Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The World of Light true ending
It isn't enough to defeat World of Light's big bads, but it'll take some work to get the World of Light true ending. Shacknews is here to help.
The following guide features spoilers for the final minutes of World of Light. If you wish to go in spoiler-free, turn back now.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features a full-blown story mode called World of Light and it's one that's far more robust and lengthy that one would expect. It also gets a little more complex than expected, with Galeem only turning out to be one side of a villainous coin. Halfway through the story, after defeating Galeem in battle, Dharkon shows up as the ultimate force of darkness. But eventually beating Dharkon in battle isn't quite the end of the story, either.
Players soon find themselves in a realm where Dharkon and Galeem battle it out for supremacy, with the player able to tip the scales by defeating certain Spirits. Eventually, clearing enough of one side's Spirits and a lieutenant Master/Crazy Hand opens a path to one of the key bosses.
So obviously, I'm supposed to beat Dharkon and conquer the forces of darkness, right?
The obvious move would be to fight the forces of darkness, culminating with a second clash with Dharkon. The Dharkon fight goes much like the first and the same strategy from the first battle will apply here. Defeating Dharkon destroys the forces of darkness.
For a refresher, Dharkon's attacks include:
- A pair of portals, where Dharkon's tentacles will stab through.
- If Dharkon moves to the side, it'll fire off a powerful beam.
- Orbs will fill the screen and operate like X Bombs. Find a safe spot and wait for their blasts to dissipate.
- A shockwave of darkness will move across the screen. You cannot block this, so roll out of its way and try to keep up.
Unforunately, that leaves Galeem standing and he proceeds to engulf the entire world in light, destroying everyone in his path. This is the bad ending.
Wait, so I'm supposed to beat Galeem and conquer the forces of light?
If beating Dharkon isn't the move, then the move must be to defeat Galeem and his agents of light. Exercise the same plan and fight your way towards Galeem. Once enough Spirits and his Hand lieutenant is defeated, a second fight with Galeem opens up. Use the same strategy as before to defeat the embodiment of light.
For a refresher, Galeem's attacks include:
- When purple lines fill the area, they'll become deadly lasers. Stand away from them.
- If Galeem splits its core into three, it'll shoot out waves of fireballs.
- If Galeem's tendrils fill the top of the screen, move to a safe spot, because they'll stab straight across.
- Orbs will fill the screen and operate like X Bombs, only going horizontally and vertically. Find a safe spot and wait for their blasts to dissipate.
- A shockwave of light will move across the screen. You cannot block this, so roll out of its way and try to keep up.
Once Galeem is defeated for good, that leaves Dharkon standing. He proceeds to engulf the entire world in darkness, destroying everyone in his path. This is also the bad ending.
So what's the true ending?
There are actually two Master Hand and Crazy Hand battles. Clearing the second of these battles will reward players with the Master Hand and Crazy Hand Spirits while also freeing them from their masters' control. Now free to fight for the forces of balance, Master Hand and Crazy Hand will open a breach in the top-center of the map, between Dharkon and Galeem. Entering this breach will trigger the first part of the final battle.
After two decades, you get to be Master Hand! The object is to defeat all 70+ of the characters in the game, each a member of Galeem and Dharkon's army. You'll have 500HP at your disposal and have the following key moves at your disposal:
- Up + A: This uses the Master Hand's sky corkscrew move.
- Forward + A: This uses Master Hand's slap, which can often KO.
- Down + A: This slams Master Hand's palm on the ground and will often KO.
- Neutral A: This snaps Master Hand's fingers and will stun fighters, setting the table for KO blows.
Master Hand will also have an array of Special (B) moves at his disposal to assit with taking these fighters out. Work fast, because even though opposing fighters drop fast, there's still more than 70 of them and their damage will eventually add up.
The true final battle
Before going any further, know that you're in for the long haul here. The final battle will range from 20-30 minutes, so prepare for a long fight.
You'll select three fighters for this last stand. Pick your absolute best characters. However, you'll want to keep these tips in mind:
- There's a lot of platforming involved in the first phase, so open with a good jumper.
- You'll have to fight all of the game's bosses again, back-to-back. Bring a heavy hitter and remember all of the previous strategies you employed.
- This fight will take its toll and there are few chances to heal in-between. Because of this, take a high-powered Legend Spirit into battle with three Support slots. If you've freed the Celebi Spirit over the course of the game, equip it, because its Great Autoheal ability will keep your fighter fresh. If you haven't freed the Celebi Spirit, go find it!
The first phase, as noted, sees players ascending an autoscrolling stage. Occasionally, the scrolling will stop upon hitting a stage-like layout. At this point, fighter spirits representing the various other characters in the game will appear. The spirits will represent Galeem and Dharkon and while they'll be eager to fight you, they're not fighting together. Use this to your advantage. If you find yourself taking too much damage, step to the side and let Dharkon and Galeem's fighters wear each other out, while the Celebi Spirit does its work and heals you. Once they've worn each other down, take them out.
In-between fighting spirits, you'll have to ascend platforms. Use any Rocket Belts provided and use them, if necessary. Watch out for Dharkon and Galeem. They can attack by striking their tendrils straight across and destroying platforms in their paths. As soon as you see the edge of their tendrils, move out of the way to a safe platform. They can also attempt to slowly move their entire bodies across the screen to push you off the edge. To stop the latter, hit them in the eye as much as possible.
The final platforming stretch is filled with active Bob-Ombs, which can KO if you're at a high percentage. Fortunately, between the Maxim Tomato offered in-between battles and the Celebi Spirit, you shouldn't be at such a high damage percentage that the Bob-Ombs will present a threat.
Finish off the last of the fighter spirits and move on to the next phase.
The second phase puts players at Final Destination, where Dharkon and Galeem's boss spirits clash. Pick whichever boss comes around and hit it with a physical attack. Do it fast, because Dharkon and Galeem will also attack and you don't need to be taking any excess damage.
You'll have to fight all of the following bosses again:
- Giga Bowser (Galeem)
- Demon King Ganon (Dharkon)
- Rathalos (Galeem)
- Marx (Dharkon)
- Galleom (Galeem)
- Dracula (Dharkon)
Use the same strategies to defeat these characters are before. Make sure to dodge their attacks whenever possible, because while the Celebi Spirit is highly effective, it's not a guaranteed life saver. Damage will pile up over time if you're not careful and the Heart Container offered between battles won't be enough to save you. You'll need as many fighters as possible for the final phase.
The final phase of the battle is both Dharkon and Galeem simultaneously. They'll both attack with the same patterns as they did in their individual fights, so knowing this, know what to expect and what to avoid. While the idea might be to focus on one over another, as soon as one boss is defeated, he'll unleash a powerful explosion that will inflict massive damage, making the rest of the fight much more difficult. More importantly, if you focus too much on one boss and take them out one at a time, you'll still get one of the bad endings. Keep things perfectly balanced!
Keep both bosses' health bars as even as possible and if you get bopped by a dying boss' explosion, take the other boss out quickly. Once you're one-on-one with whatever deity remains, avoid their remaining attacks and let the Celebi Spirit do its work to try and heal as much of the explosion damage as possible.
Once both Dharkon and Galeem are defeated, they're gone for good. That's the end of World of Light and you'll not only get an epic ending sequence for your troubles, but you'll also unlock New Game+. Congratulations on surviving!
