Prologue - A Rogue's Welcome

The Following is an in-depth guide for the Prologue for Paper Mario: TTYD.

After you are dropped off at Rogueport Dock, the first thing you encounter is a block with an S on it. This is a Save Block, and you can use it to save your game. They are scattered across the game in small chunks so you can easily manage how long you are playing the game. After that, you encounter a goomba fighting some sort of armored creature. This creature is Lord Crump, an X-Naut. You then hop into battle with him.

Max HP: 5

Attack: 1

Defense: 0

He isn't very strong, and you'll beat him definitely even without using action commands. Goombella explains that star points level up your character when you get 100 of them. You then barely escape from the X-Nauts and get into the normal Rogueport area. After a talk with Toadsworth, Goombella officially joins your party. Her ability on the field is that she can explain the area or give insight on certain characters. After that, Goombella says that you should go see professor Frankley, who lives in East Rogueport. If you go West instead, you see the Cheff, Zess T., stumbling around. She says that she's looking for her contacts, and you shouldn't move an inch. If you do... (Which is forced in order to get out of this scenario,) You will step on her contacts, and they break. She says she will guard the entrance to West Rogueport until you buy her contacts from the Shop. The Shop is the building with the Fire Flower sign. You have to schedule an order for the contacts with the owner inside. The contacts cost 10 coins and are available after chapter 1. On the other side of the shop, there is Podley's Place. (Bed Sign.) Upstairs is the Inn, where you can spend coins to fully replenish HP and FP, as well as for your partners. To the left, there's a door. This leads to a bridge to the other side, where there's a badge shop, but it isn't open yet. If you keep jumping across the roofs to the left, you'll find a star piece. You'll find another star piece if you go through the middle pathway in the square, head left and go through the door and then check behind the mattress in that room. Go back to the main square and check behind the boxes to the right to get a third star piece. Head through the door to the right. After that, a bandit will pass by and steal 50 coins from you. In order to get them back, head to the place where you got the second star piece, (behind Podley's Place to the left) if you want your coins back. In the East area of Rogueport, walk into the brick wall right before the buildings. It will reveal a secret area. If you jump on the crates and continue right, you will get a fourth star piece. After that, the first building to the east is Merlon's place. (Shine Sprite sign.) He can help you level up your characters in exchange for three shine sprites. You won't have any sprites now, but make sure to come back later once you do. Go into the second building to where Professor Frankley is.  He explains that the 7 crystal stars are needed to get the magic treasure. The only thing you need to find where the stars are is the map that you already have. Frankly guides you outside to a pipe, but you have a chance for him to tell you about action commands, which would be helpful if you don't already know them, or aren't as familiar with the games. Go down the warp pipe. It leads you to the sewers in Rogueport. If you head to the left from here, you reach a path to Merluvlee. If you pay her certain prices, she will give hints as to where a star piece or shine sprite might be. Go back to the room and head right. You'll reach a battle with a group of goombas. Pick your actions carefully, as the enemies are varying in how you must defeat them.

Max HP: 2

Attack: 1

Defense: 0

Max HP: 2

Attack: 1

Defense: 0

Max HP: 2

Attack: 2

Defense: 0

They are quite simple though, and you should beat them without much trouble. Go across, to the right, and up the steps. Then go around the corner and head left across the moving platform into a green pipe with a fence in front of it. Go in the pipe. If you walk down the steps in the new room, you'll see two question mark boxes. Use your hammer on them both to get a mushroom and a fire flower. Go down the pipe at the end and you'll see a large yellow box with a face. Behind it you can find a star piece. In this new area you'll find some Spinia.

Max HP: 3

Attack: 1

Defense: 0

In the room, go to the right and hit the blue block with the ! on it. Walk up the newly formed steps and fall down onto the piece of ground to get the black key. Enter the doorway at the top of the stairs and give the key to the chest. The chest with curse Mario with the ability to turn into a paper airplane if he walks over certain floors. Walk out of the doorway and head to the left, where there will be one of those floors. Press Y to turn into a paper airplane. In order to control the airplane, you can either press the left stick in the direction you are pointing to go down but fast or press against the direction you are going to go slow but get a slight burst upwards in trajectory. After you cross that gap, head left to reach the Thousand Year Door. After you stand on the pedestal in front of the door, you'll get a cutscene about how the door left a mark on where the Diamond Star is located on your map. You also gain the star power ability, which is a renewable source during battle that can increase faster the more people are in your audiance. You then use your star power on certain abilities. The ability you are given now, Sweet Treat, is a very good one. It has you repeatedly press the left stick left in order to shoot crystals to the right of the battle screen. If the crystals hit any of the raining items, like Mario HP, Partner HP, FP, (or a poison mushroom that slows your shooting,) you will get that respective item. Return to the surface, where Frankly tells you that the map is pointing to Petal Medows, and gives you a Power Smash badge along with you. This badge is very helpful on high HP bosses, and I recommend having it equipped for the entire game. Go back into the underground, and head left. A new guy will be there, Dazzle. Dazzle trades his badges for your star pieces, and are the main use for them in the game. Search behind the column behind Dazzle to find a star piece. go back right and use the paper airplane spot on the ground the travel all the way to the right doorway. Go through to find a tentacle on the ground. Use your hammer on it to wake the Blooper up and fight it.

Max HP: 12

Attack: 1

Defense: 0

 Max HP: 3

Attack: 1

Defense: 0

In order to defeat the Blooper, you have to defeat his tentacles first and then attack him directly. This is a good opportunity to use Power Smash against the head of the Blooper. He'll try and slap your head, which you'll block right before he hits, and he'll also try and spray you with ink when he doesn't have tentacles, where he bounces up once, and then sprays and the apex of his second. After he's defeated, moving platforms will appear in the water. ride them to the pipe that starts Chapter 1.

 Next: Chapter 1