Chapter 6 is my absolute favorite part of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Turn-based combat can start to feel dull after 30-or-so hours, so when the game suddenly turns into an adventure-style investigation, it’s a welcome reprieve. However, you might get stuck trying to find a blanket in that chapter and want to get back to the turn-based combat. Here’s where to find it.
Chapter 6 has you riding on the Excess Express, and a large chunk of the beginning has you merely solving mysteries. These can get a bit obtuse, and where to find the blanket is the absolute peak of cryptic.
The Excess Express isn’t very big, so your best course of action at the start of each mystery is to talk to everyone you can. If you talk to the toad who is constantly holding a fork and knife, he’ll tell you that he heard something in the next room, and that’s your big clue.
The room next to the toad (Room 004), appears to be empty. Your first thought might be to check for a trap door. If you hit something with your hammer, a hatch will shake on the floor. Do a ground pound (not on the hatch but beside it), the hatch will flip around and a Star Piece will pop out. Not what you’re looking for.
If you go back to the toad, he’ll insist that he heard something. If you return to the room, however, nothing has changed. You might also think to use Flurrie’s field ability, but you won’t find a sticker to peel off anywhere. There’s nothing on or under the bed. There is no concealed hatch, no small nook, no crack to slip through. The room seems empty.
You need to grab your partner, Vivian. Use her Field Ability to drop into the shadows. Before long, the ghost of a toad will appear.
The Toad will admit that he has the blanket but says that if you want it, he first needs you to go to the baggage car and find the diary that is still stashed there.
Where to get the Ragged Diary in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The Ragged Diary is in exactly the spot that the ghost suggested. Head left along the train all the way to the back. A conductor blocks the door, but if you talk to him, he’ll step aside, knowing that you don’t say no to a ghost.
In the baggage car, there’s a pile of crates in the middle of the room. Between them, there is a small gap. Turn sideways and slip through the crack and you’ll emerge at the other side. There, you’ll find a chest. Open it, and you’ll discover the Ragged Diary.
The ghost tells you not to open the diary, and he means it. If you want to do it, save first. The game will warn you three times before you are finally able to open the diary, and then you’ll be interrupted before you can get far. At least, that’s what happens in the GameCube version. I didn’t think to try it on Switch because I’m not a snoop, but it’s a good bet that this plays out the same way.
Bring the Ragged Diary back to the ghost, and he’ll give thanks. He’ll also decide that spending his afterlife on a posh train doesn’t sound that bad, and will remain there. You can talk to him throughout the rest of the trip, though he does disappear at times.
With the blanket in hand, return to the conductor. He’ll thank you for it, and the trip (and chapter) will continue.
