Choosing which partners to upgrade first in Paper: Mario The Thousand-Year Door will depend on what you continue to do in the game. For example, if you are looking for completion, higher damage characters by the game's last chapter should be prioritized. Additionally, characters that can give Paper Mario extra effects should be used in every battle. These skills, such as Tattle and Rally Wink, used by Goombella, will probably be some of the first Ultra skills you unlock.

To upgrade your partners in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, you must visit Merlin in Rougeport. He will require you to have Shine Sprites, which can be obtained in different areas around the Paper Mario world. They are found in every Chapter in hidden locations around the game's maps. 42 Shine Sprites can be found to upgrade all seven characters. Each character needs 3 Shine Sprites once to add one rank to each partner.

1 Goombella

Most Reliable Partner

Goombella is your most trusted companion in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and will stick with you from the beginning of the game. It is important to upgrade her because of her ive abilities during a battle.

Most serious players use Goombella to start a match by using her Tattle ability. This logs a target's HP, Defense, and Attack stat, which should help you decide about the fight. Additionally, Goombella can attack flying enemies on the field once or twice a turn.

The most important skill for Goombella to learn is her Ultra skill, Rally Wink. This will allow Paper Mario to attack twice in one turn, which can be used for extra damage against your opponents.

2 iral Bobbery

Great Area of Effect Damage

iral Bobbery is a fantastic partner to upgrade. However, he is only found near the end of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. He can be found in Rougeport and needs rescuing. After finishing Chapter 5, iral Bobbery is yours to use as a large area of effect (AOE) damage dealer on any opponents that come your way.

He will also have the highest HP out of Mario's partners, with Ultra in the 40 HP range. His power is typically traded for high FP usage, so he uses items like Ultra Shrooms and Jammin Jelly.

For 9 FP, iral Bobbery's Bob-bombast is one of the most powerful partner moves in the game. This skill is unlocked at his Ultra rank level and does significant damage to all areas on the battlefield stage.

3 Madame Flurrie

Self-Sustaining Partner

Paper Mario's Cloud Spirit partner, Madame Flurrie, is a staple of your Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door team. Found and partnered up with after Chapter 2, Madame Flurrie is a very strong companion to upgrade. Her HP is one of the highest in the game, paired with her Lip Lock ability, which will keep her and Paper Mario in decent health during the fight, all while dealing damage.

You can also raise your evasion with Madame Flurrie's Ultra Rank move, Dodgy Fog, ensuring enemies have difficulty hitting Paper Mario. Additionally, for relatively weak enemies, use Gale Force to win a match while blowing them off the stage instantly.

4 Yoshi

Mario's Dashing Dinosaur

Paper Mario's iconic riding companion in Paper: Mario The Thousand-Year Door is none other than Yoshi, also known as Kid Yoshi. After obtaining him as a partner in Chapter 3, your custom-picked color Yoshi will carry you along the game's main story. Reach rank 11 of the Glitz Pits to hatch your prize Yoshi egg; a hard-hitting partner will be yours for battle.

Paper Mario's Kid Yoshi can ignore enemy defense, attack multiple times, and trample all enemies on the ground of the battlefield. Upgrading Kid Yoshi is necessary when facing tough challenges such as secret bosses or even Bowser.

The color of your partner, Kid Yoshi, will depend on the amount of time it has spent incubating in their egg. The colors range from green, red, blue, orange, pink, black, and white. Other than color, there is no additional benefit to letting the Kid Yoshi incubate longer. Additionally, this handy companion can float in the air while Mario is riding on his back.

5 Koops

Grab The Defensive Edge

Having Koops by your side in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door can be very useful. This is due to his defensive abilities as a Shell Shield or Power Shell. secret boss Prince Mush, who can be very difficult if unable to be countered.

Thankfully, obtaining Koops can be done after Chapter 1, and throughout the game, there will be many opportunities to upgrade him for more use. He will be useful by crashing through enemies in the match, strengthening Paper Mario's attacks on the next turn.

Koops has great defensive capabilities and defense-breaking skills. However, he is unable to defeat enemies that fly.

6 Vivian

Complex But Effective Partner

Paper Mario's Shadow Siren friend, Vivian, takes evasive measures when fighting by his side. Her skills are very useful, and she can do a lot of damage, but she gets outshined easily at higher levels. She deals area of effect damage in the form of burning. This burn damage also deals damage over time per fight, slowly whittling away at opponents.

Additionally, evasion is boosted by using Vivian's Veil move, making Paper Mario harder to hit. Unfortunately, Vivan's moves require patience compared to other partners, as they will always appear in a random order of buttons. However, once you understand how to use her correctly, Vivian makes for a formidable fighting partner.

7 Ms. Mowz

Highly ive Character

Ms. Mowz is a great partner, but upgrades are not a priority. Compared to the other clever companions, Ms. Mowz lacks damage, crucial to most fights. However, if you are running badges centered more around some major physical attacks with Paper Mario, Ms. Mowz might be the best fit for you.

Her Smooch attack can be very handy in situations where 10 HP extra might save you in a pinch. In the middle of a fight, Kiss Thief will steal held items from opponents, giving you an advantage and an extra item for you to use in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

In general, Ms. Mowz should be used in the overworld to help collect hidden items, as that is her specialty.

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