Mario and Luigi: Dream Team
Boss FAQ
The fourth installment of the popular and zany Mario and Luigi
series for Nintendo 3DS systems, the game takes place on a
remote location known as Pi’illo Island, where it’s possible
to traverse the expansive world of dreams. Known as a pleasant
tourist resort, it’s where Mario and Luigi’s newest adventure
takes place, from the traditional Peach-plucking to Bowser
antagonizing the duo, from finding out about the mysterious
Zeekeeper to engaging with new villain Antasma, who threatens
to rule the world.
The battle system is the same as the previous three games;
battles are turn-based, with button accuracy leading to
stronger attacks and effective dodging. Below is a list of
basic commands in battle.
A: Mario
B: Luigi
L: Cancel
R: Idle (Thunder Sass battle only), turn 3D effect on/off
(certain Bros. Attacks and Luiginary Attacks)
Circle Pad: Select, Move
Good timing and dodging are the ways to succeed in this game;
fortunately, the game gives you many opportunities to practice
these during regular battles. This FAQ only covers boss
battles (excluding Giant Battles) in a normal game; the bosses
in Hard Mode use the same attacks and mostly require the same
strategy. Further notes on Hard Mode can be found towards the
end of this FAQ.
As with all enemies, bosses have a “tell” – a hint to see what
their attack is, who they’ll attack, and when. It’s important
to pay close attention to these tells to avoid damage. A good
strategy is to use a Boo Biscuit, which will make you
invisible and immune to damage for three turns (although you
can’t damage your enemies either), and allow you to learn what
the tells are before actually attacking, particularly if
you’re having trouble against a certain boss.
If you fail a boss battle, you’re given the option to restart
the battle, either normally or under significantly easier
conditions. A Hint Block will also appear to give you a clue
as to how to defeat the boss. Exceptions are in the Battle
Ring, where you’re sent back to the arena, and Hard Mode,
which takes you back to your last save.
Below is a list of all the bosses you’ll encounter, in
chronological order.
1) ??? (Zeepelin)
HP: ???
This “boss battle” is more of a chance for you to learn how to
jump and dodge. You can’t damage the boss and vice versa, and
your only option is to jump on him; the fight will end soon
enough.
2) Smoldergeists x4 (Pi’illo Castle Underground)
HP: 12
Your first real boss battle is really a test to see if you’ve
mastered the Jump ability. There are 4 Smoldergeists here,
each lit by a purple flame. At the beginning, Starlow will
conjure a wind that extinguishes the flames; this is your
chance to hit them. Press A or B as soon as Mario or Luigi
lands on the enemy, and A or B again to get an “Excellent!”,
which will build up your badge meter. The Smoldergeists have
only a couple of attacks.
A: They’ll summon a huge ring of fire and blast it at you. Pay
attention to where the Smoldergeist is. If it’s on the ground,
jump; if it’s airborne, don’t jump.
B: They’ll roll slowly towards you. Jump with good timing to
hit them and knock them back.
It’s imperative to dodge and counter their attacks; failing to
do so will reignite their flame, and will force you to either
jump on them to extinguish it again, damaging the bro in the
process, or use an item. Your badge meter should fill up
during this battle, so use it when your HP is low. You
shouldn’t have difficulty with this battle.
3) Dreamy Mario (Dreamy Pi’illo Castle)
HP: 96
This is your first Dream World battle, so the mechanics are
slightly different. At the beginning of his turn, Dreamy Mario
will shuffle around his clones; pay attention to where he goes
(the real one always jumps at the beginning of his turn). Jump
on the real one to dissipate the fake ones (again, pressing A
as soon as Mario lands, and A again on the rebound). He’s got
a few tricks up his red – er, purplish sleeves:
A: Dreamy Mario will disappear and the Antasma cloud will spit
out coins, Mushrooms, or flames. Run up and down to collect
the first two, and dodge the flames either by jumping or
simply avoiding them.
B: Antasma will taunt Mario, then race into the background,
where Dreamy Mario clones will race towards the real Mario.
Jump with good timing either over them or on them.
C: Another background chase takes place, this time with the
Dreamy Marios under an Invincibility Star. Do NOT jump on
these, as you’ll take damage and the chase will end.
Keep jumping on Dreamy Mario and heal when necessary; this
battle shouldn’t be too difficult.
4) Grobot (Mushrise Park – Maintenance Hut)
HP: 288
Poor Grobot’s gone haywire… If only Brickle had given up the
Pi’illo in the first place… Well anyway, this is your first
boss battle with Bros. Attacks. You’ll have both the 3D Green
Shell and the 3D Red Shell at this point; they’re all you’ll
be using in the fight anyway. Grobot isn’t terribly difficult,
but you still need to be careful.
A: He’ll charge head-on into a bro. Counter with your Hammer.
B: He’ll blast bubbles of water at you; pay attention to their
sizes. If it’s small, jump. If it’s big, remain grounded as
it’ll bounce over you.
C: He’ll chase both bros into the foreground, shooting more
water bubbles. Sometimes he’ll target both bros; jump
accordingly. Eventually he’ll trip over a rock, taking damage,
and the attack will end.
Use both 3D Shells to attack him, and use a Syrup Jar when
your BP gets low, and Mushrooms or your badges to heal. He’s
not too bad.
5) Bowser and Antasma (Dream’s Deep)
HP: 233
A classic Mario vs. Bowser fight!...sort of. Antasma is to
Bowser what Dreamy Luigi is to Mario; he’ll fuse with the
Koopa King at the start of the battle. As expected, Bowser
attacks primarily by spitting flames at you, but he’s got
other moves in his arsenal.
A: Bowser will shoot a line of purple flames at you. He’ll
follow Mario whenever he moves, so move and jump accordingly.
After a few of these, he’ll charge for a yellow fire attack,
then move up or down the line, depending on where Mario is.
Try to be at the very bottom for this; it’s easier to see the
fire’s trajectory and time your jump.
B: A swarm of Antasma bats will fly at you; hammer these away.
Any bats you don’t hit will fuse back with Bowser, healing
him.
C: Bowser rolls up into a ball (Bowser’s Inside Story,
anyone?) and chases Mario into the foreground, but not before
spitting lots of fireballs to make things harder. You can jump
over the yellow flames, but not the purple ones. If you trip
twice, Bowser rams you for immense damage. Try not to move
around too much, as you’ll slow down and make it easier for
Bowser to ram you.
D: Bowser will charge straight at you; look at his face for
the tell. If he’s grinning, he’ll fake you out and then charge
at you from the other direction. Counter with your hammer.
Luiginary Ball is your best bet with this battle, as are
Mushrooms and Syrup Jars for healing. You might have a bit of
difficulty with this one, so be patient.
6) Torkscrew (Dozing Sands)
HP: 656
The monster that’s been terrorizing Britta and her employees
is ready for a fight. You should have gotten Luigi’s Fire
Flower Bros. Attack by now, but if you haven’t, the 3D Shells
work fine here. Since Torkscrew has a drill on his head, you
can’t jump on him, so stick to hammer attacks and Bros.
Attacks. This battle can be challenging for a few reasons.
A: Torkscrew will burrow into the sand and move toward a bro.
Jump with precision when you think he’s under you to avoid
being impaled. If you have perfect timing, you’ll dodge the
attack entirely. If you slightly miss the timing, the bro will
balance on Torkscrew’s drill and be carried away into the
background; the other bro will give chase. The bro on the
drill will gradually lose coins; try to recover as many as you
can. Torkscrew will occasionally throw out Bombs; jump over
these.
B: Torkscrew will attack from above; counter will the hammer.
Succeed and Torkscrew will be flat on his back, allowing you
to jump on him. He’ll also take more damage from the 3D
Shells.
C: Torkscrew pushes Mario into the background and Luigi
remains where he is. Don’t let this separation divide your
attention! Torkscrew will try to drill into Mario, and enemies
will rush into Luigi. Keep your concentration on both bros and
jump accordingly.
You might need to heal frequently, since jumping to avoid
being impaled is tough to avoid. Continue using Bros. Attacks
to deal out damage.
7) Hooraws (Dreamy Wakeport)
The Hooraws are Big Massif’s disciples, and must be faced
before meeting Big Massif himself. Each one has a special
condition that must be fulfilled before winning the match.
They’re really sub-bosses, so they’re listed as follows (you
can fight them in any order depending on the pipe you take):
Sorrow Fist
HP: 395
Win Condition: Win with “Excellent!” attacks only
The sad one of the bunch, he’s actually rather strong. You
must get “Excellent!” attacks to deal damage; any other type
heals him! Luiginary Ball is effective here, and if you’re
really good with Luiginary Stack, use it as well. He’s only
got two attacks: one is hitting a shell at you (counter with
Hammer), and another is flying at you with rapid fists. For
the latter, unless you’re confident you can jump in his head,
jump over it entirely, as hitting his fists will damage you.
Beef Cloud
HP: 357
Win Condition: None (constant healing)
This guy loves to sleep…but he uses it against you! The longer
he sleeps, the more HP he recovers. Start out using a
Luiginary attack, and make sure you score an “Excellent!” on
it. After this, DON’T use another Luiginary attack. The time
it takes for you to attack with another, he’ll already have
recovered the damage you just dished out. Stick to jumping
attacks; he might wake up in the process, stopping his
sleeping/healing phase. At that point, you can use another
Luiginary Attack. This one’s pretty easy. (See, Mom?! Sleeping
a lot IS good for you!)
Heavy Zest
HP: 282
Win Condition: Win in 3 turns or fewer
A happy-looking Hooraw, you must defeat him within three
turns. This includes ALL the small Hooraws as well. He’s got
two attacks; the first is he’ll bounce around on groups of
Hooraws before ramming into you. Pay attention to the Hooraws
with their hands up; he’ll bounce on those. Hammer him away to
deal additional damage to him and the Hooraws. The second is
that he’ll rush at Mario, while a Hermite Crab is behind
Mario. Look at the Hooraws in the background; if they jump a
little, jump over Heavy Zest. If they jump high, remain
grounded. Either way, position yourself so that you’re in
front of the Hermite Crab. If you’re successful, the crab’s
coconut will defeat a lot of the Hooraws in the background.
Remember that to win, you must defeat BOTH Heavy Zest and all
the Hooraws within three turns!
Thunder Sass
HP: 140
Win Condition: Win with only counterattacks
This one’s certainly got a lot of sass! Counterattacks are the
only way to win. Fortunately, you can still use a turn to heal
if needed (if not, press R to skip your turn), but you can’t
use badges. Thunder Sass can rush at you; jump on him to
counter. Also, like Heavy Zest, he’ll bounce off groups of
Hooraws; pay attention to the groups that have their arms
raised, and be prepared to hammer back. This one is probably
the hardest of the four, but you’ll eventually win.
8) Big Massif (Dreamy Wakeport)
HP: 864
Finally, he shows up!...although it’s annoying to find out he
was the Shelltop all along. Big Massif is certainly your
toughest opponent yet, so don’t be surprised if this one takes
you a couple of tries. The one key thing to watch out for is
how many of his Hooraws you defeat with your attacks; the more
you take out, the angrier Big Massif gets and the more his POW
is raised, so try not to take too many out at once. The best
strategy for this is to use simple Jump attacks on Big Massif
only, then take out the Hooraws during a counterattack, THEN
use a Luiginary attack when there are none left. His tells are
mostly dictated by the Hooraws; look at them for hints.
A: Big Massif summons a large pillar to punch at you. If the
Hooraws wave, he’ll hesitate a bit before punching it. If they
don’t, hammer back immediately when he strikes.
B: Similar to Thunder Sass and Heavy Zest, he’ll bounce around
on groups of Hooraws before hitting you. He bounces faster
here, so be ready to strike back quickly.
C: Also similar to Sass and Zest, he’ll rush at you with a
Hermite Crab behind Mario. If the Hooraws jump a little, jump
when Big Massif is in front of you. If the Hooraws jump high,
stay grounded. If Big Massif collides with the coconut, it
will defeat a lot of the Hooraws.
D: Big Massif’s got his own version of Luiginary Stack! He’ll
jump on the Hooraw stack and chase Mario into the foreground.
This is his deadliest attack; he’ll jump and the resulting
landing will create a shockwave. You’ll need to dodge both the
stack and the shockwave; otherwise Mario will trip and receive
lots of damage, enough to KO him at half-HP. You can run side
to side, but Big Massif gets faster and faster the more you
avoid the stack. Evade enough times and Big Massif’s stack of
Hooraws will disappear, leaving him unprotected. This is a
good time to dish out Luiginary Ball and Stack, since his POW
won’t increase.
Overall, this is one of the tougher battles, but you should be
able to survive. If you’re having trouble with the tells, use
a Boo Biscuit to learn them, as some of them can be tricky.
Don’t be afraid to use Super Mushrooms and Candies here too.
9) Mammoshka (Mount Pajamaja Summit)
HP: 918
Well, you’d have avoided this one if a certain someone hadn’t
sneezed…but oh well. Mammoshka is particularly vulnerable to
jump attacks, as marked by the X on his head. You should have
Mario’s Bye-Bye Cannon and Luigi’s Dropchopper at this point,
which are both Jump-based. Mammoshka can summon Block
Monolifts that carry helmets, some of which are spiked;
dispose of these with the Dropchopper. You can still target
Mammoshka, and the resulting shockwave will get rid of the
Monolifts since they only have 1 HP. Mammoshka can be a
challenging boss for a few reasons.
A: He runs into the background and throws a huge boulder at
both bros. You need to hammer with BOTH bros, otherwise both
will take immense damage and possibly make them dizzy.
Continue hammering back and forth until it hits Mammoshka.
B: He chases a bro and tries to cause him to collide with the
other bro. You need to jump either over or on the running bro;
if they collide, they both fall to the ground and Mammoshka
rams them both, causing damage.
C: He summons a huge snowball. You need to hammer back and
forth to dissipate it. If you fail, it runs over one bro,
causing him to get stuck. Jump with the corresponding bro’s
button to get him out.
After dealing enough damage, Mammoshka sheds a shell and runs
away, with Mario and Luigi giving chase. Jump with A or B when
prompted, and Mammoshka will continuously shed shells until
it’s defeated. This one can be tough, but you should also have
the Heart Boots at this point, which will give you back HP for
jump attacks.
10) Elite Trio (Dreamy Driftwood Shore)
HP: 249 (Private Goomp), 415 (Corporal Paraplonk), 581
(Sergeant Guy)
These guys from Bowser’s Inside Story are back, and have been
promoted since. The gimmick to this one, as Private Goomp
spills early on, is that you must defeat all three of them at
once to win. If you don’t, they’ll revive each other, though
with only 1 HP. Private Goomp is most likely to fall first, so
target Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy, since they have
more HP. They’ve got TONS of attacks, so pay attention!
A: Corporal Paraplonk will retreat into his shell and dive at
you. He’ll ricochet continuously between two blocks in Mario’s
path, so jump to avoid him. If you jump on him, he’ll hit
Private Goomp and a ton of Goombas in the background.
B: Sergeant Guy will turn the Goombas into copies of himself
and rush at Mario from all directions, sometimes holding a
hammer. The real Sergeant Guy has Bowser’s red-and-black flag
sticking out of his backpack, so hammer this one to end the
attack.
C: Private Goomp will summon a stack of Goombas that charge at
Mario. You’ll have to continuously jump on the stack to
disband it. Miss and the Goombas will swarm at Mario, causing
small amounts of damage. If you succeed, they’ll target
Private Goomp instead.
D: A giant Bob-omb is summoned, and a rather funny chase
begins in the foreground. Private Goomp is hiding behind the
Goombas that will rush towards Mario; jump on or over them.
Pay attention to where Goomp is; if you manage to jump on him
as he rushes towards Mario, the attack will end and the Bob-
omb will explode, dealing heavy damage to the Elite Trio. This
is one of the best methods for taking out all three at once.
E: Sergeant Guy will load the Bullet Bill cannon, though it
costs him a turn. Take the opportunity to jump on it; when you
do, Mario will step aside and the Bullet Bill will do its
thing, damaging Private Goomp and Sergeant Guy. If you don’t
attack it, the Bullet Bill will chase after Mario; press A
repeatedly to run away from it. If you’re successful, the
Bullet Bill will hit Sergeant Guy instead.
Even if you defeat them one by one, chances are that they’ll
only have 1 HP left anyway, so when all three have fallen at
some point, use Luiginary Ball to get rid of them all.
11) Fly Guy Rs x3 (Pi’illo Blimport)
HP: 149
While these goons have the boss battle music playing, they’re
not any different from the other Fly Guy R enemies. A couple
of airborne Bros. Attacks like Slingsniper and Dropchopper
will end the fight quickly.
12) Pi’illodium (Somnom Woods)
HP: 1673
THIS is one long and tough battle. Though dormant for a while,
this machine’s still got a powerful arsenal of attacks. You’ll
want to take down its wings first; once you do, they’ll
greatly lower its defense. Don’t be afraid of using the Guard
+ Bronze badge to increase your defense, as this mechanism
hits mecha-hard.
A: It’ll mark the spots where it’ll fire laser jets at you
(I’MA FIRIN’ MAH LAZER – sorry, couldn’t resist). Pay
attention to where it marks you, then be prepared to jump,
since it fires fast. Once you disable its wings, the lasers
are considerably slower.
B: It’ll rise into the air, turn into a hammer, and begin a
countdown. It’ll blink red sparks if it’s targeting Mario, and
green for Luigi. The countdown will disappear, so continue
counting down on your own; the moment it reaches zero, it
strikes, causing loads of damage and potentially the Dizzy
status if you don’t counter. This is a VERY difficult attack
to counter, and requires extreme precision.
C: It’ll chase after Mario and Luigi into the foreground and
summon missiles to attack the duo. Jump over the assault, then
jump over Pi’illodium when it tries to ram you.
D: The Mini-Pi’illoids can restore HP and both of
Pi’illodium’s arms. To get rid of them, you can use Taunt
Balls, since they’ve only got 1 HP.
E: Pi’illodium will hammer Mini-Pi’illoids at you; simply
hammer them back.
When you’ve dealt enough damage, Pi’illodium will enter self-
destruct mode, giving you only 40 seconds to defeat it! Keep
in mind that the 40 seconds is in real-time, so don’t delay!
Use fast Bros. Attacks like Bomb Derby, Jet-Board Bash, and
Slingsniper to finish it off. If you’re successful, it’ll be
destroyed. If not, it self-destructs, causing enough damage to
take out both bros at full HP. If needed, use the Guard +
Master Badge to avoid damage altogether, or the Guard Shell
DX. It’s one tough cookie, but don’t give up.
13) Kamek (Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle)
You’ll fight Kamek three times in Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle,
with each fight considerably harder than the last. Here’s the
rundown of each of those encounters.
Kamek (1st time)
HP: 1428
He’ll begin the battle by creating four extra copies; the real
one will always cackle at the beginning.
A: The Kameks will line up and fire magic blasts at Mario,
then rush at him; move and jump accordingly.
B: Kamek will fire differently-colored shapes at you, and
you’ll have to hammer them to avoid getting hit. The blue
circle will come at you from the bottom, and the green square
will come at you from the top.
Luiginary Typhoon will get rid of the copies; once the real
Kamek is left, a couple of Luiginary Walls should send him
fleeing.
Kamek (2nd time)
HP: 1743
Kamek’s back, and he’s got some new moves he’s added to his
arsenal from the previous battle. He’ll split himself into
copies again at the beginning; again, the real one will always
cackle.
A: The Kameks will still line up, but this time, they summon
Goombas and Spinies on the ground. The baddies will rush at
you, followed by the Kameks; jump over the line that has
Goombas only.
B: Kamek will summon an army of Dry Bones that will surround
Mario. They’ll come at Mario one or two at a time from various
angles; some will also throw bones at him. Try to jump on as
many Dry Bones as possible and avoid the ones that throw
bones. You can then throw the defeated Dry Bones back at Kamek
for hefty damage; use the crosshairs and throw with A.
This battle’s a lot easier, since you can use the Dry Bones
attack to end him quickly. If that attack doesn’t take him
out, the same strategy from the first fight (Luiginary
Typhoon, then Wall) will end the battle in a few turns.
Kamek (Final time)
HP: 1496 (Kamek), 816 (Green), 544 (Red), 626 (White)
In this final battle, Kamek can now split himself into his
Green, Red, AND White variants. They all have less HP than
Kamek himself, but they still pose a challenge.
A: A set of rings will encase Mario. The pink one will quickly
enlarge twice, the green one will slowly enlarge three times,
the white one will enlarge once, and the blue one will slowly
enlarge twice. Jump before the rings hit to avoid damage.
B. A huge broom is summoned; if it tries to fake you out,
that’s the direction it’ll attack from, so move and jump in a
different direction just before it hits.
C. A background chase takes place with a lot of Thwomps. Run
towards the Thwomp that lands first; it’ll rise in time for
you to keep running. Kamek will occasionally blast a line of
magic at you; jump over this to continue the chase. If you’re
successful, Kamek will run into a wall of Thwomps, dealing
himself a lot of damage.
D: Kamek and his Red variant can use the colored-shapes attack
from the first battle. In addition to the blue circle from
below and the green square from the top, there are now two
pink triangles; the regular one will come at you from the
right, and the upside down one will come at you from the left.
These come at you faster and can lower your DEF if you’re hit,
so be prepared to hammer quickly.
Target the White Kamek first, as it can heal loads of HP each
turn. The Green Kamek should be next, as it provides status
boosts like ATK, DEF, and SPEED to everyone. Once the copies
are taken care of, you can focus on the mad magician himself;
Kamek won’t split himself into the copies again. He’s tough,
so you may want to use a Boo Biscuit to learn (or re-learn)
the timing of his attacks. Luiginary Wall or Typhoon are ideal
here; don’t be afraid to use a few Candies either if you’re
running low on HP and BP.
14) Antasma (Dreamy Neo Bowser Castle)
HP: 2435
The last Dream World battle’s atmosphere could hardly be any
more fitting, as well as the music (dat violin tho). But
Antasma is absolutely no pushover, and some of his tells seem
obvious, but they’re not. Here’s breakdown of the (spoiler!)
not-quite-the-real-villain’s moves.
A: Not an attack, but at the start of most turns, he’ll
consume Antasmunchies (the little black orbs) and his POW will
increase.
B: Antasma creates clones of himself, summons an energy ball,
and hides within the clones. Pay attention to the one will the
ball, as they’ll all point their arms towards you, but the
real one will release the energy ball. Counter with the hammer
to hit it back and damage the bat king.
C: Antasma summons a giant spiked ring and chases Mario into
the foreground. When he throws the ring, STEP INSIDE IT; if
you’re outside of it when it lands, it explodes immediately,
dealing immense damage. It seems obvious to avoid the ring,
but not here. Sometimes when he throws it, he’ll raise an arm
and make a little noise as to where the ring will go, so
follow the ring. Once you’re inside, position yourself in the
middle. When Antasma throws down his arms, wait for a fraction
of a second, THEN jump. Do it right, and the shockwave will
damage Antasma. He’ll do this a few times, so pay attention.
D: He’ll turn into multiple bats, which will fly at you. Jump
either over or on the bats to avoid damage. This is one of his
deadliest attacks, and here’s why. It can be hard to see where
the bats are (turning on the 3D effect helps sometimes), and
if you get hit by this attack, Mario will have a black aura
surrounding him. At the end of this attack, Mario will fall
asleep! This leads to…
E: Mario must run away from Antasma in the nightmare and find
his way out. Don’t jump into any of the portals yet; jump OVER
them while also jumping over the lasers Antasma shoots at you.
Avoid the red and black portals; if you fall into them, tilt
the 3DS to avoid the saws and escape. The saws can easily kill
you if you’re not careful. When you see a yellow portal, fall
into it; that’s the exit. Tilt the 3DS to collect the
Mushrooms and coins. This attack is dangerous, particularly in
the Battle Ring, as it costs Mario a turn.
F: Sometimes Antasma will steal Dreamy Luigi away from Mario
and trap him in an Antasmunchie. He’ll then shuffle the orbs,
so remember which one Dreamy Luigi is in. Free him quickly, or
else Antasma will consume him and become stronger! (He’ll spit
him out eventually, though.) This attack is also dangerous in
the Battle Ring, since Luiginary Attacks will be temporarily
inaccessible.
G: Antasma will fall asleep, recovering his HP. You need to
defeat the Antasmunchies quickly to wake him up; Luiginary
Wall or Typhoon should do it. Fail to do so, and Antasma will
flip the screen upside down! The Antasmunchies will then
attack you, and you need to hammer them away; remember that
the screen is inverted.
Antasma is extraordinarily difficult; it’s a good idea to
stock up on badge combos such as Virus + Master and Guard +
Master to avoid his attacks and defeat him quickly. Luiginary
Wall or Typhoon work wonders here, but I find Wall to be more
useful. Fortunately, Dreambert heals you for 30HP every turn,
so healing shouldn’t be too much of a factor here. You’re
almost there!
15) Dreamy Bowser (Neo Bowser Castle)
HP: 2417
Just when the Dream Stone was destroyed, Bowser pulls a Vacuum
Block trick and inhales it! Darn you Broque Monsieur…well,
this is the final battle, so go all out! Dreamy Bowser is
TOUGH and can be a long battle if you don’t know how to beat
him. He’s got his head, his right arm, and his left arm; the
right arm protects his head, and the left arm can kidnap a
bro, preventing access to Bros. Attacks. I suggest getting rid
of the right arm first with Jet-Board Bash or Star Rocket, as
the right arm prevents damage to Bowser altogether. You should
have the Zee Egg Bros. Attack if you rescued all the Pi’illos
and spoke to Eldream in Mushrise Park. If not, go back and get
it, as it’s an invaluable attack. Here’s a complete breakdown
of the big bad brute’s attacks.
A: He summons a coin that will indicate which bro he’ll
attack, then use a hammer to attack said bro. This attack hits
HARD. so counter it if possible or use Guard + Master.
B: A Shy Guy Airtub DX will appear and chase Luigi. In one
awesome display of brotherly love, Mario gets angry and jumps
onto the airtub in retaliation. This phase requires
concentration; press B for Luigi to avoid the airtub’s
attacks, and hammer away with A for Mario to get rid of the
Shy Guys. If you’re successful, the airtub gets destroyed; if
not, it retreats into the background and can attack from
there; counter their attacks with your hammers. If you want to
have another go at it, lure it into the foreground with a
Taunt Ball.
C: Dreamy Bowser retreats into the background and eats meat,
replenishing his HP! This is VERY annoying, particularly
because he can do it every turn, canceling out any damage you
just dished out. He’ll summon his minions to fight in his
place, which will attack soon after. Jump on the Goombas, jump
OVER the Bob-ombs (they’ll explode if you touch them), and
don’t jump when the Shy Guys approach, as they’ll jump over
you. When it’s your turn, you can try to get rid of all of
them at once, or you can throw a Taunt Ball at Dreamy Bowser,
forcing him to come back. He’ll give you chase; guide him to
destroy his minions. You get three attempts before he goes
into the background again. If you’re not successful, target
the Bob-ombs first when it’s your turn, as they’ll defeat
surrounding enemies.
D: Dreamy Bowser shoots bright flames at both bros; jump over
them to avoid damage. Pay close attention, since you’ll either
have to jump at the same time or at slightly different times.
E: If his left arm isn’t disabled, Dreamy Bowser will grab a
bro and throw him, and the other bro must attempt to catch
him. If you’re successful, you’ll reunite with the bro. If
not, the kidnapped bro will bounce on the ground, taking
damage, and eventually return to Dreamy Bowser’s arm. You’ll
have to free him with standard Jump and Hammer attacks.
F: Dreamy Bowser chases the bros into the foreground,
separating the two with jets of fire. Look where he shifts
(left or right), and jump correspondingly.
This being the final battle, don’t hesitate to use your best
attacks and healing items. If you’ve attained Rainbow Rank
(Level 40), you can get some of the best gear at Broque
Madame’s shop, such as the Master Boots and the Angel Bangle.
If you’ve completed ALL Expert Challenges, you’ll get the
Duplex Crown, which allows you to move twice in one turn. If
you got the incredibly rare Farmer’s Boots from a Flaming
Antasmaton in Neo Bowser Castle, you can go hunting for extra
beans, which permanently raise your stats. Stock up on your
preferred badge combos beforehand; if things get difficult, or
if Dreamy Bowser keeps healing himself every turn, you can use
Miracle + Gold to stop Bowser for two turns and dole out your
strongest attacks. Be persistent, learn the timing, practice
“Excellent!” attacks, and you’ll eventually win. Now sit back
and enjoy the ending!
Battle Ring
Similar to the Gauntlet from Bowser’s Inside Story, the Battle
Ring is a collection of previous bosses you’ve fought in your
adventure. These bosses (marked with an X after their names)
are significantly harder, with increased HP, ATK, SPEED, and
DEF, and must be defeated within a certain number of turns.
The game gives you recommended levels to be at before taking
on each boss, but if you’re skilled enough and have the right
equipment, you can defeat most of these bosses earlier. Each
boss requires a fee, and winning will net you more coins. The
bosses’ attack patterns don’t change, but they are
considerably faster than their regular counterparts. Defeating
the first 8 bosses in the Battle Ring gives you access to the
Medley, which contains all 8 bosses plus a secret boss at the
end in a row (detailed below), with a turn allotment of 45.
Here are their stats, and additional notes if needed. (For
their attack patterns, see the corresponding bosses above.)
Class 1) Grobot X
Turn Allotment: 6
Recommended Level: 17
HP: 1133
This is the only mandatory X boss in the game; you must defeat
him to receive the Zeekeeper’s Feathers, an item used in
constructing the Ultibed. By the time you need to fight him,
you should be in the early to mid-20s levels, so this battle
shouldn’t pose a problem.
Class 2) Bowser X and Antasma X
Turn Allotment: 8
Recommended Level: 19
HP: 771
Class 3) Torkscrew X
Turn Allotment: 8
Recommended Level: 23
HP: 1594
Class 4) Big Massif X
Turn Allotment: 12
Recommended Level: 26
HP: 1901
Again, be careful of taking out too many Hooraws at once; if
you do, Big Massif gets very angry and his POW significantly
increases.
Class 5) Mammoshka X
Turn Allotment: 16
Recommended Level: 30
HP: 1771
Use Jump attacks like Star Rocket and Dropchopper to deal
critical damage.
Class 6) Elite Trio X
Turn Allotment: 12
Recommended Level: 33
HP: 468 (Private Goomp X), 780 (Corporal Paraplonk X), 1092
(Sergeant Guy X)
Like its normal version, you must defeat all three at once.
Make use of counters, since this will get the job done much
more quickly.
Class 7) Pi’illodium X
Turn Allotment: 26
Recommended Level: 40
HP: 2742
You really don’t need 26 turns to take him out; this shouldn’t
take you more than 15 at most. Remember his self-destruct
mechanism, so take him out fast! The cheap way to save your
turns and still win is to use the Guard Shell DX to soften the
blow (the Guard + Master badge combo takes too long to fill in
the Battle Ring).
Class 8) Antasma X
Turn Allotment: 14
Recommended Level: 45
HP: 3336
If Mario falls into Antasma’s nightmare by getting hit with
any one of his attacks, this counts as a turn! This 14-turn
battle can easily turn into 7 if your dodging isn’t up to
speed. Avoid his attacks to the best of your ability; use
Guard Shell DX if you’re having trouble.
Class 9) Battle Medley
Turn Allotment: 45
Recommended Level: 50
All Previous X Bosses plus:
Bowser Jr.
HP: 4099
While the road leading to the ninth and final boss has
certainly been tough, Bowser Jr. is actually quite a relief
and lots of fun to fight against, especially for those who
fought against Bowser X (shudder) in the previous game.
However, Bowser Jr. is NOT a pushover. For one, he’s got WAY
more HP than any other boss you’ve faced, including the final
boss; he’s at the end of the medley when you’ve already fought
through eight tough bosses (although the first six shouldn’t
give you too much trouble by now); AND he seems to have
followed ye olde “like father, like son” mantra of stealing
Bros. Attacks, this time by tickling the user. (Jerk.) You can
get them back later, though, in a very hilarious manner.
Overall, he’s not that difficult, but you’re probably
exhausted already.
A major note! When he’s in the Junior Clown Car, only aerial
Bros. Attacks (Dropchopper, Bye-Bye Cannon, Zee Egg, and Star
Rocket) will do damage. The others won’t do zip. When he jumps
out, you can use all of them, although Slingsniper might give
you trouble since he’s so small. (D’awww.) Fortunately, his
attacks don’t do loads of damage and he can’t attack twice in
one turn, but his attacks can give you Burn or Dizzy status.
A: A counterattack every time Mario or Luigi use a Bros.
Attack, whether it connects or not. Bowser Jr. will leap out
of the car carrying the Magic Paintbrush (from Super Mario
Sunshine), tickle either Mario or Luigi, and steal the Bros.
Attack they just used. It’ll be inaccessible for about four
turns.
B: Bowser Jr. will throw a Bob-omb on the ground that will
start to encircle the bros. You’ll need to jump over it (not
ON it, mind you) continuously. Bowser Jr. may also
occasionally spit fire at the other bro at the same time. It’s
easier to always jump with both bros. Eventually the Bob-omb
will explode.
C: Bowser Jr. will throw a spiked ball and Mario and Luigi
will need to hammer it back and forth between them. At some
point, Bowser Jr. will ram the other bro (this is NOT in sync
with the hammer, so be ready). This is a tough one to avoid.
D: Bowser Jr. will jump out of his car and summon a group of
Shy Guys holding a fiery rope. In a scene reminiscent of the
Border Jump mini-game from Superstar Saga, you’ll need very
precise jumping to leap over the flame. The Shy Guys will try
and trick you, so don’t jump too soon or too early. Eventually
they’ll start circling around the bros and Bowser Jr.; a Shy
Guy might trip, so wait a bit. If you dodge it enough, the Shy
Guys will disband the rope and come at you, and you’ll need to
dodge them when they do. If you hit the flame, there’s a
chance you’ll get Burn status.
E: Bowser Jr. will come out of his car and summon more Shy
Guys, this time holding what looks like presents. One of them,
however, has a bomb! You’ll take turns hammering the boxes,
and you’ll have to avoid hitting the explosive one. Some of
the boxes hold actual items; however, these aren’t actually
added to your inventory. The Shy Guy that’s sweating is the
one with the explosive, so hammer the others. If you’re
successful, Bowser Jr. will be stuck with the explosive,
causing him damage. If you attack the explosive, there’s a
chance you’ll end up Dizzy.
Whenever Bowser Jr. jumps out of the car, IF both bros have a
speed higher than him (i.e. Mario AND Luigi take their turn
before Bowser Jr.), use a strong non-aerial Bros. Attack like
Jet-Board Bash or Slingsniper to cause additional damage.
He’ll still tickle Mario or Luigi and steal it, but here comes
the fun part. Have the second bro use a Jump attack – into the
car! The bro who jumped in will be shocked, the remaining bro
jumps in, Bowser Jr. cries “NONONONO!” and a hilarious car
chase begins! Tilt the 3DS to target Bowser Jr. who is trying
to run away from you, and use A or B to throw various kinds of
junk at him, such as spiked balls or hammers. Occasionally
you’ll throw one of your Bros. Attacks at him, which you’ll
then recover. Once the car chase ends, the Junior Clown Car
goes out of commission and a pair of Monty Moles show up to
fix it. If you have a Taunt Ball, throw it at the Monty Moles
to delay its repair. At this point, if you didn’t get back all
your Bros. Attacks, use either 3D Shells or another multi-
hitting Bros. Attack to have a chance at recovering it. Bowser
Jr. will steal the Shells, but that’s the least of your
problems.
Overall, this is a very fun and hilarious battle, but it can
still be tricky. If the status effects are giving you
problems, use Guard + Master if you’ve been able to build it
up to this point. Once you’ve defeated him, you’ve officially
conquered the Battle Ring Medley!
Hard Mode
The major difference between this and the normal game is that
your dodging HAS to be spot on; otherwise, you’ll find
yourself losing more than winning. Losing a normal boss battle
in Hard Mode also returns you to your last save, which can be
annoying, especially if there’s a lengthy cutscene right
before. The Battle Ring bosses also become more difficult; the
recommended level is increased by 5 for each boss. Practice
your attacks and dodging, fight every enemy to level up more
often, pick badges you’re comfortable with (I’m particularly
keen for Virus + Master for weakening enemy defenses), and
most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!
Credits:
Me, for writing this FAQ.
Nintendo, Alpha Dream, and Good-Feel, for making an awesome
Mario & Luigi game
Prima Guide for reference (Enemy Stats and some attacks)
If you’ve got questions, comments, or concerns, email me at
[email protected]. Thanks for reading and have a nice
day! :)
Copyright © 2016 GamerDaisy.
