Super Mario RPG: Barrel Volcano Walkthrough

Welcome to our complete story walkthrough of Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch and SNES.

Mario, Mallow, and friends have just driven Valentina out of Nimbus Land and returned the throne to its rightful owners. In the process, they’ve learned of a Star Piece that has fallen into a nearby volcano. It’s time to give chase to the sixth Star Piece before the Smithy Gang gets their hands on it.

Here’s our guide on Barrel Volcano and all of its enemies and secrets.

Barrel Volcano Enemies

Magmus

They don’t have much health, but they have a ton of defense. Their magic defense is rather low, however, so try using spells on it.

Armored Ant

Another enemy with similarly high physical defense. It’d be a good idea to swap Mallow in, as some of his spells strike multiple opponents at once while dealing high damage.

Lava Babble / Pyrosphere

An upgraded fire enemy that retains its immunity to incoming fire moves as well as a weakness to ice attacks.

Chained Kong

Don’t think too hard about the lore implications of imprisoned Kongs roaming the volcano. Instead, keep an eye out for its ice weakness and attack it with Mallow’s Snowy spell.

Urspike / Oerlikon

An upgraded Spikey enemy with low health. Keep its ice weakness in mind if you’re planning on using spells!

Vomer

A stronger version of a Dry Bones. Just like the original, this enemy crumbles and reforms endlessly if you attack it with physical moves. Use special moves instead.

Stumpet

Lots of health, lots of attack power, and a weakness to ice moves. Mallow is definitely recommended for this section as a lot of the enemies here are weak to ice.

Stompillar / Corkpedite

Yet another enemy that’s weak to ice! You’re able to target both the head and the body. Mallow’s Snowy spell plus a physical attack or two should make short work of it.

Barrel Volcano Walkthrough

Mallow is an invaluable party member for this dungeon as mentioned above. His ice spells will cause big damage to multiple enemies, many of which are weak to the element, so if you want an easy time, pop him in. There are no Hidden Treasures to worry about here, either, so you can head through the dungeon as you like.

First off, head southwest, climb up the stairs, and follow the signs to the next room. Hop up the stairs again and you’ll come to an area with a Treasure Box containing a Flower. The second Treasure Box contains a bunch of coins, so grab those and continue onward. There’s a Super Star here, so grab it and use it to plow through as many enemies as possible.

In the next area, quickly hop up the steps with the Star still active and run right through the giant gray Corkpedite to save yourself the battle.

Hop up the platforms, avoiding the Dry Bones as best you can. In the next room, you can jump off the ledge and into the lava to collect the Frog Coin without taking much damage in return. In the next room, you’ll need to jump from platform to platform without being attacked by the fireballs. If you fall into the lava, you’ll be sent back to the beginning of the room, so be careful!

You can get the Frog Coin at the end of this room by going through the door, going back, and then purposefully jumping in the lava. In the next room, there are some more Frog Coins here on top of the donut blocks, which will fall if you stand on them for too long.

Run through the next area and into the next room and you’ll find chests with a Flower and a Frog Coin inside, respectively. Make sure to save the game if you like and continue along the path to find a Stumpet. They have decently high health stats and are weak to ice.

Head through the next few areas and you’ll have to fight a Corkpedite to continue. Keep going through these next few areas, running and jumping over enemies and up the cliffs, and you’ll eventually reach a Treasure Box containing coins. You'll spot a new character here too, called Cinder Toad (or Hinopio on the SNES, which is a way better name).

This is the person Mallow’s parents told you about. Talk to him and he’ll invite you to Hino Mart, which doubles as both a shop and an inn.

Hinopio sells armor for each character, so purchase as much as you can and equip them to your party members. If you have the Lazy Shell armor for Peach, then don't worry about buying her anything. When you’re all finished here, make sure Geno and Mallow are in your party and then save at the save block. Hop over the platforms in this next room and it’s boss time!

Boss - Czar Dragon

Czar Dragon has two distinct phases and is your first obstacle for getting the Star Piece of Barrel Volcano. Check out our guide on How To Defeat Czar Dragon if you're stuck here.

After the fight, you’ll automatically heal up, so step forward to collect the sixth Star Piece. But before Mario can pocket the Star Piece, the Axem Rangers swoop in and steal it right out of his hands. Follow them and you’ll initiate the real Barrel Volcano boss fight: all five of them at once!

Boss - Axem Rangers

Smithy has been quiet for a while, but not anymore. The Axem Rangers are a team that work under Smithy, and they can prove troublesome here. For tips on taking down the Axem Rangers, head on over to our guide.

After the boss ends you'll return to the world map. You’ll want to head back to Nimbus Castle’s throne room, where Mallow will tell his parents what happened at Barrel Volcano. They offer to take you to Bowser’s Keep with the royal bus, and the bus stop is located at the northwest end of Nimbus Land.

Make sure to stock up on healing items and Pick Me Ups before you get going, as you're coming to the last two dungeons of the game. First up, it's time to reclaim Bowser's Keep.

For more help on getting through Super Mario RPG, check out our full Super Mario RPG guide for everything you need.