Pokémon Pokopia: How to Find the Starmie Doll – 2 Routes

The Starmie Doll is one of Bubbly Basin’s most important hidden collectibles because it opens the way toward the underwater Dream Island and Phione-related progression. Its location is fixed in Frillish’s cave, but Pokémon Pokopia gives you two ways to reach it: follow the intended Bubbly Basin story until Environment Level 3, or head through the northwest cave as soon as you have the tools to search it properly.

The recommended route is the Bubbly Basin progression path. It places Popplio and Frillish in the right order, removes the usual uncertainty around the cave trigger, and leads naturally to the minecart chamber where the doll is buried. The cave route is the better choice when the entrance is already open and you want the Starmie Doll before finishing the wider basin build-up.

Choose the Right Starmie Doll Route

Route	Best for	Main requirement	What to expect
Bubbly Basin story route	Players progressing through the DLC normally	Environment Level 3 and Popplio’s next request	Frillish leads you toward the cave objective
Northwest cave route	Players avoiding later backtracking	Dowsing Machine, Search Pokémon, Rock Smash, and Dive	A direct treasure hunt through the cave system

Key warning: reaching Bubbly Basin alone does not make the story route fully available. The important progression point is Environment Level 3, followed by Popplio’s next request. If Frillish has not appeared, return to the basin and finish its current habitat, comfort, and request objectives before searching the cave again.

Route 1: Get the Starmie Doll Through Bubbly Basin Progression

This is the cleanest route for most saves. The Bubbly Basin DLC is built around improving the new underwater town area, and the Starmie Doll search becomes part of that sequence once the basin reaches its third Environment Level.

• Enter Bubbly Basin through the DLC access point and continue its normal requests.
• Raise Bubbly Basin to Environment Level 3 through habitat improvements, comfort upgrades, and available requests.
• Speak to Popplio after reaching Level 3 and accept its next request.
• Continue the request chain until Frillish appears and directs the search toward its cave.
• Bring a Dowsing Machine and a Pokémon with the Search specialty before going underground.
• Follow Frillish’s cave route to the minecart section and locate the buried treasure.
• Use Rock Smash on the correct gray rubble pile to reveal the Starmie Doll.

Why the story route is more reliable

Popplio’s request is the progression gate that turns the doll from a vague cave collectible into an active objective. Frillish then provides the connection between the Bubbly Basin story and the cave search. Following this route means you are less likely to reach the minecart chamber without the right trigger, tools, or idea of which rock pile matters.

If Bubbly Basin is already close to Environment Level 3, the final stretch from the unlock to collecting the doll can take around 10 to 20 minutes. The larger delay comes from any unfinished basin upgrades or requests needed to reach that threshold.

Route 2: Rush the Northwest Cave With the Dowsing Machine

The faster alternative starts at the cave northwest of Bubbly Basin, behind the construction area. This route is useful when the cave is available and the goal is simply to secure the Starmie Doll rather than wait for the full Popplio and Frillish progression chain.

• Go to the cave northwest of Bubbly Basin, behind the construction area.
• Speak with Frillish inside if it is present for your current progression state.
• Use Rock Smash to clear blocked tunnel sections.
• Travel through the underwater passage with Dive, then continue into the lower tunnel network.
• Keep moving until you reach the minecart chamber with rails, rubble piles, and several destroyable rock stacks.
• Activate the Dowsing Machine in the chamber.
• Use a Pokémon with the Search specialty to narrow down the buried treasure location.
• Break the small gray rock pile beside the minecart tracks to uncover the Starmie Doll.

The exact cave landmark to watch for

The Starmie Doll is deeper than the cave entrance rooms. Continue past the underwater segment into the lower minecart area. The useful visual sequence is the first chamber with minecart rails after the patch of pink Mossy Ocean Soil. Look toward the corner near the tracks for a small gray rock stack rather than smashing every pile in the room.

The Dowsing Machine matters because the chamber contains several pieces of rubble and potential treasure-looking objects. The Search specialty helps confirm the correct area before using Rock Smash, which saves time and prevents the common mistake of clearing the obvious piles near the entrance instead of the buried doll’s pile farther into the chamber.

What to Bring for Frillish’s Cave

• Dowsing Machine: Use it in the minecart chamber to narrow the search for the buried treasure.
• Search Pokémon: Its Search specialty points you toward the correct treasure area, including the buried doll location in Star-spotted Roc.
• Rock Smash: Required for blocked cave routes and the final gray rubble pile.
• Dive: Required to pass through the underwater section on the way to the lower cave tunnels.

Starmie Doll Problems and Fixes

Frillish has not appeared

Return to Bubbly Basin and check its Environment Level. Frillish’s story path follows the Level 3 milestone and Popplio’s next request, so clearing unrelated cave obstacles alone will not advance that part of the DLC. Finish the available basin improvements and requests, then speak to Popplio again.

You found minecart rails but cannot locate the doll

You are likely in the correct general area, but the doll is buried rather than placed openly beside the tracks. Use the Dowsing Machine and Search Pokémon before breaking rubble. Focus on the smaller gray pile near the corner of the minecart rails after the pink Mossy Ocean Soil section.

The cave route stops at blocked rock or water

Check the travel tools before leaving Bubbly Basin. Rock Smash opens the blocked passages, while Dive handles the underwater route that leads into the lower tunnel system. Missing either ability turns the cave shortcut into an incomplete route.

What the Starmie Doll Unlocks

The Starmie Doll is a reusable Bubbly Basin DLC key item rather than a one-time decoration. Placing it is tied to travel toward the underwater Dream Island, where Phione-related progression becomes available. That makes it worth collecting as soon as your current route permits, especially if the Bubbly Basin objectives are already leading toward Frillish’s cave.