Mario Kart World: How To Avoid Blue Shells 1
Image: Nintendo Life

Oh goodness. It's back. Mario Kart World was never going to let the Blue Shell go, and that means many tears and lost victories by a hair.

But, as with previous Mario Kart games, there are a few ways you can avoid being hit by what is the game's deadliest item. So, we'll be going over all the ways you can avoid being hit by a Blue Shell so you can become a Mario Kart Master.

How To Avoid A Blue Shell in Mario Kart World

There are actually a couple of ways you can avoid being hit by a Blue Shell in first place. You'll have to save some items and get lucky, but it's doable.

Here's four different ways you can avoid being hit by the dreaded Blue Shell.

Use the Super Horn

Mario Kart World: How To Avoid Blue Shells 3
Image: Nintendo Life

One of Mario Kart 8's greatest gifts was the Super Horn, an item that will destroy any incoming projectile when it gets close to you — including a Blue Shell.

These are fairly rare to get in first place, but if you happen to get one, keep hold of it for the dreaded Blue Shell. And then, when it's circling around you, pop it and it will shatter. Magic.

Save your Mushrooms

The tried-and-true method of dodging a Blue Shell is holding onto a Mushroom to use when the shell approaches.

You have to time your speed boost absolutely perfectly, but as the shell stops circling and is about to come down, pop the Mushroom and you'll dash forward, completely avoiding the shell's impact.

Also, if you spot a Mushroom on the road as you're about to get hit, you can drive into that to dodge the Blue Shell impact, too.

Grab a Super Star

It's highly unlikely that you'll have a Super Star item when you get to first place, but if you do and a Blue Shell is coming your way, you can pop this item to make yourself invincible.

Is it worth saving the Star for this? Probably not. But hey, it's a way!

Rewind

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Be kind (to yourself), rewind... — Image: Nintendo Life

This last one is completely new to Mario Kart World — did you know there's a rewind function?

You can only use this method in single-player modes, but if you hit down on the d-pad just as the Blue Shell starts to circle around you, you'll completely dodge the hit and the blast. Genius. Giant Bomb's Jeff Grub is a genius.

What Is A Blue Shell?

The Blue Shell — officially known as the Spiny Shell — is the stuff of Mario Kart players' nightmares, if you're in first place that is.

The Blue Shell targets the player in first place and will completely knock them out of balance. It's annoying and is guaranteed to cost you a couple of places, particularly in the highly competitive online world.

If you're in positions 6 to 2, then you probably love the Blue Shell. But no one loves it when they get hit by it.

Can the Blue Shell hit racers not in first?

Unfortunately, yes, you absolutely can. It's much, much easier to avoid if you're not in first place, but it's still possible.

Blue Shells actually track the racer in first place along the race track rather than in the air (as they did in some older Mario Kart games). That means that if you're in direct path of the Blue Shell, it'll knock you over. Not for as long as first place, but enough to make you spin out briefly.

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Not this time, at least... — Image: Nintendo Life

Also, if you're very close to the first-place racer, you might get hit with the shell's small blast radius, so when you see one, make sure to give first place some space...

Can I play without Blue Shells?

Nope, unfortunately there's no way of playing Mario Kart World without Blue Shells.

Well, you can't get Blue Shells in Free Roam mode, so maybe, if you loathe them so much, stick to that and have fun in races with friends with weird and wonderful rules.


Feeling a little less blue after all that? We've got some more tips and secrets to share with you in our comprehensive Mario Kart World guides, so go check them out!