Pikmin Bloom Challenges - How to Unlock Mushroom Rewards and Ratings

Tricky Pikmin Bloom challenges are one of the core features of Niantic's new walkabout simulator. Once you clock enough steps and amass a vertible army of tiny little plant people, beating up mushrooms becomes an integral part of the experience. The rewards aren't too shabby, either.

If you've only dabbled in Pikmin Bloom, challenges won't be available to you just yet. Keep at it, though. Once you've learned the ropes, you'll be introduced to the Pikmin Bloom challenges system featuring devious mushrooms of the small, medium, large, and even giant variety.

Like to get up and go? Nothing beats Pokémon GO. The classic game has just kicked off the Season of Heritage with plenty of new bonuses. But if you want a less active mobile game that doesn't skip out on being cute and colourful, check out our Final Gear tier list, Blue Archive teams, and Figure Fantasy codes guides as well. They make up the best gacha games around.

What Are Pikmin Bloom Challenges?

Pikmin Bloom challenges are this game's answer to boss battles. Like raids in Pokémon GO, these exciting events demand that the critters you've collected and trained are strong enough to win in a toss-up against something much bigger than themselves. In this case, it's fungi.

• Check out: Our Pikmin Bloom level rewards list

When you find a mushroom out there in the big wide world, you'll be able to instruct your Pikmin to take it on in mortal combat. If they're able to overwhelm the gargantuan growth, they'll come back with neat spoils and rewards depending on how well they do.

How Do I Unlock Pikmin Bloom Challenges?

Pikmin Bloom challenges unlock at level 15. It may sound like a high level, but it won't take long to reach with a daily walk. If you're getting your recommended 10,000 steps each day, you'll unlock the ability to fight these mushrooms in no time. Just remember to keep new Pikmin growing in pots.

To speed things up, consider buying a few extra pots. The more Pikmin you have growing at one time, the more experience points you'll be able to pull from the same walk when it's time to harvest them.

What Are the Pikmin Bloom Challenges Rewards?

For completing any of the Pikmin Bloom challenges in your area, you'll gain fruit that, when fed to Pikmin, can result in Rare Nectar. Take on harder Pikmin Bloom challenges and manage higher star ratings and you'll unlock even more fruit to give to your critters.

How Do I Get More Pikmin Bloom Challenge Stars?

• Use Pikmin of the same colour as the mushroom
• Defeat it fast
• Use Decor Pikmin
• Use Pikmin with high friendship ratings

It makes sense that you'd want to focus on getting more stars from your Pikmin Bloom challenges. After all, the more stars you accumulate in one, the better the rewards you'll get at the end.

For that, getting more stars just means bringing the right Pikmin for the job. Send a full team of powerful Pikmin that match the colour of the mushroom featured in the Pikmin Bloom challenge to defeat it faster and rack up more points. The higher your score, the higher your star rating will be.

The more you level up, the more Pikmin you'll be able to set upon a mushroom at once, speeding things up further.

How Do I Get a Four-Star Rating in Pikmin Bloom Challenges?

Though the game makes no mention of it, the possible rating for beating Pikmin Bloom challenges actually goes all the way to four stars. It's a secret rank that only the best can reach, but there's a trick to consistently going for gold. Doing so will net you double the usual rewards, so it's certainly worth attempting.

• Handy tips: Over on our Pikmin Bloom expeditions guide

To get the four-star rating in the Pikmin Bloom challenges you undertake, you need to work to strict conditions. Yes, having a multi-colour team will lock you out of the secret four-star rating, and no high score will get you over that hurdle. So not only do you need to defeat the mushroom quickly, but you need to do it with a team of same-colour Pikmin as well. Best of luck!