Best Badges in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

One of the defining mechanics of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the myriad of badges that you can collect. While you can’t equip all 86 of the game’s badges simultaneously, there are some that you should definitely prioritize. Here are the best badges you can equip in the game.

What Are The Best Badges in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door?

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the 86 possible badges you can collect have a variety of purposes. Some are used for combat, some are for support, and others provide random effects to customize your playstyle. Each badge costs a certain amount of BP, or Badge Points, to equip, so when we’re talking about the best badges in the game, we’re factoring in their practicality, how much FP, if any, a move will cost, and how early you get them. There are some badges that are good, like the Return Postage badge, but considering you unlock it after you defeat one of the game’s super bosses, it’s pretty pointless.

That being said, here are the best badges in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door:

Power Bounce

One of the definitive badges to acquire that you can get early in the game, Power Bounce costs 3 BP to equip and 3 FP to use in combat. When you do, you’ll keep bouncing on an enemy until you miss an action command. When timed properly, this move can absolutely decimate certain enemies and bosses, and when combined with other badges, it can do even more damage to enemies in a pinch. It’s one of the best badges in the game, and you can get it early in Hooktail’s Castle.

Power Smash

As the first badge you get in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Power Smash will become a reliable ally in combat. Costing only 1 BP and 2 FP, this powerful hammer smash will do a huge amount of damage to enemies, even ones with incredibly high defenses. Plus, if you stack Power Smashes on top of each other, you can deal even more damage to enemies.

Hammer Throw

Hammer Throw is the one badge you’ll kick yourself for not having. It’s a very simple badge – you throw your hammer at an enemy – but the brilliance of it is that it can allow you to hit enemies on the ceiling or spiked flying enemies. You may not encounter these enemies often, but when you do, you’ll have very few ways to attack them other than using Special Moves. At just 1 BP and 2 FP, and considering you get it in Chapter 4, you’ll be much happier having this badge equipped than not. 

Charge/Charge P

Charge is a simple 1 BP badge. Instead of attacking on a turn, by spending 1 FP, your next attack will hit for two extra points. If you stack multiple charges, while the FP cost will increase, it’ll also increase the charged attack power. While this can make certain attacks really strong, pairing this with a badge like Power Bounce can cause an obscene amount of damage to enemies. Plus, if you use Charge P for your partner, attacks that hit all enemies, like Vivian’s Fiery Jinx and Koops’ Power Shell, will hit everyone for more damage, making this one of the best support badges in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Related: How to Get to Twilight Town in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Defend Plus

Acquired in Chapter 4, Defend Plus is another simple ability; it raises Mario’s defense by 1. While it does cost 5 BP to equip, this badge will negate any enemy attacks that hit for 1 HP and can help you endure powerful attacks by enemies even if you have poor timing for defending against attacks. 

Flower Saver/Flower Saver P

The Flower Saver and Flower Saver P badges can be acquired in a lot of different ways, either as enemy drops or purchased from the merchant Dazzle in the Rougeport Sewers. At the cost of 4 BP each, these badges will reduce the FP requirement of moves by one FP per badge equipped, allowing you to use your strongest moves at a fraction of the cost. While you’ll always have to spend at least one FP to use a move, when facing hard challenges like the Pit of 100 Trials, a badge like this is near essential.

Spike Shield

The Spike Shield is a badge that will allow you to jump on spiky enemies without taking any damage. Given how many spiked enemies appear later in the game, negating their one defensive perk is a pretty valuable ability. This badge can be acquired in the Rougeport Sewers after adding Vivian to your party and costs 3 BP to equip.

Super Appeal/Super Appeal P

These sets of badges, like most stackable badges, are super valuable as the game progresses. There are multiple ways to get the Super Appeal badges, like buying them at the Lovely Howz of Badges in Rougeport, winning them at the Pianta Parlor, or finding a Super Appeal P badge in Flurrie’s house. These badges each cost 1 BP and will increase the amount of Star Power you earn when appealing. Given how Star Power will grant you access to some of the strongest moves in the game, you’ll want to make sure you have at least one equipped at all times. 

Quick Change

Out of all of the badges you can equip, this one is absolutely essential. It costs a lot of BP, seven to be exact, and can only be found by trading eight Star Pieces to Dazzle in the Rougeport Sewers, but it’s worth it. With this badge equipped, even if you switch partners in combat, you’ll still be able to have them attack in that turn. Normally, you have to wait until the next turn for them to act, so giving you an extra action can change the tide of battle with some smart planning. 

And those are the best badges in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is available now.