Guide

How to equip, change, and upgrade Copy Abilities - Kirby and the Forgotten Land

An overview of how to unlock, equip, swap, and evolve your favorite Copy Abilities in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

March 25, 2022 7:00 AM

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one of the best Kirby games, thanks in part to the wide variety of upgradeable Copy Abilities on offer. To help you make the most out of these Copy Abilities, it’s worth taking a moment to brush up on how to equip, drop, swap, unlock, and upgrade them in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

How to unlock Copy Abilities

Inhale various enemies in Kirby and the Forgotten Land to unlock new Copy Abilities. Also keep an eye out for hidden weapon blueprints in each stage!

To unlock new Copy Abilities in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, you’re going to want to inhale different enemy types whenever the opportunity is presented to you. The game explains the process of this in the opening tutorial where you can inhale specific enemies to unlock Copy Abilities like Sword and Bomb.

In addition to inhaling different enemy types to unlock Copy Abilities in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, you can unlock Copy Abilities by finding hidden weapon blueprints in various stages of the campaign. Be sure to check with Wise Waddle Dee as you work through the campaign to ensure you don’t miss any of these blueprints.

You can also win a special weapon blueprint by beating the Meta Knight Cup as part of the Colosseum mini game activity in Waddle Dee Town. For more on the Colosseum and the mini games on offer, be sure to read through our mini game guide.

How to swap Copy Abilities

Press and hold Y to drop the Copy Ability you currently have equipped.

You’re free to swap your Copy Ability out whenever you desire, not just at Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop. To drop the Copy Ability you currently have equipped, simply press and hold Y. After this, you should see the Copy Ability represented by a bubble on the ground. If you want it back, you have the opportunity to re-equip it by inhaling it.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to equip a different Copy Ability from the one you had, leave the one you dropped on the ground and then either approach the bubble of the Copy Ability you want (like when bosses drop Copy Abilities after being defeated) and inhale the Copy Ability bubble, or inhale the enemy type that has the Copy Ability you want.

How to upgrade Copy Abilities

Copy Abilities can be upgraded at Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop, and require both Star Coins and Rare Coins in addition to weapon blueprints.

As you progress through the main campaign in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, you’ll be able to upgrade Kirby’s Copy Abilities at Waddle Dee’s Weapons Shop in Waddle Dee Town. You’ll spend quite a bit of time here as this is also where you’ll turn in weapon blueprints as you find them.

To upgrade Copy Abilities, you’ll need a few things on hand including the aforementioned weapon blueprints, along with Star Coins and Rare Stones. Star Coins can be earned as you play through various campaign stages, and by playing mini games in Waddle Dee Town like Waddle Dee Cafe: Help Wanted! and Flash Fishing.

You'll primarily earn Rare Stones by playing Treasure Road side stages in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Rare Stones are earned by playing Treasure Road side stages which will unlock in each world as you progress through different stages of the campaign. Treasure Road side stages are not only a great way to earn Rare Stones, but also to test out Kirby’s Copy Abilities as you unlock and upgrade them.

You can also fly around the world map and look for a “Search” prompt to pop up. When you “Search” you’ll either uncover hidden Star Coins, or hidden Treasure Roads. The hidden Treasure Roads are typically tied to the game’s new Mouthful Mode as opposed to Copy Abilities, and are a blast to play.

Another way to earn Rare Stones is by beating cups at the Colosseum like the Meta Knight Cup which will reward you with 500 Star Coins and 1 Rare Stone upon completion, in addition to a special weapon blueprint the first time you beat the cup.

How to practice with Copy Abilities

You can practice with your newly upgraded Copy Abilities by heading to the practice room in Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop.

If you want to practice with new Copy Abilities or upgraded Copy Abilities, there’s a room you can find by heading right in Waddle Dee’s Weapons Shop. In this practice room, you’ll find a sandbag enemy named Mr. Sandbag. You can go to town testing your Copy Abilities out on Mr. Sandbag, though you can also put your Copy Abilities to the test in the Colosseum against bosses, and in the previously mentioned Treasure Road side stages.

We hope this guide has given you a better idea as to how Copy Abilities work in Kirby and the Forgotten Land from unlocking and equipping them, to swapping and upgrading them. For more on Kirby and the Forgotten Land, be sure to read through our full review of the game!

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.

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