With the effect plugs you can significantly improve the skills of Mario and Luigi in combat. They cause additional damage, facilitate countering, automatically use items or protect the two brothers from dangerous conditions.
On this page we will show you how to unlock all Battle Plugs in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, how to get more sockets and which combinations are particularly worthwhile.
Note: Install the current software update before playing. In version 1.0.1, errors with the coin presser, the meteorite countdown and the fifth socket were fixed, among other things.
Unlock Battle Plugs
The Battle Plugs will be unlocked on Desolatt Island during the story. After defeating Ten, you get your first plugs and finish a short introductory fight right afterwards.
You can then create new battle plugs via the corresponding menu. The energy needed for this can be found in the glowing buds distributed on the islands of Concordia.
Examine each island thoroughly and return later to already connected areas. Some buds are only reachable after Mario and Luigi have learned new skills.
How the Battle Plugs Work
Each plug is inserted into a free socket. As long as charges are still present, its effect is triggered automatically as soon as the respective requirement is met.
An explodor responds, for example, to a jump or hammer attack completed with EXCELLENT. Other plugs are activated as soon as Mario or Luigi have little HP, use an item or are hit by an Enemies.
If a plug is completely discharged, its charging time begins. After the specified number of battle rounds, it can be used again. You don’t have to spend any new energy on it.
- Battle plugs can be replaced free of charge during the turn of Mario or Luigi.
- Exchange does not consume any action.
- Discharged plugs continue to charge even when they are not equipped.
- Opposing trains also count for the charging time.
- A plug loses at most one charge within a train, even if its effect is triggered several times.
Unlock all sockets
At the beginning you have two sockets available. In the further course of the action, the number is increased to a maximum of five.
| Sockets | Activation |
|---|---|
| 2 sockets | After the fight against Ten on Desolatt Island |
| 3 bushings | Defeat the boss of the giga lighthouse in the Color-Full Sea |
| 4 sockets | Defeat the boss of the giga lighthouse in the Brrrning Sea |
| 5 sockets | Defeat Glohm Bowser in Stekdovs Castle |
The fifth socket is unlocked relatively late in the game. Until then, you should regularly adjust your plugs to the respective Enemies, instead of using the same set permanently.
Unlock new construction plans
Further construction plans appear not only through the progress in history. Also crucial is how many battle plugs you have already made.
New groups are activated after a total of 4, 8, 12, 17, 22, 27 and 31 manufactured plugs. Therefore, also make plugs that you do not want to use at first. This is the only way to gain access to the particularly strong variants of the later game.
In total, there are 44 different battle plugs. Since you can build a second example of the Exploder and Ballhagler, a total of 46 plugs can be obtained.
The First Battle Plugs
You get or build these plugs immediately after the introduction on Desolatt Island.
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosives | None | 10 / 30 | An EXCELLENTly completed jump or hammer attack generates a shock wave and injures nearby Enemies. |
| Slight Counterattack | None | 10 / 20 | Extends the time window when countering. Mario and Luigi briefly hover in the air during the jump and use a larger hammer. |
| Ball-hollows | 20 | 10 / 30 | After a jump or hammer attack completed with EXCELLENT, an iron ball falls on the target. |
| Drowsiness attack | 20 | 15 / 20 | An EXCELLENT attack can make the target dazed. |
| Car mushroom | 20 | 5 / 20 | Automatically use a mushroom as soon as a brother’s HP is low. |
| Car-Syrup Jar | 20 | 5 / 20 | Automatically use a Syrup Jar once a brother’s BP is low. |
| Car herb | 15 | 5 / 20 | Uses a medicinal herb automatically as soon as a negative condition occurs. |
| Treadproof protection | 15 | 5 / 20 | Prevents stumbling and drowsiness. |
Plugs manufactured after 4
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-flight specialist | 30 | 10 / 30 | Jumping attacks against flying Enemies are guaranteed to cause critical damage. |
| Antagonist specialist | 30 | 10 / 30 | Hammer attacks against spiky Enemies are guaranteed to cause critical damage. |
| Increased Counterattack | 30 | 10 / 20 | Jump counters become tamping attacks. Hammer counters can be charged and cause more damage. |
| Car-1-Up | 30 | 3 / 20 | Automatically use a 1-Up mushroom when Mario or Luigi becomes incapacitated. |
| Prey boosters | 30 | 10 / 20 | Increases the likelihood of receiving items from opponents after a fight. |
Plugs manufactured after 8
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car EXCELLENT | 40 | 5 / 20 | Jump, Hammer and Bros. Attacks are automatically rated EXCELLENT. |
| Strengthening Item | 40 | 5 / 20 | Used items additionally increase a status value depending on the item. |
| Boomerang items | 40 | 5 / 30 | The item used will return to your inventory after use. |
| Coin presses | 40 | 20 / 20 | Enemies lose additional coins if damage is sustained. |
Tip: The assessments achieved by Car-EXZELLENT also count for challenges. The plug is therefore helpful if you have a specific Bros. Attack creates difficulties.
Plugs manufactured after 12
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire attack | 50 | 15 / 20 | EXCELLENT attacks cause fire damage and can burn the target. |
| Ice attack | 50 | 15 / 20 | EXCELLENT attacks cause ice damage and can freeze the target. |
| Attack amplifiers | 50 | 10 / 30 | Increases normal jump and hammer attacks. |
| Pair attack amplifiers | 50 | 5 / 30 | Increases the damage of Bros. Attacks by 20 percent, but doubling their BP costs. |
| Performance bonus | 40 | 3 / 20 | Refunds half of the BP used when a Bros. Attack with EXCELLENT is completed. |
| Car-Deluxe | 50 | 15 / 15 | Improves equipped car connectors so that the most efficient healing device available is automatically selected. |
Car-Deluxe alone has no effect. You also need to equip at least one car plug such as Car-Mushroom, Car-Syrup Jar or Car-1-Up.
After 17 manufactured plugs
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploser – second copy | 60 | 10 / 30 | Allows the combination of two exploders. |
| Ball haggle – second specimen | 60 | 10 / 30 | Allows the combination of two ball hailers. |
| Reset attack | 60 | 3 / 20 | Mario or Luigi occasionally perform an additional counterattack after suffering damage. |
| Lifesavers | 60 | 5 / 30 | If a brother were defeated with at least 2 HP, he would instead stand with 1 HP. |
| Rapid charging | 60 | 5 / 20 | Half the charging time of another equipped plug once it is completely discharged. |
Plugs manufactured after 22
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double portion | 70 | 5 / 30 | Consumes two identical items and applies their effect twice. |
| Healing Countdown | 70 | 15 / 15 | At the end of the countdown, the HP and BP of both brothers are completely filled up. |
| Charge countdown | 70 | 15 / 15 | After the countdown has expired, the remaining equipped plugs are charged up to half. |
| Cargo bank | 70 | 3 / 20 | Consumes its own charge instead of another triggered plug. |
After 27 manufactured plugs
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protectus | 90 | 3 / 40 | Prevents the damage of an enemy turn completely. |
| Item splitters | 90 | 3 / 30 | An item applied to one brother additionally affects the other brother, although only one item is consumed. |
| Meteorite countdown | 90 | 15 / 15 | After the countdown, a powerful explosion hits all Enemies. |
Plugs manufactured after 31
| Battle Plugs | Costs | Charges/charges | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra train | 120 | 3 / 40 | Mario or Luigi will immediately receive another train after the end of their regular turn. |
The extra move is one of the strongest effect plugs in the game. Since it has only three charges and takes a very long time to charge, you should use it especially in boss fights.
Battle plugs from the plot and side tasks
Some battle plugs cannot be made. You get them through the main story, side tasks or particularly strong Enemies.
| Battle Plugs | Charges/charges | Location | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zokket specialist | 10 / 30 | Talk to Doctor Voltson after receiving the Car Fruit Iodide plug. | Jump and hammer attacks against Stekdov’s troops cause critical damage. |
| Bowser Army Specialist | 10 / 30 | Complete the task with the Bob-ombs on the connected Ice and Fire Island. | Jump and hammer attacks against members of Bowser’s army cause critical damage. |
| Ohmine specialist | 10 / 30 | Defeat the optional Ohminous boss on Giga Lighthouse Island in the Lushgreen Sea. | Jump and hammer attacks against Ohminous Enemies cause critical damage. |
| Seedle converters | 10 / 20 | Fulfill all the wishes of the talking strudel in the oasis of Allersande. For the last delivery, 30 seed grains are required. | An EXCELLENT attack can turn an ordinary Enemies into a weak Seedle. Occasionally, a gold soul appears instead. |
| Damage shield | 10 / 30 | Defeat the mega-snaptor. | Reduces the damage sustained by enemy attacks by 20 percent. |
| Temperature protection | 5 / 20 | You will receive it in the course of the action in front of the giga lighthouse in the Brrrning Sea. | Prevents burn and icing. |
| Ohminous protection | 5 / 20 | Defeat Zokket. | Prevents the condition ohminously. |
| Damage charge | 1 / 5 | Defeat Glohm Bowser. | Suffered damage fills a bar. If it is full, the next attack will cause double damage. |
| Car-Fruit | 5 / 20 | Help Dr. Vulko to procure the required fruit iodides. | Automatically uses a fruit iodine when Mario or Luigi is affected by the Ohminous condition. |
| Car-Luigi | 5 / 20 | Defeat Conductorius. | Luigi occasionally performs an additional attack after his move or searches for an item. |
Collect 30 seeds
For the Seedle converter you need 30 Seedle grains. These are dropped by Knombas and their variants.
Find an island with several Knombas near the starting point, defeat it and then leave the island. After your return, the Enemies appear again. With the loot amplifier you shorten the search additionally.
The best combinations
Individual battle plugs are already helpful. However, they develop their greatest strength if you equip suitable variants at the same time. Special combinations are automatically activated. You don’t have to find any recipes for it.
Explosives and ball hoppers
The exploder generates a shock wave after an EXCELLENT attack. In conjunction with the ball hailer, an iron ball falls on each Enemie hit by the wave.
This combination is particularly suitable against larger opponent groups. On the other hand, the exploding device cannot trigger its shock wave meaningfully against a single Enemie.
Two Explosives
If you equip both exploders at the same time, the shock wave reaches all Enemies. This also allows you to hit far-flung goals.
Two ball-hollows
With two ball hailers, the falling iron balls become larger and cause more damage. If you also combine them with an exploder, the reinforced balls hit several Enemies.
Attack amplifiers and exploders
The attack amplifier together with the exploder provides additional shock waves. In conjunction with the ball hailer, however, it increases the number of falling iron balls.
Explosive and state attack
Combine the Exploder with the Fire, Ice, or Lighthead attack. The respective state can thereby be transferred to all Enemies which are hit by the shock wave.
The seed converter can also be connected to the exploder in this way.
Fire, ice and drowsiness
The drowsiness attack can be combined with the fire or ice attack. This results in an additional vortex attack.
If you equip all three state plugs at the same time, a particularly strong vortex bomb appears. This combination requires three sockets, but causes a lot of additional damage.
Several specialists
Some Enemies belong to several groups at the same time. If two or more equipped specialists meet on the same Enemies, the damage caused is further increased.
Change the specialists before a boss fight if the Enemies does not fly or possess Spike Trap and does not belong to any of the corresponding armies.
Secure item combination
A very defensive compilation consists of these four plugs:
- Lifesavers
- Car mushroom
- Double portion
- Boomerang items
The lifesaver prevents an immediate knockout. Then it is automatically healed. The double portion increases healing, while the item used can return through the boomerang effect.
Strong Bros. Attacks
For particularly high damage, use this combination:
- Pair attack amplifiers
- Performance bonus
- Car EXCELLENT
The pair attack amplifier increases the damage while the performance bonus returns some of the additional BP needed. Car-EXCELLENT guarantees that the refund will be triggered.
Master the inputs of the Bros. Attack already safe, you can replace Car EXCELLENT with an offensive plug or fast charging.
Compilation for heavy boss fights
After unlocking all five sockets, the following combination is suitable for particularly strong Enemies:
- Extra train
- Pair attack amplifiers
- Performance bonus or car EXCELLENT
- Protectus
- Cargo bank or fast charger
The extra train allows for additional Bros. Attacks, while Protektus completely intercepts dangerous enemy attacks. The charging bank extends the use of your main plugs.
Collecting Coins and Items
To collect coins and rare items, you should connect the coin presser with the loot amplifier.
The coin presser benefits especially from attacks with many individual hits. Each hit caused can solve more coins from the Enemies. The loot booster then increases the probability of additional objects.
Countdown combination
Meteorite, healing and charging countdown can be used together. If several countdown plugs are switched off at the same moment, they are activated in this order:
- Meteorite countdown
- Healing Countdown
- Charge countdown
This first hits the Enemies, then heals Mario and Luigi and finally charges the remaining plugs.
However, the combination requires three sockets and several rounds of preparation. It is therefore more suitable for long boss fights than for ordinary Enemies.
Tips for the Battle Plugs
Change plugs regularly
You can exchange the Battle Plugs at any time during a turn. Use this option as soon as an important plug is discharged. Instead, insert another one and let the used plug charge in the background.
Not all charges for ordinary Enemies consume
If a boss fight is imminent, you should not unload your strongest plugs in weak opponents. Use short-charge variants on the go and save extra train, Protektus or the pair attack amplifier for the boss.
Car plugs need items
The car plugs do not produce objects. They access your inventory and consume the respective item. Therefore, regularly check your stock of mushrooms, syrup jar, herbs and 1-up mushrooms.
Car-Deluxe always combine
Car-Deluxe only works together with another car plug. Without a car mushroom, car syrup jar, car herb, car-1-up or car fruit, he only occupies a socket.
Specialists suitable for Enemies
The specialists are very strong against the right opponent group, but have no effect in other fights. Before a boss fight, control the opponent’s characteristics and exchange inappropriate variants.
Reduce charge times
The fast charge must already be equipped if another plug loses its last charge. If you only use it afterwards, the current charging time is not subsequently halved.
Exception for Conductorius
In the fight against Conductorius, no battle plugs can be used. However, already discharged plugs continue to charge during the fight.
Get all Battle Plugs
To complete your collection, you’ll need to build all the buildable plugs, complete the plot, defeat optional strong Enemies, and complete multiple side tasks.
Pay particular attention to the mega-snaptor, the optional Ohminous bosses and the strudel in the oasis of Allersande. The plugs available there do not appear in the normal production menu and can therefore be easily overlooked.
If you have made at least 31 plugs and collected all the special rewards, you have all 44 different battle plugs as well as the two additional copies of Exploder and Ballhagler.