Although it’s slightly weaker than the Legendary Bat, The Gutsy Bat offers a whopping 127 bonus to Ness’ Guts stat. Unfortunately the only way to obtain the Gutsy Bat is from a super rare drop from the Bionic Kraken enemies in the Cave of the Past.
Finding Cave of the Past
Cave of the Past is the final dungeon in Earthbound. Once you’ve completed Ness’ dream section of the game, your next destination will be Saturn Valley. Dr Andonuts will be in the center of the village with the Phase Distorter. Unfortunately it can’t function without a meteorite piece. Remember the meteorite crash in Onett at the very start of the game? That is your next destination. Teleport there and fight your way through the town all the way to the crash site. Examine the meteorite to take a piece of it, and then teleport back to Saturn Valley. Use the meteorite piece next to Dr Andonuts to fully fix the Phase Distorter, which is now ready to take you to the Cave of the Past. Be warned that entering the Phase Distorter is the point of no return in Earthbound!
Obtaining the Gutsy Bat
Bionic Krakens can be found in the second and third area of the Cave to the Past. The best place to find them is just after the first teleporting sphere, around halfway through the dungeon. The bad news is that they are a very rare encounter. They deal a ton of damage to the party. But luckily they’re always fought alone. Simply spam your party’s most powerful PSI attacks to take them down. If it wasn’t bad enough that they are a rare encounter, their drop rate for the Gutsy Bat is 1/128 or a 0.78% chance. Get ready to put your faith at the mercy of the RNG gods for this one.
Is The Gutsy Bat Worth It?
Considering that Ness’ Legendary Bat is also found in the Cave of the Past and is a slightly more powerful weapon, you’ll need to have a long, hard think about whether it’s worth it to grind for the Gutsy Bat. Ultimately the decision is up to you. Although the Gutsy Bat slightly pales in raw strength, that massive boost in Guts soon pays for itself. If you go for it & get the drop, then you’ll find Ness will be getting off SMAAAASH!! attacks nearly 1 out of every 2 attacks.
