Lord Regal
Well-Known Member
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has an excellent multiplayer feature known as the ScareScraper/Thrill Tower. There are three types of gameplay: Hunter, Rush, and Polterpup. Nin3DS wrote a guide for Hunter mode, found here: http://nintendo3dscommunity.com/topic/11065-luigis-mansion-dark-moon-hunter-mode-guide/ . I will be discussing my favorite mode: Polterpup!
What exactly IS Polterpup mode? Well, the entire object of the game is to capture dog ghosts known as Polterpups. Each floor has their own infestation, and you're in charge of tracking them down before time runs out. Before I get into details on how you do that or what the difference in difficulty is, I'll explain some of the differences between Hunter and Polterpup mode, as from what I've seen online Hunter is by far the most popular mode.
You do not need to capture any ghosts outside the Polterpups if the floor is not a boss floor!
That's right...no matter how many ghosts you run into, if it's not a canine, it doesn't matter and doesn't count towards finishing the floor (excluding boss floors).
Floors are generally friendlier
Regardless of difficulty, you'll find fewer ghosts in Polterpup mode than in Hunter or Rush modes. There are still plenty of ghosts around, but particularly on Normal you won't see a ton of them.
More Traps
Likely to counter the fact that there aren't as many ghosts, traps are more common. Obviously, traps that require a second person to eliminate don't exist if you're playing solo, but other traps do exist, and they're plentiful. Information on traps is coming later.
Less money needed to earn upgrades!
Because you're hunting fewer things, the upgrades to the Poltergust take about half the money Hunter mode requires to unlock them. However, it takes about the same amount of time to unlock them, as you don't want to spend extra time grabbing normal ghosts.
What you're hunting for won't EVER hurt you!!
The Polterpups are friendly...in fact, it looks like they treat this whole event as a game. Aside from scaring you when they pop out of hiding and licking your face if they jump on you, they won't ever directly interfere with you. Obviously when you're reeling them in they'll try to escape, meaning drag damage and getting hurt from other ghosts in the room are possible, but the canines themselves won't harm you.
Otherwise, the game is played largely the same. Bosses still intrude every five floors, and on the harder difficulties teamwork is crucial to complete the level. Speaking of difficulties...
Normal Difficulty
Definitely possible when playing solo, normal difficulty has you finding anywhere between 2-4 Polterpups on each floor. Traps aren't incredibly common, and other ghosts are rare outside of a stray Greenie unless you're going higher than 15-20 floors, where some hordes common in Hard difficulty will start to show up. Playing with a group, unless most of you are inexperienced in the mode, Normal is likely too easy, leading to heavy competition for the few Polterpups.
Hard Difficulty
If you're good at Polterpups and can handle a crowded room of ghosts of the like seen in higher floors on Hunter Mode's Normal difficulty, then Hard is possible solo. You're tracking somewhere between 2-5 Polterpups per floor (2 being rare). Traps are about what you'd see on Expert difficulty for Hunter, and the ghost-infested rooms are somewhere between hard Normal and easy Hard Hunter difficulties. If you're playing with a decent group, Hard difficulty is my recommendation.
Expert Difficulty
Were it not for the regularity of traps and the higher-level ghosts, Expert would be possible on solo. Anywhere between 3-6 Polterpups is possible, with 3 being somewhat rare. Traps are pretty much everywhere, slowing your hunting and oftentimes interfering with a capture. Ghost levels are somewhere around high Hard to low Expert Hunter. If you have a team with two or three good at Hunter, and one or two good at Polterpups, this difficulty will fly by.
Strategies and Tips
Before you can hunt the Polterpups, you have to find their doghouse! Every single one of the dogs on the floor is in the house to start, and their tracks all flow to it. Each pup will start a maximum of one room away from the house, so if you don't see tracks in the starting room, you're at least two rooms off! Keep in mind that you cannot attempt to capture the Polterpups when you find their house. The person who finds the house will likely not recover from the fright of finding them before they get away, and any other Luigis in the room will be unable to flash the dogs.
Smart Darklight usage is incredibly important. You literally cannot do anything if you don't use this light, as it reveals the Polterpups' pawprints showing their movements since the last time they were found, as well as most of their hiding places (including the doghouse). The pups also leave outlines of their body in walls they've traveled through, also revealed through the Darklight. Don't let your light ever run out totally...if you can guess at the dog you're tracking's movements for a second, let the light recover for a second before confirming your guess.
It may seem obvious, but just in case I'll throw it in. When tracking paw prints, follow them in the direction that the toe prints are facing. I wouldn't include this tip, but I've seen people following them backwards and felt it should be here.
When you do find a Polterpup, you have to first recover from the fright of the pup's sudden appearance. Then you have a very short window in which to flash the dog and start reeling it in. If you're slow on the uptake, the pup will run away to another room (and could possibly go to the other end of the mansion before hiding again). Note that if a teammate is in the room the Polterpup flees into, (s)he won't be able to see the pup, but only a puff of smoke as it enters the room, and another if it leaves it. The pups can only be caught in the room they're found in...after that, the hunt must start over. A helpful hint for flashing the pup: they typically stop for a second while they're still in range of your flasher without having to move (except turn around). Even if the camera is such that you can't see the dog, odds are it's still in range. Flash and turn on the vacuum and you'll likely start reeling it in.
The first seconds can be CRUCIAL! Before you even see the Luigis appear in the room, you can get a clue as to where the Polterpups' doghouse is. I'm not sure if this was intended, but if a pup starts in your room, you will see a puff of smoke on a wall as it flees the room, heading for the house. I have yet to see the house be in the starting room, so I don't think it's possible (I've played a LOT of Polterpups...that's why I'm writing this!) Remember, the pups all start one room away from the house, so if you see that smoke, you know what room the house is in!
Don't reveal absolutely everything that's invisible. In fact, it's best to leave everything that doesn't have paw prints leading to it. Most ghost hordes don't show up in any difficulty unless you guess incorrectly where a Polterpup is hiding. Think of it as a penalty for being wrong. Similarly, the severe increase in traps is utilized as a penalty for guessing wrong. Only the carpet traps don't fall under this rule. This is probably the most frustrating thing about playing with others online that you can't talk to...too many people don't understand this rule and end up getting trapped/killed by hordes of ghosts. Also, be sure to remember that it's not enough to reveal the hidden object where the pup is hiding, you have to then examine it with X (The doghouse is the only exception to this). Also keep in mind that on harder difficulties even choosing the right item and revealing a pup can reveal other ghosts. Try to cap the dog as fast as possible, else it'll get away and you'll be left with a bunch of unfriendly spirits.
Big Polterpups are possible to be captured solo! The trick is in creative use of the flash meter. Unlike in Hunter, where the best option is to always use full charges, big Polterpups are often too quick to get more than one of those in. If you're playing solo or with others who don't get the mode, you often won't have the choice to take the powerful option. The key is to watch where the pup is heading...if it's going for the wall, zap it, no matter what level you've built up to. It stops the dog from escaping for a moment, and you can typically build up another level one charge before it tries again. By all means build up a full charge when you can, but don't feel bad about laying on the level ones.
If there aren't any Polterpups in the room, don't bother with other ghosts! In my experience, the pups will avoid rooms that have active ghosts in them. They will still go to those places occasionally, and if the ghosts aren't active they have no problem with settling in, but generally speaking they'll go to a clear room. You don't need to suck up any other ghosts so long as you nab the dogs, so why bother with a room full of Greenies if there's no pup to snag? Besides, you're on a time limit...you don't have time to bother with other ghosts, particularly on Expert when you're hunting six Polterpups!! However, if there IS a pup in the room, it's definitely the better choice to take out the other ghosts first. Remember, the pups won't hurt you directly, but the other ghosts definitely will take advantage of you being distracted!
All general rules apply: The map tells you if a door is open (green), locked (red) or fake (grey), key usage should be minimized in case there's a door you can't get by any other way, suits of armor are to be avoided (Polterpups never hide in suits of armor, but they can hide in objects right next to them, so if it appears that the paw prints go into a suit of armor, and there aren't tracks leading away, check the wall to see if they left the room, and check next to the armor for invisible objects). Safes don't typically have anything, and actually tend to have ghosts or a curse, particularly on higher difficulties. Most likely this is because the pups don't go in safes, so they wanted to punish players and cause them to stop checking the safes and focus on places the pups would be.
Just like keys, Polterpup icons (shown either when someone's found one or if you have the Map powerup) don't point to exact locations within the rooms, but rather just tell you what room they're in.
Wardrobes should be used when you haven't seen any tracks nearby. You run the risk of popping up on the wrong side of the paw prints, but if you've covered half the floor, a fresh start may help you find a pup quicker. Don't use one when you're actively tracking one, as odds are someone else will get to it by the time you realize that wardrobe took you to the wrong area.
All ghost fighting techniques used in Hunter mode should be employed when it becomes necessary to clear rooms of ghosts. See Nin3DS' guide for Hunter-specific strategies.
Traps
As I stated above, traps are MUCH more common in Polterpup mode than they are in Hunter. Here's what to look out for.
Curses
The only non-boss trap that exists in single player, curses invert your movement controls, including while sucking up ghosts (push the pad toward the ghost you're capturing, not away). In multiplayer another teammate must shine their darklight on you to remove the curse, and touching a cursed player curses you as well. In single player, I can't figure out if it's a simple time mechanism that releases the curse, or if my shining my darklight down and walking into it as best as I can removes it. I'd recommend trying to shine the darklight on yourself, just in case that's what gets rid of the curse. You'll want to dedicate as much time as possible to tracking those Polterpups, and if it's NOT time based, you'll just waste time waiting for it to go away. Curses are the most common "you guessed wrong, here's a punishment" trap. VERY occasionally, a correct guess can earn you a curse, but it's rather rare.
Carpets
Carpet traps suck you into their center and don't let go. You can still turn, flash your strobelight/darklight, and suck up ghosts, but you won't be able to leave that spot until someone on your team pulls on a corner tassel.
Vases
Only vases can cause the vase trap (duh) and any vase that has a Polterpup won't cause the trap to activate, even if normally it would trap you. Therefore, simply don't touch a vase that doesn't have paw prints that stop at it and you'll be set. If you DO get caught by a vase trap, you have to wait for a teammate to grab the red ball with their poltergust and suck the vase off of you.
Warp Portals
A boss-specific trap, these look like purple vortexes. Easy to avoid if you're not sucking up a ghost, but if you are, they can be tough to dodge. If you touch one, you'll get warped to a random room.
Red Coin Powerup Rewards
Dark-Light Goggles
Tied with the map for the best Polterpup item, this powerup allows you to see everything that's invisible on the floor, including sneakers, Polterpup paw prints/wall outlines, and all invisible objects. Simply find the paw prints and follow them to the pups! Despite it's usefulness it shows up quite a bit in Polterpup mode.
Map
Tied with the Dark-Light Goggles for the best Polterpup item, this powerup allows you to see the whole floor layout. A Polterpup icon is conveniently placed in each room containing a pup, so you can immediately start checking the correct rooms. Granted you can't see their prints or their hiding place if it's invisible, but you don't have to find a print trail to start looking for the right room. Relatively rare.
Increased Suction Power (X2/X3)
It's not as helpful as the above two in Polterpup mode, but the extra power is definitely useful, particularly against big Polterpups, as the quicker zap meter aids in preventing them from getting away. Incredibly useful against bosses, particularly those with force fields. Possibly the most common powerup.
Heart Vacuum
Unless you're on a boss floor or in expert mode, this honestly isn't too helpful in Polterpup mode. The pups don't hurt you, and if you're smart about searching you likely won't find too many ghosts, so health isn't anywhere near as big an issue as in Hunter mode. Simply take advantage of melons/pumpkins and you'll likely not have a problem. Because of this, it's more common to get it in Polterpup than in Hunter.
While all powerups can be found within the floor, you will NEVER find a powerup where there's a Polterpup hiding, and the risk of starting a ghost storm or getting cursed far outweighs the benefits of finding an extra boost.
Bosses
(Please note, the vast majority of my boss section is taken straight from Nin3DS' guide to Hunter mode, as they're exactly the same. Therefore, if you've read his guide, mine won't tell you much that's new. I DO have a method for dealing with Sneakers/Gobbers though, as well as Slammers if you're going solo, so I've added those in their places. I've also changed wording in places, and changed several details to better fit my own views)
Every five floors of the mansion is home to a boss, a powerful enemy that has to be defeated to move upwards. These guys are basically reskinned versions of normal enemies (except about ten times the size), but have quite a few other interesting differences.
For one thing, they have very different attacks from the ghosts you face. Some can throw bombs, some can generate bugs and bats, some try to warp you away with black hole style vortexes and others can generate enemies by spitting or throwing them at you.
They also have a far larger amount of HP than normal, having between 250-600 health. These guys take a lot of work to bring down...
Additionally, they always bring along an endless army of minions to break up the fight. Don't bother fighting most of these unless necessary, they never stop spawning and give you very little in return. You do get a short respite if you take out the minions, but it's not often worth it unless they're ganging up on you.
Finally, you only have to beat the boss to clear the floor. Yes, the enemies they spawn will immediately vanish the second the boss dies. Basically, focus on the big guy and try to ignore the rest if playing solo.
If in a team on the other hand, it's best that one or two people go after the minor minions, and the other one or two try and take down the boss. If it turns out there's two bosses at once (it happens with the more powerful Greenie and Sneaker variants), then one guy should ideally go after each.
Here's some help for specific bosses:
Giant Slammer Variants
Possibly the most infuriating pests in the entire game, these guys manage to have both a forcefield AND 600 HP to boot. Did I mention they spawn killer bugs like an endless plague of locusts?
If you're on your own, you'll have fewer bugs to deal with, so you do have that going for you. Try to flash the boss and his minions at the same time and pull for all you're worth. These are by far the hardest boss to take out alone, but it is possible. You'll just have a tough time of it.
If you're in a team, get at least one player to blast away the bugs with the Strobe Light, another to take care of the minion ghosts and make the rest try and bring this guy down. Good luck!
Gobber Variants
Possibly the most annoying type of Gobber in the game (and that's really saying something), these guys basically sit in the middle of the room and spit an endless stream of sludge, Creepers and ghosts at you. They're definitely possible to beat if you're going solo, just keep on your toes and don't try and hold them in your Poltergust's grip for too long.
If you're in a team, have one dedicated to sucking up the sludge the boss spews, one taking out the minions, and put the other two on opposite sides of him. Time your zaps that he doesn't get any sort of a spew off, and eventually the other two will be able to join the drain on the boss, which will end things quickly.
Greenie Variants
Arguably the least threatening bosses, these guys make up for it by coming in pairs. They also like to throw bombs too...
Best tactics here are to suck away the bomb, then strobe them and attack like normal. They're not that hard to fight, they don't break free that easily and their basic attacks like bomb spawning are extremely easy to dodge by controlling your path.
If in a team, split up and have each half go after a different one for massive damage.
Creeper Variants
A giant creeper, these generate other creepers and ghosts and are generally quite simple to face. Just remember you need to use the Dark Light or suction to make them appear initially, and that the 'weak' creepers automatically form and attack (even if you're nowhere near them) in this battle.
In a team, I'd say have one or two people fight the boss, have the others take down the spawned enemies.
Sneaker Variants
Annoying, these ghosts are tough, invisible and with an army of minions to boot. Did I mention they come in twos?
Worst still though is their 'portal' power. Oh yes, these guys can generate a vortex that warps you to a random room in the level. And these can appear anywhere in the boss arena...
If you're going solo, this is the one time you want to suck up the minions. They don't spawn as many or as frequently as if you're with a team, and you need the breathing room. Then, ideally get both of the bosses in your flash at once and reel them in...if you're lucky they'll try to go different directions and wind up keeping you in place (and away from the vortexes!) If you aren't able to get both of them, alternate between them, letting go of one as soon as the other appears to scare/punch you and latching on to the new one. It works surprisingly well.
As a team, dedicate one to clearing the minions and one each to the bosses. The remaining man should do what he can to help out, and take over for anyone if they hit a vortex.
The Top Floor
The top floor of the ScareScraper (if not playing in Endless mode) is always home to a boss battle against 'The Brain', a much more powerful boss variant of the Poltergeist/Boffin mini bosses you've been fighting through the game. This guy can generate random enemies, throw books from the other side of the room even if he's not there and send you flying by generating a temporary forcefield and throwing off your catching attempts. He's not the hardest boss to take down by any means (and you can see him even when invisible with the Dark Light), but he's definitely an enemy meant to be faced by a full team of players. If you time your zaps, you can disrupt his attempts to create his forcefield, meaning he never gets to knock you away. It's VERY hard to pull this off if you aren't in a team though.
And that's my guide to Polterpup mode in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon! I truly love playing the mode, as I find it more interesting than Hunter (brains vs brawn), and I love the Polterpups themselves. Hopefully, with this guide, you can come to fully appreciate the mode as well! Happy hunting!
What exactly IS Polterpup mode? Well, the entire object of the game is to capture dog ghosts known as Polterpups. Each floor has their own infestation, and you're in charge of tracking them down before time runs out. Before I get into details on how you do that or what the difference in difficulty is, I'll explain some of the differences between Hunter and Polterpup mode, as from what I've seen online Hunter is by far the most popular mode.
You do not need to capture any ghosts outside the Polterpups if the floor is not a boss floor!
That's right...no matter how many ghosts you run into, if it's not a canine, it doesn't matter and doesn't count towards finishing the floor (excluding boss floors).
Floors are generally friendlier
Regardless of difficulty, you'll find fewer ghosts in Polterpup mode than in Hunter or Rush modes. There are still plenty of ghosts around, but particularly on Normal you won't see a ton of them.
More Traps
Likely to counter the fact that there aren't as many ghosts, traps are more common. Obviously, traps that require a second person to eliminate don't exist if you're playing solo, but other traps do exist, and they're plentiful. Information on traps is coming later.
Less money needed to earn upgrades!
Because you're hunting fewer things, the upgrades to the Poltergust take about half the money Hunter mode requires to unlock them. However, it takes about the same amount of time to unlock them, as you don't want to spend extra time grabbing normal ghosts.
What you're hunting for won't EVER hurt you!!
The Polterpups are friendly...in fact, it looks like they treat this whole event as a game. Aside from scaring you when they pop out of hiding and licking your face if they jump on you, they won't ever directly interfere with you. Obviously when you're reeling them in they'll try to escape, meaning drag damage and getting hurt from other ghosts in the room are possible, but the canines themselves won't harm you.
How could something so cute and lovable hurt you? Answer: They don't!
Otherwise, the game is played largely the same. Bosses still intrude every five floors, and on the harder difficulties teamwork is crucial to complete the level. Speaking of difficulties...
Normal Difficulty
Definitely possible when playing solo, normal difficulty has you finding anywhere between 2-4 Polterpups on each floor. Traps aren't incredibly common, and other ghosts are rare outside of a stray Greenie unless you're going higher than 15-20 floors, where some hordes common in Hard difficulty will start to show up. Playing with a group, unless most of you are inexperienced in the mode, Normal is likely too easy, leading to heavy competition for the few Polterpups.
Hard Difficulty
If you're good at Polterpups and can handle a crowded room of ghosts of the like seen in higher floors on Hunter Mode's Normal difficulty, then Hard is possible solo. You're tracking somewhere between 2-5 Polterpups per floor (2 being rare). Traps are about what you'd see on Expert difficulty for Hunter, and the ghost-infested rooms are somewhere between hard Normal and easy Hard Hunter difficulties. If you're playing with a decent group, Hard difficulty is my recommendation.
Expert Difficulty
Were it not for the regularity of traps and the higher-level ghosts, Expert would be possible on solo. Anywhere between 3-6 Polterpups is possible, with 3 being somewhat rare. Traps are pretty much everywhere, slowing your hunting and oftentimes interfering with a capture. Ghost levels are somewhere around high Hard to low Expert Hunter. If you have a team with two or three good at Hunter, and one or two good at Polterpups, this difficulty will fly by.
Strategies and Tips
Before you can hunt the Polterpups, you have to find their doghouse! Every single one of the dogs on the floor is in the house to start, and their tracks all flow to it. Each pup will start a maximum of one room away from the house, so if you don't see tracks in the starting room, you're at least two rooms off! Keep in mind that you cannot attempt to capture the Polterpups when you find their house. The person who finds the house will likely not recover from the fright of finding them before they get away, and any other Luigis in the room will be unable to flash the dogs.
Smart Darklight usage is incredibly important. You literally cannot do anything if you don't use this light, as it reveals the Polterpups' pawprints showing their movements since the last time they were found, as well as most of their hiding places (including the doghouse). The pups also leave outlines of their body in walls they've traveled through, also revealed through the Darklight. Don't let your light ever run out totally...if you can guess at the dog you're tracking's movements for a second, let the light recover for a second before confirming your guess.
It may seem obvious, but just in case I'll throw it in. When tracking paw prints, follow them in the direction that the toe prints are facing. I wouldn't include this tip, but I've seen people following them backwards and felt it should be here.
When you do find a Polterpup, you have to first recover from the fright of the pup's sudden appearance. Then you have a very short window in which to flash the dog and start reeling it in. If you're slow on the uptake, the pup will run away to another room (and could possibly go to the other end of the mansion before hiding again). Note that if a teammate is in the room the Polterpup flees into, (s)he won't be able to see the pup, but only a puff of smoke as it enters the room, and another if it leaves it. The pups can only be caught in the room they're found in...after that, the hunt must start over. A helpful hint for flashing the pup: they typically stop for a second while they're still in range of your flasher without having to move (except turn around). Even if the camera is such that you can't see the dog, odds are it's still in range. Flash and turn on the vacuum and you'll likely start reeling it in.
The first seconds can be CRUCIAL! Before you even see the Luigis appear in the room, you can get a clue as to where the Polterpups' doghouse is. I'm not sure if this was intended, but if a pup starts in your room, you will see a puff of smoke on a wall as it flees the room, heading for the house. I have yet to see the house be in the starting room, so I don't think it's possible (I've played a LOT of Polterpups...that's why I'm writing this!) Remember, the pups all start one room away from the house, so if you see that smoke, you know what room the house is in!
Don't reveal absolutely everything that's invisible. In fact, it's best to leave everything that doesn't have paw prints leading to it. Most ghost hordes don't show up in any difficulty unless you guess incorrectly where a Polterpup is hiding. Think of it as a penalty for being wrong. Similarly, the severe increase in traps is utilized as a penalty for guessing wrong. Only the carpet traps don't fall under this rule. This is probably the most frustrating thing about playing with others online that you can't talk to...too many people don't understand this rule and end up getting trapped/killed by hordes of ghosts. Also, be sure to remember that it's not enough to reveal the hidden object where the pup is hiding, you have to then examine it with X (The doghouse is the only exception to this). Also keep in mind that on harder difficulties even choosing the right item and revealing a pup can reveal other ghosts. Try to cap the dog as fast as possible, else it'll get away and you'll be left with a bunch of unfriendly spirits.
Big Polterpups are possible to be captured solo! The trick is in creative use of the flash meter. Unlike in Hunter, where the best option is to always use full charges, big Polterpups are often too quick to get more than one of those in. If you're playing solo or with others who don't get the mode, you often won't have the choice to take the powerful option. The key is to watch where the pup is heading...if it's going for the wall, zap it, no matter what level you've built up to. It stops the dog from escaping for a moment, and you can typically build up another level one charge before it tries again. By all means build up a full charge when you can, but don't feel bad about laying on the level ones.
If there aren't any Polterpups in the room, don't bother with other ghosts! In my experience, the pups will avoid rooms that have active ghosts in them. They will still go to those places occasionally, and if the ghosts aren't active they have no problem with settling in, but generally speaking they'll go to a clear room. You don't need to suck up any other ghosts so long as you nab the dogs, so why bother with a room full of Greenies if there's no pup to snag? Besides, you're on a time limit...you don't have time to bother with other ghosts, particularly on Expert when you're hunting six Polterpups!! However, if there IS a pup in the room, it's definitely the better choice to take out the other ghosts first. Remember, the pups won't hurt you directly, but the other ghosts definitely will take advantage of you being distracted!
All general rules apply: The map tells you if a door is open (green), locked (red) or fake (grey), key usage should be minimized in case there's a door you can't get by any other way, suits of armor are to be avoided (Polterpups never hide in suits of armor, but they can hide in objects right next to them, so if it appears that the paw prints go into a suit of armor, and there aren't tracks leading away, check the wall to see if they left the room, and check next to the armor for invisible objects). Safes don't typically have anything, and actually tend to have ghosts or a curse, particularly on higher difficulties. Most likely this is because the pups don't go in safes, so they wanted to punish players and cause them to stop checking the safes and focus on places the pups would be.
Just like keys, Polterpup icons (shown either when someone's found one or if you have the Map powerup) don't point to exact locations within the rooms, but rather just tell you what room they're in.
Wardrobes should be used when you haven't seen any tracks nearby. You run the risk of popping up on the wrong side of the paw prints, but if you've covered half the floor, a fresh start may help you find a pup quicker. Don't use one when you're actively tracking one, as odds are someone else will get to it by the time you realize that wardrobe took you to the wrong area.
All ghost fighting techniques used in Hunter mode should be employed when it becomes necessary to clear rooms of ghosts. See Nin3DS' guide for Hunter-specific strategies.
Traps
As I stated above, traps are MUCH more common in Polterpup mode than they are in Hunter. Here's what to look out for.
Curses
The only non-boss trap that exists in single player, curses invert your movement controls, including while sucking up ghosts (push the pad toward the ghost you're capturing, not away). In multiplayer another teammate must shine their darklight on you to remove the curse, and touching a cursed player curses you as well. In single player, I can't figure out if it's a simple time mechanism that releases the curse, or if my shining my darklight down and walking into it as best as I can removes it. I'd recommend trying to shine the darklight on yourself, just in case that's what gets rid of the curse. You'll want to dedicate as much time as possible to tracking those Polterpups, and if it's NOT time based, you'll just waste time waiting for it to go away. Curses are the most common "you guessed wrong, here's a punishment" trap. VERY occasionally, a correct guess can earn you a curse, but it's rather rare.
Carpets
Carpet traps suck you into their center and don't let go. You can still turn, flash your strobelight/darklight, and suck up ghosts, but you won't be able to leave that spot until someone on your team pulls on a corner tassel.
Vases
Only vases can cause the vase trap (duh) and any vase that has a Polterpup won't cause the trap to activate, even if normally it would trap you. Therefore, simply don't touch a vase that doesn't have paw prints that stop at it and you'll be set. If you DO get caught by a vase trap, you have to wait for a teammate to grab the red ball with their poltergust and suck the vase off of you.
Warp Portals
A boss-specific trap, these look like purple vortexes. Easy to avoid if you're not sucking up a ghost, but if you are, they can be tough to dodge. If you touch one, you'll get warped to a random room.
Red Coin Powerup Rewards
Dark-Light Goggles
Tied with the map for the best Polterpup item, this powerup allows you to see everything that's invisible on the floor, including sneakers, Polterpup paw prints/wall outlines, and all invisible objects. Simply find the paw prints and follow them to the pups! Despite it's usefulness it shows up quite a bit in Polterpup mode.
Map
Tied with the Dark-Light Goggles for the best Polterpup item, this powerup allows you to see the whole floor layout. A Polterpup icon is conveniently placed in each room containing a pup, so you can immediately start checking the correct rooms. Granted you can't see their prints or their hiding place if it's invisible, but you don't have to find a print trail to start looking for the right room. Relatively rare.
Increased Suction Power (X2/X3)
It's not as helpful as the above two in Polterpup mode, but the extra power is definitely useful, particularly against big Polterpups, as the quicker zap meter aids in preventing them from getting away. Incredibly useful against bosses, particularly those with force fields. Possibly the most common powerup.
Heart Vacuum
Unless you're on a boss floor or in expert mode, this honestly isn't too helpful in Polterpup mode. The pups don't hurt you, and if you're smart about searching you likely won't find too many ghosts, so health isn't anywhere near as big an issue as in Hunter mode. Simply take advantage of melons/pumpkins and you'll likely not have a problem. Because of this, it's more common to get it in Polterpup than in Hunter.
While all powerups can be found within the floor, you will NEVER find a powerup where there's a Polterpup hiding, and the risk of starting a ghost storm or getting cursed far outweighs the benefits of finding an extra boost.
Bosses
(Please note, the vast majority of my boss section is taken straight from Nin3DS' guide to Hunter mode, as they're exactly the same. Therefore, if you've read his guide, mine won't tell you much that's new. I DO have a method for dealing with Sneakers/Gobbers though, as well as Slammers if you're going solo, so I've added those in their places. I've also changed wording in places, and changed several details to better fit my own views)
Every five floors of the mansion is home to a boss, a powerful enemy that has to be defeated to move upwards. These guys are basically reskinned versions of normal enemies (except about ten times the size), but have quite a few other interesting differences.
For one thing, they have very different attacks from the ghosts you face. Some can throw bombs, some can generate bugs and bats, some try to warp you away with black hole style vortexes and others can generate enemies by spitting or throwing them at you.
They also have a far larger amount of HP than normal, having between 250-600 health. These guys take a lot of work to bring down...
Additionally, they always bring along an endless army of minions to break up the fight. Don't bother fighting most of these unless necessary, they never stop spawning and give you very little in return. You do get a short respite if you take out the minions, but it's not often worth it unless they're ganging up on you.
Finally, you only have to beat the boss to clear the floor. Yes, the enemies they spawn will immediately vanish the second the boss dies. Basically, focus on the big guy and try to ignore the rest if playing solo.
If in a team on the other hand, it's best that one or two people go after the minor minions, and the other one or two try and take down the boss. If it turns out there's two bosses at once (it happens with the more powerful Greenie and Sneaker variants), then one guy should ideally go after each.
Here's some help for specific bosses:
Giant Slammer Variants
Possibly the most infuriating pests in the entire game, these guys manage to have both a forcefield AND 600 HP to boot. Did I mention they spawn killer bugs like an endless plague of locusts?
If you're on your own, you'll have fewer bugs to deal with, so you do have that going for you. Try to flash the boss and his minions at the same time and pull for all you're worth. These are by far the hardest boss to take out alone, but it is possible. You'll just have a tough time of it.
If you're in a team, get at least one player to blast away the bugs with the Strobe Light, another to take care of the minion ghosts and make the rest try and bring this guy down. Good luck!
Gobber Variants
Possibly the most annoying type of Gobber in the game (and that's really saying something), these guys basically sit in the middle of the room and spit an endless stream of sludge, Creepers and ghosts at you. They're definitely possible to beat if you're going solo, just keep on your toes and don't try and hold them in your Poltergust's grip for too long.
If you're in a team, have one dedicated to sucking up the sludge the boss spews, one taking out the minions, and put the other two on opposite sides of him. Time your zaps that he doesn't get any sort of a spew off, and eventually the other two will be able to join the drain on the boss, which will end things quickly.
Greenie Variants
Arguably the least threatening bosses, these guys make up for it by coming in pairs. They also like to throw bombs too...
Best tactics here are to suck away the bomb, then strobe them and attack like normal. They're not that hard to fight, they don't break free that easily and their basic attacks like bomb spawning are extremely easy to dodge by controlling your path.
If in a team, split up and have each half go after a different one for massive damage.
Creeper Variants
A giant creeper, these generate other creepers and ghosts and are generally quite simple to face. Just remember you need to use the Dark Light or suction to make them appear initially, and that the 'weak' creepers automatically form and attack (even if you're nowhere near them) in this battle.
In a team, I'd say have one or two people fight the boss, have the others take down the spawned enemies.
Sneaker Variants
Annoying, these ghosts are tough, invisible and with an army of minions to boot. Did I mention they come in twos?
Worst still though is their 'portal' power. Oh yes, these guys can generate a vortex that warps you to a random room in the level. And these can appear anywhere in the boss arena...
If you're going solo, this is the one time you want to suck up the minions. They don't spawn as many or as frequently as if you're with a team, and you need the breathing room. Then, ideally get both of the bosses in your flash at once and reel them in...if you're lucky they'll try to go different directions and wind up keeping you in place (and away from the vortexes!) If you aren't able to get both of them, alternate between them, letting go of one as soon as the other appears to scare/punch you and latching on to the new one. It works surprisingly well.
As a team, dedicate one to clearing the minions and one each to the bosses. The remaining man should do what he can to help out, and take over for anyone if they hit a vortex.
The Top Floor
The top floor of the ScareScraper (if not playing in Endless mode) is always home to a boss battle against 'The Brain', a much more powerful boss variant of the Poltergeist/Boffin mini bosses you've been fighting through the game. This guy can generate random enemies, throw books from the other side of the room even if he's not there and send you flying by generating a temporary forcefield and throwing off your catching attempts. He's not the hardest boss to take down by any means (and you can see him even when invisible with the Dark Light), but he's definitely an enemy meant to be faced by a full team of players. If you time your zaps, you can disrupt his attempts to create his forcefield, meaning he never gets to knock you away. It's VERY hard to pull this off if you aren't in a team though.
And that's my guide to Polterpup mode in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon! I truly love playing the mode, as I find it more interesting than Hunter (brains vs brawn), and I love the Polterpups themselves. Hopefully, with this guide, you can come to fully appreciate the mode as well! Happy hunting!
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