Dry Dry Desert (Paper Mario)

Dry Dry Desert is a vast hot desert in the Mushroom Kingdom. It appears as a major location in Paper Mario, where the second chapter takes place. Mario gets there by using the Dry Dry Railroad and climbing Mt. Rugged in Chapter 2. Mario can find Kolorado and his research team in the first area he enters. After exploring the desert a bit, they visit the desert town of Dry Dry Outpost. After talking to Moustafa and receiving the Pulse Stone, Mario must search the hot desert to find Dry Dry Ruins. Many side-quests, badges and items are available in this large desert.

Layout

The desert is a 7x7 grid of smaller areas, or 49 panels, with a straight road running through the middle of it. The Mt. Rugged exit is on the west (D1), while the Dry Dry Outpost is on the east (D7). The oasis (F7) can be found 2 screens south of the screen just before Dry Dry Outpost, which is all the way to east.

Characters found

Character	Description	Quotes	Goombario's Tattle
Kolorado	A Koopa Troopa archaeologist who camps in the entrance scene (D1) of Dry Dry Desert. His team and the camp will be absent after Mario visits Fice T. near the beginning of Chapter 3.	See List of Paper Mario quotes § Kolorado	"He's the archaeologist, Kolorado. He's famous as both a scholar and an explorer. Unfortunately, he's also renowned for his carelessness. He's wild about treasures and ancient secrets, so he's always taking off around the world on some adventure."
Kolorado's assistant	A Koopa Troopa assisting Kolorado.	"To get to the desert town, Dry Dry Outpost, just go due east on this path. I'd be careful not to stray from the path if I were you. You may find some trouble, and you'll definitely get lost. Even the path isn't that safe, so watch out for enemies." "Researching these ruins is incredibly difficult. Everyone on the dig is completely exhausted. Sometimes I wonder whether Dry Dry Ruins is really hidden there or just a local myth." "We found a clue! Yeah! I'm motivated again! We're gonna find those ruins!"*	"This is a Koopa Troopa from the excavation team. The team is assisting Kolorado. People say that excavations are about as boring as you can imagine until you find something. I bet that's true."
Kolorado's assistant	A Koopa Troopa assisting Kolorado.	"We're assisting Prof. Kolorado. Right now we're waiting on the guy who hiked over to Dry Dry Outpost to try to bring back some information. Did you know the people of Dry Dry Outpost are descendants of the makers of Dry Dry Ruins? What a cool thought, huh? People have been living here, watching over the ruins for many generations." "Professor Kolorado told me to look everywhere for clues about Dry Dry Ruins, but I'm a little nervous 'cause I haven't found anything yet." "Wow, the Professor's really excited now that he found a clue to Dry Dry Ruins. He's starting a full exploration immediately! Finally, our research is starting to move forward! Maybe it'll be less boring..."*	"This is a Koopa Troopa from the excavation team. The team is assisting Kolorado. That looks like hard work. I wouldn't want to do it. Doing chores in this heat? Ugh!"
Nomadimouse	A Nomadimouse residing on the path (D5) to Dry Dry Outpost in Dry Dry Desert.	See List of Paper Mario quotes § Nomadimouse	"He's a Nomadimouse. It looks like he's in mid-journey. I bet he has some amazing stories to tell... A wandering Nomadimouse... Roaming the world...no responsibilities... So lucky!"

* After Kolorado receives the Artifact from Mario.

Enemies found

For enemy formations in Dry Dry Desert, see here.

• 

  Bandit

• 

  Pokey

• 

  Tweester (area hazard, cannot be fought)

If Mario gets caught by a Tweester, it will deposit him one screen north and one screen east of his location.

Items found

In addition to the items listed below, others such as Dried Fruits may be dropped by enemies.

Item	Icon	Location
Letter		In the tree at the first scene (D1). Obtainable after Kolorado removes his camp.
		In the most southeastern tree at the final scene (D7).
Star Piece		Under a hidden panel near the stone cactus in the most center scene (D4)
		Given by the Nomadimouse at scene D5 after giving him a letter from Dry Dry Outpost.
		Given by Kolorado at his camp when delivering his letter.
		Given by Kolorado in exchange for the Artifact found in Dry Dry Ruins.
Fright Jar		In the west ? block at scene A1.
Runaway Pay		In a hidden block between the three trees at scene C5.
Fire Flower		In the question block at the center of scene C3.
		Behind the northeast cactus at scene A6.
Thunder Rage		In a hidden block above the east stone in B1.
Honey Syrup		In the east question block at scene B5.
Mushroom		In the ? block that appears after hitting the block at C1 one time.
Super Shroom		In the ? block that appears after hitting the block at C1 ten times.
Ultra Shroom		In the ? block that appears after hitting the block at C1 one hundred times.
Maple Super		Given by the Trading Event Toad in A3 when participating in the second contest.
Stop Watch		On a block at scene E6 (requires Kooper or Tornado Jump).
Spin Attack		On a big stone at scene E6, get it with the help from the tornado at F5 (2 screens south of Nomadimouse).
Life Shroom		In the hidden block above the visible ? block at scene E7.
Tasty Tonic		Behind a bush at the southeastern corner of scene F6.
Lemon		On the west tree in the oasis (F7) - can be given to Moustafa in Dry Dry Outpost to get a hint about progressing
Lime		On the east tree in the oasis (F7).
Attack FX C		In an invisible block above the stone in scene G2.

Hidden ? block

Item	Description	Image
Thunder Rage	In the area two screens north of Kolorado's camp, the hidden ? Block is above the easternmost rock.
Attack FX C Badge	In the area one screen east and three south from Kolorado's camp, the hidden ? Block is above the lone rock.
Runaway Pay Badge	In the area one screen north and four east from Kolorado's camp, the hidden ? Block is in the center of the triangle of trees.
Life Shroom	In the area one screen north of the oasis, the hidden ? Block is above the ? Block on the ground.

Area Tattles

An overview map of the Dry Dry Desert showing all 49 areas

This section is organized tile-style with A1 being the northwestern corner and G7 being the southeastern corner. Alphabetical characters run north-south and numbers run west-east.

• A1: So hot... I feel dizzy... Where are we going again? Who are you, anyway?
• A2: So...very...hot! Anyone smell roasting Goomba? Must...concentrate... Many dangers in the desert... Keep eyes open...
• A3: We're going to get lost... This desert seems endless.
• A4: Dry Dry Desert never ends. How big is it, anyway? I'm beat. My feet hurt. This sand feels like it's a thousand degrees.
• A4 (after the Dry Dry Ruins rise out): It's Dry Dry Ruins. Weren't you totally blown away when it rose out of the sand? That was awesome! I wish we could make it happen again!
• A5: You know what I just realized? I hate the desert! Yup! Sand gets in my eyes so I can't see. I feel like I've eaten a couple pounds of sand, and my feet itch. I'm freaking out here!
• A6: Ah, yes! Some more sand and some more cacti! How do you stand such a boring landscape? Look, when I signed on for this adventure, I was under the impression that there would be no boredom involved.
• A7: It's scorching, Mario! I'm turning to charcoal!
• B1: I feel dazed... So thirsty... The cacti seem to be moving...
• B2: You know what? Traveling in the desert is really hard. Just moving my feet in the sand is exhausting. I feel like I'm stuck in quicksand. Are we even getting anywhere?
• B3: Hey, Mario! Did you know that... cacti save water inside? That's the only way they can survive out here.
• B4: Does it ever rain in a desert like this? I seriously doubt it.
• B5: If there's too little rain, the cacti will dry up. Did you know that?
• B6: So blue...the desert sky... They ought to call it... "Big Ol' Super Blue Sky"! I think I'm delirious. It's so hot out here, I can't think straight.
• B7: This looks almost exactly the same as everywhere else. Fine, so there are a few trees growing here. Big deal! I still hate this place!
• C1: It's hot. The desert is hot. I can't imagine that people would actually choose to live in a place like this. Don't they get hot? I guess some like it hot...
• C2: I'm spent, Mario. No shade, no water, no nothing. I hate this place.
• C3: All this blowing sand would cover up most paths. I don't even know which direction we're moving. If we find that big path again, let's stick to it so we don't get lost again.
• C4: Is there nothing here but sand, rocks and cacti? I guess we should be happy that we're not in a sandstorm. I did see a whirlwind, though.
• C5: Mario... I'm so tired... If we find a shady tree, let's take a rest for a while...
• C6: How do trees grow here? When we find a big one, let's take a rest for a while. You wouldn't think that anything could grow around here. These must be a hardy kind of tree, huh?
• C7: We should be near Dry Dry Outpost. Boy, after the endless sands of this desert, it'll be nice to put our feet up in a town for a while.
• D1: Kolorado is searching out mysteries, as usual. He seems to be looking for ruins here.
• D1 (after Kolorado leaves): Here... I remember this spot. It's where that explorer, Kolorado, used to have his base camp set up. Do you think he found what he was looking for?
• D2: As long as we stick to the path, it's easy to go from Mt. Rugged to Dry Dry Outpost without getting lost. Since so many people use this path, the desert sands can't cover it up.
• D3: Traveling through places like this desert really makes you appreciate water. I'm pretty thirsty right now. Aren't you, Mario?
• D4: In an area like this, it's tough to find things that can serve as landmarks. But that rock in the shape of a cactus is a pretty good one.
• D5: Just putting one foot in front of another is hard here. Whenever I take a break, I feel like I don't want to move again.
• D6: Ah, a couple of trees are growing here. It might just be my imagination, but the air feels a bit cooler right here.
• D7: Just east of here is the desert town, Dry Dry Outpost. We'd better remember how to get back here.
• E1: The desert is filled with bandits who love to steal coins from travelers.
• E2: More rocks and sand! It'd be really easy to get lost around here.
• E3: Wow! There's a whole lot of nothing around here. Any idea which direction we should take, Mario?
• E4: You know, it's smart to take a nap when it gets too hot. That reminds me of something my mom used to say: "Take a nap, will you!"
• E5: Look, it's unbearably hot out. I'm getting pretty fed up with it, if you want to know the truth... Isn't there somewhere we can stop for a rest?
• E6: Look at that rocky plateau. It looks like it's too high to climb, but I can almost see something good up there...
• E7: Look! Look, Mario! There's actually some grass growing around here!
• F1: You know, there sure are a lot of rocks in the desert. Before I came here, I thought there was just sand. But there are rocks, too. Whoopee.
• F2: Cacti also have flowers, did you know that? I haven't seen any, though... Do people eat cacti?
• F3: The desert wind constantly builds up and tears down the sand dunes. They say it constantly changes, but it pretty much looks the same to me all the time.
• F4: There are big cacti around here.
• F5: Hey, Mario? Are you thirsty at all? I'm parched. Really thirsty. Totally dried up. Wait a minute... My mouth is really dry! Maybe that's why they call it Dry Dry Desert!
• F6: Look! Look, Mario! There's actually some grass growing around here!
• F7: Oh...thank heavens! At last, we've found an oasis! It's not a mirage, is it? The trees are so green! The water, so blue! Hurray!
• G1: So hot...so very, very hot... This desert trip... I can't take it anymore! Hey, Mario, let's find some shade and relax for a while, huh?
• G2: If we get lost in the desert, we'll dry up and turn into mummies. How about it? Let's rest by that small rock. Maybe there's something unusual about that rock...
• G3: Mario, aren't you hungry? How about thirsty? Tired? I'm all of those things.
• G4: W... Water... Must have water... I'm so thirsty I could bite a cactus...
• G5: Do you think there are any other mysteries in this desert besides the ruins? It'd be nice if we stumbled upon some treasure or something.
• G6: No matter where we go, all I see is sand. That's what this is like. A sea of sand.
• G7: We're lucky we have hats on. We'd probably have come down with sunstroke by now if we hadn't had our hats.
• Edge of Mt. Rugged, technically a part of Dry Dry Desert: This is the gateway between Mt. Rugged and Dry Dry Desert. If we head due east from here, we'll eventually reach the town called Dry Dry Outpost.

In-game map descriptions

• Like the name says, it's dry. Really dry. They say that the Dry Dry Ruins are somewhere around here.
• Like the name says, it's dry. Dry Dry Ruins were found here.

Gallery

• 

  Kooper talking to Kolorado in the west of Dry Dry Desert.

• 

  The Star Piece at the center of Dry Dry Desert.

• 

  Mario receiving a Star Piece from the Nomadimouse.

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  The Super Block in the oasis to the south of the east exit.

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  One of the many areas containing secret blocks.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	カラカラさばく[?] Karakara Sabaku	Dry Dry Desert
Chinese	干旱沙漠[?] Gānhàn Shāmò	Dry Desert (iQue)
German	Staubtrockene Wüste[?]	Dust-dry Desert
Italian	Deserto Secco Secco[?]	Dry Dry Desert
Spanish	Desierto Seco Seco[?]	Dry Dry Desert

Trivia

• In the oasis area (F7), the music will change slightly, and the sound of running water may be heard.
• The green Ratooey named Lumpy at the docks in Rogueport in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door came here to strike it rich by finding oil. Although Dry Dry Desert itself is not accessible in the game, Mario can ask to read his journal entries anytime after Lumpy returns.