Cradle of the Beast in Pikmin 4 is a cave that can be found in Giant's Hearth. See all treasures, castaways, and onion locations in Cradle of the Beast, the bosses and enemies found in it, as well as how to reach it, its map, and tips and strategies on how to complete it 100%.

Cradle of the Beast Map and Overview

Map

Map Location
Overworld Location

Overview

Location	Giant's Hearth
Castaways	1
Treasures	12
Onions	0
Pikmin	Red Pikmin Rock Pikmin Purple Pikmin

How to Reach Cradle of the Beast

Burn the Bundle of Straws to Access the Cave

Fire Location
Route

To set the grass wall on fire, you need to get a fire starter from the bonfire altar in the area.

The fire starter disappears after a certain amount of time, so you need to light up multiple unlit bonfire altars to reach the area with the grass wall.

Cradle of the Beast Bosses and Enemies

Bosses

Empress Bulblax

This particular Empress Bulbax can create an infinite amount of Bulborb Larva in the boss fight. Use Purple Pikmin to defeat them as they can create a shockwave when thrown that can hit multiple enemies at once. Empress Bulbax only rolls sideways to attack and you can easily avoid the attack by fighting it in front of its face. You can also lure the Bulborb Larva into getting squished by its rolling attack.

It is recommended to use Rock Pikmin as they cannot be crushed by Empress Bulbax's rolling attack. Be careful not to use them against the Bulborb Larvae as they can eat the Rock Pikmin.

List of All Bosses

Enemies

Bulborb Larva	Scorchcake	Armored Cannon Larva	Waddlequaff
Fiery Bulblax	Skutterchuck	Wollyhop

List of All Enemies

Cradle of the Beast Treasure Locations

Sublevel 1

Jump to a Sublevel
Sublevel 1	Sublevel 2
Sublevel 3	-

Cradle of the Beast Sublevel 1 Map
All Treasures
1	Memory Fragment (Bottom-ish) Sparklium: 50	Defeat the enemy and the treasure will appear.
2	Delectable Bouquet Sparklium: 70	Defeat the enemy and it will drop the treasure.
3	Gold Nugget Sparklium: 5	Use Pikmin to collect all 15 on the ground.
4	Citrus Lump Sparklium: 60	Crush the Paper Bag with 30 Pikmin then collect the treasure.

Sublevel 2

Jump to a Sublevel
Sublevel 1	Sublevel 2
Sublevel 3	-

Cradle of the Beast Sublevel 2 Map
All Treasures
1	Mouth of Lies Sparklium: 350	Throw Pikmin to reach it.
2	Gold Nugget Sparklium: 5	Use Pikmin to collect all 20 on the ground.
3	King of Meats Sparklium: 500	Defeat the enemy. Use Purple Pikmin afterward as it weighs 300.

Use Rock Pikmin to Defeat the Enemies

The enemies on the 2nd sublevel only use stomp or spear throwing attacks, so using a Rock Pikmin is recommended as they are not affected by any of those attacks.

How to Get Rock Pikmin

3. Use Purple Pikmin to Carry the King of Meats

Example Formation (If Pikmin Limit is 80)
25 Purple Pikmin (250 weight) + 55 Other Pikmin (55 weight) = 305 total weight

The King of Meats in the 2nd sublevel weighs a total of 300, so you need Purple Pikmin to carry it to the base. If you do not have enough Purple Pikmin, you can use the purple candypop bud to convert some of your Pikmin into Purple Pikmin.

How to Get More Purple Pikmin

Sublevel 3

Jump to a Sublevel
Sublevel 1	Sublevel 2
Sublevel 3	-

Cradle of the Beast Sublevel 3 Map
All Treasures
1	Stately Rubber Cutie Sparklium: 20	Defeat the boss to get 5 of these.

Cradle of the Beast Castaway Locations

Near the Exit at Sublevel 3

You can find the castaway partially buried on the ground near the exit of the 3rd sublevel. Use your Pikmin to dig them up and carry them to the base.

All Castaway Locations

Cradle of the Beast Onion Locations

No Onions

There are no onions in this cave.

All Onion Locations

No Flarlics

There are no flarlics in this cave.

All Flarlic Locations

Cradle of the Beast Tips and Strategies

Cradle of the Beast Tips and Strategies
Defeat Enemies Using Rock Pikmin

Defeat Enemies Using Rock Pikmin

Pikmin to Bring
Rock Pikmin 30 or more	Purple Pikmin 30 or more	Red Pikmin Remaining Pikmin

It is recommended to bring Rock Pikmin, Purple Pikmin, and Red Pikmin as you will be facing multiple enemies in the cave. In particular, having more Rock Pikmin is recommended as they are not affected by most of the enemies' attacks.

Enemies You Can Defeat With Rock Pikmin

Enemies You Can Defeat With Rock Pikmin
Porquillion	Wollyhop	Skutterchuck
Armored Cannon Larva	Empress Bulblax

You can use Rock Pikmin to defeat the enemies listed above as they are not affected by any of their attacks. Note that Empress Bulblax spawns infinite number of Bulbord Larva, which can eat your Rock Pikmin.

Pikmin 4 Related Guides

List of All Cave Locations and Maps

All Rescue Command Post Caves

Rescue Command Post Cave
Burrow of Beginnings

All Sun-Speckled Terrace Caves

Sun-Speckled Terrace Caves
Last-Frost Cavern	Hectic Hollows
Crackling Cauldron	Industrial Maze
Aquiferous Summit	-

All Blossoming Arcadia Caves

Blossoming Arcadia Caves
Secluded Courtyard	Drafty Gallery
Sightless Passage	Kingdom of Beasts

All Serene Shores Caves

Serene Shores Caves
Subzero Sauna	Seafloor Resort
Below-Grade Discotheque	Engulfed Castle

All Hero's Hideaway Caves

Hero's Hideaway Caves
Plunder Palace	Doppelganger's Den
Frozen Inferno	-

All Giant's Hearth Caves

Giant's Hearth Caves
Dream Home	Ultimate Testing Range
Cradle of the Beast	-

All Primordial Thicket Caves

Primordial Thicket Caves
Subterranean Swarm	The Mud Pit
Cavern for a King	-