While Super Mario RPG's story mode bosses don't offer too much of a challenge according to our review, a secret, iconic boss fight has made its return for the remake. In this guide, we'll tell you everything you need to know about Culex.
Culex was added to serve as a node to Square's Final Fantasy franchise. He is perplexed by Mario's 3D appearance, arriving in his world to fight in the name of the Dark Mage of Vanda.
He is beyond a shadow of a doubt the strongest boss in Super Mario RPG so if you want to go in prepared, better read this guide!
Where to find Culex in Super Mario RPG
It's worth noting that you can fight Culex the first time (more on that later) even before you finish the main story of Super Mario RPG. It is somewhat not recommended due to him being the hardest foe in the game, but it might be worth going under-levelled if you want an extra challenge.
Finding him is relatively easy. When you arrive at Moleville, you'll find an NPC sitting outside a house asking if you want to trade fireworks for a Shiny Stone, you need this to find Culex.
click to enlarge
+ 2Where to find the fireworks in Super Mario RPG?
Do you see that house in the picture above? That's where you'll find the fireworks, but it won't come cheap, you need to purchase them for 500 coins.
Once you do that, trade them for the Shiny Stone and head to Monstro Town. If you've been here before you might have already noticed a strange locked black door. If not, you'll find the door right next to the item shop in this town.
By having the Shiny Stone in your inventory, the door will finally open and you'll be able to fight Culex.
How to beat Culex in Super Mario RPG
Culex has some of the most powerful attacks of all base bosses in Super Mario RPG. On top of that, he'll invoke four elemental crystals to help him in the battle.
click to enlarge + 2In the table below, we'll show you all key information about the boss fight.
| Enemy | HP | Weakness | Ineffective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culex | 4096 | No weaknesses | Fear, Poison, Sleep, Mute |
| Wind Crystal | 800 | Jump | Fear, Poison, Sleep, Mute, Lightning |
| Earth Crystal | 3200 | Lightning | Fear, Poison, Sleep, Mute, Jump |
| Fire Crystal | 2500 | Ice | Fear, Poison, Sleep, Mute, Fire |
| Water Crystal | 1800 | Fire | Fear, Poison, Sleep, Mute, Ice |
Rotating your party members will be key for this encounter. In terms of damage, Mario can deal with Jump and Fire weaknesses and Mallow has Ice and Lightning sorted
And that's all you need to know about the 2D Culex boss fight. Stay tuned for a guide to finding and beating an even stronger version of Culex.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and Super Mario RPG page.