The title of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope has a double meaning. On the one hand, you and your team are the “sparks of hope” against the evil Cursa, but Sparks are also a key plot and gameplay component. These cute star creatures are the Rabbid form of Lumas and are very powerful. While you will have a clear narrative reason to want to rescue as many of these cute little creatures as possible, the benefit you get for having them in battle is arguably even greater.
Up to two Sparks can be equipped to each character, have an active and passive skill, and can be leveled up. Each one is unique, and there are a ton to find in each of the worlds you will visit. The more you manage to find, the better you can equip your team. If you want to know which Sparks are the best of the bunch and where to find them, we’ve got you covered.
Further reading
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope beginner’s guide: 7 tips and tricks to get started
- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope has a substantial season pass
- The best Mario games of all time
Best Sparks and how to get them
The best Sparks tend to come down to the elemental ones that can give you resistances and elemental damage to your weapons. To best take advantage of this, make sure you scout out each fight before you confirm your loadout to see what damage types you’ll be going up against so you can equip yourself to counter it. For your second slot, you can get more creative.
Pyrostar: We’ll use Pyrostar as the example, but there’s a Spark quite like it for each element. This one gives you the Burn Attack, which makes your weapons deal between 84 and 102 damage, plus inflict burn. The passive is to make that character immune to burn and take 20% less damage from any Super Effects. You automatically unlock Pyrostar after you clear the Crossing the Battle Ground main quest in Beacon Beach. You can also find a better version later called Pyrogeddon when you beat the A Cold Greeting mission in Pristine Peaks.
Glitter: Great for close-range fighters, this Spark’s ability draws in all enemies toward your character. The passive will help you clean up these enemies by buffing your weapon attack damage by 10%. You can get this Spark by beating the Blast Through mission in Palette Prime.
Reflector: This is a Spark that anyone can find helpful but is perhaps best for your more tanky, frontline characters. The active skill reflects 20% of all damage that character would get onto an enemy, and the passive just gives them a nice 10% damage buff to their weapon attacks. You will automatically get this Spark once you unlock Rabbid Peach in the main story.
Vampastra: Healing and attacking tend to be mutually exclusive choices, but not with this Spark. Once equipped, not only will your weapons deal 120% normal damage, but 30% of that damage will convert into health for that character. The passive is just icing on the cake and increases your critical hit chance by 10%. Grab this Spark by beating the Bury the Hatchet mission on Palette Prime.
Ethering: If you ever find yourself in a bad spot, Ethering can get you out of it. The active skill turns your character invisible for one turn, making them un-targetable by enemies. The passive of increasing movement ability damage by 15% isn’t a ton but still a nice extra. Beat the Wolf at the Door mission in Pristine Peaks to get this perfect escape plan Spark.
Starburst: Sure, you start the game off with this spark, but that doesn’t mean it still isn’t great. You get the ability to buff all characters in range with a 20% attack and movement ability damage buff and reduce physical damage by 15% as a passive. Again, this one is given to you in the tutorial.
Regenesis: Last up, Regenesis is great for keeping your characters alive. The active allows them to regenerate 20% of their max HP every turn for two turns, which is made even better since the passive increases their max HP by 15%. This Spark is your reward for beating Hide N’ Squeak in Pristine Peaks.