Land’s End to Barrel Volcano. Follow the linked route in order, stopping for recovery before the major fights. This chapter follows the original SNES game.
In this chapter
- Seaside Town — rescue the captives
- Land’s End — cannons and terraces
- Optional battle — Formless and Mokura
- Land’s End — Cricket Jam, Sky Bridge and desert
- Belome Temple — fortune puzzle
- Belome’s rematch
- Monstro Town
- Bean Valley
- Smilax and Megasmilax
- Climb to Nimbus Land
- Nimbus Land — Garro’s plan
- Nimbus Castle — Dodo and Castle Key 1
- Birdo and Castle Key 2
- Nimbus Castle — chase Valentina
- Valentina and Dodo
- Nimbus Land — Fertilizer and royal springs
- Rose Town — Lazy Shell weapon and armor
- Nimbus Land — Fertilizer and royal springs
- Barrel Volcano
- Hinopio’s shop
- Czar Dragon and Zombone
- Chase the Axem Rangers
- Axem Rangers — sixth Star Piece
Seaside Town — rescue the captives
Visit Seaside Town’s reopened equipment and accessory shops after rescuing the residents. Speak to the true elder for the route to Land’s End. Keep your Frog Coins for a useful purchase rather than buying every option at once.
Land’s End — cannons and terraces
Use the cannons and rising platforms to climb the opening terraces. At the first moving platform’s highest point, jump toward the hidden chest. In the next cannon area, reveal the hidden step near the pit before firing again to reach its higher treasure route.
Continue across the platforms with Geckits and save by the spinning flowers. The flowers launch Mario toward the next ledge. Check the two eastern flowers for a hidden chest while following the illustrated route.
Optional battle — Formless and Mokura
The optional drifting smoke encounter begins with Formless. Use a special attack to reveal Mokura, then switch to effective physical attacks against the exposed enemy.
It is optional and can be dangerous for an underprepared party. Heal before touching the smoke and carry protection against its statuses if you want the encounter. Continue toward the sand-whirlpool route if you would rather return later.
Land’s End — Cricket Jam, Sky Bridge and desert
The smoke-puff hole near the cliff leads to an optional underground detour. Follow it to the high Kero Sewers ledge for Cricket Jam, then take it to Frogfucius for Frog Coins. Avoid dropping to the lower sewers before taking the chest.
Back on the main route, climb the flower ledges and cross the Sky Bridge. Its betting minigame is optional; ordinary platforming gets you through. In the desert, follow the whirlpools with ants emerging from them, watching the correct whirlpool after a battle because the arrangement can shift. Eventually the route descends underground toward Belome Temple.
Belome Temple — fortune puzzle
Pay for the three-face fortune and strike them in the order you want. The reward depends on that order; choose right, middle, left for a straightforward coin result. Collect it beyond the pipe and continue through the gate.
At the final fortune face, the hungry message leads to Belome. The sleeping message leads toward the sealed treasure room instead, so reset the room and try again if you do not yet have its key. The treasure-room key is obtained later in Monstro Town, not by defeating more enemies at the closed statue.
Belome’s rematch
Bring protection against Sleep and be ready for Belome to swallow a character and create a hostile clone. Use strong attacks on Belome while controlling any clone that can heal or heavily damage the party.
Pure Water instantly removes the ghostly clones, making it a useful resource if you brought some. Finish remaining clones after Belome falls, press the green switch and take the pipe to Monstro Town. Do not assume the first Belome fight’s two-character plan covers this expanded encounter.
Monstro Town
Visit Monstermama, speak to the “star” upstairs and return to her. Her Paratroopas will move to the cliff beyond the desert, opening the route to Bean Valley.
Optional rewards are grouped here: speak to the Thwomp repeatedly until the Temple Key drops from the outside ledge, start the Three Musty Fears’ flag hunt by sleeping in their bed, and challenge Jagger and Jinx at the dojo when ready. The Shiny Stone opens Culex’s sealed door, but you can decline the fight and return later.
Backtrack to the desert cliff and jump from Paratroopa to Paratroopa to reach its top. The paid spring in Belome Temple is a shortcut; using the world map and retracing Land’s End avoids that fee.
Bean Valley
Take the right pipe at the entrance, check the hidden chest before the next pipe and continue to the clearing with five plant pipes. Wait for the Shy Away to finish growing a plant, defeat it and use the pipe beneath for optional treasure rooms.
The northern pipe’s room contains the concealed exit to Grate Guy’s Casino. You need the Bright Card from Knife Guy’s juggling game in Booster Tower to enter. For the story, save and take the northeast route to the growing plant boss.
Smilax and Megasmilax
Defeat the small Smilax waves until Megasmilax joins the final group. Use effective attacks while keeping the party ready for Fire and status spells. Trueform Pin or similar protection prevents Mushroom and Scarecrow from taking away your normal options.
After the battle, collect the Seed from the dropped note. Enter the pipe and hit the vine block to open the climb to Nimbus Land. The Seed is also needed for the later Lazy Shell side quest, so do not leave it lying beside the cleared boss area.
Climb to Nimbus Land
Climb the beanstalks by jumping between them while holding the run control. Use the shadows and camera angle to line up the next vine before letting go. The right-hand route provides a straightforward ascent to Nimbus Land.
The left detour contains extra Frog Coins and the Rare Scarf. Reveal the hidden platform above the middle vine to reach its higher branch, collect the chests and drop through the cloud opening to continue. Falling onto a lower vine does not necessarily mean restarting the entire valley.
Nimbus Land — Garro’s plan
Shop and search the item-shop crates for their hidden chest. Visit Garro’s house and inspect the statue that resembles Mallow. Finish the conversation, heal and confirm that you are ready so Garro can take Mario into the castle disguised as a statue.
The hot-spring guards only admit royalty, so that route remains blocked until the palace events are resolved. Use the springs near the entrance for the world-map connection or to return to the town, rather than repeatedly trying to force the guards’ door.
Nimbus Castle — Dodo and Castle Key 1
During the statue scene, jump when Dodo pulls back his head to peck, then watch for his quick return. Avoid moving off the pedestal. Successful dodges earn the Feather; failure causes a fight instead of stopping the story.
Save and follow the palace corridors. Defeat or bypass the Birdys, then reach the prisoners’ room for Castle Key 1. Use it on the Heavy Troopa-guarded door leading to the large egg. Search the dead-end wall near the Jawful and the platform above the chest for the palace’s hidden treasures as you travel.
Birdo and Castle Key 2
Speak to the egg and agree to play. Break Shelly with physical attacks, then fight Birdo. Keep the party healthy before the strongest egg attack and use well-timed regular attacks or appropriate specials.
Defeating Birdo gives Castle Key 2. Do not expect the first palace key to open the next door. Equip defensive accessories on a vulnerable companion and preserve enough FP for group healing before continuing the pursuit of Valentina.
Nimbus Castle — chase Valentina
Use Castle Key 2 and continue past the wind hazards and Heavy Troopas. The hidden platform beneath the later chest reaches an invincibility star; use it to clear the Bluebirds and, if quick enough, Dodo on the fleeing route.
The pursuit drops Mario to the hot-spring entrance. Before taking the springs back into town, put a sturdy physical attacker in the middle battle position for Dodo’s coming duel. Save or heal where possible instead of entering with the character least able to fight alone.
Valentina and Dodo
Dodo carries the middle-position party member into a one-on-one fight. Use strong physical attacks and heal that character before his next hit can defeat them. You only need to drive Dodo away; the rest of the group then faces Valentina.
Protect against her status and party-wide magic while keeping a healer active. Dodo and the separated companion eventually return. Finish Valentina and the remaining enemy pressure, then complete the royal-family conversations. Access to the hot springs and the royal transport follows these story events.
Nimbus Land — Fertilizer and royal springs
After freeing Nimbus Land, search the hidden path extending from the southeastern cloud edge for the Shy Away. Speak to him to obtain Fertilizer. Combine it with the Seed collected after Megasmilax for the optional Lazy Shell reward.
Talk to the rescued king and queen as well. For the immediate story route, go through the now-accessible hot springs, recover fully and drop into Barrel Volcano. Return to Nimbus Land after the sixth Star Piece to arrange transport to Bowser’s Keep.
Rose Town — Lazy Shell weapon and armor
Take the Seed and Fertilizer to the gardener in Rose Town’s newly opened northeastern area. Give him both, then climb the enormous plant outside to the two reward chests.
One Lazy Shell is Mario’s powerful weapon. The other is armor with exceptional defense but severe attack, magic-attack and speed penalties. Equip the armor deliberately on a support character instead of assuming both shells are weapons. Keep a manual save before selling unique equipment you may want for later challenges.
Nimbus Land — Fertilizer and royal springs
Return to Nimbus Land after the optional Rose Town gardener visit. The hot-spring guards now recognize Mallow’s royal status. Use the spring to recover, then follow the drop into Barrel Volcano.
Barrel Volcano
Descend from the Nimbus hot springs and cross Barrel Volcano’s small platforms. Collect Flowers before recovery chests, then follow the arrow signs through the lava rooms. An early invincibility star can remove enemies if you carry it quickly along the route.
Keep moving across platforms that fall after Mario lands. Several Frog Coins require a controlled lava bounce or return from the next room; collect them only after checking where Mario will be reset. Continue toward Hinopio’s shop and the save block before the boss.
Hinopio’s shop
Hinopio’s three counters provide items, an inn and armor. Rest to recover the shared resources, buy the Fire armor you need and replace poor accessories with protection useful for group magic and Fear.
Save outside before crossing the last falling platforms. Mallow’s ice attacks are useful in the next battle, and a group healer makes the two consecutive dragon phases safer. Do not spend your last syrup on an optional volcano encounter immediately before leaving this rest point.
Czar Dragon and Zombone
Use ice against Czar Dragon, avoid wasting fire attacks on its fire-resistant body and control the summoned Helios if their extra attacks become dangerous. Keep group healing ready for Water Blast and Fear effects.
The fight continues as Zombone. Adjust to its different vulnerabilities rather than repeating the first phase’s fire/ice assumptions. Strong Jump and lightning attacks are useful, and the undead form can also be hurt by Pure Water. Preserve FP and recovery through both phases: winning the first does not end the encounter.
Chase the Axem Rangers
Cross the newly opened bridge toward the Star Piece. The Axem Rangers steal it, so chase them through the next rooms and follow them onto the spring to their airship.
Heal before taking the final spring if the dragon left the party depleted. The sixth Star Piece is not safely collected until the Rangers’ fight ends. Returning to Hinopio for recovery is worthwhile if your remaining HP and FP cannot survive another group attack.
Axem Rangers — sixth Star Piece
Remove Axem Pink early so she cannot keep healing the team. Green’s magic and Black’s repeated attacks are useful next priorities; choose the exposed threat your party can eliminate quickly rather than spreading damage evenly across all five.
Keep the party ready for the second phase on the Breaker. Its Breaker Beam deals heavy group damage, followed by a recharge turn. Use that opening to heal or restore FP, then attack while preserving enough health for another beam. Winning awards the sixth Star Piece. Return to the king and queen in Nimbus Land, then use the royal bus to Bowser’s Keep.