Fort Cobalt

"The enemy's secret superweapon is vulnerable to Tail attacks!"

- Huey

Fort Cobalt is a location from Paper Mario: Color Splash. The path leading here is unlocked after getting the Blue Mini Paint Star in Cobalt Base, and when the Blue Big Paint Star in here is rescued, it will color in the entire ocean at Violet Passage. Ludwig is the boss of this area. The Basin Thing can be found here.

Layout
Shortly after entering the area, Huey smells the blue Big Paint Star. Toad #19 of the blue Rescue Squad is in a cardboard box, and will go to his captain at Kiwano Temple after Mario talks to him. Mario must then hammer down a fence to progress, then navigate to a staircase. A Snifit announces to a group of Shy Guys that a spy is in the fort, and to get to them, Mario must hammer platforms to flip them around, then hammer down another fence. When Mario is spotted, the Shy Guys combine into five Shy Guy 5-Stacks. After Mario defeats them, the Snifit retreats, leaving behind three Tail cards. Toad #2 can be found hiding behind a crate and must be pulled three times. Doing that will cause him to yell at Mario.

The next area contains electrified fences that cause Mario to take 30 damage if he hits the wrong one, after which they reshuffle. Mario must use the Paint Hammer to keep track of which fences are and are not electrified. During this section is a Basin that falls on Mario if he triggers its trap, and he can then squeeze it. The final fences, instead of electrocuting Mario, cause him to fall into a lower area with Ninjis and green Shy Guys, and he must start from the beginning. Rescue Squad Toad #18 then leaves after Mario finishes the section.

The third area of the base contains a Prisma Café to the left. This is the only one where Mario can purchase a Magma Burger, which costs 200 Coins and is necessary to navigate Redpepper Volcano with Draggadon. Additionally, there is a "special" which costs 100,000 Coins, but if the player chooses this option, no coins will be paid and the owner will inform Mario that he is a spy investigating the fort, and will give him some Tail cards while saying they should be effective against the enemy's new weapon. Inside the middle locker is Toad #4 of the blue Rescue Squad. Toad #3 is standing in place, disguised as a blue Snifit that must be beaten in battle first. Blue Rescue Squad Toads #8-#17 are all hiding in a vent and must be knocked out with the hammer. Progressing forward is a flipping platform which, after Mario restores its color, must be flipped to reveal Toad #20 hiding on the other side.

By going to the 2nd floor of the café and entering the door, Mario enters a gym-like room. Toad #7 is on the exercise rack, Toad #6 is on the treadmill, and Toad #5 is doing squats. Before each one can be recruited, its Whistle Snifit trainer must be defeated. By painting in the cabinet and entering the pipe inside, Mario will find blue Rescue Squad Toad #21 hiding in the corner, and can then hammer a piece of the wall to create a shortcut back to the entrance.

With all the Rescue Toads saved, Mario can battle Ludwig. To reach his arena, he must stand on a yellow step in the third area and have two moving platforms aligned so that they form a rectangle shape. After using Cutout, he enters a port area with Ludwig's Super Ludship approaching. To deflect its cannonballs, Mario must use the Tail card. Ludwig then summons two Koopa Paratroopas. If the Koopa Paratroopas are defeated and another cannonball is deflected, two Spikes appear on deck. Once the Spikes and another cannonball are countered, the Ludship goes down and Ludwig emerges in the Super Ludsub.

The Ludsub cannot be attacked due to floating in the water. Mario must use the Balloons Thing from Plum Park to lift the Ludsub out of the water and make it vulnerable to attacks. After attacking it again, it blows up, and Mario battles Ludwig directly. Once defeated, Ludwig admits that he stole the Big Paint Star as a trap because he wanted to fight Mario, and accepts defeat. Two Shy Guys on a raft enter with the Big Paint Star and give it to Mario and Huey. When Mario collects it, it colors in the sea at Violet Passage.

Enemies

 * Shy Guys
 * Black Shy Guys
 * Silver Shy Guys
 * Gold Shy Guys
 * Shy Guy 5-Stacks
 * Spike Guys
 * Bob-ombs
 * Ninjis
 * Whistle Snifits
 * Koopa Paratroopas (boss battle only)
 * Spikes (boss battle only)

Bosses

 * Ludwig von Koopa

Required Thing(s)

 * Balloons (to lift the Ludsub into attacking distance)

Trivia

 * The blue Rescue Squad Toad hiding in a cardboard box, who claims to be "practically invisible in this inconspicuous cardboard box", is a reference to Konami's  series, whose main protagonist often uses a cardboard box to hide from enemies. The Toad also mentions the discovery of a secret weapon, which is the main plot of the series.