During the battle, one of the Snagrets will cough up this floor's treasure. To minimize any casualties, try and strafe around the snagrets, going in for the kill only when you have a safe opening and they're rising slowly. Try and separate the treasure-holder from the others and finish it off without unnecessary risk-taking. After you've finished, head onwards to the middle floor of the dungeon.

Floor 5

 * Queen Candypop Bud x 1
 * Shady Candypop Bud x 2
 * Violet Candypop Bud x 1
 * Skitter Leaf x 6

This sublevel takes place at the edge of a dark crater in the middle of the field. Looks like you'll be going down in there next... better prepare before you do. If you're thinking about turning back and then returning to do part two of this dungeon, there is also a geyser. Be sure to use the candypop buds, because these colors may help out immensely in the coming floors.

Floor 6

 * Dwarf Yellow Bulborb x 7
 * Water Dumple x 5
 * Yellow Bulborb x 2
 * Fire geyser x 5
 * Treasure x 1
 * Key x 1

This room is basically open entirely, but there is no clear way down to the next floor. Start by cleaning up the area, shutting down the fire geyserd, and defeating the bulborbs. Be careful around the edges of the water pits- if you fall in, it will be tough to save Pikmin from drowning thanks to the steep edges. There are also some nasty Water Dumples in there. Once everything is cleared out, either use your Blue Pikmin or captains to defeat the Water Dumples. You'll find that in one of the pits, there is a slightly raised switch of some sort. A switch that corresponds to it is located out of the water, across the room from where you start. This is the start of a big switch puzzle involving weight and positioning, but it's not too complicated- just follow along carefully. One combination gives you the key, and the other gives you the treasure.
 * KEY: Have one captain stand with a small group of Pikmin on the land switch, while the other takes a squad of Blue Pikmin and weighs on the raised water switch. This will raise the land switch, allowing the first captain and the 20 Pikmin squad access to a raised rim area. From here, there are two paths you can take. Go left first, and you'll come to a switch that has a lowered counterpart in the water. Have a smaller group of Blue Pikmin, along with the captain, step on the counterpart. Hit the switch to allow the captain to rise up as well. Now both squads should be above ground level. From here, take the first squad further left around the rim, past the switch that you raised. There will be a second flattened switch. Stand on it, then take control of the Blue Pikmin squad. Just weigh down the switch you see in front of you to raise the one that the first squad is standing on. It'll rise up and lead them to the Key!
 * TREASURE: To get this one, reform your original squads and repeat the first step which takes the land squad to the passage where you can go either left or right. This time, go right, and there's another switch here which is raised- it has a counterpart in the water. Have the water squad stand on this counterpart and then hit the switch to help them rise up. It'll take them to a high, raised area. From here, there seems to be a treasure- but it's too far ahead and across a gap. Take control of the land squad and continue past the switch you flattened. The last switch will be nearby- it has a counterpart in the final puddle of water. Flatten it, and the last one will rise high up out of the water, forming a bridge so that the Blue Pikmin squad can cross to the treasure! You're finally done with this room... all in all, there were five pairs of switches. Four of the pairs had one on land and one in water, and one pair which led to the Key were both on land.

Floor 7

 * Burrowing Snagret x 2
 * Cloaking Burrow-nit x 3
 * Male Sheargrub x 12
 * Shearwig x 8
 * Gelatin x 5 (falls from ceiling)
 * Gas pipe x 14
 * Web x 2
 * Treasure x 2

This next floor is a maze. Great. There are several big and dark pathways around here, but in reality this floor isn't super-huge or anything. The only real problem here is that it'll be difficult to anticipate an ambush in the dark. Your Research Pod lands in the bottom-left area of the maze. The way down to the next floor is in the middle of the maze, and the two treasures are found in alcoves located in the top right and bottom right areas of the maze. Each one is guarded by a Burrowing Snagret, so you'll have to deal with them. The rest of the maze consists of scattered gas pipes and burrowing bugs, with two key pathways blocked off by webs that Black Pikmin must cut. In addition, there are also spots where blobs of Solid Liquid will drop from above. These are minor hindrances. Just stay on your toes and this floor should be relatively easy.

Floor 8

 * Anode Beetle x 10
 * Armored Cannon Beetle x 1
 * Web x 1
 * Treasure x 1
 * Key x 1

Looks like your old friend the Armored Cannon Beetle is back for more. Head off to its chamber with Black Pikmin only- the floor there is covered in a tangle of webs which will trap other Pikmin, making them easy for the big enemy to shoot down. The other enemies here, the Anode Beetles, are dangerous with their instant-death electricity. Try using one captain to distract the Armored Cannon Beetle and draw off its shots while the other pilot leads the Pikmin to flip over the Anode Beetles and take them out one by one. Then, turn your attention to the main enemy. Take it down like you did last time- be careful not to lose your rare Black Pikmin during the process. It will give up the key. After that's done, head up the ramp in the beetle's chamber and toss your Yellow Pikmin across the gap with running throws to make them go further. They'll land on the high ledge with the treasure. Once you have it, go down the hole to enter the final floor.

Floor 9

 * Burrowing Snarrow BOSS
 * Treasure x 1

From where your Research Pod lands, there is a boulder blocking the way directly in front of you. Shove it with Purple Pikmin and it'll roll downwards, revealing the next room, a massive rocky chamber where the ground slopes into the center where there is some gravel. Disturb the gravel, and the room will shake. Out of the ground bursts the fabled Burrowing Snarrow! Check its description to learn how to defeat this particularly nasty boss. After its defeat, it coughs up one of the dark spores. So apparently, this brightly-glowing orb managed to corrupt the terrifying beast, granting it mystical attacks. That's the floor's treasure. To leave the cave, hop on the geyser next to your Research Pod. If you've been following along carefully, you'll have cleared the entire Highland Field area!

Wildlife

 * Anode Beetle
 * Armored Cannon Beetle
 * Burrowing Snagret
 * Cloaking Burrow-nit
 * Creeping Chrysanthemum
 * Dwarf Yellow Bulborb
 * Female Sheargrub
 * Male Sheargrub
 * Puffy Blowhog
 * Queen Candypop Bud
 * Shady Candypop Bud
 * Shearwig
 * Skitter Leaf
 * Violet Candypop Bud
 * Water Dumple
 * Yellow Bulborb
 * Burrowing Snarrow (boss)