Pikmin 4 Olimar Shipwreck Tale Guide: All 30 Ship Part Locations, Tips, and Rewards

What Is Olimar's Shipwreck Tale in Pikmin 4?

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is a piece of extra content in Pikmin 4 that becomes available once you rescue Olimar and reach the first set of credits. The story takes place before the game's Prologue, putting you in control of Captain Olimar as he scours the planet for all 30 Ship Parts needed to repair his broken spaceship.

The catch is the clock: you only get 15 in-game days to recover every part. That makes this mode a resource-management and route-planning challenge that feels very different from the main campaign. Skilled players have even pushed it further—a 4-day, no-death speedrun of Olimar's Shipwreck Tale shows just how optimized a route can get once you know the maps.

How to Unlock Captain Olimar's Shipwreck Tale

You cannot start the mode from a fresh save. Follow this progression first:

1. Unlock Hero's Hideaway by curing Leaflings and rescuing Bernard the Pilot.
2. Complete 3 Night Expeditions after Serene Shores to find Bernard.
3. In Hero's Hideaway, collect 3 Playing Card Treasures that contain the code to the vault door.
4. Clear the Leafy Showdown cave inside the vault and rescue the Leafling hiding there—who turns out to be Olimar himself.
5. Return Olimar to the S.S. Beagle and finish one more Night Expedition to cure his Leafling status, triggering the game's first ending.
6. Back at the Rescue Command Post, speak to Olimar to begin his Shipwreck Tale at any time.

Tips for Finding All 30 Ship Parts Before Day 15

Fifteen days sounds generous until you factor in cave exploration, combat, and backtracking. These habits will keep your run on schedule:

• Grab Moss on Day 2. Travel to Blossoming Arcadia and head to the northwest portion of the map, up on a hill behind a grate that only Olimar can slip through—it sits right next to the fire source in this version of the area. Moss speeds up travel, hauls Ship Parts, fights creatures, and smashes the breakable pots guarding several parts.
• Prioritize Flarlics and Onions in every region. A bigger, more varied Pikmin squad lets you gather Raw Material, fight, and collect parts simultaneously instead of making repeat trips.
• Use Nectar early and often. Flowered Pikmin move noticeably faster, and speed is the entire game in this mode.
• Dig up every dirt mound you pass. They contain Bomb Rocks, Ice Blasts, and other consumables you will want later.
• Bank 3 Bomb Rocks or Trackonators for Blossoming Arcadia. One wall there requires three explosions to expose the Ship Part behind it, and arriving without explosives costs you a day.

Recovery Bonuses Explained

Every day you survive and the more parts you recover, the more the game rewards you at day's end. These Recovery Bonuses stack across the run, gradually turning Moss into a wrecking ball and your squad into a well-oiled recovery crew:

• Survey Drone
• Bomb Rocks
• Charging Horn
• Lineup Trumpet
• Emergency Kits
• Moss Buff (strength of 10 Pikmin)
• Lightning Shocks
• Rush Boots
• Super Buff (Moss at 20 Pikmin strength)
• Idler's Alert
• Trackonators
• Parts Detector
• Tuff Stuff+ for Moss (raises Moss's HP)
• Air Armor+ for Moss (halves damage taken)
• Tuff Stuff+ (raises HP)
• Triple Threat
• Super Buff for Moss (strength of 100 Pikmin)
• Air Armor+
• Swallow (lets Moss swallow and transport objects)
• Ice Blasts

The Moss upgrades in particular snowball hard—by the later days, a fully buffed Moss can clear obstacles that would otherwise eat into your tight schedule.

All 30 Ship Part Locations by Region

The 30 Ship Parts are spread across four regions, which unlock progressively as you recover more parts. Here is the full breakdown, with region data drawn from IGN's Captain Olimar's Shipwreck Tale walkthrough.

Sun-Speckled Terrace (7 Parts)

Unlocked first. Parts include the Whimsical Radar, Extraordinary Bolt, Repair-Type Bolt, Automatic Gear, Libra, Ionium Jet, and Nova Blaster. Two parts have requirements worth planning around:

• Repair-Type Bolt requires 10 Yellow Pikmin, so grab the Yellow Onion before going for it.
• Nova Blaster requires 20 Yellow Pikmin to pull down a bridge, plus Moss to smash the pots—meaning you'll need a detour to Blossoming Arcadia first.

Blossoming Arcadia (8 Parts)

Opens after you find 2 Ship Parts in Sun-Speckled Terrace. Parts: Extraordinary Bolt (x4), Repair-Type Bolt, Automatic Gear, Radiation Canopy, Ionium Jet, and Omega Stabilizer. This is also where you recruit Moss and pick up the Blue Onion.

Serene Shores (8 Parts)

Unlocks after you've gathered 8 Ship Parts total. Parts: Repair-Type Bolt, Automatic Gear (x3), Extraordinary Bolt, Bowsprit, Sagittarius, and Secret Safe. Four Flarlics and the Blue Onion here quickly balloon your squad size.

Hero's Hideaway (7 Parts)

The final region, available once you've collected 23 Ship Parts. Parts: Interstellar Radio, Pilot's Seat, Automatic Gear, Repair-Type Bolt, Geiger Counter, Extraordinary Bolt, and Chronos Reactor.

Rewards for Completing Olimar's Shipwreck Tale

Finish the tale and a mysterious sublevel cave opens at the Rescue Command Post. It's a 10-level Dandori Challenge cave—and the only place in the game where you can claim two late-game Onions:

• White Onion: found on Level 5
• Purple Onion: found on Level 10

Given that White and Purple Pikmin are among the most versatile types in Pikmin 4, this reward alone makes the 15-day sprint worthwhile.

FAQ: Pikmin 4 Olimar Shipwreck Tale

How many days do you get in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale? You have 15 days to recover all 30 Ship Parts. If the deadline passes before you finish, you'll need to restart the tale.

Can the tale be beaten faster than 15 days? Yes. Optimized routes can finish dramatically early—speedrunners have cleared the mode in as few as 4 days without losing a single Pikmin, as shown in this Shipwreck Tale speedrun.

Where do I find Moss in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale? Moss is in Blossoming Arcadia, in the northwest area on a hill behind a grate only Olimar can squeeze through, right beside the fire source. Plan a Day 2 trip to recruit her.

Which Ship Parts have special requirements? The Repair-Type Bolt in Sun-Speckled Terrace needs 10 Yellow Pikmin, the Nova Blaster needs 20 Yellow Pikmin plus Moss, and a wall in Blossoming Arcadia requires 3 Bomb Rocks or Trackonators to destroy.

What do you unlock for finishing the tale? A 10-level Dandori Challenge cave appears at the Rescue Command Post, containing the White Onion on Level 5 and the Purple Onion on Level 10—the only sources of those Onions in the game.

Do Ship Parts carry over from the main story? No. The tale is a standalone scenario set before the Prologue, with its own maps, its own 30 parts, and its own day counter.