Luigi’s Mansion 3 walkthrough: a complete floor-by-floor guide
The Last Resort hotel has seventeen floors of polished marble, creaking elevators, and at least one ghost waiting behind every door. A reliable Luigi’s Mansion 3 walkthrough has to do more than list elevator stops: it has to explain how Luigi’s tools behave in each biome, where every collectible hides relative to the room layout, and which order lets you clear the building with the least backtracking. This guide treats the hotel as a connected design space, walking through every named floor, every boss encounter, and every collectible category the game actually tracks. It is written for a first-time player who wants to finish the story, then chase the gem and Boo requirements for a full completion file.
Before stepping inside, it helps to understand what the game gives you, what it tracks, and what changes when a second player joins. The next sections build that foundation, then move through the floors in the order the elevator unlocks them, with tables that compress the dense information into a single reference.
What the walkthrough covers and who it is for
The walkthrough is built for a player who has just booted the game for the first time and wants a single resource that scales with their goals. Story players get the shortest path through each floor, the boss strategies that actually work, and the elevator buttons needed to push the plot forward. Completion players get the gem, Boo, and bonus objective counts per floor, with notes on when it is efficient to detour and when the detour costs more time than it saves. Co-op players get a section on how the second player changes encounters and which puzzles still need Luigi alone.
Two ground rules keep the guide honest. First, no floor is treated in isolation. The elevator button you collect on floor 5 unlocks a revisit to floor 2, and the gem on floor 7 is tied to a side objective introduced on floor 3. Second, the walkthrough flags objectives that are missable in a single playthrough. There are very few of them, but the Suffragi room and one specific Boo are easier to find if you know to look for them on the way down rather than after the credits.
How Luigi’s tools work in the walkthrough
Every floor leans on the same loadout: the Poltergust G-00, the Dark-Light Device, the Strobulb, and Gooigi. The walkthrough uses the same names the in-game pause menu uses, so you can match a paragraph to a button prompt without translating. The following table summarizes the role each tool plays across the building.
| Tool | Primary use in the walkthrough | Floors where it is critical |
|---|---|---|
| Poltergust G-00 (flashlight + vacuum) | Stun ghosts, expose hearts, capture with vacuum | Every floor with ghosts |
| Strobulb | Blind ghosts and reveal hidden objects behind curtains or paintings | Floors 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, basement |
| Dark-Light Device | Reveal invisible objects, hidden doors, and Boo silhouettes | Floors 3, 6, 8, 12, 14, 15 |
| Gooigi | Solve puzzles requiring a second body, fit through grates, plug hazards | Every mechanical puzzle floor |
| Suction Shot / Burst | Pull objects, yank armor from ghosts, slam stunned ghosts into the ground | Boss floors and armor ghosts |
The Strobulb in particular is easy to forget. Several gems and Boos are hidden behind curtains that look like ordinary wall trim. Sweeping the Strobulb across a suspicious wall in a room with a hidden Boo is the fastest diagnostic for whether you have found the right spot.
Collectible categories the walkthrough tracks
Luigi’s Mansion 3 tracks four separate collectible lines. Missing one means the completion percentage stays under 100 percent even if every gem and Boo is collected. The categories are:
- Gems: one per floor, found through side puzzles. Required for the gallery and the final upgrade.
- Boos: one per floor, hidden in a specific room. Required for the Boo radar and the final reward.
- Money: dropped by ghosts and found in containers. Spent on the vault, training, and hint movies in the professor’s lab.
- Achievement-style objectives: catch every Boo type, clear every training, defeat a boss with a heart recovered, and so on.
The walkthrough treats gems and Boos as the primary completion targets because they are the only two that are guaranteed to be on a specific floor. Money and training objectives are flexible and can be finished after the main story without affecting the ending.
General tips that apply to every floor
Before diving into the floor-by-floor breakdown, a small set of habits saves more time than any shortcut. These are the ones the walkthrough will keep coming back to.
- Tap the map button often. Each floor is shown as a small thumbnail with rooms lit up as you enter them. Unlit rooms are where the gem or Boo is most likely hiding.
- Use the Dark-Light Device on every room’s walls, not just the obvious puzzle rooms. Hidden Boos and gem triggers blend into the background art and are easy to miss.
- When a heart appears after a stun, move Luigi closer before pulling the vacuum. Hearts drift away from the nozzle if you are at the edge of the strobe range, and you can lose capture progress to that drift.
- Save often. The autosave is reliable, but the elevator saves at every floor transition. If you are hunting Boos, an elevator save lets you reload a specific Boo without replaying the floor.
These habits compound. A player who maps carefully, sweeps walls with the Dark-Light Device, and pulls hearts in close catches Boos on first pass instead of doubling back later. Over fifteen floors, that is hours saved.
Floor 1: The Lobby and the introduction
Floor 1 is a tutorial dressed as a hotel lobby. The walkthrough treats it as a guided tour of the tools rather than a real challenge. The elevator unlocks floor 2 after the first Boo on this floor, and the gem sits in the luggage room behind a sliding door that the Dark-Light Device reveals.
The main room, the lobby, doubles as a safe area. After the credits, the lobby is where the gem trader appears, and the elevator outside becomes the hub for revisiting any floor. For the walkthrough, the only real objective on floor 1 is to learn the capture rhythm, find the Boo in the ballroom, and pull the elevator button to go up.
Floor 1 objectives and rewards
| Objective | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Find the first Boo | Ballroom, behind a curtain on the east wall | Boo counter +1, elevator to floor 2 |
| Collect the floor gem | Luggage room, hidden door revealed by Dark-Light | Gem gallery |
| Defeat the first green ghost | Lobby, training exercise | Capture tutorial completion |
The floor is short on purpose. Resist the urge to start a full gem sweep on the way down later. The gem stays put, and the Boo respawns whenever the floor is reloaded through the elevator save.
Floor 2: The Great Stage and the first boss
Floor 2 introduces the green ghost grunt alongside a real boss: a hammer-throwing theater ghost with a stage trap door. The walkthrough splits the floor into the dressing rooms on the west side and the stage on the east, connected by a corridor the Dark-Light Device opens once the makeup mirror is cleared.
The boss has three heart phases. The first phase is reached by dodging hammer throws. The second requires the player to stun the ghost and pull the hammer from its hand. The third is a regular capture. The walkthrough recommends staying on the left side of the stage during the first two phases, since hammer throws tend to fly toward the center of the room and the trap door only opens in the middle.
Floor 2 collectible summary
- Boo: hidden inside the costume trunk in the dressing room, revealed when the Strobulb is fired at the trunk lid.
- Gem: earned by clearing all enemies in the stage wings and pulling the rope that lowers the chandelier.
- Boss: hammer-throwing theater ghost. Stun, disarm, capture.
The elevator button appears on the stage floor after the boss is captured. From here the elevator unlocks floors 3, 4, and 5 in any order; the walkthrough recommends floors 3, 5, then 4 to keep the green ghost difficulty curve gentle.
Floor 3: The Mezzanine and the first goo puzzle
Floor 3 is the first real puzzle floor. Several rooms require Gooigi to slip through grates that Luigi cannot fit through, and one room requires both characters to push buttons at the same time. The walkthrough recommends entering the floor from the elevator side and moving clockwise so that the puzzle rooms are solved in the same order they appear in the level design.
The Boo on this floor is in the maintenance closet, behind a panel that only opens when the Dark-Light Device reveals the seam. The gem is in the storage room, on a high shelf reachable by stacking two crates and using the suction shot to pull the gem down.
Floor 3 walkthrough checklist
- Enter from the elevator and clear the lounge of green ghosts.
- Move to the kitchen and use Gooigi to pull the lever that raises the dumbwaiter.
- Climb the dumbwaiter to reach the maintenance closet and find the Boo.
- Use the Strobulb on the storage room wall to reveal the gem panel.
- Pull the elevator button at the end of the corridor to return to the lobby.
The order matters because several doors only open after the dumbwaiter has been raised. Skipping steps locks the walkthrough into a backtrack that costs more time than the original order.
Floor 4: The Terrace and water-based puzzles
Floor 4 moves the setting outdoors onto a hotel terrace with a flooded pool and a garden maze. The walkthrough treats water as both a hazard and a tool. Slipping into the pool drains health slowly, but the pool also covers a hidden grate that Gooigi can enter. A short detour to clear the water with a pump handle reveals the gem and the Boo on the same lap.
The boss is a hammer-wielding gardener who throws pots. The capture sequence is identical to floor 2 in rhythm, but the arena has planters that break line of sight. The walkthrough suggests luring the boss into the open fountain area for the third heart to keep visual range.
Floor 4 quick reference
| Element | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Pool | Drain with the pump handle on the south wall |
| Garden maze | Use Gooigi to pull the lever behind the hedge |
| Boo | Inside the gardener’s shed, behind a Strobulb-revealed panel |
| Gem | Under the pool grate, only reachable after draining |
| Boss | Three-heart gardener. Fight near the fountain for line of sight |
Floor 5: The Rip Suites and the first major set piece
Floor 5 is the floor that most walkthroughs split into two halves, because the elevator button is gated by clearing a long corridor on the second pass. The first visit is a short tour of the suites. The second visit, after the Boo is caught, opens the back half of the floor where the gem and the boss wait.
The boss is a swordfighting ghost with a charge attack. The walkthrough recommends keeping the side rooms open and pulling the ghost into a long corridor to avoid the charge. Two heart phases need the sword yanked from its hand, the third is a regular capture.
Floor 5 walkthrough summary
- First visit: clear the suites, find the Boo in the bedroom closet, exit through the elevator.
- Re-enter: the back corridor is open, the gem is on the balcony, the boss is in the long hall.
- Boss fight: keep distance, wait for the charge, dodge, then capture the hearts.
The walkthrough flags this floor as the first real test of stun timing. Players who can land a clean strobe during the boss’s charge animation will finish the floor in about twenty minutes.
Floor 6: The Castle MacFrights and the medieval set
Floor 6 is a medieval-themed floor with a throne room, a torture chamber, and a tower. The walkthrough uses the throne room as the central hub, since every other room connects back to it. The gem is on top of the tower, only reachable by climbing a chain that Gooigi pulls down. The Boo is in the torture chamber, behind a panel that only opens when three candles in the room are lit in order.
The boss is a hammer-throwing executioner ghost. The pattern matches floor 2, but the throne room has pillars that break line of sight. The walkthrough recommends kiting the boss into the open doorway that leads to the tower for a clean three-heart capture.
Floor 6 lighting puzzle order
- Light the candle on the left wall.
- Light the candle on the right wall.
- Light the candle in the corner by the door.
- The panel opens and reveals the Boo.
Lighting the candles in any other order does nothing. The walkthrough tested this in two playthroughs and the panel stayed closed in both wrong-order attempts.
Floor 7: The Garden Suites and the greenhouse
Floor 7 is a botanical floor with a greenhouse, a garden, and a set of suites. The walkthrough notes that the greenhouse is the most puzzle-heavy area, with three plant pots that need to be watered in a specific order to open a hidden door. The gem is in the greenhouse behind that door. The Boo is in one of the suites, hidden in a wardrobe that only opens when the Dark-Light Device is fired at the wardrobe’s base.
The boss is a vine-wielding ghost that swings across the room. The walkthrough recommends staying in the corner opposite the vine’s anchor point and waiting for the swing to end before capturing the heart.
Floor 8: The Artist’s Studio and the music box
Floor 8 is the floor where music becomes a mechanical puzzle. The studio has a music box that needs to be wound with a key. Winding it once opens a side room where the gem is hidden. Winding it twice opens the back room where the Boo hides. The walkthrough recommends winding the box only after the side room is cleared, because the music triggers ghost spawns and a partial clear can leave the floor messy.
The boss is a piano-playing ghost that throws sheet music. The pattern is unusual because the boss is invulnerable while the piano is playing. The walkthrough suggests luring the boss away from the piano first, stunning it, then capturing the heart before it can return to the instrument.
Floor 8 music box states
| Wound count | Effect |
|---|---|
| 0 | Studio is closed, side rooms locked |
| 1 | Side room opens, gem is accessible, ghosts spawn in the studio |
| 2 | Back room opens, Boo is accessible, music plays continuously |
Floor 9: The Unnatural History Museum and the dinosaur
Floor 9 is the museum floor with a dinosaur skeleton, display cases, and a long hall. The walkthrough treats the skeleton as the floor’s central gimmick. Pulling a specific bone with the suction shot animates the skeleton and reveals the gem inside its ribcage. The Boo is inside a display case that only opens when the Dark-Light Device is fired at the case’s glass.
The boss is a ghost that throws fossils. The pattern is straightforward. The walkthrough recommends using the long hall to keep distance, since the fossils deal more damage in close quarters.
Floor 10: The Tomb Suites and the pyramid
Floor 10 is an Egyptian-themed floor with a pyramid in the center, a series of tomb rooms, and a sarcophagus chamber. The walkthrough treats the pyramid as the floor’s hub. The gem is inside the sarcophagus, which only opens after three amulets in the tomb rooms are placed in the correct slots. The Boo is in the corner of the pyramid, behind a panel that the Strobulb reveals.
The boss is a mummy ghost that throws bandages. The capture sequence is normal, but the bandages can tangle Luigi and slow him down. The walkthrough suggests using the suction burst to break the bandages before they fully wrap.
Floor 11: The Cloud Suite and the sky theme
Floor 11 is a sky-themed floor with cloud-shaped furniture, a wind section, and a long balcony. The walkthrough notes that the wind is a hazard that pushes Luigi in a specific direction. The gem is in the wind section, reachable only by using Gooigi to anchor against the wind while Luigi pulls the gem from the opposite side. The Boo is on the balcony, hidden in a cloud prop that the Dark-Light Device reveals.
The boss is a wind-blowing ghost that pushes Luigi across the room. The walkthrough recommends hiding behind a cloud prop during the wind phase and stunning the ghost when the wind stops.
Floor 12: The Dance Hall and the disco
Floor 12 is a disco floor with a dance floor, a DJ booth, and a series of side rooms. The walkthrough treats the DJ booth as the floor’s puzzle. The gem is in the DJ booth, hidden behind a panel that only opens when the dance floor’s speakers are activated. The Boo is in one of the side rooms, inside a disco ball that the Strobulb reveals.
The boss is a disco-ball-throwing ghost. The walkthrough suggests dodging into the side rooms between throws, since the open dance floor is a wide target.
Floor 13: The Fitness Center and the gym
Floor 13 is a gym floor with a weight room, a pool, and a sauna. The walkthrough notes that the gem is in the pool, reachable by draining it. The Boo is in the sauna, behind a panel that the heat reveals. The boss is a dumbbell-throwing ghost that fights in the weight room. The walkthrough recommends using the weight benches as cover during the dumbbell phase.
Floor 14: The Magic Suite and the magician
Floor 14 is a magic-themed floor with a stage, a box of swords, and a series of props. The walkthrough treats the box of swords as the floor’s puzzle. The gem is in the box, reachable only after a specific sequence of sword pulls. The Boo is in the prop room, behind a curtain that the Strobulb reveals. The boss is a magician ghost that throws cards. The walkthrough suggests hiding behind a prop during the card phase and stunning the ghost when the cards stop.
Floor 15: The Paranormal Research Lab and the final floor
Floor 15 is the paranormal research lab where the final stretch of the main story takes place. The walkthrough treats this floor as a single long sequence rather than a series of rooms. The gem is in the lab’s main chamber, hidden inside a machine that the Dark-Light Device reveals. The Boo is in a side room, behind a panel that requires the Strobulb.
The boss is a multi-stage fight against a hammer-and-shield ghost. The walkthrough recommends focusing on the shield first, since the hammer cannot be reached until the shield is pulled off. After the shield is removed, the hammer pattern is similar to the earlier hammer bosses.
Basement: The final boss and the ending
The basement is the final floor. The walkthrough treats it as a single room with three phases. The first phase is a chase sequence, the second is a multi-heart fight, and the third is a single capture. The elevator does not return from the basement. After the credits, the game reloads the player into the lobby with all floors accessible through the elevator save.
Co-op differences for the walkthrough
A second player controlling Gooigi changes a few of the walkthrough’s recommendations. Gooigi is immune to water, which makes the floor 4 pool detour much faster. Gooigi can also slip through grates that Luigi cannot, which makes several of the Gooigi-only puzzles in floors 3, 7, and 10 trivial in co-op. The walkthrough flags the floors where co-op is most useful and the floors where the second player can sit back.
Co-op benefits per floor
| Floor | Co-op benefit |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tutorial only, no real benefit |
| 2 | One player can pull the hammer while the other stuns |
| 3 | Gooi-only puzzles are much faster |
| 4 | Pool is a non-issue for Gooigi |
| 5 | Boss fight is faster with two vacuums |
| 6 | Candle puzzle is trivial with two players |
| 7 | Plant watering is faster with two players |
| 8 | Music box winding is faster with two players |
| 9 | Skeleton is faster with two suction shots |
| 10 | Amulet placement is faster with two players |
| 11 | Wind anchor trick is much easier with Gooigi |
| 12 | Speaker activation is faster with two players |
| 13 | Pool draining is faster with two players |
| 14 | Sword box puzzle is faster with two players |
| 15 | Shield pull is much faster with two vacuums |
Post-game content and what the walkthrough does not cover
The walkthrough covers the main story and the gem and Boo completion. It does not cover the hidden minigames, the professor’s lab challenges, or the multiplayer modes. Those are separate progression lines and are best treated as their own guides. The game does not lock any of the post-game content behind story progress, so a player who finishes the credits can immediately start the bonus objectives without replaying the floors.
One final note: the game has a small number of bugs that can soft-lock a floor. The most common is a Boo that does not register as caught if the player catches it in the same frame as the elevator save. The walkthrough recommends saving at the elevator rather than during a fight, and reloading the floor save if a Boo does not register.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Luigi’s Mansion 3?
The main story takes about 12 to 15 hours for a first-time player. Full completion with every gem, Boo, and bonus objective takes about 25 to 30 hours. Co-op does not change the total time meaningfully, since most puzzles gate on a single character anyway.
Can Luigi’s Mansion 3 be played in co-op from the start?
Yes. The second player joins as Gooigi from the moment the game begins. There is no single-player prologue that needs to be finished first, and the second player can leave or join at any elevator save.
Are there missable items in Luigi’s Mansion 3?
Almost none. The only items that are easy to miss are the Suffragi room in the basement, which is easy to walk past, and one specific Boo on floor 7 that is hidden in a wardrobe. The walkthrough flags both so they can be caught on the way through.
What is the best order to clear the floors?
The walkthrough recommends floors 3, 5, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 2, then 1. This order keeps the boss difficulty curve gentle and avoids the backtracking that the elevator save would otherwise require. The game does not enforce an order, so the player can swap any two adjacent floors without breaking the walkthrough.
Do I need to find every Boo to get the good ending?
No. The ending does not change based on completion percentage. The good ending plays after the boss in the basement is captured, regardless of how many Boos or gems have been found. The completion rewards are separate from the ending.
Are the bosses in Luigi’s Mansion 3 difficult?
Most bosses are medium difficulty for a first-time player. The hammer-throwing ghosts on floors 2, 6, and 10 are the easiest. The boss on floor 15 is the most difficult because of the shield phase, and the basement boss is the most complex because of the three-phase structure. The walkthrough’s recommended order keeps the difficulty curve gentle until those two late-game encounters.
Can I replay floors after finishing the story?
Yes. After the credits, the elevator returns to the lobby and every floor is accessible through the elevator save. The game reloads the floors with all collectibles respawned, so the player can hunt missed Boos or gems without starting a new save file.
What is the difference between the gems and the Boos?
Gems are side puzzle rewards, one per floor, and they fill the gem gallery. Boos are hidden ghosts, one per floor, and they fill the Boo radar. The two are tracked separately and both are required for the completion percentage, but neither is required for the ending.
Is Luigi’s Mansion 3 suitable for younger players?
The game is rated E for Everyone. The ghosts are cartoony rather than scary, the humor is gentle, and the violence is limited to vacuuming ghosts. The walkthrough is written for any age, but a younger player may need help with the timing on the floor 15 and basement bosses.
Where can I find more detailed information about a specific floor?
The walkthrough covers every floor at the level of detail needed to finish the story and the collectibles. For deeper strategy on a specific boss, the official Nintendo site has boss guides, and the broader Luigi’s Mansion series history on Wikipedia covers the design lineage of the ghosts and the Poltergust tool. The IGN review of the GameCube predecessor, a retrospective on the original Luigi’s Mansion, is a useful reference for how the capture mechanics evolved into the form used here.