Great Volcano

The Great Volcano is the third area the player discovers in Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds. One could quickly surmise from the area's name that this area is indeed a volcano. However, this volcano is responsible for devastating the Garden, which holds the Silver Mega Key, necessary for unlocking the Distant Desert. The volcano is also erupting, so lava flows, ash clouds and (rarely) pyroclastic flows can be found here. No matter where the player is at, they are always at a risk of losing lots of Pikmin. When the volcano is erupting, no Pikmin other than Burgundy Pikmin can come out, due to the immense heat, so before said Pikmin are discovered the captains are all on their own. Many fire-based enemies reside here. In order to solve the puzzle at the Garden, the player must find a switch hidden deep within the volcano to turn off the volcano. Burgundy Pikmin are found near the beginning of the level, and have unique abilities that will help the player progress through this giant. There are three caves and eight treasures above ground.

Area Plot
When the party arrives, they notice the Onions are inactive. They cannot take any Pikmin out, and are forced to explore by themselves. Not too long into their exploration, they discover Burgundy Pikmin, allowing them to progress through the volcano. Eventually, they reach the inside of the volcano, and journey into a suspicious hole...

The team progresses through the hole, reaching the bottom. They defeat its boss, and a switch is revealed. They activate the switch, shutting down the volcano. This raises some eyebrows amongst the group. With the volcano quieted, the team can explore the Garden, where they discover three new species of Pikmin.


 * Continue...

Subarea 1: Landing Site
This is the Landing Site of the area. It is just as barren as the rest of the area, and connects to the Fiery Climb and Inferno Interior subareas.

Subarea 2: Fiery Climb
Just as soon as you enter this area, you will find what appear to be 25 dark red Pikmin buried in the ground. When plucked, they are revealed to be Burgundy Pikmin, the third kind of Pikmin found in the game! These Pikmin are resistant to lava and fire, making them essential to use in the area. They can also briefly solidify lava, allowing the player to advance to new areas. A lava flow is right in front of you, so swarm the Pikmin here and it will solidify. Continue up the winding pathways, and soon, you'll end up at the next subarea, the Explosive Peak. A tunnel, about halfway up will lead you to the Inferno Interior, the very inside of the volcano. If you go further than this, you may see a small pool of acid with an island in the middle; on that island is the Burning Gulch. As it is surrounded by acid, it is not playable until the player discovers the Green Pikmin at the Shimmering Lake. They must use the Green Pikmin to drain the pool.

Subarea 3: Explosive Peak
As soon as you try to attempt to reach the very peak of the volcano, the Ship will start speaking and will say that it is currently too dangerous to explore. You can only explore it once the volcano has quieted. When the area has cleared, then you can explore this subarea. It is a ring, much like the ring in the Inferno Interior, except smaller. This subarea also provides a stunning view of the surrounding area.

Subarea 4: Inferno Interior
You will enter from one of three passageways- one, leading to the Landing Site, two, one leading to the Fiery Climb, and the last one leading to the Explosive Peak. This subarea consists of a "ring" surrounding the magma chamber, which is the very heart of the volcano. You have to make your way around this ring, however, it won't be easy as many puzzles are laden on this ring. For example, your first puzzle involves a set of scales; you have to find a way to manage to push one of them down far enough so you can advance. At the end of the ring, you begin to go upwards, and there will be a button. Push this button into the ground, and the Magmatic Cavern will rise out of the magma chamber. At the very bottom of the Magmatic Cavern is the switch which will turn off the Great Volcano...

Final Subarea: Gem Maze
The player must make their way to the other side of the cone of the volcano, where they will see a hole in the ground. This leads to a beautiful, yet complex maze of tunnels with all sorts of shining gems and other valuables stuck in the tunnel walls. All eight treasures are, quite frankly, gems, which will give the player many Pokos (e.g.: a ruby here is worth 250 Pokos). However, some enemies take advantage of the nature of the gems, and may blend themselves in with the environment, so be careful. Should the player get lost, there are multiple warp pads that will transport the leaders and their Pikmin back to the entrance. Deep in the center of the maze rests the entrance to the Bejeweled Chasm.

Enemies

 * Lava Goolix
 * Fiery Bulblax
 * Ashcrab
 * Flaming Mitite
 * Combustible Crawmad

In One Pikmin
The Great Volcano appears again in One Pikmin. It erupts every 100 years. The party goes to it in Act 6. It also is where the legendary Chimera beast is located. The Great Volcano also has a crater where many familiar Pikmin bosses live.

Enemies Encountered outside the Crater

 * Fire Bulborb
 * Fiery Bulblax
 * Lava Dumple
 * Gatling Groink
 * That Weird Mage Guy (MINI BOSS)

Enemies Encountered inside the Crater

 * Empress Bulblax
 * Emperor Bulblax
 * Beady Long Legs
 * Waterwraith
 * Lavawraith
 * The Chimera (BOSS)