- boonslevincog
Pikmin Bloom: A comprehensive guide for new players
Updated: Nov 8, 2021
We collaborated with a very friendly and helpful member of the Pikmin Bloom community: Tatebeatz, who was willing to produce and share with everyone a comprehensive guide for new players (highly awarded post and originally posted here) and now adapted in the current blog post for more people to consult.
Any suggestions? Or edits? Please send them to BoonSlevin!
Follow BoonSlevin here for regular game updates/coverage.
Seedlings/Pikmin
Seedlings
Seedlings are set into free slots in the backpack. Step energy is transferred onto them allowing them to grow as one walks. Each has its own step requirement. Once reached, one can pluck them out by swiping up (multiple can be plucked out simultaneously in quick succession.
Basically, this compares to the egg system from Pokémon GO, using steps rather than km.
Steps are tallied in the background when the app is not open with minimal battery usage. Android users may need to install Google Fit. One does not need to physically move around for steps to be registered, they can also walk in place (use a treadmill), but steps may not be registered as efficiently.
One can only hold a maximum of 300 seedlings in reserve, excluding those being grown, but this can be expanded through the shop.
Types of Seedlings/Pikmin
As one levels up, different types of Seedlings/Pikmin will be unlocked.
Red: 1 000 steps to grow
Yellow: 1 000 steps to grow
Blue: 1 000 steps to grow (Unlock level 7)
Purple: 3 000 steps to grow (Unlock level 13)
White: 3 000 steps to grow (Unlock level 16)
Pink (Winged): 5 000 steps to grow (Unlock level 19)
Grey (Rock): 5 000 steps to grow (Unlock level 23)
Huge (Decor): 10 000 steps to grow
Decor Pikmin
Decor Pikmin are grown from huge Seedlings and are Pikmin of any type that one owns that will be wearing various decorations based on where the Seedling was found. This is strictly for cosmetic purposes, but do include some differences in relations to Challenges. One can view the various Decor Pikmin they have discovered by tapping their Badges.
Upon reaching the fourth step in Friendship with a Pikmin (four hearts), one will have the opportunity to send said Pikmin on an Expedition to retrieve a Present. When returning with that Present, the Pikmin will wear a Decor from the Present based on the available areas near your location (See charts below).
How can you predict which Decor your Pikmin will get BEFORE even picking the Seedling from an Expedition?
Ensure that both of your infinite Slots (where you plant your Seedlings) have a Seedling in;
Go to your Expeditions;
Tap one of the wild Seedling available through Expeditions (DO NOT SEND PIKMIN TO RETRIEVE IT YET);
Look for the symbol inside the orange/red Map icon (see screenshots below, followed by the various symbols you may see);
The icons will match your Decor Pikmin dex, so you can predict which type you will once you walk the required number of steps to grow the Seedling into a Pikmin, bring the Pikmin to four hearts, and send it on an Expedition to collect its Present. In other words, you can avoid picking up Seedlings for which you already have a Decor for, if your goal ultimately is to collect one of each Decor Pikmin.
One is more likely to collect huge Seedling from locations they spend a lot of time rather than walking around.
Below are all the Decor Pikmin (non event related) available and where one can find them.
Below are unreleased or exclusive Decor Pikmin. The Mario Pikmin can be unlocked by linking your Pikmin to your Nintendo account.
Pikmin Squad
The number of Pikmin one can hold in their squad gradually increases as they level up. One can store up to 300 Pikmin, but this can be expanded in the shop with real money.
To call in one's Pikmin Squad, tap and hold the Whistle on the bottom right. From there, one can feed Nectar to their Squad (more information about Nectar here). The rest of one's Pikmin inventory can be viewed by touching the Pikmin icon, and even swapped out as needed.
Double tap the Whistle to receive all the Fruits/Seedlings Pikmin are carrying.
Pikmin Friendship
Pikmin friendship ranges from 0-4 hearts, with each heart taking longer to get than the last.
Pokémon GO players will be reminded of the Friendship concept with other players or the Buddy system, although in Pikmin Bloom, it is much easier to grow Friendship with multiple Pikmin.
Increasing Friendship can be done through:
Feeding Nectar
Feeding Special Nectar
Using Pikmin in Challenges
Sending Pikmin on Expeditions
The higher the Friendship, the higher the scores in Challenges. Non-Decor Pikmin at the highest level of Friendship can be turned into Decor Pikmin (low odds) when sent on special Expeditions.
Petals and Flowers
Gathering/Collecting Petals
There are four basic Flower colors, determined by the variety (color) of the Nectar fed to Pikmin as follows in order of rarity.
White
Red
Yellow
Blue
Feeding Nectar to Pikmin allows to collect Petals. Pikmin will start as a Leaf Pikmin, followed by a Bulb Pikmin when fed Nectar once, then as a Flower Pikmin when fed a second time. One can collect Petals up to six times from a single Pikmin before losing its flower. Their flower will have a glowing aura when a Petal can be collected. Pikmin who lost their flower will not be able to go on Expeditions or complete Challenges.
Walking a short distance will allow you to skip the Bulb stage, and in doing so, your Pikmin may reward you with two Petals rather than one. The easiest way to feed Nectar is by taking the Nectar, and holding it above your Pikmin Squad as they will jump to grab it.
One can hold up to 200 of each type of Petals, which can be increased through the Shop.
Planting Flowers
As one walks, plant flowers (which will be seen by other players in the area) by tapping the Flower icon on the bottom right. Doing so will reward players with a boost allowing them to grow Pikmin faster; and can also increase the likelihood of finding new Seedlings through Expeditions.
Boosts start at 10%, and can grow to 30% based on the amount of Flowers in the area (the greater the amount, the higher the boost).
One can also be rewarded Coins to be used in the Shop by planting Flowers. Planting 500 Flowers in a Session will reward 1 Coin, with a maximum of 30 Coins per day. Planting Flowers around a big Sprout on the map increases the odds of finding big Fruits of the color of the Flowers being planted. One can still find Fruits of different colors.
There is a 5 minute cooldown on planting flowers in the same spot so keep moving to keep planting!
Planting can be done in the background when the app is closed, and will automatically stop when one runs out of petals, but can also be manually stopped. One does not need to be taking steps to plant Flowers, but no Flowers will be planted if travelling too fast. Flowers will persist on the map for a few days, but will persist longer around big Sprouts.
Fruits/Nectar
Small Fruit: Gathered by Pikmin when walking, and reward 1-3 Nectar when collected.
Larger fruit: Gathered by sending Pikmin on Expeditions or clearing challenges, and reward 20+ nectar when collected.
Double tapping the whistle can collect all Fruits at once.
One can only hold a maximum of 200 nectar, which can be increased through the Shop.
The Map
Big Sprouts
Big Sprouts correspond to those bulbs on the map, which corresponds to POIs (Points of Interests). A consistent and reliable way to get big Fruits is to plant flowers around big Sprouts. The required number of Flowers to plant around the Sprout is indicated when tapping said Sprout.
If a player has contributed to the blooming of a Sprout, it will produce a big Fruit for them (available through an Expedition), generally matching the color of the Flower.
During events, some specific colors are more likely to bloom. Occasionally, a rare type of Flower may bloom and produce a Fruit that rewards special Nectar. Said Fruit will glow to indicate it is special.
Detector
Usable when viewing the overworld map screen, Detectors allow players to find more items such as Fruits and Seedlings. One can use a Detector for free once a day, or can recharge it for 100 Coins.
Before using a Detector, the game will highlight with an icon what types of places are nearby. Therefore make sure to use it in an area that is likely to reward Decor Pikmin.
Expeditions
Expeditions are when one sends a Pikmin to collect items that discovered while walking (Seedlings or Fruits). This feature unlocks at level 5. To use it, call the Pikmin with the whistle, tap the Pikmin icon, then select the Expeditions tab.
The minimum requirement of Pikmin for each Expedition will vary based on the item to be collected. Further more, Purple Pikmin have a carrying capacity of 5, Rock Pikmin a capacity of 3, and all other Pikmin a capacity of 1.
The more Pikmin you send, the faster the team will retrieve it.
Moving away from the location from where one sent their Pikmin may extend the Expedition delay as items are retrieved in real time based on their current real location and the item's location.
DO NOT SEND PIKMIN ON EXPEDITIONS BEFORE BOARDING A TRAIN, PLANE, ETC.
One may occasionally receive a Souvenir with the item they retrieved, this is just a postcard from the location near where the Fruit/Seedling was found that can be sent to friends. Pikmin at max level of Friendship (four hearts) may pick up a Present, and transform into a Decor Pikmin. If not collected, Expedition targets will expire after a few days.
Challenges
Challenges unlock at level 15, and correspond to Mushrooms appearing on the map. One can send a large amount of Pikmin to these Mushrooms in order to clean them out. One can attempt to 'take down' a Mushroom three times a day.
The reward will be based on how fast a Mushroom is taken down, and generally is a Special Fruit, which generates Special Nectar to plant rare Flowers.
Mushrooms can be attacked with up to four other people (i.e. in groups of five), allowing to take it down faster. Sending Pikmin the same color as the Mushroom will increase the overall score.
Levelling Up
Level up requirements are usually a combination of the following:
Grow X number of Pikmin
Grow a specific type of Pikmin (generally after that type is unlocked)
Walk X steps
Plant X Flowers
Pick X number of Petals from Pikmin
Complete X Expeditions
The current level cap reportedly is 100. Below is a breakdown of what to expect for the first 10 levels.
Level | Requirements | Rewards | Unlocking |
1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2 | Complete Tutorial | 2 Pikmin in Squad | |
3 | 500 Steps (total) | 3 Pikmin in Squad 2x Red Seedling | |
4 | 1,500 Steps (total) Grow 2 Pikmin | 4 Pikmin in Squad 1x Yellow Seedling 2x Single-Use Slots | Yellow Seedling |
5 | 3,000 Steps (total) Grow 1 Yellow Seedling | 5 Pikmin in Squad 2x Yellow Seedling 2x Red Seedling 2x Single-Use Slots | |
6 | 5,000 Steps (total) | 6 Pikmin in Squad 1x Single-Use Slot | Expeditions |
7 | 7,500 Steps (total) Complete 1 Expedition | 7 Pikmin in Squad 1x Blue Seedling 1x Detector 1x Single-Use Slot | Blue Seedling Detector |
8 | 10,500 Steps (total) Grow 1 Blue Seedling | 8 Pikmin in Squad 1x Single-Use Slot | |
9 | 14,000 Steps (total) Pick 50 Flower Petals | 9 Pikmin in Squad 1x Single-Use Slot | |
10 | 18,000 Steps (total) Plant 300 Flowers | 10 Pikmin in Squad 2x Huge Seedling 1x Single-Use Slot | Huge Seedling |
Purple Pikmin unlocks at level 13
Challenges (Mushrooms) unlock at level 15
White Pikmin unlocks at level 16
Pink (Winged) Pikmin unlocks at level 19
Grey (Rock) Pikmin unlocks at level 23
For a breakdown of level requirements beyond level 10, click here.
The Shop
The Shop is where one can purchase (with real money or with the Coins collected from planting Flowers) a number of items:
Single use slots (allows to grow an additional Pikmin once).
1 for 150 coins
5 for 450 coins
Special slots (allows to grow an additional Pikmin faster once)
1 for 200 coins
5 for 600 coins
Nectar
100 coins for 100 Nectar
Petals
White: 50 coins for 180 petals
Yellow: 150 coins for 180 petals
Red: 180 coins for 180 petals
Blue: 200 coins for 180 petals
Storage
One can expand their Storage for Pikmin, Seedling, Nectar, or Petals. Each are separate, unlike Pokémon GO.
Lifelog
Around 9:00 p.m. daily, the game will provide a quick overview of a completed achievements (Flowers planted, steps walked, etc.). One can include a picture taken from that day, and indicate how they felt (overall) on that particular day. That's it, just an enjoyable simple feature.
Badges
Badges are collected when completing a variety of achievements including but not limited to:
Decor Collector: Collect (1, 7, 30, 100) types of Decor Pikmin. Tap on the badge to see an inventory summary of one's Decor collection.
Active Walker: Walk (3 000, 100 000, 1 million) steps. Tap on the badge to see a daily step record.
Flower Badge: Plant (700, 20 000, 500 000) flowers. Tap on the badge to see a breakdown of all planted flowers based on colour/type
Pikmin Badge: Pluck (3, 40, 400) Pikmin. Tap on the badge to see a breakdown of all plucked Pikmin by type