Paper Mario: The Origami King Earth Vellumental boss fight guide

Paper Mario: The Origami King’s boss fights introduce a twist on the game’s spinning ring-based combat. In every fight against a Boss or a Vellumental, like this fight against the Earth Vellumental in Picnic Road, you’ll have to chart a path for Mario from the outside ring in and land on an attack action.

Every boss fight in Paper Mario: The Origami King has rules that you’ll learn over the course of your turns. Not knowing them means you’ll waste turns and open yourself to more damage.

In this Paper Mario: The Origami King guide, we’ll let you know the rules to the Earth Vellumental fight in Picnic Road so you don’t have to learn them the hard way, and then we’ll give you step-by-step guides to defeating it.

Earth Vellumental boss fight strategy

Your boots will not do any damage in this fight, so you’ll only be attacking with hammers. Specifically, you’re aiming for exposed body parts — its head, legs, or tail. Hitting these with strong hammer — you should have at least one or two Shiny Hammers with you — attacks will drain its health, and open it up to more powerful attacks.

Your goal is to drain its health, hit its tail, and then finish it off with a 1,000-Fold Arms Magic Circle attack.

1. The tutorial will lead you to attack one of its legs on your first move. Hit it with a Shiny Hammer (if you have one).
2. Attack another leg on your second — this will bring its health down quite a bit.
3. On your third attack, try to get around to the tail — hints in the temple and in the envelopes will tell you the tail is its weakest point. Hitting the tail will make the Earth Vellumental pull all of its limbs inside its shell.
4. When the Earth Vellumental is fully withdrawn into its shell, aim for a 1,000-Fold Arms Magic Circle. You’ll throw the Vellumental to flip it, and then enter a Rush Time!.

If you don’t defeat the Earth Vellumental during the Rush Time!, it’ll recharge about half of its health. Repeat the process — hit limbs and then the tail with a Shiny Hammer attack, and then use a 1,000-Fold Arms Magic Circle to finish it off.

Earth Vellumental boss fight step-by-step

Knowing what to do and managing to do it are sometimes two different things in Paper Mario: The Origami King. Below, we’ll go step-by-step through this fight.

Turn 1

Image: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo via Polygon

1. Spin the outermost ring two segments counterclockwise.
2. Spin the innermost ring one segment counterclockwise.
3. Burn your last Ring Move by just hitting A twice.
4. Hit the leg with a hammer attack — preferably a Shiny Hammer.
5. The Earth Vellumental will attack you with three Sandblast attacks.

Turn 2

Image: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo via Polygon

1. Spin the outermost ring two segments counterclockwise.
2. Spin the innermost ring three segments clockwise.
3. Those two moves will get you to the attack you need. You can either burn the last move, or spin the treasure chest into your path.
4. Hit this leg with another Shiny Hammer attack.
5. You’ll get hit with a few more Sandblast attacks.

Turn 3

Image: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo via Polygon

If you’ve done Excellent on your Command Actions, you can hit its tail now.

1. Spin the outermost ring two segments clockwise.
2. Spin the third ring in three segments clockwise.
3. Spin the innermost ring one segment counterclockwise.
4. Hit the Earth Vellumental’s tail with your Shiny Hammer.
5. It’ll pull its limbs into its shell. This time, you’ll get hit with a Rough Landing attack.

Turn 4

Image: Intelligent Systems/Nintendo via Polygon

Now it’s time for a 1,000-Fold Arms Magic Circle attack.

1. Spin the outermost ring two segments clockwise.
2. Spin the innermost ring one segment counterclockwise to land on a Magic Circle.
3. Burn your third move.
4. Activate 1,000-Fold Arms and follow the prompts to flip the Earth Vellumental, and then enter a Rush Time! to finish it off.