Blue shells are better known as spiny shells and these iconic items have the power to bring you down from first place to last! They are extremely dangerous and target one particular player. If that player turns out to be you, be prepared for some serious damage control. Getting hit by this blue shell may put you in last place and you will need to work your way back to the top all over again! Fortunately, there are a few ways to avoid blue shells in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Keep on reading to find out how to save yourself from these infuriating shells and how to avoid blue shells and save your kart and win the race in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!
Avoid Blue Shells in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Before we get into avoiding these items, let’s go through a brief overview about what exactly are these blue colored spiny shells.
Blue shells are one of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s most interesting items. They are randomly given to racers. However, those in the last few positions are more likely to get them. Once a player launches a blue shell, it will target one specific racer. This racer is always the player in the first place. The shell doesn’t fly. Instead, it moves along the ground. Thus, it is possible for the shell to hit players who lie in its path. If you are at risk of getting hit, an alert will appear which will advise you to look out. Simply move away from the race track’s center if you see this alert. Once the blue shell reaches the first player, it looms over their head and then explodes downward. Players can avoid blue shells by preparing to dodge them as soon as they see one appear in the mini-map.
Method #1 – Avoid Blue Shells by using Super Horns in Mario Kart 8
Super horns are red colored items which are your best friends! These useful items cause an explosion around you. This yields considerable damage to other players while also destroying blue shells.
Super horns are obtained through item boxes. If you find one, we recommend giving it priority and keeping it on hand all the time. Then, once you see a blue shell, activate the horn by pressing ‘ZL’ or ‘L’ for dual joy-cons and ‘SL’ for a single joycon. The perfect time for activating a blue shell is as soon as it appears over your head.
These items are also useful for saving yourself from other dangerous items like red shells.
Method #2 – By staying close to other players in Mario Kart 8
If you’re in the lead when a blue shell is launched, it will fixate on you. If you drop down places, it will still manage to find you! However, you may be able to avoid it by staying close to your rivals. This way, the blue shell’s explosion will also yield damage to them! However, this is a risky method which may go wrong!
You can also slow down and let the player in second place get ahead of you. It is also important that you stay far away from him/her so that the explosion does not affect you. Then, once the blue shell drops on the player, speed past them and regain your position as player No. 1.
Method #3 – Avoid Blue Shells by hitting a boost pad or using a boost mushroom
This method is perhaps the hardest of the four! Timing is everything in it and there is almost no room for error!
As soon as the shell starts dropping on you, get on a boost pad or use a boost mushroom. You will then escape the explosion without any damage! You can also use the same technique for boost tunnels in the Big Blue course. Simply, get in the ‘tunnel’ as soon as the blue shell starts to drop to avoid the explosion. Read on How To Skid And Get A Boost in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Method #4 – Avoid Blue Shells by using a Bullet Bill or Star
Bullet Bills and Stars are often given to players in the last positions. If you manage to get your hands on one, you should hold on to it.
Use the bullet bill right before the blue shell explodes. You will turn into a bill and get an instant speed boost. Thus, the explosion won’t cause any damage to you.
All other Shells in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has two other types of shells; red and green. Mentioned below is a brief description of the two.
- Red Shells – The red shell launches itself at the player in front of you. It is the weakest shell and breaks if it hits a wall. If somebody attacks you with a red shell, use a red horn to protect yourself. Alternatively, try to make the red shell hit into a wall by drifting sharply. You can also block the red shell by putting a banana peel behind you or launching a shell backwards to destroy the incoming shell.
- Green Shell – The green shell does not target a specific player. Instead, it bounces around until it hits a player. Additionally, it must bounce off walls at least 10 times to finally break. You can dodge a green shell by firing another green shell backwards. This shell will destroy the attacking green shell. You can also use a super horn to avoid a green shell.