Pokemon Pokopia: How to Find Windup Inkay in Bubbly Basin

Windup Inkay is one of the Ancient Artifacts tucked into the Bubbly Basin DLC, and it is the single ingredient that gates the Muddy Playtime Habitat. Most artifacts turn up randomly when Professor Tangrowth appraises Large Sunken Relics, which can take a long time. There is a faster, guaranteed route. A Poke Ball holding one Windup Inkay sits in the darkest depths of Bubbly Basin, and you can walk straight to it.

Quick answer: Dive beneath the bridge that leads to the playground, drop to the sea floor, head east to the Orange Coral beside a brick wall, break the sand to its left, follow the side path to a dead end, then smash the wall on your right to reach the Poke Ball containing Windup Inkay.

Ditto posed next to a windup inkay in Pokemon Pokopia

What you need before diving

Windup Inkay only exists if you own the Bubbly Basin content, which is Part 1 of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. To open the basin at all, you must finish the request “Raise the environment level!” in Bleak Beach and learn the Dive move from the free 2.0 update.

The route to the Poke Ball runs through pitch-black water, so bring a light source before you leave. Lampions are the easiest option since they craft cheaply and do not need to be powered up. You will also need Rock Smash to break through a wall near the end. There is a Poke Ball of Lampions waiting at the bottom of this same area if you run short.

Windup Inkay Poke Ball location in the deep sea

Craft or gather Lampions and head to the bridge that connects to the playground area. Several points on the map drop into the depths, but this is the one you want. If you have progressed the story, this is also where Barboach asks you to fetch a chair.

Dive into the water directly beneath the bridge and swim all the way down to the sea floor. It is extremely dark down here, though nearby Coral gives off some faint light to get you oriented.

Ditto swimming towards a bridge in Pokemon Pokopia with an arrow pointing below it

Once you reach the bottom, place your Lampions as you go so you can actually see the paths around you. The Seashell Chair for Barboach sits on a platform to the west, so ignore that direction. Windup Inkay is the opposite way, to the east.

Ditto looking at a map while swimming above a dark part of the water in Pokemon Pokopia

Travel east through the dark corridors until you spot an Orange Coral on your left, sitting right next to a brick wall. Use it as your landmark.

Ditto in a dark hallway with an arrow pointing behind them in Pokemon Pokopia

Look to the left of that coral for a patch of sand you can break through. Clear it to reveal a narrow side path.

An arrow pointing down a hall to the right in the dark in Pokemon Pokopia

Follow the side path until it ends at a dead end. A breakable wall sits on your right. Hit it with Rock Smash to open the way.

Ditto standing in front of a small entrance in the dark in Pokemon Pokopia

Step into the small room beyond the wall. It holds more glowing coral and the Poke Ball containing Windup Inkay. Open it to add the toy to your inventory.

Ditto standing in front of a broken wall in the dark in Pokemon Pokopia

Every way to get a Windup Inkay

The hidden Poke Ball only gives you one Windup Inkay, which is enough for a single Muddy Playtime Habitat. If you want more, there are two other methods. The 3D Printer is the most reliable once you own one copy, since you just photograph the toy and pay materials to reprint it.

Method	How it works	Cost / reliability
Deep sea Poke Ball	Found behind the breakable wall under the bridge	Free, one copy only
Large Sunken Relic appraisal	Have Professor Tangrowth appraise a Large Sunken Relic	Random result, can take many tries
3D Printer	Photograph an existing Windup Inkay, then reprint it in the Pokemon Center	5 rare Pokémetals per copy

Note: If you only have the single Poke Ball copy and do not want to reprint it, you can still recycle a habitat. Wait for a Pokemon to spawn in your Muddy Playtime Habitat, move it elsewhere, and the habitat frees up so you can rebuild it later.

Build the Muddy Playtime Habitat

Windup Inkay’s main purpose is the Muddy Playtime Habitat, the only place you can befriend Inkay. To assemble it you need a Towel Rack, one Windup Inkay, Floating Logs, and Muddy Water. Everything except the toy is available beside the water wheel in the dry area near the Pokemon Center, so building it there is the least amount of hauling.

Requirement	Amount
Towel Rack	1
Windup Inkay	1
Floating Logs	1
Muddy Water	2

Because Windup Inkay counts as a toy, you can also drop it into any habitat that asks for a toy, or add it as decoration to make Pokemon happier and raise the environment level. Once the Muddy Playtime Habitat is built, Marshtomp, Barboach, and Inkay can all spawn there if you have not befriended them yet. Seeing one of those three appear is the confirmation that the habitat is working as intended.