How to beat Cursa in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope

It all comes down to this: Cursa has been the evil force behind every challenge in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and now you’re finally face to face with her. It’s a long battle with multiple phases, so buckle up. You’re gonna need every resource here, so be sure to prepare healing items and Sparks before heading into battle. Here’s how the fight against Cursa goes.

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How to defeat Cursa – Phase 1

The first phase just has you facing Cursa’s floating spectral hands. All nine party members are active here, and they will be for the entire boss fight: there are three groups of three on their own isolated platforms. Think of these as three separate ongoing battles with a shared health bar.

In this case, however, it’s two health bars. Your primary targets are the floating hands, each of which will hover over a random party member every round. Do not use a team jump or jump pad with that character — or anyone near the hand — or you’ll immediately be slapped out of the air, limiting your movement and dealing damage. At the end of each round, the hand will either throw that character into another character or slam straight down. In either case, it’s wise not to let your teammates get too bunched up.

Each of the team platforms also has assorted enemies, so be prepared to deal with those as well. Ideally, you’ll be able to destroy the two hands in about two passes, so if you can just avoid the enemies for a bit and focus on those, you’ll barrel through the first phase. The hands have no damage resistance, so go ham on all the elemental buffs as you fire into them. If a hand hangs out between platforms for a turn, then just spend that time focusing on enemies or healing up.

How to defeat Cursa – Phase 2

Now it’s time to fight Cursa herself. Like the previous battle, she’ll shift between each trio of party members. You won’t be able to take her out as fast as the hands, so be sure to split your time between the boss and her minions. The main thing to watch out for here is Cursa’s attack: she’ll automatically snipe an exposed character with a laser beam. This will always hit over half cover, so you need to make sure you end every round completely out of Cursa’s line of sight. Like her hands, her body has no resistances, so give it everything you’ve got when firing at her.

How to defeat Cursa – Phase 3

In the final phase, Cursa’s true form is revealed, and she releases Rosalina. You’ll work together with the space princess to finally put an end to this whole ordeal. Your goal is to charge up the wands at the end of each platform. Every shot contributes to the same energy meter, but only direct shots count — don’t both with any special techniques or area-of-effect Sparks. As with the other phases, buff yourself as often as possible to really lay into the wands. The enemies here are designed to make you move out of cover, and Cursa will use the same laser attack in this phase as well. Keep that in mind as you deal with all threats. She may also blow the party back to the start of the platform with wind, so be prepared to fight through enemies to reach the wand multiple times.

Once you charge up Rosalina’s bubble three times, the battle will finally be won. Sparks of Hope is a long game already, and this is the longest boss fight of them all — but it is very beatable. Make sure you watch your back as you fire at Cursa, keep yourself healthy and moving, and you’ll finally roll credits on the whole adventure.