Battle Mechanics Explained

Understanding how battles work in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (TTYD) is central to playing and finishing the game. Read on to learn the battle mechanics of the game, pointers to win battles, and more!

Battle Basics

1. Battle Begins on Enemy Contact
2. Star Power
3. The Audience
4. Bingo!
5. Stage Props can Fall
6. Recieve Rewards When Victorious
7. Leveling Up
8. Game Over When Mario's HP Drops to Zero

Battle Begins on Enemy Contact

Battle commences when Mario comes in contact with an enemy on the field. Mario and his foes will then take turns performing battle actions.

Turn Order

Order	Turn
1	Mario Mario can choose from the following commands: Jump, Hammer, Items, Special, and Tactics.
2	Partner Partners are limited to the Attack, Items, and Tactics commands. However, each ally has a different selection of attack. Partners can also move first if the Y Button is pressed, but this will make them switch places with Mario.
3	Enemy All foes act in succession, though not necessarily from front to back. When they're finished, it will be Mario's turn again.

Jump or Use Hammer on an Enemy for a Preemptive Strike

Mario can initiate a battle by jumping on an enemy or hitting them with its hammer. If this happens, Mario can deal damage even before its first turn in battle.

An exclamation point will appear above an enemy's head when it becomes aware of Mario's presence. If it hits Mario during that time, the enemy will strike first.

Star Power

The Star Power gauge is made up of power dots located next to the star icon at the top of the battle screen. Each dot represents a single unite of power.

Star Power allows Mario to use a Special move. Each Special move consumes a certain number of SP, as listed next to its name.

Mario will earn an additional dot on the SP gauge and learn another Special move every time a new Crystal Star is acquired.

How to Charge Star Power

The Audience

Battles take place onstage in front of an audience. Mario can recover Star Power by getting the audience excited with Action Commands and Stylish Commands.

The more thrilling the battles are, the more people will come to watch the fight, and the more people there are in the audience, the faster Mario's SP dots will refill.

Every 10 levels, Mario will receive a new theater with greater seating capacity, allowing for faster replenishment of Star Power.

Audience Mechanic

Use the Appeal Tactic to Win Over the Crowd

Mario can use the Appeal Tactic to win over the crowd and replenish its Star Power even more.

Watch Out for the X Button

Not every one in the audience is an adoring fan. When the X Button appears below the party, it means a spectator is about to throw something onstage. Things thrown onstage can either be hazardous to the party or be something useful.

Quickly scan the crowd and press the X Button if there are objects that could be hazardous to the party. The active character will then go to the audience and bonk the troublemaker.

If someone is about to throw a useful item, simply ignore the button prompt.

Bingo!

An icon will appear next to the Star Power gauge whenever an Action Command is successfully executed. If there are two matching icons and an additional Action Command is done, the Bingo! wheel can be spun.

Press the A Button to try to match the third icon to the first two, but only if the first two are poison mushrooms. When all three icons match, people will swarm into the theater and the party will receive the benefit (or punishment) that corresponds to the icons.

How to Trigger Bingo

Bingo Icons Effect

Stage Props Can Fall

Stage props can fall on enemies and crush them. This can happen if Mario uses an attack that shakes the theater stage, such as using the Quake Hammer.

Recieve Rewards When Victorious

When Mario emerges victorious in the battle, he will receive Star Points, coins, and possibly items. The number of Star Points Mario receives for defeating a particular enemy decreases as his level rises.

Leveling Up

At the end of a battle, Star Points will be given depending on the enemies that were defeated. Once 100 points is accumulated, Mario's level will increase by one. The number of points received for each foe depends on Mario's current level.

It's best to level up on a regular basis and refrain from fleeing from too many battles. This can put the party at a serious disadvantage later on.

How to Level Up Fast

Choosing a Bonus

Each time Mario levels up, he'll have the option to increase the character's maximum Heart Points (HP) by five, Flower Points (FP) by five, or Badge Points (BP) by three.

Although choosing which attribute to improve will largely on player preference, here are some recommendations:

Best Level Up Bonus

Game Over When Mario's HP Drops to Zero

The game will end if Mario's Heart Points drop to zero. When this happens, players have to start over from the last save point.

The Game Continues When Partner Goes Down

If Mario's partner goes down during a battle, that partner will be unable to act. However, Mario can keep fighting as long as he remains standing.

What Happens When You Die?

Battle Commands

1. Jump
2. Hammer
3. Items
4. Special
5. Tactics

Jump

Mario's trademark maneuver, the Jump command enables him to attack enemies by stomping on them. Mario can target almost any foe with Jump.

If Mario tries to stomp on an enemy that has a spike on its head or possesses any other characteristic hazardous to his feet, Mario will take damage.

All Mario Jump Moves

Hammer

Mario's other primary weapon is his trusty Hammer. Unlike the Jump, the mallet lets Mario strike most foes safely.

Hammer attacks can only attack enemies in the front, and only if it's on or near the ground

All Mario Hammer Moves

Items

There are a variety of items that replenish Mario's HP or FP. Mario can use them on either himself or his partner during one of their turns.

Many other items serve offensive purposes. Some target only a single foe, while others strike every enemy on stage.

Moreover, some items affect a character's statistics, either positively or negatively. Most last a limited number of turns.

List of All Items

Special

Every time Mario finishes a chapter, he will receive a new Special Move. Each of the powerful techniques consumes Star Power.

Like regular attacks, each Special Move has its own Action Commands.

All Special Moves

Tactics

Swap Partner

Mario can swap in a different partner at any time. It's best to choose a partner that is best suited for the situation at hand.

Partner Ring Feature

Appeal

Mario can use Appeal to win over the crowd and replenish some of its Star Power.

Defend

The Defend tactic reduces the amount of damage Mario will take for the remainder of the turn.

Run Away

Mario can also try to run away. Press the A Button rapidly to increase the chances of escaping.

Action Commands

While Mario is executing an attack, doing some additional controller inputs, which are called Action Commands, can give the attack extra power.

All Action Commands Inputs

Offensive Action Commands

Countdown Inputs

Tilt and hold the Control Stick left, then release it as soon as the red light flashes at the end of the sequence. The length and speed of the sequence vary from move to move.

Timed Attacks

With many aerial attacks, such as Mario's Jump and Gombella's Headbonk, the A Button can be pressed just before the character lands on the opponent to bounce back up and deliver an additional strike.

Aiming Attack

A couple of moves require aligning a cursor in the center of a targeting reticule. With some of them, players will have to manipulate the cursor themselves; with others, players just have to stop it at the right time.

Button Presses and Holds

The Action Command for most attacks involve prolonged button presses. A single button may need to be held down, be pressed as quickly as possible, or input an entire sequence.

Defensive Action Commands

Guard

Press the A Button just before an enemy strikes. The action must be timed precisely, and tapping the A Button repeatedly won't work. Guarding will reduce the amount of damage a character takes from the foe's attack and help them resist status effects.

Some attacks are trickier to defend against than others. When facing an enemy for the first time, players just needs to do standard Guards until they get the timing down.

How to Guard

Superguard

To perform a Superguard, the B Button must be pressed at the exact moment the enemy's attack makes contact with the character.

Although this is far more difficult to pull off compared to a regular Guard, successfully performing Superguard will completely negate the enemy's attack and will even damage the opponent.

How to Superguard

Battle Pointers

Flip 'Em Over

Some enemies, such as Koopa Troopas and Clefts, have high Defense while they're on their feet. Stomp on them or use the Quake Hammer to flip them over and expose their soft underbellies, making them more vulnerable to attacks.

Use Spread Attacks

Always keep items on hand that are capable of damaging multiple adversaries at once, such as Fire Flowers, and Ice Storms. They can be lifesavers if fighting against a large group of especially dangerous foes, or if running low onn HP and need to put an end to the fight quickly.

All Moves in Paper Mario TTYD

Use Life Shrooms to Revive Party

The Life Shroom is one of the most useful items in the game. If either Mario or his partner falls in battle, the mushroom will ressurect them instantly and restore 10 Heart Points.

Unfortunately, Life Shrooms are expensive, so it's best to save them for boss battles where there is no option to escape.

Life Shroom Effect and How to Get

Beware of Items

Every once in a while enemies will bring an item into battle. If it's something particularly potent, it's best to prioritize the weapon-bearer. At the end of the battle, assuming the party wins, there's an oppurtunity to add the item to the inventory.

List of All Items

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Related Guides

Tips and Tricks

Game Mechanics Guides

Battle Mechanic Guides

Pianta Parlor Game Guides

Other Guides