Ready to dive into the charming world of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Switch? Before you embark on this legendary quest for the Crystal Stars, equip yourself with these seven essential beginner tips-from mastering the unique battle system and collecting every hidden treasure, to leveraging your partners’ abilities and strategically using Badges. Your adventure to unlock the secrets behind the Thousand-Year Door starts here!
Below, we list a few tips to make sure you have an easy time starting out in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Don’t forget to pick up enemy drops
After defeating enemies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year-Door, don’t forget to pick up their drops, as items and coins do not automatically get collected. These drops can include valuable coins, healing items, or badges that enhance your abilities, so be sure to gather everything left behind on the battlefield before moving on to your next encounter.
After you beat an enemy, you don’t automatically collect the items from the enemy. Rather, the items will just explode onto the floor where the enemy was. Make sure to actually pick up the coins and items before you skitter off to your next fight.
Investigate everything
When starting Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year-Door, it’s crucial to investigate everything thoroughly. The game’s paper-based world is full of hidden treasures and secrets tucked away in unexpected places, so exploring every nook and cranny is essential. Look closely at objects and environments that seem out of place or misaligned, as they often conceal valuable items like Star Pieces or hidden passages. Don’t hesitate to smash suspicious objects with your hammer to uncover hidden loot. Additionally, use your party members’ unique abilities to access secret areas and gather clues. Taking screenshots of unusual spots can also help you remember places to revisit later when you have the right tools or partners.
Since the game is made of, well, paper, that means most of the décor and environment is flat. There might be a Star Piece or badge behind those paper-thin barrels or that bush in the foreground. You should also smush every bush with your hammer to find items, coins, and other useful things.
Don’t dwell too much on seemingly secret paths
While exploring Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it’s tempting to spend a lot of time chasing after seemingly secret paths or hidden areas. However, it’s best not to dwell too much on these at first. If you encounter something puzzling or out of reach, make a note of it and move on, as you might gain new abilities or find clues later that will help you access those areas more easily. This approach keeps your adventure flowing smoothly without getting stuck, allowing you to return later with better tools or information to uncover those secrets fully.
See a dog-eared paper covering something but you can’t grab it? Or maybe you see a huge crack in the wall but you hammer isn’t strong enough to smash it down? Don’t dwell on these and come back later. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock more party members and more abilities that will take care of these things easy-peasy, so don’t bother trying to grab that loose paper now.
Take advantage of letting your partner go first
When playing Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, letting your partner go first in battles can be a strategic advantage. Partners often have unique abilities that can weaken enemies, provide valuable information, or set up combos that make your attacks more effective. By allowing your partner to act first, you can capitalize on their special moves and better control the flow of combat, making fights more manageable and efficient. This approach also helps you learn the strengths of each partner and how best to utilize them in different situations, enhancing your overall battle strategy.
While you can control which enemy Mario and his friends jump on, some attacks (like Mario’s hammer or Koops’ shell) can only attack the first monster on the left. That being said, you’ll want to strategize who gets to attack first when you’re against a variety of enemies. Maybe Koops can kill the first enemy with his shell, but he won’t be able to reach the second enemy, who flies and thus dodges his shell – it’s in cases like this where you’ll want to do a little switcheroo.
Watch your item count
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, managing your item count is essential since Mario can carry only up to 15 items at a time, while the total storage capacity across all shops is 32 items combined. To avoid running out of space during your adventure, make use of the item storage feature available at any shop, allowing you to deposit and withdraw items as needed from different locations. This careful inventory management ensures you always have room for crucial healing items, badges, and other useful gear, helping you stay prepared for battles and exploration without being weighed down by excess items.
You can only hold a few items at a time and if you try to pick up an extra item, you’ll need to drop or use one of your items to get it. You can deposit extra items in storage via shopkeepers, so make sure to drop off any extra mushrooms or inn tickets that are cluttering your inventory.
Pay attention to that dialogue – or don’t and hear out Goombella
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year-Door, paying attention to the dialogue can enrich your experience, revealing useful hints and story details that help you navigate the game world. However, if you prefer to skip the chatter, Goombella is your go-to partner for quick insights. By pressing the X Button when she’s with you, Goombella provides helpful information about nearby characters and places, making her an invaluable guide whether or not you focus on the dialogue.
If you caught yourself dozing off and spamming the A button during one of Professor Frankly’s spiels, don’t worry. Goombella will provide hints on who to talk to or where to go next, if you press ZL.
While Professor Frankly will typically give you an assist on how to get to the next areas, sometimes impatience gets the best of us. It happens.
Try everything everywhere
When starting Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year-Door, the best approach is to try everything everywhere. The game is full of hidden treasures, secrets, and collectibles scattered throughout every nook and cranny, so exploring thoroughly is key to uncovering all its surprises. Don’t hesitate to interact with seemingly insignificant objects or revisit areas later, as new abilities or partners might unlock previously inaccessible spots. This curiosity-driven exploration will not only help you gather valuable items and badges but also deepen your understanding of the game’s world and story.
If you’re stuck in a dungeon in what seems to be a dead end, try everything. Use Flurrie’s wind on everything, try pushing objects around, and hammer everything in the room. Some things, like the aforementioned peeling paper walls and huge Xs on the floor, are more obvious hints as to what to do, but not everything is as simple as it may seem.
What hidden secrets should I uncover before starting Paper Mario TTYD on Switch
Before starting Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Switch, uncover these hidden secrets to enrich your adventure:
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Collect enemy drops and loot every battle: After defeating foes, their drops remain on the ground-be sure to pick up all coins and items before moving on.
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Explore every nook and cranny: The game’s paper-based world hides treasures in unexpected places, such as misaligned walls, cracked panels, or behind seemingly ordinary objects. Use your hammer to smash trees, grass, and other breakables for hidden items.
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Use Paper Mode and partner abilities to access secret areas: For example, after Chapter Two, use Paper Mode and Flurrie’s wind power to reveal a secret back door at the Trouble Center, uncovering a hidden plot twist and a Shine Sprite.
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Unlock special characters and rewards early: Lending money to the hamster at Rogueport docks will pay off later with triple returns. Completing the Trouble Center quest unlocks Mrs. Mowz, a valuable partner.
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Discover Easter eggs like turning Mario and partners into NES sprites: In Chapter Seven’s X-Naut Base, a hidden room lets you transform your characters’ appearance without affecting gameplay.
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Use strategic item buying and selling for easy money: Buy items like Sleepy Sheep in Rogueport and sell them in Petalburg for profit, then reverse the process with other goods to maximize coins.
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Take screenshots of suspicious areas: Document cracked walls or flaps that might indicate hidden passages you can revisit later with the right abilities.
These secrets not only enhance your exploration but also prepare you for deeper challenges in the game’s layered world.
What are the most overlooked hidden secrets in Paper Mario TTYD on Switch
The most overlooked hidden secrets in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Switch include:
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Secret trail in Boggly Woods near Flurrie’s House: Instead of using Plane Mode to reach a platform, head right on the ground floor to find a hidden trail with a Star Piece and a P-Down, D-Up P Badge hidden in a block along the way.
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Backside of the Trouble Center: After Chapter Two, use Paper Mode and Flurrie’s wind ability to access a secret back door revealing that the Robbo Thieves have been running the Trouble Center, a subtle plot Easter egg. A Shine Sprite is also hidden here, accessible after Chapter Three by sneaking out the back and climbing to the top of the building.
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Hidden area between crates in Rogueport: Use Paper Mode to slip between crates on the west side of Rogueport to find a secret item cache.
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Secret room in the first house on the left in Poshley Heights: Near the end of Chapter Six, use Paper Mode to enter a hidden area behind a wall rip, where you can find the HP Drain P badge-an easy way to add this rare badge to your collection.
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Easter egg transforming Mario and partners into 8-bit NES sprites: In Chapter Seven’s X-Naut Base, a hidden changing room lets you turn Mario and partners into retro sprites without affecting gameplay.
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Unlockable alternate outfits for Mario: Equipping the W Emblem, L Emblem, or both can change Mario’s clothes to Wario’s, Luigi’s, or Waluigi’s colors, respectively.
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Easy money-making tricks: Buying and selling items like Sleepy Sheep and Turtley Leaves between Rogueport and Petalburg can net you steady coin profits early on.
These secrets often require keen observation, use of Paper Mode, and revisiting locations with new abilities, making them easy to miss during a first playthrough.
