Pokémon Pokopia Bubbly Basin Underwater Expansion Pass
How to get into Bubbly Basin underwater. Expansion Pass and 2.0 requirements, Dive unlock from Manaphy, gate location behind Bleak Beach Pokémon Center, and underwater building fixes for waterfalls through windows and roofs.
Core problem: You have the Expansion Pass (and/or 2.0) but still cannot get underwater into Bubbly Basin, or you got in and building is a mess because water keeps waterfalling through windows and roofs. Players keep hitting the same two walls: missing a Bleak Beach prerequisite, then missing the underwater gate behind the Pokémon Center.
1What You Need Before the Gate Works
- 1Own the Expansion Pass and have game version 2.0.0 installed.
If the + menu still says content is not playable, leave the game, highlight Pokopia on the Home screen, press +, and check for a software update.
- 2Finish Bleak Beach's "Raise the environment level!" request (Environment Level 5).
Without this, Tangrowth, Popplio, and the gate sequence do not start. This is the most common "I bought it and nothing happened" miss.
- 3Know Jump and Surf.
Standard movement skills. You need them to reach the new island.
- 4Learn Dive from Manaphy.
Free in 2.0. You do not need the Pass to learn Dive. You do need the Pass to go through the Basin gate.
2Get Dive, Then Enter Bubbly Basin
- 1Talk to Professor Tangrowth at Bleak Beach Pokémon Center.
After 2.0 and Env Level 5, he has a prompt. He points you at a new island in the ocean (opposite Meowth's house, the island that appeared after the update).
- 2Surf to that island and find Manaphy.
Manaphy asks for 5 Seaweed. Pick them up on that same island and hand them over. That unlocks Dive.
- 3How Dive actually works.
You do not put Dive on a skill wheel. Walk or swim into deep water and a bubble appears on Ditto's head. Controls: B to swim faster, L to swim down, R to swim up, ZL to hover in place (critical when building so you do not sink).
- 4Return to the Bleak Beach Pokémon Center.
Popplio is waiting. Talk to them, get the Basin Pokédex update, accept the invite.
- 5Find the underwater gate.
Enter the water behind or north-east of the Bleak Beach Pokémon Center, near where Meowth's home is. You do not need to Surf far. Look for rocks sticking out of the water, leftover pathing, lampposts, a barrel, then a small cave or paved dip on the seafloor. Dive down, walk up to the Area Gate, press A or scan the Pokédex.
3Once You Are In: What to Do First
- 1Follow Popplio to town center and talk again.
Starts the Basin questline.
- 2Find the ruined Pokémon Center.
Passage with Center-style design, then stairs, then a surface pocket with a working PC. Rebuild kit is 1,000 Life Coins at the PC.
- 3Plant habitats until Environment Level 3, then talk to Popplio again.
Unlocks "Build the beautiful building."
- 4After that plus rebuilt Center, Tangrowth unlocks "Raise Environment Level to 5" in Basin (Music Box reward).
Keep going toward Level 10 like other towns.
- 5Bring a builder if you can.
Tinkmaster (and sometimes others with high friendship after talking post-Dive) will follow underwater so you can build faster. Not every companion follows. Chef Dente was a common "won't come" example.
Key Decisions
| Decision | What Players Recommend |
|---|---|
| Buy Pass vs just 2.0? | 2.0 gives Dive plus underwater building in old water. Pass gives Bubbly Basin town, new mons, buoyant blocks, outfits. Gate will not open without the Pass. |
| Build on seafloor vs buoyant blocks? | Buoyant blocks let houses sit at different depths. Use them if you want stacked layers instead of one flat seabed town. |
| Fire or furnaces underwater? | You cannot light a bonfire underwater. Furnaces and furnace generators can work with Frillish or Jellicent. Torches are inconsistent when fully submerged. |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Expecting the DLC to start from the title screen. It starts in Bleak Beach after Environment Level 5.
- Searching the whole ocean for the gate. It is close behind the Bleak Beach Pokémon Center, not a long Surf.
- Thinking Dive is locked to the paid Pass. Dive is free in 2.0. The gate is paid.
- Building windows and roof tiles underwater without managing water sources. They spawn permanent-feeling waterfalls. Fixes players used: gulp a little water elsewhere and splash it at the waterfall and its source, hold ZL so you do not sink while placing, move a full-height water block up and down the falling column until it despawns, or sometimes delete surrounding blocks and refill water then rebuild.
- Assuming all land companions follow you down. Test talk and friendship first.
- Ignoring the four unremovable water sources. Players mapped: Totodile spawn, a watermelon quest spot, mic stands, and the big build-kit site. Do not waste hours trying to drain those.