As with all good RPGs, gear plays an important role in your effectiveness in battle, and nothing more than armor. Super Mario RPG is no different, and with five characters to plan for, you may be wondering what said armor does for each of them and where you can find it. For the most part, armor is a linear progression, each new shop will offer an upgrade, but there are a few outliers to this rule so keep reading to learn more.

Mario’s Armor¶

Being the titular character of the game, you’ll be forced to keep Mario in the party forever, not even being able to switch him in and out during battle. As such, he should always be your priority when it comes to armor upgrades. Additionally, one of the special pieces of armor (see the Special section) requires you to control Mario.

Mallow’s Armor¶

Everyone’s favorite cloud joins Mario early in the adventure at the Mushroom Kingdom. When it comes to armor, Mallow’s are the various types of pants he can wear, and you’ll find Mallow in your party often if you’re interested in using his Thought-Peek ability to complete your monster list. When it comes to defenses, Mallow’s armor starts with less Magic Defense than Mario’s before offering the same increases as you reach the last few.

Geno’s Armor¶

This unique Pinocchio-inspired hero will join the team once you reach the end of the Forest Maze area. Geno is useful for a number of reasons, such as buffing a target’s Attack and Defense with Geno Boost. When it comes to defenses, Geno’s increases are much lower than that of Mario’s, making him much someone who can die much easier in the more difficult battles (such as the post-game rematches).

Bowser’s Armor¶

Probably the biggest shock of all, Bowser teams up with Mario and friends in Super Mario RPG. You’ll need to wait until Booster Tower before he joins, but once he does, you’ll notice he’s a force to reckon with. Bowser’s abilities are nothing to write home about, but he’s strong and naturally resists some status effects, making him a perfect tank. When it comes to defenses, Bowser’s increases may look low, but this is due to his natural high defenses, making him much someone who can withstand a lot more damage in the more difficult battles.

Peach’s Armor¶

The final member of your globe-trotting party is the Princess herself. You’ll have to play through half of the game, up until you finish the events at Marrymore, for her to join you. Peach is the natural support character of Super Mario RPG, and as such, is ideal for the Lazy Shell once you obtain it (see the Special section). When it comes to defenses, Peach’s increases mirror that of Mario’s.

Special Armor¶

Beyond each character’s set of armor, they can upgrade throughout your adventure, there are three pieces of armor that can be equipped by all characters, and as such, they have more features than that of the regular armor. Outside of the Work Pants, which are purchased, the other two are rewards from Side Quests.

Super Suit Location in Super Mario RPG¶

As you can see from the table above, the Super Suit offers the ultimate in stat boosts and, on top of it, complete protection against both status effects and elemental damage. It is, however, one of the toughest tasks in the game that not all players will be able to pull off.

When you head to Monstro Town, you’ll find a K-9 by the name of Chow in one of the houses and speaking to him will reveal your current record of Super Jumps. Once you reach 30, Chow will hand over the incredibly useful Attack Scarf but persist and hit the max of 100 and you’ll obtain the Super Suit. There’s not much more to say about this other than practice makes perfect.

Lazy Shell Armor Location in Super Mario RPG¶

When you look at the Lazy Shell on paper, you may be initially drawn to the -50 in all attack stats and Speed, but look beyond that and you’ll notice a massive boost in both Defense and Magic Defense that dwarfs even the Super Suit. Having this equipped makes a lot of battles so much easier and it makes the perfect companion for Peach, as you won’t be using her to attack anyway.

To obtain it, you need to find both the Seed and Fertilizer items and bring them back to the gardener in Rose Town. The first item, the Seed, can be obtained by defeating the Megasmilax in Bean Valley as part of the main story.

For the Fertilizer, you’ll have to finish the events at Nimbus Land and defeat Valentina, then walk on the invisible path in the right-hand corner to find a Beezo who will hand over the Fertilizer. When given to the Rose Town gardener, you’ll have a beanstalk you can climb to reach two chests, both containing Lazy Shell (one as Mario’s ultimate weapon and the armor).

More Mario RPG Guides¶

There’s more than just armor that you can equip in Super Mario RPG, and if you’re looking for information on what the best accessories are or where you can find the ultimate equipment, look no further than the pages below!

• Best Accessories
• Mario’s Best Weapon
• Peach’s Best Weapon