You’re wandering through Concordia, the seafaring world of Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and you see that little icon on the map. It's a side quest. You might think about skipping it. Don't. Honestly, ignoring Mario and Luigi Brothership side quests is probably the biggest mistake you can make in this game, and not just because you’ll miss out on some gear. It’s about the "Conectelar" energy—the literal and metaphorical threads that keep this game from falling apart.
Most people play these RPGs for the flashy "Bros. Attacks" or the boss fights that require frame-perfect jumping. That's fine. But the side content here isn't just filler. It's the connective tissue. When Nintendo and developer Acquire (who stepped in after AlphaDream's unfortunate bankruptcy) built this world, they didn't just want a linear path. They wanted a web.
The Reality of Mario and Luigi Brothership Side Quests
Look, let’s be real for a second. In previous entries like Paper Jam or Dream Team, side quests often felt like a chore. You were basically a glorified delivery boy. In Brothership, things shifted. The quests are tied to the "Islets." Since the world has been shattered, your job is to reconnect these floating islands to the Shipshape Island (your main hub).
If you ignore a quest on an island like Rayon, you aren't just missing a few coins. You might be missing a permanent shortcut or a specific NPC interaction that changes how that island functions once it’s reconnected to the Uni-Tree. It's weirdly high-stakes for a game about a guy in overalls. Some quests are time-sensitive, too. If you progress the main story too far without checking back on your "Lighthouse" connections, those opportunities can vanish. It adds a layer of urgency that feels very different from the relaxed pace of Super Mario RPG.
Why Gear is Only Half the Story
Usually, you do side missions for the loot. In this game, the loot is "Battle Plugs." These are basically the "Badges" of Brothership. You craft them using Sprite Bulbs you find in the world. Many of the most interesting Mario and Luigi Brothership side quests reward you with the specific resources needed to craft high-tier plugs.
Imagine a boss fight where you’re struggling. If you’d done that "unimportant" side mission three islands back, you might have the "Anti-Spike" or "Auto-Counter" plug that makes the fight a breeze. It's about synergy. The game rewards curiosity. If you see an NPC looking stressed near a jetty, talk to them. It usually leads to a combat challenge or a puzzle that forces you to use the "Bros. Moves" in ways the main path doesn't require yet.
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Navigating the Concordia Connection
The world-building is where things get genuinely interesting. Concordia is populated by characters that look like electrical outlets and plugs—the Wattists. Their dialogue is surprisingly witty. Side quests often flesh out the lore of how their civilization functioned before the Great Luma Tree was destroyed.
Take the quests involving the "Extensionists." These aren't just NPCs standing around. They represent the fractured nature of their world. When you help them, you’re literally repairing their society. It’s a bit on the nose, sure, but it gives the Mario and Luigi Brothership side quests a sense of purpose. You aren't just fetching five mushrooms because someone is hungry; you’re helping a guy find his lost brother because their island is literally drifting into the void.
The Difficulty Spike Problem
Some players complain that Brothership has a weird difficulty curve. One minute you’re stomping goombas, the next a generic enemy is taking half your health in one hit. This is almost always a sign that you’ve skipped too many side quests.
Leveling up is vital. But more than levels, it's the "Stat Beans." Side quests are the most consistent way to farm these. If you want Mario to be a glass cannon or Luigi to be an indestructible tank, you need those beans. The "Greedy" side quests—the ones that ask you to hunt down specific rare monsters—are particularly lucrative for this. It’s a grind, but a purposeful one.
The Secret Sauce: Luigi Logic
We have to talk about Luigi Logic. In the main game, Luigi has these "brain blasts" where he figures out puzzles. In side quests, this mechanic gets even weirder. There are specific missions that can only be triggered or completed if you let Luigi wander off and interact with the environment.
It's a subtle way to show the "brothership" part of the title. Mario is the muscle, the face of the operation. Luigi is the intuition. Some side quests require you to wait. Literally wait. Luigi might need time to "think" about a problem while you explore another part of the island. It breaks the traditional "quest-turn-in" flow we’re used to in modern RPGs. It's quirky. It's very Nintendo.
Missing Out on Shipshape Island Upgrades
Your hub, Shipshape Island, evolves. As you complete Mario and Luigi Brothership side quests, new vendors move in. This isn't just cosmetic. You get access to better gear, obviously, but also to "Recordings" and lore entries that explain the origins of the Zokket and the villainous presence in the game. If you rush to the end, Shipshape feels like a ghost town. If you do the work, it feels like a thriving city.
The "Quest Board" on Shipshape is your best friend. Check it after every major island reconnection. New stuff pops up constantly. Sometimes it's a simple hunt, other times it's a complex multi-island fetch quest that requires you to use the "Sea Currents" to navigate back to early-game areas.
Specific Quests You Shouldn't Skip
I won't spoil the whole list, but keep an eye out for anything involving the "Technicians." These quests usually unlock new ways to use your Shipshape cannons. Being able to launch to specific points on an island saves you minutes of backtracking. Time is money, even in the Mushroom Kingdom (or whatever the equivalent is in Concordia).
Also, look for the "Culinarian" quests. Food items in this game are potent. Having a stash of high-end snacks can save a "Game Over" screen during the marathon boss fights late in the story. These aren't just "potions." They’re buffs. Some side quests unlock recipes that provide temporary immunity to status effects like "Dizzy" or "Burn."
The Connection to the Main Narrative
Is it possible to beat the game without doing a single side quest? Technically, yes. But you’ll be miserable. The final boss of Brothership is a notorious "stat check." If you haven't engaged with the side content, you simply won't have the damage output or the defensive capabilities to survive the long-haul phases.
The game is designed to be played as a whole. The developers didn't view side quests as "extra." They viewed them as the "meat" on the "bones" of the story. By helping the various NPCs, you’re building a coalition. When the world is finally coming back together, seeing those characters you helped along the way makes the payoff significantly more impactful.
How to Maximize Your Time
If you’re worried about the clock, here is the most efficient way to handle these missions:
Don't backtrack immediately. Wait until you have at least two or three quests in a specific sector of the sea. The Shipshape moves in real-time, and waiting for it to circle back to an old island can be tedious if you're only doing it for one minor reward. Bunch them up. Use the "Map" feature to see if multiple icons are active in the same zone.
Also, pay attention to the "Bros. Actions." If a side quest looks impossible, you probably haven't unlocked the right move yet. Don't bang your head against a wall. If you can't reach a platform, move on with the main story until Mario and Luigi learn their next "transformation" or "link" ability. Then come back and crush it.
Final Thoughts on the Side Content
The Mario and Luigi Brothership side quests are a testament to why this series still has a pulse. Even after the original developers moved on, the core spirit—the humor, the brotherly bond, the weirdness—is preserved in these small moments. They remind us that Mario isn't just a hero because he can jump high; he's a hero because he stops to help a random electrical plug find its missing cord.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To get the most out of your journey through Concordia, follow these specific strategies:
- Check the Shipshape Board after every "Great Lighthouse" reconnection. This is the primary trigger for new quest spawns.
- Prioritize quests that reward "Sprite Bulbs." You can never have enough Battle Plugs. The ability to swap your build on the fly is the only way to handle the late-game difficulty spikes.
- Listen to Luigi. If he gets an exclamation point over his head during a side mission, stop moving. Let the animation play out. It usually reveals a hidden path or a solution that saves you ten minutes of wandering.
- Don't ignore the "Revisit" prompts. When an NPC says, "Come back later," they mean it. Usually, after one main story beat, that NPC will have a new stage of the quest ready.
- Focus on "Synergy" Plugs. Use the rewards from side quests to craft plugs that work together, like "Status Boost" paired with "Critical Hit."
By focusing on these elements, you’ll turn a standard RPG experience into a much more rewarding, nuanced adventure. The brothers are better when they're busy.