Earthbound Homesickness: What It Means & How To Cure It

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Homesickness is a status ailment that only affects Ness, and it causes him to occasionally miss his turns in combat.

There are a number of ways you can get rid of this:

  • Talk to Ness’ mother (either by telephone or in person)
  • Talk to Dr. Saturn in Saturn Valley
  • Visit any “Your Sanctuary”
  • Use the Instant Revitalizing Device in Winters and Dungeon Man
  • Go to the hot springs in Saturn Valley or Tenda Village
 

What is Homesickness?

Homesickness is an ailment that has a small chance to afflict Ness at any point in your playthrough.

 
The party inside Ness’ house with his mother on the left / Earthbound
 

Once Ness is homesick, he’ll begin to miss turns in battle; instead he’ll spend turns reminiscing about his mother & being back at home.

If not treated, then the ailment will get worse over time, and Ness will begin to miss his turns more frequently.

Thankfully it has such a small chance of happening that it’s not a big worry for most of the game.

And Homesickness has a 0% chance of happening at all up to level 15 & after level 76.

We’ve prepared a handy table to show just how rare homesickness truly is in Earthbound:

Level Chance of Homesick
Levels 1-15 0/256 (0%)
Levels 16-30 3/256 (1.17%)
Levels 31-75 2/256 (0.78%)
Levels 76-99 0/256 (0%)
 

Curing Homesick via Ness’ Mother (Best Method)

 
Talking to Ness’ mother at home / Earthbound
 

By far the easiest way to cure Homesickness is to call Ness’s mother or go back to his hometown and see her in person.

She’ll also call his Receiver phone shortly after he starts to feel homesick, to remind him to call home.

This initial call won’t cure homesickness – but it’s a good reminder for newer players who may be unsure of what homesickness even is.

 

Other Cures For Homesick

All of these are viable ways to help Ness shake off Homesickness – so it really depends which method(s) are most practical for you when you’re first afflicted.

 

Visiting Dr. Saturn

 
In the makeshift hospital in Saturn Valley, Dr. Saturn is in the trash can / Earthbound
 

Another method is to visit Dr. Saturn at the makeshift hospital in Saturn Valley.

Dr. Saturn is found in one of the bottom houses in the villages, and is distinguished by the fact he’s hiding in a bin.

He’ll heal Ness and the party free of charge – which includes all ailments like homesickness.

 

Visiting “Your Sanctuary”

 
Lumine Hall “Your Sanctuary” Screenshot / Earthbound
 

Visiting any “Your Sanctuary” will also grant the party with a free heal, which includes curing homesickness.

There’s 8 of these in total dotted around the world of Earthbound.

And each one helps Ness further “connect” with his childhood.

The locations for these are:

  • Onett
  • Happy Happy Village
  • Saturn Valley
  • Winters
  • Fourside
  • Dalaam
  • Tenda Village
  • Lost Underworld
 

Instant Revitalizing Machine

 
Instant Revitalizing Machine in Dr Andonuts’s Lab / Earthbound
 

The Instant Revitalizing Machine located in Dr. Andonuts’s laboratory in Winters will also heal the homesick ailment, since it completely cures anyone who uses it – completely free of charge.

Later in the game another one of these machines is found inside Dungeon Man.

 

Hot Springs

 
Pink hot springs in Tenda Village / Earthbound
 

Finally, you can cure homesickness by using the pink hot springs in Saturn Village and Tenda Village.

These are completely free to use and will fully restore the party’s HP, PP, and cure all status ailments.

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