Count Down Weapon World Boss Guide

Stuck on the Count Down boss in Super Mario RPG (2023)? Get the best party setup, strategies, and attack patterns to defeat this tough foe and his Ring-a-Ding pals!

Alright, so you've made it to Weapon World and you're looking to take on the Count Down boss. Don't worry, I'll walk you through exactly where to go and how to beat him!

Weapon World Hidden Treasure & Ultra Hammer:

1. Save your game again. Now, before you jump into the next room, hang out in the northwest corner of this platform. Jump up in the air, and you should find a hidden treasure containing a Recovery Mushroom. This is probably the last one you need!
2. Once you've got that, head into the next room. You'll find a chest here that contains the awesome Ultra Hammer for Mario!
3. After snagging the hammer, jump on the spring nearby. This will launch you up to the bolt bridges. Carefully make your way across these bridges to the upper platform.
4. Jump on the next spring you see; it'll take you to the room where you'll finally face Count Down.

Best Party for Count Down:

• Mario
• Mallow
• Peach

Okay, for this fight, you'll want Mario, Mallow, and Peach. Count Down and its little buddies, the Ring-a-Dings, can hit hard and inflict nasty status effects, including instant death. Peach is a must-have because she'll be your primary healer and status remover. Mallow is your other key player here. Both bosses are weak to lightning, and Mallow's 'Shocker' spell is perfect for exploiting that. For gear, make sure Peach has the Safety Ring equipped to completely nullify status effects. Mario should rock the Lazy Shell (Armor) to help with defense (though it won't stop instant death), and Mallow should use the Jinx Belt for its status protection and stat boosts.

Stats / Weaknesses:

• Count Down: HP 2,400, Weakness: Lightning
• Ring-a-Ding: HP 1,200, Weakness: Lightning

Phases:

1. Phase 1: Defeat the Ring-a-Dings. These guys are the biggest immediate threat because of their 'Fear Roulette' attack, which can instantly KO a party member. Focus all your attacks on one Ring-a-Ding at a time until it's down.
2. Phase 2: Defeat Count Down. Once the Ring-a-Dings are gone, turn your attention to Count Down. Keep up the pressure with your best attacks.

Strategy:

• As soon as the fight starts, prioritize taking out the Ring-a-Dings. Their 'Fear Roulette' attack is super dangerous because it can cause a mortal blow.
• If Peach isn't busy healing or curing status effects, have her use 'Psych Bomb' to hit both Ring-a-Dings.
• Mallow should use 'Shocker' on one Ring-a-Ding at a time to exploit their lightning weakness. If you need to hit both, 'Snowy' works but does less damage.
• With Mario, focus on using 'Ultra Jump' or regular timed attacks on the same Ring-a-Ding your team is targeting.
• Once both Ring-a-Dings are defeated, switch your focus to Count Down.
• Continue using 'Super Jump' with Mario, 'Shocker' with Mallow (if it's still effective, otherwise use his strongest single-target attack), and 'Psych Bomb' with Peach when she's not healing.
• Keep up the assault, and you'll eventually take down Count Down and Ring-a-Ding!

Count Down Attacks:

Count Down's attacks change depending on the time displayed on its clock face:

• 1:00: Uses 'Ice Rock' or 'Crystal' (ice-based, single-target, moderate to significant damage). The action prompt for 'Crystal' appears after the second hit.
• 3:00: Uses 'Recover' (heals itself for moderate health).
• 5:00: Uses 'Aurora Flash' (area-of-effect, significant damage, inflicts sleep, cannot be blocked).
• 6:00: Uses 'Mega Recover' (heals itself for substantial health).
• 7:00: Uses 'Water Blast' (area-of-effect, water-based, moderate damage, cannot be blocked).
• 10:00: Uses 'Petal Blast' (area-of-effect attack).
• 12:00: Uses 'Flare' (area-of-effect, hits the entire party for significant damage).