Guide — How to speed up EXP farming in Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam

In virtually all RPGs, getting into battles and completing quests is considered the primary way to earn experience, or EXP. In the Mario and Luigi games, getting into battles is pretty much the only way to earn EXP.

What differentiates Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam from other games in the series is their battle card system: cards that improve the abilities of Mario, Luigi, or Paper Mario, as well as those of their enemies, albeit for the worse.

There are also cards out there that improve things like how many coins and (probably saw this coming) EXP you can get from battles. If you’re concerned with leveling up quickly, or obsessed with getting up to max level, this guide, in which I list off the cards and items you’ll need to level up as quickly as possible, is for you.

1. Get the Shiny Ring

The picture says it all. Shiny enemies yield more EXP than regular enemies. If someone has this ring equipped (in my case, Paper Mario does) more shiny enemies will appear, ergo, you have more chances to earn more EXP. The ring can be purchased from the expert challenges reward shop. So complete some expert challenges and invest in the ring. The ring costs 900 points.

2. Have the right cards

The battle card set is basically the spiritual successor to the badge system used in other Mario and Luigi titles. When going to farm EXP in Paper Jam, you need to make sure you have cards that will help enhance the amount of EXP that you obtain, and you also need to make sure that you have ways to keep your star points up, since, you know, you need those to use battle cards. It’s also important that if a card is available shiny, make sure you get it shiny, as it costs less star points to use. Below is a list of each card I have in the set above, and what their function is, from left to right on top, then left to right on bottom:

• Increase the number of star points you get per successful action by 100% at a time
• Deals damage to each character equal to 80% of their maximum HP and grants up to 12 star points. There’s a card that converts coins to star points, use that if preferable. I, however, like to live dangerously.
• Grants twice the EXP and coins when you defeat an enemy with your next command. Make sure you use a Bros. attack (such as Toad Trail) or Trio attack after using this card, take out multiple enemies and increase your EXP all the more. It’s also useful if there’s a shiny enemy present that happens to be near death.
• Increase EXP earned after battle by 50%. Enough said.
• Increase EXP and coins earned after battle by 50%. Also enough said.
• Grants twice the EXP and coins when you defeat an enemy with your next command. This card isn’t shiny, so it costs more star points to use.
• Increases EXP earned after battle by 25%.
• Increases EXP earned after battle by 50%. Not shiny, ergo costs more star points.
• Increases EXP and coins earned after battle by 50%. Not shiny, so costs more star points.
• Pulls 3 new battle cards. Use if there’s a combination you feel as though you can’t use in a given situation.

Experiment with these cards to see which combinations work best for you.

3. Go to where the strongest enemies are

Go to where the enemies are the highest level. It stands to reason that the area where the strongest enemies are is the final area, which in Paper Jam‘s case is Neo Bowser Castle. Strongest enemies + EXP enhancement battle cards + Shiny ring = moar EXPz.

BONUS TIP

If you disregard every other point on the list, don’t disregard this one:

2X EXP when enemy defeated card + 50% EXP bonus card + every single one of these guys dying simultaneously = 9999 EXP per battle

So that’s my guide to speeding up the process of farming EXP in Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam. Feel free to give any extra advice and such in the comments below!