Pikmin 4 Blue Onion: How to Find and Unlock Blue Pikmin

Where to Find the Blue Onion in Pikmin 4

The Pikmin 4 Blue Onion is located in the southern part of the Sun-Speckled Terrace, the very first area you visit in the game. The Onion sits behind a stretch of water on an elevated plateau, which is why you can't simply walk up and grab it early on. To reach it, you'll need to freeze the water with Ice Pikmin, build a climbing wall, and free the Onion from a dirt mound.

The good news is that everything you need to unlock the Blue Onion is available in the first region — even in the demo. A full video walkthrough demonstrates the entire process step by step, and IGN's guide recommends attempting this at the start of Exploration Day 4.

Requirements to Get the Blue Onion

Before you head to the southern plateau, make sure you've completed these prerequisites:

Gathering the Two Flarlics

There are exactly two Flarlics in Sun-Speckled Terrace:

• Surface Flarlic: Found on the northern part of the area. It's stuck in a tall plant pot, so you'll need Yellow Pikmin to reach it. Grab the Yellow Onion by smashing a nearby box, or clear a cave containing Yellow Pikmin first.
• Last-Frost Cavern Flarlic: Located underground, buried behind breakable pots. Run through the cave, smash the pots, dig it out, and carry it home.

With both Flarlics, your party limit increases from 20 to 40. In the full game you can alternatively pick up a third Flarlic in another region for a limit of 50, which makes the whole operation much more forgiving.

Where to Find Ice Pikmin

You need 30 Ice Pikmin to freeze the water. If you're short, farm these caves repeatedly until you have enough:

• The cave near the center of Sun-Speckled Terrace
• A second nearby cave that also spawns Ice Pikmin

Simply clear the cave, scoop up the wild Ice Pikmin, and repeat the next day if needed.

Step-by-Step: How to Get the Blue Onion

Once you have 40 Pikmin (including 30 Ice Pikmin), Russ rescued, and Oatchi upgraded, follow these steps:

1. March to the southern plateau where the Blue Onion sits across the water.
2. Throw 30 Ice Pikmin into the water to freeze it solid. Keep them there to maintain the ice.
3. Send your remaining 10 Pikmin to the ore deposit nearby. They'll convert ore into clay and construct a climbing wall on the cliff face. This requires Russ (the Rust Engineer upgrade) to be rescued, and repairs become usable one day after the wall project is set.
4. Climb the wall with your 10 Pikmin. A fire-breathing enemy waits at the top, so ideally bring fire-resistant Red Pikmin — or lure the enemy's attack and counter it carefully with what you have.
5. Dig up the Blue Onion from the dirt mound. Ten Pikmin aren't enough to carry it, which is where Oatchi comes in: his upgraded carry strength covers the difference so the Onion can be dragged down.
6. Guide the Onion across the frozen water and back toward the S.S. Beagle. If it falls into open water, don't panic — Oatchi can headbutt it repeatedly to push it back on course.
7. Recall your Ice Pikmin and return to shore before the ice melts, then plant the sprout.

Once planted, the Blue Onion produces your first Blue Pikmin, triggering a short cutscene. From that point on, Blue Pikmin can gather blue-tinted pellets from surrounding flowers, letting you multiply your squad quickly.

Wild Blue Pikmin Cave Locations

If you miss the Blue Onion early, or simply want more Blue Pikmin later, four caves throughout the game contain wild Blue Pikmin you can recruit directly:

After Serene Shores, no new wild Blue Pikmin caves appear until the final cave of the game, so plan your farming accordingly.

FAQ

Where is the Blue Onion in Pikmin 4? It's on an elevated ledge in the southern part of Sun-Speckled Terrace, across a body of water and behind a dirt mound.

How many Ice Pikmin do I need for the Blue Onion? You need at least 30 Ice Pikmin to freeze the water. Bringing 40 total Pikmin lets the other 10 build the climbing wall at the same time.

Can you get the Blue Onion in the Pikmin 4 demo? Yes. The demo only gives you a 40-Pikmin limit from two Flarlics, so you'll need to upgrade Oatchi's carry strength via Shepherd to help haul the Onion. In the full game, a third Flarlic from another region raises the limit to 50, making it easier.

What happens if the Blue Onion gets stuck in the water? Once Oatchi learns to swim (reported around Day 7), you can headbutt the Onion repeatedly to push it back to shore. It's slow, but it works.

Is the Blue Onion the only way to get Blue Pikmin? No. You can also recruit wild Blue Pikmin in caves such as Secluded Courtyard in Blossoming Arcadia, Seafloor Resort and Engulfed Castle in Serene Shores, and Cavern for a King in Primordial Thicket.

Sources: This guide is based on the Pikmin 4 Blue Pikmin video walkthrough and IGN's How to Get Blue Pikmin guide.