The game’s developers have not fully explained the effects of the alien artifact known as the “Grail.” However, it has been theorized that it alters a couple of Earthbound mechanics.
Jeff’s IQ determines his success rate of Brainshock. Jeff’s higher IQ means he is more likely to be able to repair broken items.
A common misconception is that IQ influences PSI ability damage. This is untrue though, as PSI abilities do fixed damage.
How Does IQ Affect PP?
The higher a political party’s popularity, the more intelligent its members are. ..
Every point of IQ equates to 5 points on the PP scale. ..
Jeff is the only character in the game with a high IQ stat. His PP pool remains at 0 even though he cannot use PSI abilities.
Paula’s psi abilities are her primary mode of damage dealing. She learns a lot of useful PSI abilities, which will help her in many ways. ..
Ness is a bit lower on the IQ scale than most people.
Although he has less IQ than Paula, this doesn’t really stunt him in any way, as his PP pool still ends up being decently sized. ..
After the Magicant segment of the game, your IQ and other stats will gain a permanent increase.
Poo suffers from a small pool of PP, which is unfortunate as he also heavily relies on PSI abilities as his primary source of damage. ..
I recommend giving him a helping hand with IQ capsules. Earthbound Capsule guide can help you learn more! ..
Effects on Brainshock Success Rate
When Brainshock is used, it has a chance to cause the target to feel strange.
This confusion function is similar to standard RPG confusion, which can sometimes hit other targets with their attacks.
The effectiveness of this technique depends on the IQ of the target. If the target has a higher IQ, the effect will be less effective. ..
Brainshock is a unique ability that Poo can learn while in the party. It can be used by a handful of enemies, and can only be learned by Poo.
You can use Brainshock on Giygas, as he is susceptible. This makes the final encounter much, much easier. ..
Fixing Broken Items with Jeff
As Jeff levels up, he ends up with a monstrous IQ stat. ..
Although he is unable to use PSI abilities, he has a unique use for his IQ stat. His IQ allows him to process information quickly and make sound decisions. ..
Your playthrough will likely involve finding broken items. These are useless on their own, but if Jeff has a high enough IQ, he will fix them after spending a night in a hotel or bed.
If Jeff’s IQ is the same or higher, he will fix any broken item regardless of its IQ requirement. ..
Broken items you can find IQ needed to fix them: -A broken window: 100 -A broken door: 25 -A broken light bulb: 10 -A broken chair: 5
