How to defeat Prince Mush in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake

Prince Mush in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake is one of the game’s few optional bosses. He is considered a Superboss by some for his 96 HP, 6 attack, 6 defense, and evasion stance, but he’s far from impossible to beat. It will certainly help to have mastered the Superguard technique since this will make the fight significantly easier, as it will give you a few opportunities to stun the boss, alongside taking no damage.

Below we’ll have some tips you can utilize if you want to defeat Prince Mush in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake. While he might be a difficult foe to overcome, he’s not impossible.

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Tips to defeat Prince Mush in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake

Don't underestimate this blonde Mushroom (Image via Nintendo)

While initially thought to be post-game only, Prince Mush can actually tackled sooner in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake. You can fight him as early as Chapter 5 - just complete the Jolene’s Trouble sidequest, and wait for the email to pop up.

Like Super Mario RPG, there are a few optional hidden bosses in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake, and he’s one of them. Before you go into this fight, here are a few badges to consider equipping:

• Power Plus badges
• Jumpman
• Damage Dodge
• Depend Plus
• Last Stand
• Close Call

You will probably see a challenge letter from him pop up. When you’re ready, head to the Glitz Pit, and speak to him near the locker room area. Accept his challenge, and head to the terminal to start things off. It’s recommended you be at least level 30, though being at a higher level isn't a bad idea. It’s also recommended you bring Goombella, mostly thanks to her amazing Rally Wink ability. Who doesn’t like a second turn?

You’ll probably notice that Prince Mush has two combat stances in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake. While hopping, he automatically dodges ground attacks - so use your Jump skills. When he’s moving from side to side, he dodges Jump attacks - so it’s time to break out the hammer.

Stomp away on Prince Mush, but be ready to Superguard! (Image via Nintendo)

Another thing to watch out for is that his attacks drain your FP. Use whatever you want to boost Mario’s attack, since he’s going to be dealing the majority of damage. This includes Power Lift, the Charge ability, or just using items. Open the fight this way so you can start hitting as hard as possible.

Depending on how good you are with button timing, Spring Jump can be pretty devastating. I like Jump Attacks just in general in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door remake, so I lean heavily on those in the Prince Mush fight.

Any time he attacks, go for a Superguard, which means you hit the guard button just before an attack connects (about three frames before contact). Doing so will give you a SUPERGUARD notification, and more importantly, it stuns the boss for a turn. Just hammer on him until he gets to 50% HP, which triggers Phase 2.

If you hit hard enough, this Phase 2 won't last too long - but beware, he's deadlier than ever (Image via Nintendo)

In the second phase of the Prince Mush fight in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door Remake, he triggers a major power boost and gains access to new, more devastating attacks. Bring plenty of powerful healing items for this phase alone. One of these new attacks is a multi-hit for about 20 damage a hit. This is why you want to pack plenty of solid items like Life Mushrooms.

If you do Superguard a hit, it will end the multi-hit combo. He can also split into three different Prince Mushes. If you can Superguard the real one, it will give you a major advantage. Otherwise, hit the clones to find the real one.

I cannot stress enough how important Superguarding is to this fight. In Phase 2, he’s going to be able to take away a party member’s full HP bar in one go. Having lots of Life Mushrooms will help too, but knowledge of game mechanics will take you further.

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Success will give you 12 Star Points, 30 Coins (from Jolene), and the item Prince Mush’s Belt, which just proves you conquered him. There’s plenty to do in the game aside from defeating the optional bosses. You can also try to collect all the Star Pieces in Paper Mario, which you’ll need for some of the game’s best badges.