Palace of Shadow
You'll find yourself in the Palace of Shadow. Enter the room to the right and head up to find a hidden platform where you can pick up a Stopwatch. You'll find a long staircase heading down with Swoopula enemies along the way. Flurrie's Gale Force makes very quick work of these guys. At the end of the staircase you can find another hidden platform with a Shooting Star.
As soon as you enter the next room you can pick up a Mr. Softener from the block. Head down the stairs in this room, defeating the enemies along the way. When you get to the bottom you'll have golden Bombshell Bills shooting at you. You can just jump on them to defeat them, but if you want them in your tattle log you'll need to battle one here.
You'll eventually come across the two Bombshell Bill Blasters that are shooting at you. They have high defense and will keep summoning Bombshell Bills, so take them out with defense piercing moves like Piercing Blow, Shell Slam, or various items.
In the next room there are spikes that emerge from the floor. Just walk very slowly and you'll see them appear before running into them. You can pick up the All or Nothing badge from a block here. Continue to navigate this room by avoiding the spikes and taking out the Swoopula along the way.
In the next room you'll need to jump over the series of flame obstacles as you run to the right. If you get burned you'll take damage and be sent to the beginning of the room. When you get to the second half there will be shorter flame rows you can jump over and taller ones that you can't. Use Vivian in this section to sneak under the taller flame rows. There is a heart block waiting for you at the end of the room.
The next room is empty besides a pile of Dark Bones near the door. Speak to it and it will summon a horde of Dry Bones to scare you off. Hammer your way through the horde and chase down the Dark Bones to fight it in battle. You'll want to focus on moves that deal damage to all enemies in this battle, as Dry Bones will rise again after a couple turns. Koops's Shell Slam is perfect for this as it also ignores their high defense. After Dark Bones is defeated it will leave behind the Palace Key, which you can use on the door to the right.
You'll be greeted by another pair of Bombshell Bill Blasters, so make your way down the hallway to take them out. The large groups of Phantom Embers you'll find below can be taken out with a single Gale Force from Flurrie. There is one more set of Bombshell Bill Blasters at the end of the bottom hallway to defeat before heading into the next room.
In the next room you'll find a few enemies as well as a save block. You can also find blocks containing a P-Up, D-Down P badge as well as an Ice Storm. The next room contains a staircase with 4 doors. This secret to this looping room is to always enter the door with a lit torch in front. Otherwise you'll be sent back to the beginning of the puzzle. After doing this several times, you'll exit this looping staircase.
You'll emerge out into a courtyard that resembles the Underground City. Here you'll find two Chain Chomps who are guarding a heart block and a save block. Take them out and heal up, and then use the door on the right. Here you'll need to head right through four long hallways with a couple enemies and items to pick up along the way.
Gloomtail
When you get through the series of hallways you'll end up in the lair of a powerful boss: Gloomtail. He's the older brother of Hooktail. He has 80 HP, 8 Attack, and 2 Defense. If you've already completed the Pit of 100 Trials, Gloomtail shouldn't be too much of a challenge. A good strategy is to use your SP on Power Lift so you always have boosted attack and defense. You can also use Vivian or Koops to help dodge attacks as needed.
When Gloomtail gets low on health he can give himself a massive attack boost. This is his Mega Breath attack, so make sure to use Vivian's Veil attack to hide from it altogether. Just keep giving yourself boosts with Power Lift and using powerful attacks to eat away at the damage. Piercing Blow is great as it ignores his defense.
Eventually Gloomtail will be defeated and a chest will appear. Inside you can grab the Star Stone, which we'll make use of later. You can use Bobbery to blow a hole in the cracked wall to the right and find a secret room that contains some useful items. Make sure to save and then make the trek back through the long hallways to the left.
Back in the courtyard, you'll notice two cracked chain-chomp statues. Blow them up by throwing Bobbery into their mouths and it will reveal two pipes leading to the background. Whack the blue switches back here and you'll get access to two boat panels. Use these to sail to the building with the red door in the center of the water.
Tower
This is the Palace of Shadow Tower. There are eight doors here, but you'll notice that you can't enter any of them. Head up the spiral staircase and place the Star Stone in the pedestal. This will reveal eight pillars and allow you to enter the doors in this tower.
Head down to the first floor and enter the first door on the right. Read the sign on the wall that presents a riddle. Walk a few tiles to the right in the center of the room and use Flurrie to blow away a paper covering a blue block. Whack it to reveal a chest containing a Tower Key.
Enter the next room on the right and read another riddle. This one is simple: there is a spot in the wall you can simply walk through. Activate the next switch to reveal another chest containing a Tower Key.
Enter the room on the left closest to the entrance and read the riddle on the wall. You'll need to hit the block to the left three times and then the block to the right twice to reveal the chest. Open it to get another Tower Key.
Enter the other room on the left and read the riddle and then break the stone block to the left. Now leave the room and head upstairs and enter the room directly above it. The block you broke below will also be broken above. Break the other two stone blocks in this room and then head back to the room below. You can now break the final stone block in this room and activate the switch for another Tower Key. Enter the room above once more and hit the blue block to reveal another chest containing a Tower Key.
Check out the other room to the left on the second floor. You must defeat the Dry Bones in this room in order from weakest to strongest. The correct order is tan, pink, white, blue. If you encounter the wrong one, just run away. You can defeat the first three with First Strike and then battle the blue one. A blue switch will appear which spawns another chest containing a Tower Key.
Head over to the right side of the second floor and enter the first room. All you need to do in this room is hide in the shadows with Vivian. A blue block will appear which spawns another chest containing a Tower Key.
Enter the final room on the right and read the riddle. Use Bobbery to blow a hole in the middle of the wall to the right. Then hit the blue switch and pick up the final Tower Key.
Shadow Sirens
Once you've collected all eight keys, head to the top of the tower and use a key on each pillar. After this sequence unfolds, exit the tower and make sure to heal up and use the save block. Then head to the right and you'll run into the Three (Two) Shadows and Doopliss. It turns out the Professor Frankly that was with us earlier was really Doopliss in disguise.
You'll now need to battle the Shadow Sirens and Doopliss. Even though we've fought them all before, these count as different entries in your tattle log, so don't forget to Tattle if you want to complete that. Doopliss has 40 HP, 6 Attack, and 0 Defense. Marilyn has 40 HP, 7 Attack, and 0 Defense. Beldam has 30 HP, 5 Attack, and 0 Defense.
Doopliss will occasionally transform into Mario or your active partner. Marilyn can deal some decent damage and Beldam can inflict various status conditions. A good strategy is to use Power Lift and then use attacks that target all three of them. An item to immobilize them isn't a bad idea either. They shouldn't be too tricky compared to some of the other fights we've already conquered.
Once they are defeated, the three will be knocked out on the ground and you can proceed to the right. You might want to take advantage of the nearby heart and save blocks first. This area has now transformed and you can head down the staircase. There are a few enemies to defeat at the bottom. You can then use Flurrie to blow away a paper covering an entrance to another staircase. Take the hidden staircase up and then use Yoshi's flutter jump to cross the gap.
You'll need to make good use of your partner's abilities to solve the puzzles in this room. Start by charging up Koops's shell to hit the red switch, but wait to release it until Mario has reached the top of the stairs. You can then activate the switch and quickly jump to the other side. Pick up an item from the block and continue to the next room.
Ignore the blocks to the right and head through the door to the left. Hit the small green block here to raise the large green block in the other room. Then return there and use Yoshi to cross the gap. Drop down to the right where there is a large purple and red block. Use Bobbery to activate the switch on a delay while you stand on the purple block and wait for it to raise. Use Yoshi to cross the gap when you get up.
Once you near the red switch, charge Koops's shell to hit it but wait until you jump down and land on the large red block. Then activate the switch and hop off to the right when you pass the ledge. Use Yoshi to get over the small gap and enter the door on the right.
You may not notice at first, but there are pipes above in this room that you can spring jump up to and use to cross the gaps. In the next room you can defeat some enemies and head all the way to the left to find an item in a chest.
Climb the stairs in this room and then toss Bobbery down to activate the switch. Quickly jump across the gap and prepare to be attacked by a Chain Chomp. Note the pattern on the wall (or refer to our screenshot) and head up the stairs to the left. Jump onto the middle platform of the wheel to the right and use Koops to grab the key on the platform to the right. Then return to the save block and enter the locked door.
Grab the item from the block in this room and head up the stairs. You'll need to use tube mode to get up the next staircase and defeat the enemy above. Then activate the stars in the same pattern we saw earlier using the red switches. This activate the wooden wheel, so return to the room to the right.
Ride the wooden wheel to the other side, nabbing the Life Shroom from the item box along the way. Use Flurrie, your ultra hammer, and a spin jump to get through the obstacle in this room. Carefully walk across the narrow platform in the next area and take the door to the right.
The next room is a giant area with an airplane panel that you can use to reach various platforms in the room. If you miss one, you can fall to the bottom and head left to take the spring back up. Land on the middle platform with a doorway first.
Head to the left in this room and you'll find a red switch. Activate it and then hop on Yoshi to quickly run up and around the staircases and flutter jump across the platform. You'll then reach a chest that contains the Palace Key. Return to the airplane panel and use it to reach the locked door on the right.
This is the final room of the palace before the boss, so there are a variety of items in boxes you can pick up to prepare for the upcoming fights. There is also a heart block and save block that you'll definitely want to take advantage of. Make sure you've got all the badges equipped that you'd like before heading through the door to the right.
Grodus
Enter the next room to come face to face with Grodus. He reveals that he was using you to gather Crystal Stars and open the door for him all along. Grodus has 50 HP, 7 Attack, and 1 Defense. Each Grodus X that surrounds him increases his Defense by 1, and four together create a shield that prevents all damage.
As with most battles with small enemies that respawn, the key t this fight is using Flurrie's Gale Force to blow away all of them at once. This will leave Grodus fully vulnerable to your strongest attacks. Grodus doesn't really use any special tactics besides summoning his Grodus X, so just keep repeating this process until he is defeated.
Once he has been defeated, Grodus will reveal that he has hidden Peach under a panel in this throne room all along. Grodus will then start attacking you outside of battle. Choose to attack him again, but before you can Bowser will drop through the ceiling and land on his head.
Bowser
This takes care of Grodus for now, but you'll now need to fight Bowser and Kammy Koopa. Bowser has 70 HP, 7 Attack, and 2 Defense. Kammy Koopa has 50 HP, 5 Attack, and 0 Defense. Bowser uses his fire breathing and bad breath to burn and poison you. Meanwhile Kammy can cast magic spells to give buffs to herself and bowser and heal.
You'll want to focus on Kammy first so that she can't use her magic to prolong the fight. She may heal herself if her HP gets too low, so try to knock her out from above 10 HP if possible. You can use Yoshi's Gulp to damage Bowser and Kammy while she is alive and then switch to Bobbery when it's just Bowser. Besides that you just want to use Mario's strongest attacks on Bowser, especially ones that ignore defense.
Eventually Bowser will be defeated but Grodus and Peach are nowhere to be seen. You'll catch a glimpse of them running into a room hidden behind the throne to the right. Inside the next room is a long staircase leading down into the depths. You'll find an Ultra Shroom, a Jammin' Jelly, a heart block, and a save block to prepare you for the final fight through the door to the right.
Final Boss
Once inside the tomb, Grodus reveals that his plan was to turn Peach into the Shadow Queen, the most powerful witch to ever exist. The spirit will exit her tomb and spread darkness over all the land before entering her vessel: Peach. The Shadow Queen makes quick work of Grodus, who she has no use for. It is then revealed that is was Beldam of the Three Shadows who spread the rumor of a great treasure in the Thousand Year Door to bring the Shadow Queen back.
The Shadow Queen is the true final boss of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. The Shadow Queen has a whopping 150 HP, 7 Attack, and 0 Defense. She will primarily use lightning to attack, but also has the ability to +3 her Attack and Defense. You should also use Power Lift to give you and your team a similar boost.
While the Shadow Queen has no defense, Yoshi is a great partner to use to get some damage in. When she has a defense buff, it's better to switch to Bobbery. Using an attack like Piercing Blow is a great option when she has a defense buff as well. She will occasionally use a very powerful attack where she pulls you into the shadows and repeatedely deals damage.
When you get the Shadow Queen down to around half health, she will claim that Peach's body is holding her back and switch to her true form. At the beginning of this phase, your attacks will be completely useless, so don't waste your time. You must attempt some form of offensive attack each turn, but focus on defense and restoring HP. You'll need to survive three turns of this to progress the fight. You can't just hide in the shadows with Vivian either, as the fight will not progress when this happens.
After surviving for three turns, the Shadow Queen will fully heal and give you one more chance to join her. When you refuse, the Crystal Stars and the people from all the areas you visited will save the day by restoring Mario's health and ability to damage the Shadow Queen.
After this lengthy cutscene, the battle will resume. This is a different form than before, so you'll need to Tattle again. The Shadow Queen still has 150 HP and 7 Attack, but also has 1 Defense now. You'll want to make sure to use Power Lift to keep a good attack and defense buff throughout the fight. A good strategy is to use Koops's Shell Slam to take out the hands and deal damage to the Queen herself.
When the Shadow Queen gives herself a +7 Attack and is charging up (rainbow), it's best to just use Vivian's Veil to avoid a massive attack. Keep using Koops's Shell Slam to take out the two large hands, Bobbery's Bob-ombast to take out the tiny hands, and Vivian to avoid the big attacks. Make sure to keep your HP and FP healthy with items and star power and your buffs up with Power Lift as well.
The Shadow Queen can heal a little HP by draining it from you with her large hands, but besides that she won't be able to heal herself fully again. Just keep using the strategy above and powerful attacks with Mario to whittle away her HP until she has been defeated.
After the battle, the Shadow Queen will be vanquished and Peach will be left unharmed. Professor Frankly will show up and he apparently has found the legendary treasure, but no one is really interested at this point. A final cutscene will play where Mario and Peach leave Rogueport and say goodbye to all the partners who helped along the way. Mario and Peach then sail away back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
When you arrive back and discuss your adventure with Luigi, Goombella will give you a call and fill you in on what's going on in Rogueport. Congratulations on beating Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door! However, there are still a few Trouble Center Quests to complete that are only available after beating the game as well as a few final collectibles if you are so inclined.
Trouble Center
Roust these cads!
Doe T. wants to visit the Great Boggly Tree, but there are enemies in the way. Warp over to the Great Tree and then head left two screens to the area with the circular bushes. Speak to Doe T. at the beginning of this area and then clear out all the enemies in the area. You should be able to do this with First Strike. You'll get 30 coins as a reward.
Help me make up.
Bub got in a fight with his mom and needs your help. Warp on over to Poshley Heights and pay him a visit near the Sanctum. He wants to give his mom a gift, either a Shroom Cake, Keel Mango, or Fright Mask. Pick whichever one you already have if possible. Hand one over and he'll wrap it up in a Present for you to deliver.
Bring the present to his mom on the west side of town and she'll read the letter he attached. After an emotional reading she'll want you to bring him over to speak with her. Return to Bub and he'll give you his entire fortune as a reward: 3 coins.
Erase that graffiti!
Swob wants someone to erase the graffiti in the Pit of 100 Trials. Speak to him next to the cannon statue in Fahr Outpost to get details. He was the one who did the graffiti on the wall after falling for a hoax. This may sound like a monumental task, but if you've completed the Pit already you can pay the mover 300 coins to go straight to Level 50.
Once you are at Level 50, you'll see the graffiti on the left wall. Use Bobbery to blow it up (is this really better than having graffiti on the wall?). You can then exit the it right away and return to Fahr Outpost and report to Swob. You'll get a Snow Bunny as a reward.
Final Secrets
There's a few more things to do if you haven't already. If you return to the Glitz Pit you can have an Exhibition Match with Prince Mush, the original Glitz Pit champion. This is required if you want to complete your tattle log. The fight can be quite challenging if your superguarding isn't on point. He has 96 HP, 6 Attack, and 6 Defense. He has different stances where you can only damage him with certain types of moves.
The key to this fight is superguarding (pressing B right before an attack hits) Prince Mush's attacks. Doing so will temporarily drop his defense to 0. During the second phase, this is the only way to deal any damage. If you can superguard consistently this fight can be quite easy, but you'll need to be able to do it at least a few times to win and become the true champion of the Glitz Pit.
If you've cleared the Pit of 100 Trials, beat the game, and collected all the Whacka Bumps from Whacka (west of Pirate's Grotto) you'll get an email that a new creature has been spotted at the bottom of the Pit of 100 Trials. If you go through the pit and make it back to the 100th floor, you can battle Whacka. He's not too difficult, but you want to minimize the number of time you hit him since he gets another attack for each of yours. You'll need to use Tattle on him if you want to complete your tattle log.
If you've collected all badges, completed the tattle log, and made every recipe in the game with Zess T., you'll get an email congratulating you and pointing you to the center of Rogueport. Go check out the gallows at the center of the square and you'll find a Gold Medal badge waiting for you. Wearing it turns Mario gold and proves that you completed Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door 100%!
Back to Chapter 7: Mario Shoots the Moon
