Bowser's Keep 2
Items:
4 Rock Candy
Super Slap
Fright Bomb
Ice Bomb
2 Fire Bombs (optional)
Kerokerocola
Royal Syrup (optional)
Level Ups:
Bowser [14]: ATK (after Exor)
Peach [15]: SP (after Exor)
Battles:
Magikoopa
Boomer
Exor
If you didn't do Nimbus Manip, leave Bowser's Keep and go to Mario's Pad to perform Mario's Pad Manip before progressing any further.
Progress through the castle and avoid all encounters until you reach the area with 6 doors.
(video credit: Mill)
Your door order will depend on which form of Bowser Door Manip you performed. Consult that page for further directions on door selection.
If you go into a battle room by accident, unequip all armor and defend. There is no game over (besides lost time) for failing a battle room, you are simply transported back to the door lobby.
Choose the bottom option (no) to all tutorials.
If possible, do the Dr. Topper doors before the action platforming doors, in order to be able to set up the Factory Wrong Warp successfully.
Room Strategies:
Trivia Door:
Part 1: Dr. Topper questions
Question order is random out of a pool of 40 possible questions. Multiple choice, 3 answers each
Move up 1 space for a correct answer, down 2 spaces for a wrong answer, down 1 space for not answering in 5 seconds.
You will want to practice these. See the reference list here and practice tools here.
Part 2: Barrel Puzzle
Count differently coloured barrels and add to the base for each area. If you have trouble distinguishing between them, just count them, you have lots of time.
First area: 12 base
Second area: 43 base
Part 3: Race Puzzle
Talk to Goomba, then talk to Dry Bones, then talk to Cheep Cheep to figure out the order. Their placements are random.
You will want to know beforehand which message corresponds to which place. The reference list is here. Tips for memorizing the Japanese version are here.
Remember to attempt the Wrong Warp later in the Factory if Goomba was in 3rd or 4th, and if you've already done the cannonball room.
Take the Rock Candy.
Puzzle Door:
Part 1: Coin Puzzle
Fastest: count total coins and take 4 at a time until 10, then until 15.
Safest: Take 4 on your first round, then only take enough to make the total a multiple of 5.
Part 2: Button Puzzle
Jump on the buttons marked in red in this image.
Part 3: Ball Solitaire
0 1 2* 3
4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15
There are many solutions to this puzzle. Here is one:
10 UP
4 RIGHT
12 UP
13 UP
1 DOWN
3 LEFT
7 LEFT
15 LEFT
0 RIGHT
4 RIGHT
13 UP
5 RIGHT
11 UP
3 LEFT
The practice app can help you memorize this if you find yourself losing time here to read the move list.
(video credit: Mill)
Take the Rock Candy.
Platforming Door 1 ("Invis"):
Get Fright Bomb (if you don't already have one), get Ice Bomb, and get Rock Candy (all 3 chests on left side) in 1st room.
In the 2nd room, if you want to be have a Fire Bomb for Smithy, there is one in the upper-right chest (takes about ~2.7 seconds to get). This is useful if you want to attempt gambling with Fire Bombs on Smithy 2 to potentially save time on that fight.
Can skip Donkey in room 3 if you're really far left on the edge running towards him (saves 2 - 3 seconds)
Get Super Slap.
(video credit: Mill)
Platforming Door 2 ("Plat"):
(video credit: Lack)
[In the first room with the levitating platforms, if you ride the final platform to the top and run all the way back, you can get a KeroKeroCola (slower but easier than the one in the final room)]
In cannonball/bob-ombs room, get Rock Candy (middle right chest). If you've already done both Dr. Topper doors, hold Down on your D-pad as you jump off the cannonball the final time so that you set up the Wrong Warp.
In paired rotating platforms room, get Royal Syrup if you want it & KeroKeroCola (last 2 chests in middle column). You can also grab the Fire Bomb in the far right middle (takes about 4 seconds) if you want it for attempting the Smithy 2 fire bomb gamble. Timestamp 1m47s in the video below shows the movement for this.
Proceed through Thwomp Room, jumping in anticipation of the thwomps landing.
(video credit: Lack)
NIMBUS LAND | MARIO'S PAD | BOWSER'S KEEP (2) | FACTORY