EarthBound Help: Beating the Bosses written by Paul Kuliniewicz version 1.0 *** Feel free to distribute this help file for the Super *** *** Nintendo game EarthBound. However, you may not edit *** *** or alter this file, i.e., it must be unchanged and *** *** unaltered. *** Note: if the asterisks (*) are not aligned in the avove notice, load an "equal-area" font or use Notepad in Windows 3.x. Overview So, you're having trouble with some of EarthBound's bosses? Well, you're reading the right file. Even with the tip book included with the game, bosses can be tough. Even in the Nintendo section in America Online (Keyword: NOA), their "beat the bosses" file is packed with errors. Whether it's Frank Fly or Gigyas who's driving you batty, you can find refuge in this file. So, sit back, relax, and be amazed how simple even the toughest bosses can become simple. However, don't think you'll always win with this file; it just takes experience with some enemies. "It's Greek to Me!" Due to the limitations of ASCII files, those Greek letters after psychic powers cannot be displayed. However, here is a listing of what they are called in this file: Alpha: looks like an oc glued side by side Beta: looks like a B Sigma: looks like a backwards E Gamma: looks like a curly-que Omega: looks like an upside-down U A Few Notes Remember to be patient whenever fighting a boss; they can be brutal! Follow the general strategies, but don't be scared to try out a new idea. After all, this is what I think works best. Sometimes the levels of the psychic power is shown. When it is, use that level is you have the PP. If no power level is shown, use whatever level you wish, but it's best to use the most powerful level you have. The Bosses Starman Junior: 200 HP, 999 PP, no shields Don't get cocky with this boss, because this is the only freebee you'll get! After all, Buzz Buzz protects you from PSI Freeze Alpha and PSI Fire Alpha. Just keep attacking or turn on Auto Fight and watch the outcome. This is meant for you to see what lies ahead. Frank Fly: 63 HP, 0 PP, no shields This guy is your "reality check" after the first boss. Make a trip into the Arcade and thrash the Sharks before battling Frank. Stock up on Hamburgers before the battle. Attack repeatedly and eat a Hamburger if you're feeling weak. If you're really low on HP, go ahead and use Lifeup Alpha. Frank isn't too tough to beat. Frankystein Mark II: 91 HP, 0 PP, no shields After you defeat Frank, he'll sic his home-maid robot on you. It's poorly built and has to release steam between each attack. Treat him just like Frank, but recharge your HP in between Frankystein's attacks to escape retaliation. Titanic Ant: 235 HP, 102 PP, can cast Shield of Light Alpha This ant is tough to stomp. Make PSI Special Alpha your first attack to dispatch of his toadies. After that, the Ant will occasionally suck your PP, so use most of it in the beginning. It's a good idea to use Hypnosis Alpha to save yourself from attack a few turns. Use mainly Bash attacks, and save PP for healing and hypnotizing the huge Ant. Onett Police Officers: 75 HP, 0 PP, no shields each Before you visit the Police Station, stock up on Hamburgers and Lucky Sandwiches. Unfortunately, you don't get a chance to refill your HP in between battles. Never let your HP drop below 30! I usually Bash the first two officers, PSI Special Alpha the third, and Bash the fourth. Chomp a Hamburger or, if you need lots of energy, a Lucky Sandwich or use Lifeup Alpha. Captain Strong: 140 HP, 0 PP, no shields Strong doesn't live up to his name very well. Try to keep your HP above 40. Start with a PSI Special Alpha, followed by Bash attacks. Refill your energy whenever necessary. He isn't so tough by himself, but he can be brutal after fights with four police officers. Al Everdred: about 170 HP, 0 PP, no shields The crime boss of Burglin Park is a wimp. The worst thing he'll do is to steal your items. Bash him regularly, with a PSI Special Alpha once if you want. For added protection, bring along a Teddy Bear. Mr. Carpainter: 262 HP, 70 PP, can cast Shield of Light Alpha This guy may look like he took one too many whiffs of that blue paint, but he'll paint you if you're not careful. Don't bother wasting PP except to refill your energy. He deals the most damage to himself with Lightning deflected by the Franklin Badge. One hint: don't ever give the Frankin Badge away! Mondo Mole: 498 HP, 161 PP, can cast Psychic Shield Alpha This guy is very powerful and can deal mortal damage to Paula easily. Use Paralysis Alpha on him immediately! Then, he can only use Offence Up à and PSI Shield à. Use psychic attacks unless he has his shield up. After that, repeatedly Bash him for an easy victory. Boogey Tent: about 500 HP, 0 PP, no shields This apparition isn't anything to worry about. Be sure to have a Vial of Serum in case he poisons you. Use PSI Fire and PSI Special to dispatch of this maniacal tent. A regular Bottle Rocket also works nicely. Mini Barf: about 550 HP, 0 PP, no shields This little pile of pond scum is tougher than he looks. Focus on Bash attacks until he makes you cry. Then, use a combo of PSI Freeze and PSI Special. You should also throw in a Bomb or two. Master Belch: 650 HP, 0 PP, no shields This slime's looks are the worst things about the Belcher. Use the Fly Honey immediately so Belch won't attack. After that, use a nice combo of Bash, PSI Freeze, and a PSI Special for variety. Don't waste any Bombs or Bottle Rockets of him; he's too easy. Trillionage Sprout: 1,048 HP, 240 PP, can cast Psychic Shield Alpha Be sure no one in your party is Mushroomized when you go up against the Sprout. Hi him immediately with your most powerful PSI Fire and PSI Special attacks to get rid of his helpers. Use PSI Fire and regular attacks throughout the battle. A Bomb or Bottle Rocket will also help. Don't spare any PP getting rid of this guy, unless he has his shield up. Guardian Diggers: 386 HP, 110 PP, starts with & can cast Shield of Light Beta each One note about these guys: never use a Bash or Item attack! Some of that damage will be delivered back to you. Use PSI Flash and a strong PSI Freeze to dispatch of each Digger. You may have to exit the cave once or twice to refill your HP and PP. Don't forget to bring Items that replenish PP, and take an Exit Mouse from the cave for a quick exit. Department Store Spook: about 800 HP, 200 PP, no shields The kidnapper of Paula is not a wimpy enemy! It can and will throw almost every psychic attack in the book at you. Counter with PSI Special and Bottle Rockets and Super Bombs. Don't buy any Big Bottle Rockets until you're ready to leave Fourside; the regular ones are powerful enough. Evil Mani Mani: 860 HP, 88 PP, can cast Psychic Shield Alpha Finally it's time to wreck this focus of Giygas's evil! Don't spare the PSI Special and throw a Super Bomb or two. You should also try the Counter-PSI Device once or twice. Once you crack the bronze idol, you'll end the illusionary Moonside for good. Clumsy Robot: 962 HP, 0 PP, starts with Psychic Shield Alpha Try as you might, you'll never beat him. It's a good idea to use Shield à on both Ness and Jeff. Repeatedly Bash the bot, but don't bother with any Bombs or Bottle Rockets. After a while, Eagleland's #1 band will flip the bot's power off. Schroom!: 1,700 HP, 112 PP, no shields This vile vegetable's most dangerous attack is the incurable Mushroomization. If one of your characters is hit with this, don't use any strong attacks with that person. A fast and furious volley of PSI Special, PSI Fire, and a Big Bottle Rocket will make this fungus among us wilt. Plague Rat of Doom: 1,827 HP, 60 PP, no shields Almost every one of the rat's attacks is a SMAAASH attack. Use Shield Sigma to protect your party quickly. The rodent hates getting burnt by PSI Fire! PSI Special and some Big Bottle Rockets work well too. A shot of Defence Down Alpha will also help the weaker Poo help Bash. Heal injured members quickly! Thunder & Storm: 2,065 HP, 70 PP, no shields Don't forget to wear the ever-useful Franklin Badge when fighting these Lightning Elementals! The duo likes to zap you with lots of lightning bolts. PSI Freeze will but these guardians on ice for good. Be ready to heal soon when they take deep breaths for their next assault -- that attack is brutal! Kraken: 1,097 HP, 176 PP, no shields The Kraken is a formidable beast, but nothing a high dosage of PSI Freeze can't rid of. He uses Lightning and the equivalents of both the Neutralizer and PSI Flash. Don't bother with any shields, because they won't block anything. Like all classic monsters, he breathes fire. Just attack him fast and attack him hard. Guardian General: 831 HP, 6 PP, no shields This stone warrior hates the icyness of a PSI Freeze onslaught. A quick lash with a Mummy Wrap will also greatly damage the living statue. Otherwise, use a Big Bottle Rocket and Bash Attacks, but don't drain too much PP; you don't get a free refill until you exit the pyramid! Master Barf: 1,319 HP, 0 PP, no shields This pile of God-knows-what is just Master Belch with some more putridness than before. Too bad he just filled up on Fly Honey and won't take any more. Again, PSI Freeze is your best weapon, along with PSI Special and a good Bash attack. After you deal so much damage to him, Poo will come back and demonstrate PSI Starstorm Alpha on your opponent! Starman Deluxe: 1,400 HP, 418 PP, starts with & can cast Shield of Light Beta The Starman Deluxe is one of Gigyas's favorite robots. It's capable of using PSI Starstorm Alpha, which will be devastating to your party's current status! Start with PSI Shield Alpha to save you. Attack using only psychic attacks, and have Jeff use Shield Killer on the boss. If the robot is joined by more Starmen, ignore them. They will disappear once their leader is scrapped. Electro Specter: 3,092 HP, 80 PP, starts with Psychic Shield Beta This guardian's shield is no problem. He often uses a Neutralizer, which will wreck his shield as well as yours. Once he does, try using a strong PSI Freeze on him. Using a Multi-Bottle Rocket will also help wear him down. If he doesn't drop the shields after a while, go ahead and use the Shield Killer. Carbon Dog: 1,672 HP, 0 PP, no shields This hot dog can't stand a good PSI Freeze Omega or two. Focus on beating him quickly. It's a good idea to launch a Multi- Bottle Rocket to end the battle against him. But wait! There's more! Diamond Dog: 3,344 HP, 154 PP, starts with & can cast Shield of Light Beta It makes sense; diamonds are made of almost pure carbon. Enough with the science lesson, though. Don't bother with Shield Killer because he'll make a new shield soon. Although no psychic power works especially well on him, try a good blast of PSI Special, PSI Freeze, and PSI Starstorm. It will also help to cast Shield Sigma to protect you from his fierce attacks. It takes time to beat him -- he's tougher than diamonds. Ness's Nightmare: 1,654 HP, 882 PP, starts with Psychic Shield Alpha, can cast Shield of Light Beta Is it any real coincidence that the Nightmare looks just like the Mani Mani statue? Be sure to have plenty of PP- replenishing items on hand. Use Bash attacks until he changes shields. Then use PSI Special Beta or Gamma, but not Omega! The ê level drains more PP than you can afford to lose. Heal whenever you're hit with a strong psychic attack. After all, he is your evil side; he can do anything you can. It may take a few tries to topple him once and for all. Be sure to equip an item that repels Flash attacks to avoid Crying. Don't waist time and PP with a shield; you can't block any of his attacks. Heavily Armed Pokey: limitless HP, limitless PP, no shields Gigyas (phase 1): limitless HP, limitless PP, Super Shield that never disappears and deflects everything Get ready -- it's going to be a long battle. Immediately cast three or four PSI Shield Sigma to block Gigyas's PSI Special attacks. Don't dare use Omega level, because it will bounce off you, bounce off Gigyas, and hurt you! Focus entirely on Pokey. Use PSI Brainshock Alpha on Pokey to make him attack himself. Launch Bash attacks and Multi-Bottle Rockets at him. Eventually, Pokey will leave, turn off the Devil's Machine, and reveal the true form of Gigyas! Gigyas (phase 2): limitless HP, 0 PP, no shields Gigyas now appears as an undulating background. Don't bother with shields, because you can't comprehend his attacks. Go ahead and show off with your PSI Special Omega, PSI Freeze Omega, PSI Starstorm Omega, and any Multi-Bottle Rockets you may have left. His attacks have the effects of either Lightning, PSI Flash, or a PSI Freeze that hits everybody. Heal up and don't let anyone die! After a while Pokey will taunt you about calling for help. Gigyas (phase 3): limitless HP, 0 PP, no shields Gigyas's previous form now becomes more furious and tumultuous. Don't bother with any attacks -- they won't help you now. Save PP for Lifeup and Healing. Use Poo's Brainshock Alpha to make Gigyas attack himself. It doesn't make the battle faster, but it saves you from a round or two of damage. Use Paula's Pray command repeatedly to spell Gigyas's doom. The hope of the Mr. Saturn, the Runaway Five, Paula's friends, Jeff's friends, Poo's girlfriends, Frank Fly, Ness's Mom and sister, and finally you, the one staring at the computer screen, will destroy Gigyas! Mail If you have any corrections or new ideas for how to beat a boss, I'd love to hear it. You can also ask me about a particular area you just can't get through. If you have e- mail, send it to Borg953@aol.com with the subject "About EBBOSSES.TXT". Who knows; your idea may be put in a future version of this file! Be sure to include your e-mail address for a response in a week or two. If you have any ideas for the possible sequel, I don't want to hear it. But Nintendo might! Send them to Nintendo@nintendo.com with your idea and e-mail address. I don't know when a reply will come, but they love to hear from Nintendo fans! Thank you for reading EarthBound Help: Beating the Bosses. Good luck! Nintendo, EarthBound, and all those character names are the property of Nintendo of America Inc. To experience Nintendo Power in cyberspace, link up to http://www.nintendo.com/ any time. America Online is a trademark of the America Online computer network system. 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