Super Mario RPG: Levelling Guide - Level Up Bonuses, What Stats Should I Improve?

In Super Mario RPG on Switch and Super Nintendo, you'll need to level up your character in order to make your party stronger, just like any other RPG. However, when a character gains a level, you'll also get a Level Up Bonus, which allows you to apply an additional stat boost to your party member.

If you're wondering about which stats to level up, you're in the right place. We'll tell you what stats to focus on for which characters in Super Mario RPG.

How to level up in Super Mario RPG

If you've never played an RPG before, then levelling up is very simple. All you need to do is fight and defeat enemies. After each battle, each character will gain experience points.

Once a character gains enough experience points, they will level up, which will increase their stats across the board.

What is a Level Up Bonus?

A Level Up bonus is given to each character when they level it. It allows you to "level up" an additional stat for that character.

You'll be able to pick between one of three stats — Attack and Defense (Pow on SNES), Health (HP on SNES), and Magic Attack and Defense (Star on SNES). The increase is small each time, but every little boost helps.

Which stats should I improve with a Level Up Bonus?

Honestly, you don't need to worry about these too much — they're small increases that give you a bit of extra customisation for your team.

Generally, we recommend giving your team an even spread of improvements. Characters like Mallow and Peach have lower physical defenses, so might benefit from the occasional Pow increase, while Geno has low health, so an HP boost won't go amiss.

For specific characters, here are our general recommendations:

• Mario: Focus on Attack/Defense for Mario, but occasionally dip into HP and Magick Attack.
• Mallow: Magic Attack is best here, followed by HP, and then Attack/Defense.
  
• Geno: Attack first and foremost, but some Star and HP.
  
• Bowser: Attack/Defense for sure, with HP next and Magic Attack very rarely.and HP.
  
• Peach: Magic Attack first, Health next, then Attack last
  

For more in-depth recommendations, Mario Wiki has a full breakdown of all stat increases at every single level.

What's the maximum level in Super Mario RPG?

The level cap in Super Mario RPG is level 30. That means your characters will stop gaining experience when they hit level 30.

What level do I need to be to beat the game?

We'd recommend being around level 21-22 before tackling the final boss of the game. If you're looking to take on the secret boss, increase that to level 25 to give yourself a fighting chance.

In the Switch remake, there's a post-game, and for the toughest challenges there, anything above level 25 is good, with the final challenge of the new content worth tackling only when you're around level 28.

However, Super Mario RPG isn't an incredibly difficult game, so it's up to you how much you want to level up. You don't need to do a lot of grinding at all.

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