The new battle system introduced in Paper Mario: The Origami King is an addictive mash-up of puzzle-solving and the more traditional timing-based combat system of previous Paper Mario titles. However, as with each title in the series, the combat has undergone some changes, most notably how weapons work. This can lead to some frustration if you plan poorly or are underprepared for tough encounters. Thankfully, there are a few tips and strategies that you can keep in mind to make your quest through this paper-crafted world fun and exciting.
How Weapons Work
Following a similar path as Breath of the Wild, Paper Mario: The Origami King features a weapon durability system that limits how many uses a weapon has before breaking. This applies to every weapon in the game, with the exception of your basic boots and hammer, so you'll never be completely defenseless, but these basic weapons won't be very effective for long. That means you'll want to buy upgraded weapons often, but also know which weapons are best for which scenario. Finally, remember to actually equip your weapons. Just purchasing them doesn't automatically mean you can use them in a fight. Make sure you fill up all three boot and hammer slots each time one breaks so you're never caught off guard.
Boots
There are 7 different types of boots you can purchase and use in Paper Mario: The Origami King, but they all attack in the same basic pattern. Boots are best for when your enemies are all lined up in a column since they attack up to 4 in that formation. There are the different types of boots, like Iron Boots that allow you to stomp on spiked enemies, with better versions being the Shiny Iron Boots, Flashy Iron Boots, and Legendary Iron Boots as the strongest. Shiny Boots are stronger than iron but can't stomp on spiked enemies, with Flashy Boots being a better version. Finally, there are Gold Boots that knock a few coins out of your foes on each hit.
Hammers
While boots are best for columns of enemies, hammers are the king of area of effect attacks. They hit in a 2x2 square, whacking up to 4 enemies. The one exception is the Shiny Hurlhammer, which is perfect for ranged attacks, hitting in a column of 4. Just like boots, hammers have Shiny and Flashy versions that each deal more damage, but also 2 more special types along with the Gold Hammer. These are the Fire and Ice Hammers that do just what you expect - deal fire and ice damage when hitting enemies.
Dealing With Durability
Knowing your weapons are temporary, there are a few tricks that will keep you from hitting a wall with little to no weapons left to overcome it. First is to keep an eye on your current weapon's durability. Each weapon takes a different amount of hits to degrade before breaking that can be hard to keep track of across multiple battles. Thankfully they do warn you when they're about to break with a little warning symbol. When you see that, be warned that that weapon only has one or two more attacks left in it before its done for.
It's also important to stock up. If you're at a shop and picking up some fresh weapons, it's always better to get a few extra if you can afford it so you don't have to make a trip back if you are running low. You will find a few items hidden in blocks around the world, but don't count on those to get you through. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, don't use your best items on normal battles. Save your best gear for story battles, mini-bosses, and real bosses most of all. The last thing you want is to use up all your good weapons right before a tough fight and have to travel all the way back to a shop to buy some more.
Source: GameWith