Culex, alongside Mallow and Geno, is one of the more popular characters in Super Mario RPG. In addition to being a powerful opponent, he is a living reference to Final Fantasy. He’s also one of the tougher bosses in Super Mario RPG, and encountering him requires a little bit of setup beforehand. We’ve put together a guide on how to find Culex, how to set up your party prior to battle, and how to eventually defeat him to receive the exclusive Quartz Charm accessory.
How to find Culex
You can technically fight Culex as soon as you make it to Monstro Town, but you’ll likely be way underleveled. Still, you’ll need an object called a Shiny Stone to unlock Culex’s door. To obtain this item, head to Moleville and enter one of the houses to find a mole selling fireworks. Purchase one and head outside. From there, you can find a little mole character who will accept the fireworks in exchange for the Shiny Stone. With the Shiny Stone in hand, all you need to do now is return to Monstro Town and use it on the black door to undo the seal.
How to prepare your party
For the Culex fight, we’d recommend a party composition of Mario, Geno, and Peach. You can switch out your party members any time, but this setup generally works best here. With Geno on your team, you can use Geno Boost on Mario to increase his attack power. Peach is your resident healer, and if you managed to get the Lazy Shell armor, you can equip it on her to drastically increase her defense. Mario, Geno, and Peach also have access to a special Triple Move that creates a protective shield that can block a single attack.
Mario’s best weapon is the Lazy Shell, which you obtain by giving a seed and fertilizer to an old Toad in Rose Town. Geno’s best weapon is the Star Gun, which you obtain from Bowser’s Keep. Peach doesn’t need a weapon at all because even with the best one, she won’t be doing sustainable damage. She’s here solely to heal and use items.
How to beat Culex
Culex is a little bit tough! He spawns alongside four elemental crystals that specialize in different types. Each turn, all four crystals plus Culex himself can launch their attacks. As a result, you’ll generally want to take out each crystal one by one or use attacks that target all five opponents at once. Geno Blast serves this purpose well, but keep an eye on your FP. For the most part, though, you should be fine as long as you use Geno Boost on Mario to increase his attack power with the Lazy Shell and then heal with Peach. Her Group Hug move also cures status effects.
If you’re trying to complete the Monster List, Culex and all four of his crystals each have Thought Peek entries. To avoid paying Frog Coins to unlock their entries, you’ll need to switch Mallow in and out to use the move. If you find you still have trouble fighting Culex, try leveling up a few times! The best place to do so is against the Machine Made Speardovich copies at the end of the Weapon World area. Remember to use the Exp. Booster too. For more information on that, check out our level-up guide.
When you manage to beat Culex, you’ll receive the Quartz Charm. This accessory halves the damage you take from enemies, making it a perfect match for Peach’s accessory slot. That being said, Culex is just the beginning – Super Mario RPG has introduced post-game rematches that are even more difficult. We’ll be covering those too, so keep an eye out for those guides in the near future.
Super Mario RPG is available now for Switch. The official site is up here.
