The Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door includes a mixture of old and new boss battles, and probably has new and returning players alike wondering which are the hardest to defeat. Since the original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door came out 20 years ago for the GameCube, many players may likely be experiencing the game for the first time on the Switch. New players should know what to prepare for before fighting some of these challenging bosses.

Though Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’s new version does introduce quite a few changes, most of the bosses actually remain the same from the original game. There are only a few new ones, and only one is a serious threat. That means players can expect bosses that gave them trouble the first time they played the game to still be a challenge this time, though 20 years of gaming experience may make them a bit easier for veteran players.

10

Doopliss Throws A Lot Of Different Attacks At The Player

Players Fight Doopliss In Chapter 4 And Chapter 8

Doopliss is a shape-shifting prankster ghost that players will have to battle twice in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. While the first battle against Doopliss isn’t too challenging, the second one can be difficult. The main challenge of fighting Doopliss comes down to how well the player can defend against his attacks, especially when he begins changing shape in the boss fight against him and the Shadow Sirens.

During the second fight with Doopliss in Chapter 8, the boss will be able to change into any of Mario’s companions and use any of their special attacks. Because knowing the timing of a move is so important for defending it in Paper Mario, Doopliss’ many different attacks make him one of the harder enemies to defend. Players don’t just need to figure out the timing of a few moves, but instead, they have to remember the timing for the moves of every character Doopliss shifts into. This makes Doopliss uniquely challenging, though he is far from the toughest boss.

9

Rawk Hawk’s Quick Moves Can Be Hard To Predict

Players Fight Rawk Hawk In Chapter 3

Rawk Hawk is one of the fighters players will face off against as they make their way through the Glitz Pit in Chapter 3. Rawk Hawk was the former champion of the Glitz Pit and one of the best fighters there. While he only has 40 HP, which is lower than many of the harder bosses in the game, Rawk Hawk is another enemy who can be difficult to defend. Unlike Dooplis, this isn’t because of a huge variety of attacks but instead his speed.

One of Rawk Hawk’s attacks is his Double Flip, which hits both Mario and his companion. This move is very quick, so there is a small window for players to defend it. It also isn’t as well-telegraphed as some other moves, meaning players might miss their small opportunity to not take as much damage. The fact that this move hits both friendly characters also makes the fight more challenging, as players will have to pay close attention to their health.

8

Smorg Deals A Lot Of Damage If Not Blocked

Players Fight Smorg In Chapter 6

Near the end of the player’s time on the Excess Express in Chapter 6, they will have to face off against Smorg, a massive boss made up of tinier creatures also called Smorgs. Smorg attacks Mario and his companion with three tentacles, which the player has to defeat before they can do any real damage to the boss. This already makes the boss fight a bit difficult since players have to waste time and resources before actually doing damage.

What makes Smorg even more dangerous is its pincer attack, which can deal 10 damage to both Mario and his companion. This is a significant amount of damage, as Mario might only have around 45 HP at this point and his companions even less. The best way to approach Smorg is to use attacks like Vivien’s Fiery Jinx, which will hit every tentacle at once, allowing the player to start dealing damage quicker and avoid too many powerful pincer attacks.

7

Macho Grubba Can Jump Ahead In The Turn Order

Players Fight Macho Grubba In Chapter 3

The champion of the Glitz Pit, Macho Grubba, has a few different tricks that make him one of the tougher bosses in the game, despite appearing earlier on. One of Macho Grubba’s most dangerous moves is his Double Chance, which allows him to jump ahead in the turn order and attack twice. Action economy is always a major resource in turn-based combat, so by attacking twice, Macho Grubba gets a big advantage.

Macho Grubba’s other dangerous quality is his ability to raise his stats. When he brings up his defense, it can be difficult to do damage to him, especially if players haven’t chosen a companion that can get around this. Players will want to make sure they are stocked on healing items to make it through to the end of this fight.

6

Cortez Has Three Stages And A Lot Of Attacks

Players Fight Cortez In Chapter 5

The skeleton pirate Cortez is the boss of the Pirate’s Grotto in Chapter 5 of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The fight takes place over three stages, with Cortez changing shape each time. This means players will have to figure out the best strategy for approaching each stage of the battle. Apart from mixing things up, Cortez can also drain health from the audience in the fight to heal himself. This gives Cortez an edge in terms of HP while he deals damage with his multiple weapons.

The trick to fighting Cortez is to know how best to approach each stage. For the first stage, Mario should jump on Cortez’s head. In the second stage, he should target the bone pile at his feet. The most difficult stage at first glance is the third stage, as Cortez’s weapons become individual enemies that can attack independently. Players will want a companion with an AOE attack, like Vivian or Flurrie, to hit all of the weapons at once.

5

Sir Grodus Deals Out Multiple Status Effects

Players Fight Sir Grodus In Chapter 8

Sir Grodus is one of the final bosses in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, so it isn’t surprising that he is also one of the toughest. Part of what makes Grodus hard to deal with is the multiple status effects he can inflict on Mario and his companion. Grodus has a Ice Beam and a Clock Beam which can freeze players. He also has a flamethrower, which can inflict burn. This means players will need to cover a wide range of resistances to avoid all these threats.

Aside from this, Grodus will also continuously summon Grodus Xs which protect him if they are not destroyed. Players will have to use attacks that hit multiple targets to take out the Xs and damage Grodus at the same time. On top of everything else, players will be forced to do a second boss battle immediately after fighting Grodus. This means they will have to deal with this boss while making sure they are saving resources for the following fight, making it that much more challenging.

4

Shadow Queen Can Become Invulnerable For Parts Of The Fight

Players Fight Shadow Queen In Chapter 8

The Shadow Queen is the main villain in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and also the final boss of the game. Now, this boss isn’t necessarily difficult in the same way as some of the other fights in the game, but it can be very tricky for first-time players who don’t know the trick it pulls.

Similar to Cortez, the Shadow Queen fight has several stages. Near the end of the first stage, the Shadow Queen will make herself impervious to all damage. First-time players might panic at this point and start using items or FP recklessly to try and get some damage through. However, all they really need to do is hold out for a cutscene to trigger.

After a bit of time in her invulnerable form, a cutscene will play, and the second stage of the Shadow Queen’s boss battle will start. Players will once again be able to do damage to her. However, if players wasted all their resources trying to hurt her when she couldn’t take damage, this part of the fight wouldn’t go so well for them.

3

Bowser And Kammy Come Right After Another Boss

Players Fight Bowser And Kammy In Chapter

Perhaps the most difficult part about fighting Bowser and Kammy Koopa in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is that the fight takes place directly after the battle with Sir Grodus. This means, depending on how players approached that fight, and how much damage they took, they might not be doing so hot when it comes time to face this second battle. Even when players know there’s a second battle coming, it can be difficult to balance using the right number of items and FP on Grodus.

To make things easier, players should make sure to focus on Kammy Koopa at the beginning of this battle. Kammy can heal Bowser, and the last thing players want at this point is for the battle to last too long. Once Kammy is defeated, it will be easier to take out Bowser. In truth, this fight isn’t too difficult in isolation, but the circumstances surrounding it can make it pretty tough.

2

Players Fight Bonetail After A Grueling Challenge

Bonetail Is An Optional Fight

Bonetail isn’t one of the required bosses in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, but instead, the final stage of a challenge called the “Pit of 100 Trials.” As the name suggests, players will be tasked with traversing 100 floors in a single shot, with battles of increasing difficulty on each floor. Occasionally, players will be able to buy some items from Charlieton at a markup, but for the most part, they’re stuck with what they bring in for the 100 floors.

Bonetail is on the 100th floor of this dungeon, meaning players will already be pretty beaten down by the time they reach her. Even forgetting how hard Bonetail is to reach, this boss has some pretty punishing attacks, including a variety of breath weapons that can inflict different status effects like freeze, sleep, or confusion. Bonetail also has 200 HP, the most of any boss in the game.

1

Prince Mush Has An Absurdly High Defense Score

Prince Mush Is An Optional Fight

Prince Mush is one of the new boss fights added in the Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Mush had previously been a minor character in the game, and the former champion of the Glitz Pit before Macho Grubba. Now, players can square off against Prince Mush as a friendly challenge after they defeat the Glitz Pit, though the toad is much stronger than he appears.

Prince Mush’s defense stat is a 6. For reference, the next highest defense stat among bosses in the game is a 2. This makes Mush incredibly difficult to damage. While the fight is tough, it’s also neat to see some new content being added to the game that expands on a character who was introduced 20 years ago. Now that the game can receive updates, it will be interesting to see if Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door expands on any other aspects of the game. Fans would certainly be happy to learn more about Luigi and his Magnificent Compass.