Pirabbid Plant

This “noxious fire weed” is highly mobile and deals a lot of damage, but isn’t exactly the sturdiest of critters. Its Super Effect of choice is Burn, doled out by a rocket launcher that also destroys cover. There are a handful of Ziggies scattered around the map ready to take advantage if your squad finds itself out of cover.

Make use of the explosive cover boxes around the battlefield by blowing them up whenever a Ziggy tries to take shelter, using either Rabbid Peach or Luigi’s explosive Sentry Drones. Luigi excels on high ground and has the longest-range weapon, so get him on elevated ground ASAP. Mario’s Hero Sight and Luigi’s Steely Stare work wonders here, since the Pirabbid is so mobile and those abilities trigger on sight. Plus, Luigi can hit the Pirabbid from almost anywhere on the battlefield.

Your goal is only to defeat the boss, not everyone on the battlefield, so don’t get too distracted by the little Ziggies. If the Ziggies have their reaction shot abilities active, use a Sentry Drone to take those shots so your characters can still move around the field. The Pirabbid should go down in just a few turns.

Rabbid Kong

The trick to Rabbid Kong is getting rid of his bananas. To do so, you need to step on the banana-emblazoned pressure plate in front of them. That drops his bananas through a trapdoor and makes him vulnerable to attack.

But you don’t need to do it yourself. You can knock a Ziggy onto the rectangle or even send a Sentry Drone over. Be aware, Rabbid Kong will use the closest character to him as a butt scratcher and they’ll take quite a bit of damage.

There are two other banana piles around the edge of the battlefield. Rabbid Kong will move to the one on the left, then the one on the opposite end from him, so get your team facing the right way in cover.

Watch out for Rabbid Kong’s shockwave ability, which pushes everyone out of cover unless they’re standing behind a tall cover block. Enemies will spawn throughout the fight. Get rid of his bananas three times and you’ll get rid of him, too.

Blizzy & Sandy

This mid-boss is two different enemies with complementary abilities. Blizzy’s an ice-based sniper who takes reaction shots, while Sandy is more mobile and uses rockets with Burn to destroy cover and force you into the open. A smattering of Ziggies will take advantage of the chaos with reaction shots as well.

To take these guys down, start off by taking out a few Ziggies to avoid a mountain of reaction shots (or use Sentry Drones). Use defensive abilities such as Rabbid Peach’s Shield or Rabbid Luigi’s Super Barrier to protect yourself from Sandy’s attacks . Ink is your friend: it will keep Sandy from attacking, which prevents Burn and saves your cover from being destroyed. Use a Dash to get rid of Sandy’s Shield ability, then get to cover and bombard him.

Once Sandy is out, focus on Blizzy, who has lower HP. Without his rocket blasting buddy, Blizzy will soon be out in the cold.

Icicle Golem

Princess Peach is a part of your party in this multi-stage battle that caps off the Sherbet Desert, along with whoever’s in your second slot. Make yourself familiar with her abilities before you start the fight, as her Healing Team Jump and secondary fire Grenade Duck can really help you out. Peach’s weapon destroys cover and damages allies caught in the line of fire, so using her Protection technique can help mitigate any damage.

In phase one, focus your attacks on the Icicle Golem, who moves forward slowly with every turn and has a large shield that blocks all attacks. Phase two starts after you take down enough of his health. He drops his shield and gets more aggressive. Smashers also start spawning. The Golem’s attacks can freeze you, which locks out your techniques for next turn, so you’ll want to either avoid his attacks or keep your squad grouped up for Cleansing Jumps. (They’re cheap and handy and every character should have them unlocked.)

In phase 3, the Icicle Golem jumps to the back of the map and more enemies spawn, including Supporters who try to restore its health. It won’t move, so reaction shots are no good against it. Use the pipes to get to the Golem quickly. This phase is the same as the last one, so use the same strategies. Once you’ve drained the boss’s health for the third time, a little snow monster appears. Dash it to end the fight.

Calavera

Calavera is the third world’s mid-boss, and he’s a doozy: tough to hit thanks to his shield, tough to avoid thanks to his grenade attacks, and tough to get to on a map crowded with minions.

Get close and flank Calavera; he protects his front with a coffin/shield, but if you’re too close, he’ll force your characters out of cover with Scaredy Rabbid. As the fight goes on, more enemies spawn, including the long-range, teleporting Peek-a-Boos. But first, clear some of his minions out. Get Luigi to high ground and ready Steely Stare so he can help. Rabbid Mario’s Magnet Dance can lure Calavera forward, exposing his vulnerable angles.

Fortunately, Calavera has relatively low HP. All you have to do is destroy him, so if you can focus on bombarding him with damage and take him out quickly without getting too distracted by his minions, that may be the best strategy for you. But the minions are powerful and can overwhelm you if not judiciously pruned, so play to your strengths.

Phantom

The third world’s final boss is an opera-singing, spotlight-hogging delight. Phantom is immune to damage while his beloved spotlights are on, so Dash the light bulbs connected to the spotlights in order leave Phantom vulnerable. Luigi’s Itchy Feet and careful use of team jumps will help get you to light bulbs more quickly. The rest of the light bulbs for the remaining spotlights will be along the sides of the arena, so position yourself for it.

Phantom blasts music that will Push you away from light bulbs and destroy cover. Take out the Bucklers that spawn once the second spotlight is activated, since you’ll need to move where they are. Focus your attention on getting rid of the spotlights, then pour damage on the Phantom, and you can beat him with ease.

The first spotlight is powered by a single lightbulb in the middle of the battlefield. The second spotlight is powered by two light bulbs, one on high ground in the back right (accessible by a pipe) and one at the back of the the stage itself. Getting that one may cause you to find yourself out of cover, so send someone sturdy with defensive powers. The third spotlight is powered by three generators: one on stage, one on the left side of the map by some cover, and one on high ground in the back left. Use this information to plan your squads’ movements wisely.

Drain Phantom’s health meter three times to win your battle against this mustachioed prince of the stage.

Mecha Jr.

This loveable punk gets the first turn, and his abilities include a big melee hammer as well as Sentry Drones like Luigi and Rabbid Peach. Also, if you fail this mid-boss, it will take you back to the battle right before this one against some Bucklers and a Support. This is a huge pain, so if you don’t want to refight the intro battle, stay out of Mecha Jr.’s way .

Position characters on different sides of the map to draw him in multiple directions. If you shoot him, it gives him free movement, and he also has Magnet Dance like Rabbid Mario, which draws characters out of cover and towards him. If your characters are too grouped up, one melee attack from Mecha Jr. will do heavy damage to them all.

Take out Mecha Jr. by staying well away from him or using reaction shots, deploying Sentries of your own, and using dashes and pipes to get free damage and getting out of his way.

Bwario and Bwaluigi

These “corrupt caricatures” make quite a pair: Bwaluigi is a Smasher with Magnet Dance and a load of HP to burn, while Bwario sports a reaction ability and a Team Jump ground pound.

There are Valkyries around during this fight, and nothing’s worse than a swarm of Valkyries. Make some distance between Bwaluigi and the other Smashers and clear out a few of the Valkyries off the ground level. Try to get up to high ground, and use Drones to take Bwario’s reaction shots.

Bwario, Bwaluigi and Lava Queen

This is your third fight on this battlefield, so you won’t have a lot of cover left. Pick characters with range, sturdiness and mobility (as well as a drone to take Bwario’s reaction shots). Stay on your side of the map at first, since Lava Queen will only come for you if you come for her first. Concentrate your fire on the little guys around you first to give you more room in the greater battle.

Hit Bwaluigi first, since he’s aggressive. Use the normal techniques you’d use against any Smasher and make sure to use your own reaction shots to take advantage of his movements. Next, go for Bwario, who is useless without team members to jump off. Lava Queen is just a reskinned Valkyrie, so hit her from cover and don’t group up with your squad.

Megadragonbowser

Once you enter the battle, you can’t choose a different team, so pick wisely. This battle has three phases, with small groups of minions backing him up: first Valkyries, then Bucklers, then Smashers. Depending on your playstyle, you’ll either bombard Bowser as fast as possible or thin the herd around him to give you more freedom.

In phase 1: Bowser takes on your characters one at a time. His machine gun inflicts Burn and he uses Magnet Dance to draw characters out, so don’t group your squad. It destroys the otherwise-indestructible black cover blocks. He also has reaction shots.

In phase 2: Bowser keeps to the edge of the battlefield and pyroclasts make their fiery appearance. Keep a look out for the impact craters, which are mostly located behind black high cover, forcing you to either take Burn damage once a turn or be out of cover.

But Bowser won’t concern you; it’s the Bucklers who will. Take them out before draining Bowser’s HP, or you’ll have a crowded stage for phase 3. Bowser uses Defend on them to spread out the damage dealt between himself and them (much like Peach’s Protection ability), so use Dash to keep from killing Bowser before you’ve destroyed a few.

In phase 3: Bowser heads back to the ground and activates a protective forcefield. If you shoot it, he’ll use a spinning shell attack that destroys brick cover and pushes anyone behind it out of cover. Black cover causes the attack to rebound on Bowser and daze him long enough for you to deal some damage.

Bowser always attacks from the center of the map, and you can also position yourself so that Smashers are between you and Bowser, causing Smashers to take some of that spinning shell damage. Otherwise, ignore the Smashers after making sure you’re out of their range. Soon, phase 3 will be over. Congrats, you’ve won the game!