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A quick and easy guide to defeating Papyrus in Undertale in Pacifist, Neutral, or Genocide runs
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As the second major boss in Undertale, Papyrus appears at the very end of the Snowdin area. While relatively easier to fight than his brother Sans, you'll still need to do a fair amount of dodging in order to successfully beat him. Luckily, his attacks appear in the same order every time, so you may just need a bit of practice. This wikiHow will help you understand Papyrus' character in Undertale and how to successfully fight or spare him during his boss battle.

Things You Should Know

  • Papyrus is the second boss in Undertale. He's a pivotal battle when it comes to deciding on Pacifist or Genocide runs.
  • During his fight, Papyrus will change your SOUL blue. Use long jumps to avoid the bone attacks.
  • Continue to fight and avoid bone attacks until Papyrus fails his special attack. Choose "Mercy" to spare Papyrus or "Fight" to defeat him.
Section 1 of 3:

Who is Papyrus in Undertale?

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  1. As you enter into the snowy region of Snowdin, you'll be tested by the brothers Papyrus and Sans, who are both skeletons. The various puzzles set in place by Papyrus may look ridiculously difficult, but they always have simple solutions that shock even the character himself.
  2. For most of his appearances in-game, Papyrus wears an orange-red cape, a white chestplate, blue pants, red gloves, and red shoes. If players choose to date Papyrus, he'll put on his "secret style" during the hangout, which includes a backwards baseball cap and a "Cool Dude" shirt.
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  3. This is opposite of his brother. Sans, who speaks in all lowercase letters. Their font styles reflect their names (Papyrus and Comic Sans).
  4. However, this is solely based on his desire to be respected and recognized by others. While he may seem like an intimidating opponent, you don't have much to worry about. He's surprisingly kind at heart and values friendship—even with humans. This is what makes him a fan favorite and a popular choice for gifts and merchandise.
    • He's the only enemy in Undertale with attacks that never kill the player; at most, the player's HP will be knocked down to 1 HP.
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Section 2 of 3:

Battling Papyrus

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  1. In order to spare or defeat Papyrus, you must survive all of his attacks. He will attack using a series of bones scrolling through the movement box (Bullet Board) at the bottom of the screen. Your SOUL will be red for one turn and then change to blue for the rest of the fight.
    • After lowering his HP enough, Papyrus will unleash a "special attack" that fails. You'll then need to dodge his basic attacks for a few turns. Afterwards, Papyrus will give up and you'll be able to spare or defeat him.
  2. Papyrus has a set of attacks that will follow the same order every time. Use this step to familiarize yourself with the attack pattern until you reach the special attack stage. Each hit will take 4 HP, so be careful! The attacks are as follows[1] :
    • Blue attack: This attack was previously referenced by Sans, though he purposefully misled you. Blue bones will move across the Bullet Board, but you won't be able to dodge it. Let the blue bones pass. Your SOUL will then turn blue for the duration of the fight. Dodge the white bones by jumping.
    • Dodge a few small bones and then a medium-sized bone.
    • Dodge 1 small bone, 3 medium bones, and 3 large bones.
    • This time, the bones will come from the left side. Dodge 1 large bone, 1 large bone (top), 3 small bones, 1 medium bone, and 1 large bone (top).
    • Dodge 3 large bones, 1 blue bone (ignore), and 1 small bone coming fast from the right.
    • Dodge 2 medium bones (jump through the middle), 1 large bone (top) coming from the right, and 8 bones that form an arc.
    • Jump through the middle of 2 bones twice. Ignore the blue bone. Dodge 1 medium bone coming fast from the right. Jump through 2 sets of bones coming from both sides of the screen.
    • A series of bone arcs will come from the right side. Jump to avoid them.
    • Medium bones will scroll from both sides of the screen and overlap. Stay in the middle and jump to avoid them.
    • Small bones will scroll from both sides of the screen and overlap. Stay in the middle and jump to avoid them.
  3. You'll need to knock Papyrus' HP down to spare or defeat him. After dodging each bone attack, initiate the fight again. Once you've inflicted enough damage, Papyrus will initiate his special attack.
    • The special attack will be thwarted by a dog and Papyrus will use normal attacks instead.
    • If you want to date Papyrus after the fight, be sure to select Flirt instead of Fight.
  4. You'll see a series of quick-moving bones with the same movements as the previous attacks. If the attacks come from both ends, stay in the middle and jump. If the attack is an arc, move to the opposite end and then jump over it. Once you jump over the dog and Cool Dude written in bones, you're nearing the end.
    • Eventually, a large forest of bones will appear. Move the SOUL up on the Bullet Board. You should pass over a giant bone. The Bullet Board should be high enough to cover the lower half of Papyrus' face.
    • The very last attack will be a small, slow-moving bone from the right side. Jump over it.
  5. At this point, Papyrus will grant you mercy and offer to spare you. If you're doing a Pacifist run, you must spare Papyrus. As you continue your route, you'll need to spare all other opponents, such as the Royal Guards and the Greater Dog.
    • If you're doing a neutral or Genocide run, you'll need to choose Fight. This will finish Papyrus off in one move.
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Section 3 of 3:

Can I date Papyrus?

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  1. Before the battle, Papyrus will appear with different puzzles or simple dialogue. Make sure to talk to him every time you see him, and solve every puzzle correctly.
    • During the fight, you can choose to "Flirt" instead of "Fight". If you don't choose "Flirt" at least once, the post-battle "date" will only be a "hang out".
    • After the fight, simply return to his house to begin the date.

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About This Article

Rain Kengly
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly. Rain Kengly is a wikiHow Technology Writer. As a storytelling enthusiast with a penchant for technology, they hope to create long-lasting connections with readers from all around the globe. Rain graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Cinema. This article has been viewed 27,325 times.
8 votes - 38%
Co-authors: 3
Updated: November 24, 2023
Views: 27,325
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 27,325 times.

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