EARTHBOUND / REFERENCE

Combat & PSI

Rolling HP, encounter positioning and party roles.

Edition covered

The original SNES adventure: Mother 2 in Japan (1994), released as EarthBound in North America in 1995. This guide uses English-version names.

Rolling HP

Damage makes the HP counter roll downward. Acting quickly to heal or end a battle can save a character before the counter reaches zero.

Kraken attacking the party in EarthBound — A Kraken’s Crashing Boom Bang attack. The HP rollers in each party window count down instead of dropping at once.

EarthBound battle window with HP and PP rollers in EarthBound (SNES) — Each party member’s battle window: HP on top, PP below, both on rolling counters.

Approach enemies carefully

Touching an enemy from behind can give your party the advantage. Avoid letting enemies catch you from behind.

EarthBound battle with Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo — A battle with all four heroes. Touching an enemy from behind gives your party the first move.

EarthBound normal battle swirl in EarthBound (SNES) — The swirl that opens an ordinary battle…

EarthBound boss battle swirl in EarthBound (SNES) — …and the sharper pinwheel used for boss fights.

Spend PP wisely

PSI uses PP. Balance offensive powers with enough reserves for healing and recovery.

PSI Shield being used in an EarthBound battle — Buzz Buzz uses PSI Shield on Ness. Each PSI power costs PP, the lower roller in a character’s window.

Use everyone’s strengths

Ness provides healing and strong attacks, Paula specialises in offensive PSI, Jeff uses gadgets, and Poo combines PSI with physical attacks.

Paula using PSI Freeze in EarthBound — Paula casts PSI Freeze β, one of her offensive PSI powers.

PSI Rockin α animation frame in EarthBound (SNES) — PSI Rockin α, Ness’s own offensive PSI.

PSI Fire Ω animation frame in EarthBound (SNES) — PSI Fire Ω burns a whole row of enemies.

PSI Freeze Ω animation frame in EarthBound (SNES) — PSI Freeze Ω hits one enemy hard.

PSI Thunder γ animation frame in EarthBound (SNES) — PSI Thunder γ drops bolts on random enemies.

PSI Starstorm α animation frame in EarthBound (SNES) — Poo’s PSI Starstorm α hits every enemy.

Status problems

Read your condition and choose the appropriate remedy. Different Healing PSI levels cure different problems.

Ness with a cold in an EarthBound battle — A cold makes Ness sneeze and lose HP.

Mushroomized Ness in EarthBound — Mushroomized: a mushroom grows on Ness’s head and scrambles the controls.

Choose a turn by the immediate threat

Look at the party’s condition and the enemies still active before selecting another attack. Recovery, status treatment or a useful special action can prevent a costly later turn. Pay attention to the rolling HP display after a dangerous hit, and act with a clear purpose. The right response depends on what the party can do now, not only on the damage number of its strongest move.

EarthBound battle command window — The battle commands: Bash, Goods, Auto Fight, PSI and Defend, here choosing a target against Starman Junior.

Give party members different jobs

Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo bring different options, so inspect each menu as the group grows. Ordinary attacks, offensive PSI, recovery and gadgets are tools for different problems. If a battle is repeatedly difficult, change the target order or role assignment before grinding without a plan. After a successful fight, note which action made the difference so you can recognize a similar situation later.

Jeff firing a bottle rocket in EarthBound — Jeff fires a Big bottle rocket: his gadgets do the job PSI does for the others. (Official EarthBound guide)

Shield killer animation frame in EarthBound (SNES) — Jeff’s Shield killer strips enemy shields.

FIELD NOTE

Talk to people, check your supplies and call Dad to save before heading into unfamiliar territory.

References

Nintendo: official EarthBound guide