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EarthBound Wiki & Guide

EarthBound North American box art

Quick reference for Ness’s journey from Onett to the Cave of the Past: the four heroes, every location, all 243 items, 166 enemies and 23 bosses with their battle sprites, the eight Sanctuaries, secrets and beginner tips.

Released
1994 (JP) · 1995 (NA)
System
Super Nintendo
Enemies
166
Items
243

Start with the basics →

Explore the wiki

CharactersThe four heroes and everyone they meetLocationsEvery town and area in story orderItemsAll 243 items, prices and where to find themStarman battle spriteEnemies & bosses23 bosses and all 166 enemiesSanctuariesThe eight Your Sanctuary spotsCombat & PSIRolling HP, PSI and party rolesGetting startedSaving, money and the first stepsSecretsRare drops, tricks and easter eggs

The four heroes

Ness artworkNessOnett · All-rounderBats, offensive PSI and the party’s best recovery powers.Ness walking on the mapPaula artworkPaulaTwoson · Offensive PSIElemental PSI, PSI Shields and her own Pray command.Paula walking on the mapJeff artworkJeffWinters · GadgetsGuns, bottle rockets and gadgets; repairs broken items. No PSI.Jeff walking on the mapPoo artworkPooDalaam · Martial artsPrince of Dalaam: martial arts plus PSI, including Starstorm.Poo walking on the map

All characters

The eight Sanctuaries

Titanic Ant battle sprite1 · Near OnettGiant StepTitanic AntMondo Mole battle sprite2 · Near Happy Happy VillageLilliput StepsMondo MoleTrillionage Sprout battle sprite3 · Near Saturn ValleyMilky WellTrillionage SproutShrooom! battle sprite4 · WintersRainy CircleShrooom!Plague Rat of Doom battle sprite5 · FoursideMagnet HillPlague Rat of DoomThunder and Storm battle sprite6 · DalaamPink CloudThunder and StormElectro Specter battle sprite7 · Beyond Tenda VillageLumine HallElectro SpecterCarbon Dog battle sprite8 · Lost UnderworldFire SpringCarbon Dog

Sanctuary guide · All 23 bosses

First enemies in Onett

Spiteful Crow battle spriteSpiteful CrowRunaway Dog battle spriteRunaway DogCoil Snake battle spriteCoil SnakeRamblin’ Evil Mushroom battle spriteRamblin’ Evil MushroomPogo Punk battle spritePogo PunkSkate Punk battle spriteSkate PunkYes Man Junior battle spriteYes Man JuniorStarman Junior battle spriteStarman Junior

All 166 enemies by area

Pictures

Onett in EarthBound (SNES)
Onett
Happy Happy Village in EarthBound (SNES)
Happy Happy Village
Saturn Valley in EarthBound (SNES)
Saturn Valley
Moonside in EarthBound (SNES)
Moonside
Magicant in EarthBound (SNES)
Magicant
Lost Underworld in EarthBound (SNES)
Lost Underworld

Open the image gallery

Quick tips

  • Call Dad from any phone to save. Call Mom if Ness gets homesick.
  • Battle money goes into the bank; take it out at an ATM with the ATM card.
  • HP rolls down instead of dropping at once, so heal or finish the fight quickly and a fatal hit can still be survived.
  • Touch enemies from behind to get the first move, and don’t let them catch you from behind.
  • Space is tight: store spare items with Escargo Express and call them back when needed.
  • Have Jeff carry broken items and rest at a hotel; with enough IQ he repairs them into new gadgets.

Getting started · Combat & PSI · Secrets

Did you know?

  • Shigesato Itoi, a copywriter and essayist, wrote and directed the game. It follows Mother (1989) on the Famicom, later released as EarthBound Beginnings.
  • Mother 2 sold about 518,000 copies in Japan, among the ten best-selling games there in 1994.
  • The North American release came in a big box with a full Player’s Guide.
  • Nintendo of America’s ad campaign used the slogan “This game stinks”, with scratch-and-sniff cards in magazines.
  • Ness later joined the original Super Smash Bros. (1999); the series ended with Mother 3 on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, released only in Japan.

FAQ

When did EarthBound come out?

As Mother 2 in Japan in August 1994, and as EarthBound in North America on 5 June 1995. Europe and Australia first got it on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013.

Can you still play EarthBound?

Yes. It has been part of the Nintendo Switch Online Super Nintendo library since 9 February 2022, and was earlier sold on the Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

How many Sanctuaries are there?

Eight: Giant Step, Lilliput Steps, Milky Well, Rainy Circle, Magnet Hill, Pink Cloud, Lumine Hall, Fire Spring. Each is guarded by a boss. Sanctuaries.

Who is the final boss?

Giygas, fought at the end of the Cave of the Past after Heavily Armed Pokey. Bosses.

Sources & picture credits

Battle and map sprites are extracted from the US SNES game; hero artwork from EarthBoundGame.com. Game content © Nintendo / APE / HAL Laboratory. Image credits.