Super Mario 64/Whomp's Fortress


 * Location: First floor. On the right side of the staircase, enter the door with a 1 on it, and jump into the painting.
 * Description: A large fortress floating in the sky, with Thwomps, Whomps, and the Giant Whomp (Whomp King in the DS remake).
 * Bob-omb Buddy: Right next to the cannon is your buddy. You need to have collected the first two stars for him to appear.

Whomp's Fortress is the second course. One star is required to access it.

Star 1: Chip Off Whomp's Block
Start by jumping onto the stone wall. You can do this by backflipping onto it from the grassy ledge, or jumping onto it from the tree. Follow the arrows up and turn left. Get past the Piranha Plant either by jumping over it or by crawling past it. Go across the gray bridge quickly, because it will fall apart behind you. Cross the wooden bridge and wait for the rotating bridge to come to the ledge you're on. Go to the middle, and wait for it to rotate to the other ledge. Run onto the ledge, then continue past the Whomp. Go to the right and go past the second Whomp, and jump on the rotating elevator. Jump off onto the top of the mountain and go to the giant Whomp (Whomp King in the DS remake). To defeat it, you need to go in front of it to make it fall, but run out from under it just as it's about to crush Mario. Jump on its back and do a ground pound (jump and push before you land). You will need to do this three times before the Whomp will give you a star. If you start your ground pound just before the giant Whomp falls, it will pass through you without harm, allowing you to land on its back easily.

Star 2: To The Top Of The Fortress
Again, travel to the top of the mountain, but this time you'll find a tower. Climb it using the moving blocks, watching out for Bullet Bills that come out of the cannons. The star is at the top of the tower.

Star 3: Shoot Into The Wild Blue
Instead of climbing up the fortress, you will need to reach a cannon. Start by going up where you would normally go, but backflip left to reach a section with water. Go left and speak to the pink Bob-omb and get him to prepare the cannons for you. Having done that, all you need to do is shoot yourself onto the platform to the left - the one under the flag pole. Aim above the platform above the star. Once you get there (it may take a few tries if you're not used to the cannon), climb down the pole and the star's right there. You can also side flip and wall jump to the platform.

Star 4: Red Coins On The Floating Isle


Again, find eight red coins scattered throughout the course.


 * 1) On your way up The Climb, there are three pieces of wall that poke out at intervals. A red coin is on top of the middle one.
 * 2) The second coin is above the second blue Thwomp. Get on the step above him and jump on his head.
 * 3) The next coin is in The Pool, that can be reached by going completely over the top of the incline.  Long jump up the black incline to reach the coin.
 * 4) Head back to The Climb. The next red coin is behind the first Piranha Plant.
 * 5) Get the next red coin by walking (slowly!) across the ledge past the Piranha Plant.
 * 6) Travel on the rotating wooden plank for another red coin.
 * 7) The last two are on The Islands off the top of the mountain. Jump and kick the plank so you can safely walk across.

The Star appears in The Field near where you started. If you have enough health, you may be able to survive a well positioned fall to the star. If not, just walk back down the mountain and take it.

Star 5: Fall Onto The Caged Island
From where you start, turn around and climb the tree near the start of the level. Once you do so, an owl will come out and offer you a ride. Jump into his claws and turn toward the floating island that you will see with a cage and a star on it. Steer him towards the cage that holds the star up there in the sky. Let go of the owl when you are directly overhead of the island. Walk into the cage through the opening and take the star. This may take a few tries to position yourself correctly.

You can also hop into the cannon and launch yourself into the top of the cage. This also takes a few tries to perfect.

Star 6: Blast Away The Wall
Go to the cannon again, but this time aim to the right. You want to hit the side of the brown wall near the top. If you get this right, it will shatter revealing a star (see screenshot to right). Climb up to the wall, slide down to the star, and you've got it. (You can also fire yourself from the cannon right at the star: aim right above it).

Star 7: Switch Star of the Fortress (Nintendo DS)
Go around the base of the fortress, past the Piranha Plant and a couple of Goombas and hop the fence. Don't worry, there's ground there so you won't die. As you kill that Goomba, notice that there are empty columns in the wall above the stones that pop out and knock you down. Go to the second space and hop onto the orange block and do a spiffy ground-pound. You'll uncover a yellow star-shaped switch with a white ! on top. After the cut scene, showing you where the star is, step onto the switch.

WARNING!

Be ready to run around the base, avoiding the Piranha Plants and Goombas as well as the Bullet Bills and watch out for empty spaces in the ground. You should end up where a star is, surrounded by a glass outer coating that doesn't matter.

Congratulations! You've just gotten a star! That deserves a Klondike (all copyright goes to the people who manufacture Klondike bars)!

Star 7 (DS 8): Get 100 Coins
Again, getting 100 coins is worth a star. Here is a rather simple route.
 * 1) When you enter the stage, go to the right, where there is a piranha plant. It holds a blue coin, worth 5 yellow coins.
 * 2) Move on a bit further in the field, where there is a crate. Break the crate for three more coins.
 * 3) You can find 8 coins around the flower bed.
 * 4) Backtrack a little bit and go up the lower slope, with 5 yellow coins.
 * 5) Carefully jump over the moving blocks, grabbing the red coin as you do so.
 * 6) Head up a bit further, and jump on the top of the higher up Thwomp. There's a red coin above it.
 * 7) Run downwards, where you can find 5 yellow coins on the upper slope.
 * 8) Turn right and get the 8 yellow coins in the pool.
 * 9) Run to the cannon, where you can find 5 more yellow coins.
 * 10) Head downwards. There's a crate containing 3 coins.
 * 11) In the same section, there's a blue coin switch, which makes 4 blue coins appear, for a total of 20 coins.
 * 12) Run back to the cannon and aim where you would go to get Shoot Into The Wild Blue. Eight coins are there.
 * 13) Climb back up the upper slope and go to the left. Punch the piranha plant for another blue coin.
 * 14) Behind the piranha plant is a red coin, and on the narrow ledge is another red coin.
 * 15) Get the blue coin out of the piranha plant.
 * 16) 5 coins are on the wooden bridge over the water.
 * 17) Stand on the very end of the rotating wooden board, and get four yellow coins and one red coin.
 * 18) Jump down and grab the red coin on the slope, and your 100 coin star. If you find it difficult to get, you can triple-jump up the slope.

1-Up Locations
The following is a list of where to find all four green mushrooms in Whomp's Fortress..


 * Grab the coins on the spinning bridge.
 * Punch the tower wall on the side where you can see the pole to break it.
 * Climb to the top of the pole.
 * Punch a butterfly in the flowerbed near where the red coin star appears