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Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a pacey intergalactic adventure. Mario and Luigi join forces with their fellow Heroes to rid the galaxy of Cursa's meddlesome Darkmess Tentacles, rescuing Sparks and planets on their way to the final showdown.
The penultimate biome before you enter Cursa's Stronghold is Barrendale Mesa, a land of shiny metal and tall, rugged ice-capped peaks. If you want a snowball's chance in Hell of getting both Purified Darkmess Crystals and beating big boss Daphne at her own game, here's a look at both main missions you'll be tackling.
Main Missions: It's An Ill Wind That Blows
Boss Battle | Reward |
|---|---|
Protect Machinery Turbines | Purified Darkmess Crystal |
After meeting Momma, you'll be instructed to journey towards the Windmill and fix it so that Momma can get to work fixing your spaceship.
On the way there, your path will be littered with numerous optional battles featuring a new enemy type: the Splash-resistant Riptides. Your first combat encounter with them in the battle Desert Riptides pits you against Riptides as well as Scopers, familiar faces from past planets.
You'll want to equip the best Sparks for this battle:
- Electroid
- Pyrogeddon
- Pyrostar
Since Scopers are resistant to Frostbite attacks and Riptides take little damage from Splash moves, it's best to leave out the likes of Cryoblide or Aquaquake for now.
Once you reach the Windmill, you'll need to clear a Darkmess Puddle in order to gain entry. This battle is called Danger, Keep Out, and will be your first encounter with Spell Raisers (weak to Gust, resistant to Ooze). They are accompanied by multiple Deep Freeze (resistant to Frostbite, weak to Burn).
Opt for the following Hero and Spark combinations to help you out:
- Luigi (with Zephyrstar and Exosphere)
- Peach (with Zephyrquake and Regenesis)
- Rabbid Rosalina (with Pyrostar and Ethering)
As you enter the Windmill site, you'll come across your first circuit puzzle. To connect the circuit and proceed, pick up the straight connector and insert it into the first link, the T-shaped piece in the second, and the L-bend in the third, being sure to turn them using the dials to make sure all of the edges match up so the current flows freely.
Keep following the map icon toward your next checkpoint, which will be the control panel for a large crane. You will need this crane to get to the Windmill. but first you need to make your way to the top of it and release a ladder.
To do this, access the control panel and turn the crane once to the right. This should line up the container crate at the end of the crane with the others to form a path.
How To Get To The Windmill
Hop down and get to work connecting the circuit to build a bridge. Take the L-bend piece and insert it into the link on the lower level, put the straight piece into the link on the upper level. Rotate them as needed to make the current flow.
Next, pick up the cube-shaped key and insert it into the cube slot, unblocking a fast travel tunnel and giving you a short-cut that makes the bridge unnecessary. Go down the tube and swap the straight circuit piece to the lower level, bringing the L-bend back up the tunnel to place in the floor there.
With the path cleared, head back to the control podium and rotate the crane back to the middle, effectively plugging the gap between the short bridge and the other side, and triggering your next battle sequence.
For Magikoopa Mayhem, you'll want to focus on ranged attacks and defensive or second-chance Sparks like Pulser or Regenesis.
Magikoopas are resistant to all Super Effect damage types.
After clearing this battle, you'll have to connect another circuit to get to the top of the crane and release a ladder to use later on.
Once you release the ladder, you'll be prompted to head back to the crane operations panel using the green travel tunnel. Turn the crane toward the Windmill on your far left, go back through the green tunnel, and cross the crane safely.
This boss battle, A Foul Windmill Blows, requires you to protect the turbine mechanisms and defeat eight Magnafouls before they can attack the mechanisms. You can shoot the orb-like structures on either side of the four spikes to get rid of the Sea Stooges and Riptides that accompany them.
Use the following Heroes and Sparks to make this easier:
- Luigi (with Oozer Master and Pyrostar)
- Edge (with Exosphere and Electroid)
- Rabbid Rosalina (with Ethering and Starburst)
Feed your Sparks and level them up to Level Five if possible, as Starburst provides a 60 percent attack damage boost when levelled up completely.
Main Missions: Momma's Payback
Boss Battle | Reward |
|---|---|
Daphne | Purified Darkmess Crystal |
Return to Momma’s Garage using the green tunnel tube, blasting yourself across the valleys using cannons and moving the large brick backwards when prompted to form a bridge.
Here is where you will finally meet and confront Daphne, a particularly vicious Spark Hunter. Her battle comes in three stages, over which she will regenerate, and after each regeneration, the map will change and become even bigger.
For this battle, we recommend the following Hero and Spark combos:
- Edge (with Exosphere and Glitter)
- Luigi (with Reflector and Starburst)
- Rabbid Peach (with Vampastra and Pulser)
How To Defeat Daphne
Daphne's first level is not too difficult to navigate. Send Edge to distract the Sea Stooges, using Glitter to draw them in before wiping them out with her powered up short-range Blade Master attack.
Meanwhile, send Rabbid Peach and Luigi on a Team Jump mission to get to higher ground. Daphne is the greatest threat when you are far away, so the idea is to close the space between you as quickly as possible. Rabbid Peach's triple-rocket launcher will help you get past the unbreakable barriers around Daphne, and they will deal extra damage with a fully-levelled Vampastra Spark.
Squashettes and Lone Wolves join the fray in the second round. Once again, send one of your Heroes to draw attention while the other two get to the raised platforms behind and to the sides of Daphne to deal some hefty blows.
The third and final round brings back Bom-ombs, Magnafoul, Scopers, and Medicians. This makes the grind that much tougher, so instead of singling out one Hero as bait, try to keep your group close together and make your way up towards Daphne.
Stay firmly behind cover and make use of Rabbid Peach's Team Healer ability as needed — just stay out of sight to avoid Daphne's devastating ranged attacks. It's easier to avoid them on this larger map, but the faster you get to Daphne, the less chance you have of being pummelled by a Magnafoul.
After beating Daphne three times, you'll be awarded your final shard of Purified Darkmess Crystal and will be able to progress to Cursa's Stronghold.