List of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door glitches
This is a list of glitches in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Unless otherwise noted, all names are conjectural.
Freezes
Chapter 1 Petalburg freeze
If the ID value of the previous NPC Mario interacted with is greater than 11 upon entering Petalburg for the first time and speaking to the Koopa Troopa at the entrance, the game will freeze.[1]
Don Pianta softlock
After finding his daughter, Don Pianta is supposed to give the player the Train Ticket. However, if the player gets too close to him before he speaks, he is unable to find an unobstructed path when walking towards them, forcing the player to restart from their last save.[2]
Great Tree softlock
This can be done at any point in the Great Tree on any door with a switch nearby. After hitting the switch to lock the door, the player needs to quickly open the door while it is still unlocked. If done quickly enough, the door opens and Mario goes through. His partner tries to go through the door, but fails. The game thinks that both Mario and his partner are still behind the unlocked door near the switch. The only way to end this glitch is to reset the console.[2][3]
Hammer softlock
If the player pauses the game on the same frame as they use a Hammer a second time and uses a HP-restoring item, they will continuously hammer indefinitely, forcing the player to restart from their last save.[2]
Spring softlock
If the player uses an item while falling onto a Spring and switching to Paper Mode, the animation of them using the item animation and its effects are cancelled, and the player is stuck bouncing on the Spring indefinitely, forcing the player to restart from their last save.[2]
Vivian softlock
In the Japanese version, while on the ground with Vivian, the player is able to open the pause menu at any time, even when in a cutscene. If they do this during Vivian's tutorial, the game will softlock after the tutorial.[2]
Graphics
Black area glitch
If Mario transforms into Tube Mode in the house to the west of the east side of Rogueport and goes halfway into the hole, the area in the back of the house turns black.
Clue text glitch
During the second day on the Excess Express, when Mario finds the clue in his room, if the player aims well between the bed and the clue, the clue message will appear with "Yes" and "No", which belongs to the sleep message. The message will switch between "Would you like to rest in this bed?" and "Could this be another clue?" until the prompt is answered.
 Weird Question Glitch - How the glitch works. | File info 0:08 |
Koops splashing on dry land
At the dock of Rogueport, the player should stand on or near the bollard and use Koops's ability, holding 
so he remains in place. Without letting go of the button, the player should walk away so that Koops is offscreen and talk to a character in the same area. When the player is done, Koops will respawn next to Mario. There will be a splash animation, even on dry land. This glitch also works in Petalburg.
Mario color glitch
When Mario is purple after battling Doopliss, the player can change his picture on the menu screen back to normal by adding or removing a badge. The change is only temporary, though, as when the player exits and re-enters the menu, Mario's picture will be purple again.
Moonwalk glitch
If the player holds 
to enter Paper Mode, jumps, releases while in the air, and then tap 
when landing. If the player holds 
in the opposite direction they are facing, they will walk backwards.[3]
Another method to this glitch involves using Flurrie. If the player presses and then quickly after, Mario will jump and Flurrie will position herself as if Mario were using her ability, with Mario being able to walk backwards after.[4]
Ms. Mowz party list glitch
There is a way to have Admiral Bobbery show up in Mario's party before he actually joins Mario's party. To do this, the player must have Ms. Mowz in their party, and she must not be alongside Mario at the time. If the player chooses a healing item, Bobbery will be in Ms. Mowz's spot on the list.
Persistent clothes glitch
Mario should sell his L Emblem or W Emblem badges while he has them equipped. His clothes will still resemble the Luigi, Wario , or Waluigi outfit until he leaves the area, enters the inventory screen, or saves and quits. The same happens if one of these badges is stolen by a Badge Bandit.
Platform color swap glitch
If the player Spring Jumps on the right of the pipe in the room with the Warp Pipe to Petal Meadows, the platform changes from white to black. As the player moves farther right, the platform changes back to white.
Rawk Hawk off-screen glitch
During the fight with Rawk Hawk, if the player manages to Superguard a direct attack from Rawk Hawk when he has only 1 HP left, Rawk Hawk will be offscreen with his dialogue open.
Tail glitch
If Vivian uses her Shade Fist move on a flying enemy while she is Invisible, her "tail" will have a graphical glitch. Instead of extending as it normally does when she rises in the air, it will instead stay small as if she were still attached to the ground.
Physics
These glitches result from how Mario and/or other characters and objects interact with the world.
Disappearing Bobbery glitch
Bobbery can be forced offscreen in this glitch. It can be used any time after Bobbery joins Mario's party. In Rogueport, the player should go anywhere near the gate right next to the passage above. Tossing him makes Bobbery go off the flipbook, and as long as Mario does not leave the area, talk to someone, or change partners, he will be walking alone.
This can also be performed with Koops, though the setup is slightly different. To make him disappear, the player must go to Center Rogueport and go to the back with the Goomba and Bandit. There, the player should shoot Koops left or right, and keep holding . They should then talk to one of the residents in the area, and Koops should disappear. Unless the player leaves Center Rogueport, presses again, switches partners, or enters a shop, Mario should be alone.
Flurrie slide glitch
By using Flurrie's ability as soon as a door is opened, Mario will be pushed away from the door very far, depending on how the player presses afterwards. This is used when entering houses as walls will temporarily lose their collision detection during the camera transition cutscene. This glitch pushes Mario horizontally across the seam in the international versions of the game, and vertically in the Japanese version.[5][3]
Performing the glitch at the Lovely Howz of Badges and then re-entering the shop will cause its selection cursor to appear on screen before actually entering the building. This cursor will remain until the player leaves Rogueport. Performing this glitch multiple times will eventually cause the game to freeze.
If the player buys a badge in this state, the badge will turn into an invalid item, and if the player performs the glitch a second time, the badges in the shop will be placed at (0, 0, 0), which is in the middle of Rogueport Plaza.
Flying Koops glitch
When in the Glitz Pit hallway, Mario should kick Koops and hold him at either end of the hallway. Mario should then walk to the opposite side of where Koops is, let go of him, and Koops can, for a split-second, be seen flying through the floor and out the bottom of the screen.
Glitz Pit clip
When Mario accepts Jolene's trouble at the Trouble Center, he should enter her office via the air duct connecting to the Champion's Room instead of talking to the security guard by the door. When Mario exits the office via the door, the guard will remain in front of it, and Mario will be forced backward out of the bounds.[3]
Invisible roof glitch
If Mario Spring Jumps in the house with the Koopa on the east side of Rogueport on the top level near the dresser, Mario will hit an invisible obstacle and fall to the ground.[citation needed]
Koops stuck under house glitch
In Petalburg, the player needs to go to the left side of Petalburg and head to the gate. Once the player gets there, they must not leave. Instead, they should go inside the house that is closest to the gate. If it has a Toad, and a table near the door, the player is inside the correct house. Now, the player must go to the table and go in the corner that is closest to the door. After making sure they have Koops out, they should then use his ability in that corner. He will go underneath the house and stay there until the player moves, as he can easily jump out.[3]
Kroop's house corner clip
On the right corner in front of Kroop's house, if the player rides Yoshi towards the edge and then switches direction, they will clip through the ground.[3]
Mayor textbox glitch
During Chapter 4, if the player wedges themselves between the right side of Mayor Dour's house and the tree next to it, they can trigger his textbox from outside the house. This glitch can only be performed if the mayor is standing towards the front of the house.[5]
Neutral jumping glitch
As Mario walks throughout rooms, his partners follow him using ground-based directional movement to essentially mimic his movement. If Mario is stationary whenever he starts jumping and begins to move while in the air, this register is not updated, and the partner does not move. Though this is not technically a glitch, it can be used to separate Mario from his partners in order to perform a variety of other glitches.
Paper Mode item jump glitch
While the player is in Paper Mode, if the player releases and quickly opens the item menu using 
while holding the , a jump will be buffered while using the item in the first slot if the player continuously presses . Using the item forces the player to continuously jump while the animation of the item being used is played. This glitch can be used to scale over high obstacles.[5]
Partner lockout glitch
This can be done at any moment after Zess T. starts cooking for the player and with any partner. Sometimes, when the player enters the house when coming from west Rogueport, if they are quick enough, the door will shut behind Mario, but his partner will stay outside.
This glitch can also be done in most other buildings in Rogueport and Fahr Outpost. However, when the player does this with the house past the Trouble Center instead of the character trying to jump at the wall to try coming in, they will keep falling in the water a couple of times and then appear behind the player.
Plane Game glitch
During the Plane Game, the player can open the menu to quit the minigame. If the player opens the menu as they are about to land, upon closing the menu, they will jump.[5]
Rogueport Station out-of-bounds glitch
If the player jumps the bottom-right corner of the top platform in Rogueport Station while holding up and right on , they will be jump out-of-bounds onto the tracks the Excess Express is on. They will not be able to go back in-bounds once out-of-bounds, forcing the player to restart from their last save.[3]
Speed swapping glitch
Mario's vertical velocity is faster than his horizontal velocity. This faster vertical velocity can be stored for horizontal travel by jumping vertically at the onset of a jump, then swapping Mario's direction of travel horizontally a few frames afterwards, Mario's faster vertical velocity will be stored, and he will move faster than normal. This is possible in normal gameplay, but is mostly used in TAS runs of the game. It can also be used to solve some time-based puzzles incorrectly, allowing for some somewhat interesting sequence breaks.
Stuck in stairs glitch
In Hooktail Castle, the player needs to go into the room with the reversing stairs. Yoshi is required for this glitch, but first, the player must have Koops hit the switch. Next, the player must get on top of the steps and use the Yoshi to hover to the switch. Before just reaching the top, the player has to get as close to the wall as possible, landing on the platform, right behind the switch, and then get in front of the switch, facing away from it, nearly dangling off the edge. The player needs to launch Koops's shell and hold it, and finally, jump off the platform with the switch without hitting it, and stand at where the stairs previously were. Then Koops will hit the switch, reversing the stairs, and Mario will be inside the stairs. Mario will still be able to move and can escape simply by walking or jumping out.
There is an easier way to pull off the glitch, though the player will need the Ultra Hammer. Like before, the player will have to go to Hooktail Castle in the same room with the rotating stairs. With Koops, the player must hit the switch, thus rotating the stairs. The player needs to break the stone blocks by using the Ultra Hammer. Now, facing away from the stairs, the player must launch Koops again. The player must now stand where the stairs previously were, and then let go of . This will cause Koops to hit the switch, thus putting Mario inside the stairs.
Stuck on top level glitch
If Mario quickly runs from the inn in Rogueport to the stairs, drops down from the top-third step, and runs to the door, his partner stays on the second level. To end the glitch, the player must use the partner's ability or leave the room.
Walking Paragoomba glitch
If Mario goes to Petal Meadows and lures the first Paragoomba to one "swoop" distance of the fence (not the one near the pipe), then goes behind the fence so the Paragoomba notices him, the Paragoomba will swoop down in front of the fence and gets stuck behind it. If the glitch was not performed correctly, the Paragoomba gets stuck in the air.
Standing on one side of the Paragoomba causes it to look normal, but standing on the other side causes it to spin in circles.
Scripting
These glitches abuse interactions that cause objects or displayed information to perform unintended behaviors.
Buffer glitches
Goombella buffer glitches
Goombella buffer clip
Whenever Mario uses Goombella's Tattle ability outside of battle, all loading zones are deactivated. For unknown reasons, there is a very small window (only a few frames) in which Mario can be moved directly before Goombella's textbox opens. Assuming Mario does not move while inside a loading zone outside of Goombella Buffers (loading zones are not very thick), Mario will have completely bypassed the loading zone and can now walk on the seam of many rooms. Note that some loading zones have invisible walls around them, meaning that no more can be done once the loading zone is bypassed.[5][3]
This glitch allows the player to skip certain sections of the game, such as the battles before Shhwonk Fortress and the Puni cage in Chapter 2, as well as obtaining Bobbery early.
Goombella text storage
Though they may seem inconspicuous, items can be used for a variety of glitches. Mario must have a full inventory to perform this glitch. By performing Neutral Jumps into an item while Goombella is Mario's active partner, a buffer can be performed to acquire text storage. After the Neutral Jumps are performed to separate Goombella from Mario, if Mario is directly next to the item, he can buffer into the item. Because Goombella is separated from Mario, the text box's activation is delayed and the item toss menu can be closed before the text box is activated. This tricks the game into allowing enemies to move and NPCs to be interacted with. This is all done while Goombella is still talking. If an enemy is encountered, Goombella is switched away from, and the battle is left, or a cutscene is activated to deactivate Goombella, Mario will be able to walk around while a text box is still activated, given it was kept open during this whole process. If the text box is closed, all partner's abilities can be used immediately afterwards, the most useful being Yoshi's.
Unlike using a partner's ability normally where they teleport to Mario, they use their ability from their coordinates. When this is done with Yoshi, Mario will teleport to their Y-coordinate, essentially "teleporting" to where Yoshi is, even if it is through a wall or under the floor.
Ms. Mowz buffering
In any room with water, by using Ms. Mowz's ability directly next to the water and, in a similar manner to Goombella buffering, and closing Ms. Mowz's text while Mario is flying up into the air, it is possible to gain control of Mario while he is in the air, allowing some areas to be reached earlier than intended. These areas include the pipes to Keelhaul Key and Poshley Heights, and the Boat Mode Panels in front of the Palace of Shadow Tower. This glitch can significantly break the game and make parts of the game unplayable and rendering the game impossible to complete.[5][3]
Bulky Bob-omb glitch
When the player first battles the two Bulky Bob-ombs in the room with the sluice gate in Pirate's Grotto, the Bulky Bob-ombs will only raise their attack and defense and not light their fuses. Once the player defeats them, they will battle normally.[citation needed]
Flavio as a permanent partner glitch
By using the Mowz glitch or hazard respawn glitch in the room with the large stone block in Rogueport Sewers, it is possible to get Mario and co. to get the Keehaul Key early. This will open up the blue pipe on the island that goes back to the sewers. Now, the player must play until Flavio joins their team normally, and exit back to the sewers with the pipe, resulting in him never leaving their party. Because of this, the player can take him anywhere in any chapter and even finish the final boss and game with him still in their party. This even extends to the Peach and Bowser segments as well.[6][5][3]
One side effect of this glitch, however, is that the Excess Express will become permanently inaccessible, as performing this glitch skips the ending to Chapter 5 which also skips Mario obtaining the train ticket from Don Pianta, and there is no other way to obtain one in the game.
NOTE: For a similar partner glitch in Paper Mario: The Origami King, see Partner duplication and smuggling.
Hazard respawn glitch
As Mario travels through rooms with hazards, they constantly update his respawn position in the case he makes contact with a hazard such as water. This does not update unless Mario has been in contact with the ground for more than one frame in a location that would update his respawn location. If Mario makes contact with a hazard in a room in which he has not updated his respawn position, (i.e. he jumps into a hazard on the frame he enters a room) Mario will simply fly out of the water, without being bitten by a mechanical Cheep Cheep, though he will still take damage. He will then fall to coordinate (0,0,0), which is the center of the room. This can be used for a variety of sequence breaks and minor speedrunning tactics.
Item sorting glitch
When the game is paused, there are some menus that can be sorted by pressing 
. This allows the player to select the sort method. If they close the pause menu on the same frame as they select one of the methods, the game will incorrectly open the sort menu the next time the game is paused. The cursor can still be used, despite it being invisible.[5]
If an item is used while the glitch is active at the same time a menu is sorted, the item will be used, but it will remain in the player's inventory.
If the glitch is performed by sorting the player's emails while reading one, the game will freeze.
Persistent ring glitch
In the Japanese version, if Frankie's trouble is canceled while the ring is currently spawned, it will not despawn. If another trouble is taken and then the ring is collected, the ring will set a flag that is used by other troubles. This allows some troubles to be progressed simply by collecting the ring.[7]
Yux death glitch
If Yux, Z-Yux, or X-Yux are defeated via the burn status ailment while their Mini-Yuxes still active, the Mini-Yuxes and shield will continue to exist. This means that the battle continues even if the Mini-Yuxes are the only remaining enemies, only ending after they are defeated. The shield stays behind.
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c d e https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtBLaRaephs
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyM-ivqF1RE&list=PLDBXdd2IJRvW-gaqcF2Kx0zOUkFZVdML2&index=57
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln5OSTOi_-M
- ^ a b c d e f g h https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es1T1B0Dh_k
- ^ Nintendo Unity. (February 4, 2015). Riches of Glitches in Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door. YouTube. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
- ^ Explanation of the Frankie's Ring glitch
