Several RPGs allow buffing one specific stat upon leveling up. This gives you more control over how you want to build your character. Will you increase their health and defense to make the ultimate tank or focus on offense to design the perfect glass canon?
Having that freedom can make an RPG more engaging.Super MarioRPGis no different, with the option to boost one of three stats upon leveling up. HP increases your maximum health. Physical boosts your attack and defense stats, while Magic boosts your magic attack and defense stats. Given the variety among the party, each character benefits from focusing on a specific stat, so let’s see what you should focus on.
5Mario: Physical
The Most Versatile
Mr. video game himself, Mario tends to be an all-rounder in most games he is in, and that is no different here. With reasonably even stats across the board, Mario can perform well with increases to any stats. However, looking through his skills, it becomes clear that Physical is the best stat of choice.
Why Physical?
All of Mario’s skills are variations of his classic jump and fireball. While his fireball skills hit hard and can become multi-target, they requiremore Flower Pointsand can be resisted by specific enemies. Mario’s naturally higher physical strength and the lower cost of his jump skills mean they’ll hit harder in the long run.
His jump skills can also build up incredibly high damage numbers if you maintain his bounce, reaching up to 100 jumps. All this, combined with his naturally good HP, makes Mario a versatile fighter.
4Mallow: Magic
Master Of The Weather
This adorable little cloud is more than meets the eye. With his powerful offensive Magic, Mallow level-up points are best used to build up his Magic attack and defense.
Why Magic?
Mallow doesn’t have a high attack stat, meaning he’ll often rely on his powerful special moves to do meaningful damage in a fight. This is fine, as his specials cover elements like lightning and ice and often target multiple enemies. This makes Mallow the best team member for clearing out hoards of enemies and exploiting their weaknesses.
His final skill, Star Rain, even has the property of Mario’s jump and can bounce multiple times across every enemy. All these factors combine to make Mallow a reliable teammate when clearing out enemies with Magic. Just be careful, as his skills cost a decent amount of FP.
3Geno: Magic
Warrior From The Stars
As a star warrior sent to Earth to repeat the Star Road, Geno has the power to back up that role. Boasting some of the most impressive Magic damage among the party, there is no doubt that you should focus on building up Geno’s Magic stats.
While rectifying Geno’s middling physical defenses may be tempting, Geno is best described as a glass cannon. His magic damage is so impressive that it would be a waste to focus too much on salvaging his other stats. Instead, focus on using his specials to destroy enemies while leaving his teammates to support him.
Moves such as Geno Beam and Whirl hit very hard with a proper charge and are some of the best single-target damage in the game,perfect for bosses. His other skills, like Geno Flash, cover multi-target damage, and he has the only all-in-one boosting skill for both attack and defense, augmenting his offenses more. As a bonus, his magic damage is all non-elemental, making it rarely resisted.
2Bowser: Physical
Ruling With An Iron Claw
The king of the Koopas? Teaming up with Mario? While this plot point has happened before, Super Mario RPG is where it began. Regardless,Bowser is still willing to put his immense strengthto good use while soaking up damage with his impressive bulk. With that said, physical stats are what you want to invest in.
You may find it appealing to heighten Bowser’s naturally high health further, allowing him to survive any hit. However, that high health is why focusing on his physical stats is better. His health growth isn’t high, as he often gains merely one point of extra health when focusing on it.
With that in mind, it’s better to focus on physical stats as he hits extremely hard with basic attacks, enhanced further by action commands. Bowser’s lack of many specials also displays how physical attack is the way to go.
1Peach: HP
A Lasting Support
Rounding out the team is Princess Peach, who brings more than just a parasol to the battle. As she uses a variety of Magic to heal allies and debuff enemies, it may seem like Magic would be her focus. However, her frail defenses make Peach a prime candidate for expertise in HP increases.
Why HP?
Peach has several ways to support her team and can take a magic attack reasonably well due to her excellent magical defenses. However, that won’t matter if she goes down early in a fight. To rectify this, you can choose to focus on her HP stat.
By prioritizing her survival, Peach will stay up much longer, able to continue healing her team with low-cost specials and putting foes to sleep. When tackling the more challenging fights in the game, nothing is worse than having your healer go down, so build her health up.
