Culex is an optional post-game boss in Super Mario RPG, residing in Monstro Town. Here is where to find Culex and how to defeat him.
How to Find Culex in Super Mario RPG
To be able to fight Culex, you will first need to acquire the Shiny Stone and have access to Monstro Town.
Once you have the Shiny Stone, visit the darker set of doors in the center of Monstro Town. Prepare for the fight against Culex before inserting the stone and entering.
Culex is not difficult to defeat after beating the game, but if you try to do battle with him earlier, it may prove challenging.
How to Defeat Culex in Super Mario RPG
In addition to being high level with close to 200 HP across all party members, you will need to have strong area-of-effect (AoE) attacks to hit all the crystals surrounding Culex at the same time.
The fight becomes easy enough to focus on Culex once at least two crystals are down. Standard single-target physical attacks on the crystals are effective as well.
You will want to take out as many of the crystals as possible before focusing damage on Culex. Each crystal represents a different element. (Red=fire, Blue=Water/Ice, Yellow=Earth, Green=Wind/Lightning). This results in four different elemental attacks being used on the party, with five attacks each round.
Culex will use a variety of spells, most of which are multi-target and cannot be blocked. If you do see the occasional Diamond Saw or electric attack, attempt to block it to reduce the amount of damage you will take.
Use two of your three characters to deal damage, while keeping the last reserved strictly for healing. By equipping your healer with the Lazy Shell armor, you can ensure the damage taken is minimized and low-cost healing spells can be used every turn.
Consider using Triple Move if using Mario, Geno, and Peach to make the party invulnerable to one attack if you’re low on health. If the fight goes on long enough, the crystals and Culex may run out of FP.
As a reward for defeating Culex, you will receive the Quartz Charm, an accessory that reduces all incoming damage by 50% and increases all outgoing attack damage by 50%.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a role-playing game developed by Square and initially released in 1996 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). An enhanced version for modern audiences, Super Mario RPG, was released for Nintendo Switch in 2023.