Bugsnax ‘Pop Music!’ quest guide: Where to find and how to catch Popticks

When you meet the energetic Wiggle in Simmering Springs, they’ll have several requests for you. Eventually, they’ll ask you to catch a creature you may have not encountered yet: Popticks.

Popticks are unique in that they cannot be captured in their normal form. They require an interaction with another critter to transform into a size that will fit into your Snak Trap.

In this Bugsnax “Pop Music!” quest guide, we’ll show you where to find and how to catch Popticks.

How to catch Popticks

To catch Popticks, you’ll need to head to Scorched Gorge. The tiny Bugsnax can be hard to spot on their own, so to find them easily, look for another creature: Scorpenyos. You’ll find these flaming Bugsnax crawling along the walls on south and north sides of this level. Near them you’ll find several popcorn kernel-like creatures hopping about on the floor. Those are Popticks.

To capture Popticks, focus on the pair of creatures you find on the southern side of the map, just to the right of the area’s entrance.

The Bugapedia entry for Popticks says that they’re “too small to catch in a trap, but maybe some heat will puff them up.” To make the little creatures catchable, you’ll need to use the fire-tossing abilities of Scorpenyo.

Image: Young Horses via Polygon

Using Scorpenyo

The Bugapedia entry for the Scorpenyo says that this “snak lobs fiery peppers at anything that catches its attention.” The easiest way to get this snak to puff up your Popticks is to coat Popticks in hot sauce with your Sauce Slinger, since Scorpenyos hate hot sauce.

Once a Scorpenyo sees a hot sauce-covered Poptick, the fiery snak will shoot the small bugs with fire, puffing them up and making them big enough to capture in your Snak Trap.

However, Scorpenyos will also shoot any nearby object larger than a Poptick, igniting it in flame — including your traps and even you. If your trap catches fire, it’ll break, and you won’t be able to catch Popticks. The best trick we’ve found to getting Scorpenyos out of the way, is to do Cromdo’s bridge quest up until the point where you unlock the Lunchpad.

Using Launchpad

1. Set your Lunchpad down within range of the Scorpenyo, and place your Snak Trap on it.
2. Then, take control of the Lunchpad and launch your trap.
3. Quickly switch back to the trap, and catch the Scorpenyo.

While the trap will capture the creature, it will still be on fire so it will burn the trap and you won’t be able to catch it. However, once it’s off the wall, it will no longer be aggressive, allowing you to catch your Popticks in peace.

Catching Popticks in the north

There is another set of Popticks on the northern side of the map, but there is also a river in that area. When the Scorpenyo lights the small creatures on fire, they will run into the water, extinguishing the flames. If this happens, then the Popticks won’t pop, making it difficult to catch the creatures on this side of the map. If you need to catch Popticks, focus on the bunch near the southern side of Scorched Gorge.