How to Upgrade Pikmin Count in Pikmin 4

Pikmin games have always allowed players to command large armies of the titular carrot-shaped critters. However, the latest installment in the series has broken from tradition by limiting the number of Pikmin you can call upon during the early game. This change might frustrate Pikmin veterans, but there is a way to increase the number of Pokmin you can bring with you as you explore the planet. Here’s how to improve your Pikmin count in Pikmin 4.

How Do You Increase Your Pikmin Count in Pikmin 4?

At the start of Pikmin 4, the total number of Pikmin you can bring into the overworld is twenty. This is a severe downgrade from previous Pikmin games, which allowed you to have as many as one-hundred Pikmin in your squad as soon as the ability to spawn new Pikmin became available. Thankfully, there is a way to increase the number of Pikmin you can have with you, and you can start working towards expanding your squad as early as Day 2.

Related: Is Pikmin 4 Multiplayer? How to Play With Friends

Once you’ve arrived in Pikmin 4’s first area, Sun-Speckled Terrace, it shouldn’t be long before you delve into its first cave, Last-Frost Cavern. This introduces Ice-Pikmin and their signature abilities, but it’s also the first place players can find a piece of Flarlic. These small, Onion-like plants allow you to increase the number of Pikmin you can have in your squad by ten. All you have to do is bring it back to the S.S. Beagle.

While the first piece of Frarlic most players will run into is in Last-Frost Cavern, there is also one just north of the second base. This means that Fralic can be found both aboveground and in caves. You only need five Pikmin to carry a piece of Fralic to the S.S. Beagle, so grab as much as you can find and watch the number of Pikmin you can bring into the field skyrocket!