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Pikmin 3
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The Vehemoth Phosbat (オオバケカガミ, Ō Bake Kagami) is a boss in Pikmin 3, and is the second boss encountered in story mode. It is a large, bioluminescent moth-like creature with massive orange wings, yellow eyes, small, stumpy limbs, and a large, gaping, whale-like mouth.

This creature resides in dark caves, where it renders itself completely invisible by turning off all of its biolights, which also allows it to safely roam the cave undetected. When a crew member approaches the Vehemoth Phosbat, it lights up its entire body with bioluminescent hairs which glow pink, and an orange torso. Upon lighting up, it will open its mouth and inhale ferociously, creating a powerful vortex that will trap Pikmin and the crew members. After a few seconds, any number of Pikmin up to 5 will be inhaled into its mouth and become the Phosbat's meal.[1] When distressed, it will also frantically flap its wings, releasing a cloud of toxic dust that chokes nearby Pikmin and causes them to scatter around the room.[2]


Background[]

At the beginning of the game, Charlie takes shelter in a cave, where he finds larval Phosbats crawling on the cave floor. He uses his Yellow Pikmin to kill them, which leads to the parent Phosbat abducting him. He is not playable until Alph and Brittany rescue him later in the game.[3]

Notes[]

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide[]

"The Vehemoth Phosbat is located in the Distant Tundra. This creature attacks by flying into the air and inhaling its victims. On their own, these attacks are relatively easy to avoid. However, the Vehemoth Phosbat uses a cloaking ability to approach its hapless victims without being detected.

The Vehemoth Phosbat is very sensitive to light. Use Yellow Pikmin to activate the Light Bulbs scattered around the area. Once you've illuminated the entire cave, the Vehemoth Phosbat loses its cloaking ability. Keep your squad away from the Vehemoth Phosbat's mouth as you use your Pikmin to attack it."

Battle Strategy[]

Standard Strategy[]

Unlike the Armored Mawdad, the Vehemoth Phosbat's arena is much more expansive, giving the player more room to move about. As the player enters the area, the only light present will be from the variously-placed Common Glowcaps. In this darkness, the Phosbat is invisible, and it will quietly move throughout the area, only revealing itself when it tries to inhale Pikmin. To stun the Phosbat, the player can lure it near a light and then activate it by throwing Yellow Pikmin at the electrode circuits, which will cause the creature to reveal itself and fall to the ground, stunned. However, once the player has lit up two of the lights placed around the cave, the Phosbat will retaliate by summoning its babies to attack the player. Its young can eat 1 Pikmin at a time. However, they're slow, easy to kill, and unable to approach light from either the bulbs or the glow caps, making them pose little threat, but can be somewhat of a nuisance when trying to do other tasks.

The Phosbats are spawned from large eggsack-like objects that are placed throughout the area called Phosbat Pods, which can be destroyed to prevent further spawning of Phosbats. Continue the previously mentioned stun method to buy some time, as the Phosbat will constantly follow you after you've begun to attack its children. You can hide under Glowcaps, which will prevent it from coming towards you, at least until the next phase of the fight. Destroying a Phosbat Pod will drop nectar, which is a good time to flower your Pikmin for the second phase.

Scattered around the cave are 2 piles of Fragments, which can be used to build a bridge to a large red box. Having 20 Yellow Pikmin stand atop this box will light up a large light bulb attached to the cave ceiling, which illuminates the entire area. This light results in the stunning of the Phosbat and renders it incapable of becoming invisible for the remainder of the battle. After this happens, the player can simply throw Yellow Pikmin onto its back to weigh it down whenever the beast stops to suck in Pikmin. After it gets back up, it will begin to release a toxic powder that chokes all nearby Pikmin. During this time, it will retreat onto a wall in the cave to rest and regenerate health. It is recommended to throw several Rock Pikmin at its back while it rests, as normal Pikmin will just be thrown off after the Phosbat prepares to start flying.

Continue this process until the Phosbat is defeated. Upon defeat, the Phosbat will erratically fly around the area until it electrocutes itself on the light bulb dangling from the ceiling, after which it will fall to the ground and writhe in pain, just before its life finally ends.

Expert Strategy[]

Warning: it is advised that this strategy is only attempted by experienced players.

A much quicker way to defeat the Phosbats involves using both captains and distracting the boss while the Pikmin work.

First, have the Pikmin destroy a few Phosbat Pods to get them nectar. Then, go to the right of the cave entrance and there will be a pile of sticks that lead up to a fragment pile. Instruct all of your Pikmin to climb the stick and construct the bridge while the captains distract the Phosbat. Once the Pikmin have brought all of their bridge shards to the bridge, it should be long enough for the captains to throw each other across. Simply throw one of the captains across and then throw 20 Yellow Pikmin up to them, and then have them use the Yellows to activate the car battery. This will instantly commence the second phase of the battle.

Once the Phosbat falls to the ground, swarm it with all of your Pikmin, and then quickly call them back before it gets up. Once it begins to fly away, stay ahead of it and throw a few Yellows at it while running in the same direction that it is flying. This will make the boss stop to shake them off and change direction. During this short period of time, quickly throw all of your Yellows at it to weigh it down, causing it to fall into the ground and struggle to get back up, which opens it up to further attack. Using this strategy, the boss can be defeated in under 2 minutes.

After its death, the player unlocks Charlie as a playable character and is rewarded with the Heroine's Tear.

Gallery[]

Main Article: Vehemoth Phosbat/Gallery

Trivia[]

  • The Vehemoth Phosbat is the first airborne boss in the Pikmin series.
  • Vehemoth is a portmanteau of Vehement, which means to exaggerate, referencing the boss' wide variety of colors and bizarre facial expression, and Behemoth, which means enormous, referencing the boss' size.
    • Sections of the creature's name seems to be derived from "moth" and "bat" contributing to its appearance of being part moth and bat, and "phos", referencing its bioluminescent abilities.
  • The Vehemoth Phosbat is the third boss in the Pikmin series to have an actual younger form.
  • If baby phosbats are caught in the vortex attack of the Vehemoth Phosbat, they will duck in cover to avoid getting eaten themselves.
  • Although it is recommended that the large light bulb is activated, it is possible to defeat the Vehemoth Phosbat using only the small light bulbs if enough Red Pikmin are in the active squad and under the Ultra Spicy Spray or fully flower, as in each period where it is stunned and attacked, it should be able to lose a quarter of its health. It is also possible (and time-consuming) to defeat the Vehomoth Phosbat without activating a single light by throwing Rock Pikmin at it when it reveals itself during attack.
  • If the Vehemoth Phosbat has been exposed to the big light, sometimes it will cling on to the rocks and regenerate some health.
  • In an early trailer the Vehemoth Phosbat was shown in an arena with Bulbears and Firey Blowhogs, implying that the fight was going be harder and may have taken place later in the game.
  • its family name is a reference to bats aerodentia aero meaning air and rodentia meaning rodent sense people call them flying rats
  • The Vehemoth Phosbat is the only boss other than the final boss to have its own boss music.
Enemies and plants
Pikmin
Armored Cannon Beetle | Beady Long Legs | Breadbug | Burrowing Snagret | Candypop Bud | Dwarf Bulbear | Dwarf Red Bulborb | Emperor Bulblax | Fiery Blowhog | Female Sheargrub | Goolix | Honeywisp | Iridescent Flint Beetle | Mamuta | Pearly Clamclamp | Pellet Posy | Puffstool | Puffy Blowhog | Male Sheargrub | Shearwig | Smoky Progg | Spotty Bulbear | Swooping Snitchbug | Red Bulborb | Water Dumple | Wolpole | Wollyhop | Yellow Wollyhop
Pikmin 2
Red Bulborb | Hairy Bulborb | Orange Bulborb | Dwarf Bulbear | Spotty Bulbear | Fiery Bulblax | Emperor Bulblax | Empress Bulblax | Bulborb Larva | Water Dumple | Bulbmin | Breadbug | Giant Breadbug | Dwarf Red Bulborb | Dwarf Orange Bulborb | Snow Bulborb | Fiery Blowhog | Watery Blowhog | Puffy Blowhog | Withering Blowhog | Fiery Dweevil | Anode Dweevil | Caustic Dweevil | Munge Dweevil | Volatile Dweevil | Titan Dweevil | Beady Long Legs | Man-at-Legs | Raging Long Legs | Burrowing Snagret | Pileated Snagret | Armored Cannon Beetle Larva | Decorated Cannon Beetle | Segmented Crawbster | Hermit Crawmad | Male Sheargrub | Female Sheargrub | Shearwig | Doodlebug | Iridescent Glint Beetle | Iridescent Flint Beetle | Cloaking Burrow-nit | Ravenous Whiskerpillar | Skitter Leaf | Careening Dirigibug | Swooping Snitchbug | Bumbling Snitchbug | Antenna Beetle | Anode Beetle | Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat | Greater Spotted Jellyfloat | Toady Bloyster | Ranging Bloyster | Wolpole | Yellow Wollyhop | Wollyhop | Creeping Chrysanthemum | Unmarked Spectralid | Honeywisp | Mitite | Gatling Groink | Mamuta | Waterwraith | Crimson Candypop Bud | Golden Candypop Bud | Lapis Lazuli Candypop Bud | Violet Candypop Bud | Ivory Candypop Bud | Queen Candypop Bud | Pellet Posy | Common Glowcap | Glowstem | Clover | Figwort | Dandelion | Seeding Dandelion | Horsetail | Foxtail | Margaret | Fiddlehead | Shoot | Burgeoning Spiderwort
Pikmin 3
Arachnode | Arctic Cannon Larva | Armored Cannon Larva | Armored Mawdad | Bearded Amprat | Bug-Eyed Crawmad | Bulborb | Burrowing Snagret | Calcified Crushblat | Desiccated Skitter Leaf | Dwarf Bulbear | Dwarf Red Bulborb | Dwarf Orange Bulborb | Female Sheargrub | Fiery Blowhog | Flighty Joustmite | Hermit Crawmad | Iridescent Flint Beetle | Joustmite | Male Sheargrub | Medusal Slurker | Necterous Dandelfly | Orange Bulborb | Peckish Aristocrab | Pellet Posy | Phosbat | Plasm Wraith | Puckering Blinnow | Puffy Blowhog | Pyroclasmic Slooch | Quaggled Mireclops | Red Spectralid | Sandbelching Meerslug | Scornet | Scornet Maestro | Shaggy Long Legs | Shearwig | Skeeterskate | Skitter Leaf | Skutterchuck | Spotty Bulbear | Sputtlefish | Swarming Sheargrub | Swooping Snitchbug | Toady Bloyster | Vehemoth Phosbat | Waddlepus | Water Dumple | Watery Blowhog | Whiptongue Bulborb | White Spectralid | Wolpole | Yellow Spectralid | Yellow Wollyhop
Pikmin 4
Albino Dwarf Bulborb | Ancient Sirehound | Anode Beetle | Arctic Cannon Beetle | Arctic Cannon Larva | Aristocrab Offspring | Armored Cannon Larva | Baldy Long Legs | Bearded Amprat | Blizzarding Blowhog | Bloomcap Bloyster | Bogswallow | Breadbug | Bug-Eyed Crawmad | Bulborb | Burrowing Snagret | Chillyhop | Creeping Chrysanthemum | Crusted Rumpup | Desiccated Skitter Leaf | Doodlebug | Downy Snagret | Dwarf Bulbear | Dwarf Bulborb | Dwarf Frosty Bulborb | Dweevil | Emperor Bulblax | Enemy | Fiery Blowhog | Fiery Bulblax | Foolix | Freezecake | Frosty Bulborb | Giant Breadbug | Gildemander | Gildemandwee | Groovy Long Legs | Grubchucker | Hermit Crawmad | Horned Cannon Beetle | Hydro Dweevil | Iceblown Dweevil | Icy Blowhog | Joustmite | Jumbo Bulborb | Mama Sheargrub | Mammoth Snootwhacker | Mamuta | Man-at-Legs | Miniature Snootwhacker | Mitite | Moldy Dwarf Bulborb | Moldy Slooch | Moss | Muckerskate | Pearly Clamclamp | Porquillion | Puckering Blinnow | Puffy Blowhog | Pyroclasmic Slooch | Red Spectralid | Scorchcake | Shearflea | Shearwig | Shockcake | Skutterchuck | Smoky Progg | Snavian | Snowfake Fluttertail | Snowy Blowhog | Sovereign Bulblax | Spotty Bulbear | Startle Spore | Sunsquish | Titan Blowhog | Toady Bloyster | Toxstool | Tusked Blowhog | Venom Dweevil | Waddlepus | Waddlequaff | Waterwraith | Watery Blowhog | Wollyhop | Wolpole | Yellow Wollyhop
Hey! Pikmin
Adult Centipare | Armurk | Berserk Leech Hydroe | Blubbug | Bulborb | Centipare | Clicking Slurker | Coppeller | Crammed Wraith | Crested Mockiwi | Crumbug | Crystalline Crushblat | Electric Cottonade | Electric Spectralid | Electripede | Elongated Crushblat | Emperor Bulblax | Eye-Stalker Bulbeel | Fiery Blowhog | Fiery Blowlet | Fiery Dwarf Bulblax | Fiery Young Yellow Wollywog | Fireflap Bulborb | Fireflinger Groink | Firesnout Beetle | Flatterchuck | Flying Spotted Jellyfloat | Grabbit | Large Splurchin | Long Water Dumple | Luring Slurker | Male Sheargrub | Mockiwi | Muggonfly | Puckering Blinnow | Puffstalk | Puffy Blubbug | Queen Shearwig | Red Bubblimp | Seedbagger | Shearblug | Shearwig | Shooting Spiner (Female) | Shooting Spiner (Male) | Skutterchuck | Sparrowhead | Speargrub | Spiny Coppeller | Sporegrub | Spornet | Starnacle | Stony Flint Beetle | Stuffed Bellbloom | Swooping Snitchbug | Widemouthed Anode Beetle | Yellow Wollyhop | Young Yellow Wollywog
Families
Amphituber | Arachnorb | Breadbug family | Blowhog | Candypop Bud | Chrysanthemum family | Dweevil | Glowcap family | Grub-dog | Jellyfloat | Lithopod | Mandiblard | Mollusking | Snavian | Unknown Family
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