Rugged Tundra

The Rugged Tundra is the first area you play in Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds and serves as the tutorial level for the first two days. Red, White, and Cyan Pikmin are all found here. It consists of a snowy mountain, a freezing river and a frosty field, which mean ice-based enemies are a common find here. There is also a river flowing from the top of the level, which divides it into sections. Asfer tried to make a base here, but as it could easily be found by government officials, he tried other places. That's why there's barely any enemies here for the first few days, as well as an abandoned, snow-covered base. There are also nine treasures above ground.

Initial Visit

 * See here...

Second Visit
After discovering Yellow Pikmin in the Garden, Olimar and co. return to the Rugged Tundra to find the source of a strange radio signal they believe resides here. Using the Yellow Pikmin's abilities, they scale the mountain and come across some mechanized ruins. The signal is emanating from the center of the ruins, and there, they find, is a foreboding labyrinth filled with many dangers.

In the cave, the team discovers the poison-resistant White Pikmin. After a harrowing encounter with Asfer, and subsequently defeating his creation, Olimar and friends go to the Torrid Desert, where they explore the vast, sun-baked sands.


 * Continue...

Subareas
This area is split into seven subareas.

Subarea 1: Landing Site
This is the landing site of the area. Strange is that it eerily resembles the landing site from the from , only on a larger scale. To the west is the landing zone is the area where the President landed. Going even further west is a bridge that leads to an island in the nearby river (however, it is blocked by a paper bag that needs at least 40 Pikmin to crush it). On this island, you can see a bridge and a block of ice (behind this is another bridge).

Subarea 2: Frigid Fields
The bridge that goes left will lead you to the other side of the river. Here, off in the distance, you may be able to see some very tall grasses. To reach the Frosty Depths at the end of this subarea, you must delve into the seemingly never ending grass. As you voyage on, the grasses get taller and taller. They eventually get so tall that they fill the entirety of the camera's view. In the deeper sections, enemies hide, so figure out their attack patterns to evade them. At the very end is a clearing; that is where the Frosty Depths is located.

Subarea 3: Freezing Coastline
The bridge that goes right will lead you to the river's coastline. However, at first, it is blocked by ice, so you will need Cyan Pikmin to deal with the issue. The bridge will take you right to the coastline of the river! The beach is made of... cyan colored sand? It's not really just sand, rather, ice crystals mixed in with rocks and dirt. Sometimes it can get really windy here, so be sure to huddle your Pikmin close by or they'll get blown away. In the icy sand, sometimes enemies may hide, waiting to ambush you, so be observant. If you keep walking up north, you'll find the river's source...

Subarea 4: Arctic Springs
Soon, you find the river's source- cold, icy springs with water bubbling up. However, the water is coming out with great force, so find a switch to turn off the springs. You can walk around on the beach and explore. If you do so, and look at the center of the springs, you may realize there's an island in the center of it. On that island is the Frigid Cavern, a long, icy cave. A treasure is somewhere in the spring pool; use Cyan Pikmin to find it.

Subarea 5: Snowy Slopes
The path leading right from the Landing Site will take you to a slope. However, at first, it is blocked off electrified gate, which needs Yellow Pikmin to demolish. Anyway, if you keep going up, you'll find part of the icy river hindering your progress; again, there's an island in the middle of it. Throw some Yellow Pikmin up to it and they'll start building a bridge, which will let you go further up. If you do so, you will then find yourself within a snowy maze of sorts. As you get closer towards the center, you'll notice a lot of scrap metal and frozen robots, as well as ice barricades. At the very center is the Icy Labyrinth. Beyond the maze is a bag requiring the weight of 300 Pikmin, but Purple Pikmin aren't found until later on in the game...

Subarea 6: Frostbite Ridge
You are now near the very top of the mountain, but you cannot go further. Here, it snows always and is very windy. If you swivel the camera to look back, you can faintly see the Landing Site — that is, if the clouds permit. You have to keep your Pikmin moving always, because if they stop moving, they could freeze and die. The Icicle Abyss, where you find the Cyan Pikmin, is here.

Final Subarea: Iced Grotto
If you continue upwards past the Icicle Abyss, go as high as you can and you'll see a waterfall. Underneath it is an empty space; its contents a mystery. This is accessed by going all the way back to the beginning, where you might see a flower mark on the wall. That's the passageway leading to the Iced Grotto. It requires the usage of Ultima Pikmin to open. Simply dismiss the Ultima Pikmin near the flower mark, and after a moment, the flower will glow, and the wall will disappear, revealing the path. The Iced Grotto is home to three random-colored 20-pellets, which reappear every 5 days, as well as a secret cave! This is the Trial of Ice, and only Cyan Pikmin may enter. This cave will test your abilities with the Cyan Pikmin.

Enemies

 * Snow Bulborb
 * Hairy Bulborb

Climate
For most of the year, the entirety of the Rugged Tundra is covered in snow. In the winter time, there may be heavy snowfall, reducing vision, icicles that hang from the ceilings of enclosed areas, deep snow that your Pikmin could fall into, and strong winds. Spring is also cold and snowy, but the snowfall isn't as intense as winter. When summer arrives, some snow in the lower regions will melt away, but most of the region will remain snowy. In fall, the snow returns to the dry areas, and the weather begins getting worse.