Keep reading to learn about all the best Skills you can unlock for Oatchi in Pikmin 4.
A dog is a man’s best friend. And that’s true for Oatchi as well, who will be your loyal companion throughout your rescue mission in Pikmin 4. Although embarking on a foreign planet can be scary, your journey will be much easier with Oatchi and the Pikmin around.
That’s because Oatchi can destroy obstacles, swim across the water, attack enemies, drag heavy items and treasures, and more. However, all those useful skills aren’t inherently there. Instead, you’ll have to take the time to teach him those skills.
Since Oatchi belongs to Captain Shepherd, you can teach the rescue pup various skills with her help. This will involve rescuing Captain Shepherd and starting her Train a Rescue Pup side quest.
That said, there are 35 skills for you to teach Oatchi. As the caves and puzzles get harder to bypass with story progression, you’ll soon realize that unlocking all of Oatchi’s skills will exponentially ease your exploration.
Read More: Pikmin 4: How to Solve All Obstacles
However, not every skill is equally useful. So, you must carefully invest your Pup Drive points, which are Oatchi’s version of skill points. That’s why we have prepared this guide listing our picks for unlocking the best of Oatchi’s skills.
Best Oatchi Skills in Pikmin 4
Below are our picks for the top 5 skills to teach Oatchi in Pikmin 4.
Buff
The world environment of planet PNF-404 can be hard to navigate due to its larger-than-life features. Although the planet resembles Earth, everything is scaled 10x bigger from your character’s perspective. That’s why even simple objects like cardboard boxes and potted plants can become giant hurdles to overcome.
Oatchi, the rescue pup, is already larger than you and the Pikmin. However, one of the best ways to use his size to your advantage is to teach him the Buff skill, which allows him to push boxes or easily drag heavy objects and treasures. By unlocking and upgrading the skill, Oatchi can push or lift heavier objects and carry more Pikmin at a time.
Heal
One of the best skills to unlock for Oatchi in Pikmin 4 is the ability to Heal faster outside of battles. Oatchi’s chances of being knocked out in battle will be reduced significantly if he quickly recovers from his injuries.
This will save you a lot of time, as Oatchi needs to recover at the camp once he gets K.O.’d and cannot be summoned during that period. The higher you upgrade this skill, the shorter his healing time will be, so it is worth maxing it.
Rush
One of the perks of having a giant dog with you is that you can teach it to charge into obstacles and enemies to topple them down. You can destroy things like dirt walls and pottery or even break conveyor belts with Oatchi’s Rush skill, making exploration much more convenient. Not to mention, Rush deals more damage to enemies the more you upgrade it, so it’s one of the most versatile skills for Oatchi to have.
Doggy Paddle
How sweet would it be if you could teach your rescue pup to swim? Well, the good news is that you can! By unlocking the Doggy Paddle skill in Pikmin 4, you can teach Oatchi to swim so that he can carry you across watery obstacles. This way, you can cross puddles or rivers even without Winged Pikmin.
However, the skill won’t unlock the usual way. Instead, you’ll have to ride Oatchi into the water to trigger a special cutscene and wait for a few days to be notified about the availability of this new skill.
Command
There’s no doubt about the fact that Oatchi is already a really good boy. However, as the game’s story progresses, you’ll feel the need for Oatchi to respond to additional commands beyond his inherent capabilities.
This is where the Command skill comes in. After unlocking this skill, Oatchi can track more buried treasures, rare Pikmin, and even castaways! Moreover, once you upgrade this skill to Lv2, Oatchi can be commanded to come to you or go to a specified point on the map. And when you upgrade it all the way to Lv3, Oatchi can act on his own and bring you rare Pikmin.
That’s all there is to know about the best Oatchi skills. If you wish to learn more about Pikmin 4, then check out our other guides on All Missions, All Endings Explained, All Cave Locations, Best Ways To Get Raw Materials, and more.
