Pit of 100 Trials
The Pit of 100 Trials is an optional challenge in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario. As its name implies, the Pit is a 100-floor dungeon that looks as though it was built for torture. Mario and co. don't have to travel down it to complete the adventure, but players can earn a lot of experience and gain very useful badges (or in Super Paper Mario, valuable items) on the way down.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The Pit is found near the entrance to the Palace of Shadow and is filled with monsters. It appears as if it were closed off, as Mario has to turn into an airplane and fly over a fence before he can reach the entrance.
According to Grifty, the Shadow Queen created this dungeon and filled it with powerful monsters. She threw people she didn't like into the Pit and left them to the mercy of the several enemies there. Every ten floors, there is a treasure chest containing prizes and a pipe to take you back to the surface. There are no Save Blocks in the Pit, meaning that if you die while in the Pit, you will lose everything that you won.
The enemy at the final floor is Bonetail, the Shadow Queen's eldest pet dragon. Bonetail is a tough enemy, somewhat because Mario will be worn out from the many battles before he reaches him, and also because he has high HP, attack power, and defense power.
While the first few floors are considerably easy, they grow much harder as you progress. It is strongly suggested that you heed this advice: Always save your game before entering the Pit at all. You should not attempt to complete the whole Pit unless you have finished at least Chapter 6 and have about 3 hours to spare. You should increase levels several times as you trek through the dungeon, but if Mario's HP ever reaches 0, it is all wasted. You need to be skilled at guarding and superguarding to protect yourself from attacks. It is recommended that you enter with at least one Life Shroom.
Most floors have more than one enemy, and usually all floors past 80 have 3 or more enemies. Occasionally, Charlieton or a Mover could be found in the Pit. Charlieton will offer to sell you items down there. But he sells them for an unreasonably high price, so pack some coin before you go down! Movers could transport Mario down 2 levels, 5 levels, or back up to land.
Two troubles at the Trouble Center require you to enter the Pit. One trouble requires you to go down to Floor 20 to rescue Pine T. Jr.'s father, and another required you to reach Floor 50 and destroy one of the walls in that floor.
Enemies in the Pit of 100 Trials
Floors 1-9
- Gloomba (Floors 1 and 6)
- Spinia (Floors 2 and 7)
- Spania (Floors 3 and 8)
- Dull Bones (Floors 4 and 9)
- Fuzzy (Floor 5)
Floors 11-19
- Paragloomba (Floors 11 and 16)
- Pokey (Floors 12 and 17)
- Cleft (Floors 13 and 18)
- Dark Puff (Floors 14 and 19)
- Pider (Floor 15)
Floors 21-29
- Spiked Gloomba (Floors 21 and 26)
- Bandit (Floors 22 and 27)
- Lakitu (Floors 23 and 28)
- Bob-omb (Floors 24 and 29)
- Boo (Floor 25)
Floors 31-39
- Dark Koopa (Floors 31 and 36)
- Hyper Cleft (Floors 32 and 37)
- Parabuzzy/Buzzy Beetle (Floors 33 and 38)
- Shady Koopa (Floors 34 and 39)
- Flower Fuzzy (Floor 35)
Floors 41-49
- Dark Paratroopa (Floors 41 and 46)
- Bulky Bob-omb (Floors 42 and 47)
- Lava Bubble (Floors 43 and 48)
- Poison Pokey (Floors 44 and 49)
- Spiked Parabuzzy/Spike Top (Floor 45)
Floors 51-59
- Badge Bandit (Floors 51 and 56)
- Ice Puff (Floors 52 and 57)
- Dark Boo (Floors 53 and 58)
- Red Chomp (Floors 54 and 59)
- Moon Cleft (Floor 55)
Floors 61-69
- Dark Lakitu (Floors 61 and 66)
- Sky-Blue Spiny (Floors 61 and 66)
- Dry Bones (Floors 62 and 67)
- Dark Wizzerd (Floors 63 and 68)
- Frost Piranha (Floors 64 and 69)
- Dark Craw (Floor 65)
Floors 71-79
- Wizzerd (Floors 71 and 76)
- Dark Koopatrol (Floors 72 and 77)
- Phantom Ember (Floors 73 and 78)
- Swoopula (Floors 74 and 79)
- Chain Chomp (Floor 75)
Floors 81-89
- Spunia (Floors 81, 85 and 86)
- Dark Bristle (Floors 82 and 87)
- Arantula (Floors 83 and 88)
- Piranha Plant (Floors 84 and 89)
Floors 91-99
- Elite Wizzerd (Floors 91, 95 and 99)
- Poison Puff (Floors 92 and 96)
- Bob-ulk (Floors 93 and 97)
- Swampire (Floors 94 and 98)
- Amazee Dayzee (Randomly appear)
Floor 100
Prizes in the Pit of 100 Trials
- Floor 10: Sleepy Stomp Badge
- Floor 20: Fire Drive Badge
- Floor 30: Zap Tap Badge
- Floor 40: Pity Flower Badge
- Floor 50: Strange Sack
- Floor 60: Double Dip Badge
- Floor 70: Double Dip P Badge
- Floor 80: Bump Attack Badge
- Floor 90: Lucky Day Badge
- Floor 100: Return Postage Badge (after defeating Bonetail)
Area Tattles
- This is the Pit of 100 Trials. That pipe just seems to lead down forever... Still, the air seems kinda fresh here. I guess it's flowing down from above, huh?
- This is the Pit of 100 Trials, but I don't see any enemies in this room. At least there's a pipe to take us back to the entrance if you wanna bail. Then again, we'd have to fight our way back down to this level again... Better think it through before we do anything hasty, know what I mean?
- This is an intermediate floor in the Pit of 100 Trials. These appear every 10 floors. At least there's a pipe to take us back to the entrance if you wanna bail. Then again, we'd have to fight our way back down to this level again... Better think it through before we do anything hasty, know what I mean?
- This is the Pit of 100 Trials. We just gotta keep on fighting and descending... But this endless repetition of rooms is starting to totally wear me out, y'know? I guess we gotta soldier on, though...
- This is the Pit of 100 Trials. We've come pretty far, looks like. The air's getting super-dank... Who knows how deep it goes, but let's keep going as long as we can...
- This is the lowest floor in the Pit of 100 Trials. A zombified dragon named Bonetail used to protect this room. Yuuuuuck. Mario, I bet you're the first person to make it this far! I totally knew you'd do it! Now let's get out of this creepy place and back to the world above, OK?
Super Paper Mario
The Pit of 100 Trials is a 100-room labyrinth in this game like in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. However in this game there are two pits – one in Flipside and one in Flopside. They were created to test the forces that guard the Pure Hearts. The Flipside version was created to study the powers of the Pure Hearts. The Flopside version was used to study the powers of darkness. The entrance to the Flipside version is located above the entrance, but the Flopside version cannot be accessed until the Flipside version is cleared.
In this game a random enemy in each "room" (not level) holds a key to a locked door that proceeds to the next room, for both Pits. Every 10th room, a valuable item awaits. Wracktail and Shadoo are the bosses for Flipside and Flopside respectively. These pits are designed to look like the LCD screen of an old Game & Watch System.
Both pits have artwork on the walls depicting a Pure Heart and where it is found, which changes every 25 rooms. For example, in the Flipside pit, Rooms 1-25 have a Pure Heart paired with Flipside and Flopside (a reference to Mario's first Pure Heart), while Rooms 51-75 have Merlee and her mansion, with the corresponding Pure Heart.
The Rooms and Enemies of the Pit (Flipside)
Room 1-10
- Squiglet (Rooms 1, 3, 8)
- Goomba (Rooms 2 and 5)
- Squig (Rooms 3 and 8)
- Sproing-oing (Room 7)
- Gloomba (Rooms 5 and 9)
- Cherbil (Room 6)
Room 11-20
- Koopa Troopa (Rooms 11 and 14)
- Paratroopa (Room 11)
- Paragoomba (Room 12)
- Spiked Goomba (Room 12)
- Shlurp (Rooms 13 and 15)
- Bald Cleft (Room 13)
- Goomba (Room 14)
- Boomboxer (Room 15)
- Tileoid G (Room 16)
- Koopa Troopa (Rooms 16 and 19)
- Koopa Troopa (Room 17)
- Buzzy Beetle (Room 18)
- Squig (Room 18)
- Squiglet (Room 19)
- Koopatrol (Room 19)
Prizes in the Pit of 100 Trials (Flipside)
- Room 10: Tippi Card
- Room 20: Thoreau Card
- Room 30: Boomer Card
- Room 40: Slim Card
- Room 50: Thudley Card
- Room 60: Carrie Card
- Room 70: Fleep Card
- Room 80: Cudge Card
- Room 90: Dottie Card
- Room 100: Dashell (after defeating Wracktail)
Prizes in the Pit of 100 Trials (Flopside)
- Room 10: Dashell Card
- Room 20: Goombario Card
- Room 30: Kooper Card
- Room 40: Bombette Card
- Room 50: Parakarry Card
- Room 60: Bow Card
- Room 70: Watt Card
- Room 80: Sushie Card
- Room 90: Lakilester Card
- Room 100: Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi Cards, Cards of the dark version of each hero, infinite Flip for Mario (all after going through the previous 99 rooms again and defeating Shadoo)