13 Best Mario Kart 8 Cars, Ranked
With 48 new courses beginning to be added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch in 2022, there has never been a better time to re-up your Mario Kart skills. With a vast number of character, cart, tire, and glider combos, it is incredibly easy to customize your Mario Kart racer to your best ability. Of course, that also means that there are a lot of different options to choose from and the many combinations can be a bit overwhelming.
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As a general rule, lightweight characters like Baby Mario tend to be great for handling and acceleration whereas heavier characters such as Bowser are more unwieldy to drive, but are much faster and are great for off-road adventures. Meanwhile, the carts themselves have such a vast variety of stats that it can be difficult to pinpoint which cart is the best option. Here, we’ve selected the carts with the best overall stats; how you balance these carts with your character, however, is up to you.
Updated August 7, 2022 by Peter Voight: With the imminent release of Wave 2 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, there is no better time than now to jump into everyone’s favorite kart racer. The wave will bring eight courses to the game, including classic courses like Kalimari Desert from Mario Kart 64. In addition, a brand-new course, Sky-High Sundae, will cool you off on a hot summer’s day with its gigantic sweet treats.
And the best news? This is just the beginning! Nintendo will be releasing four more waves of courses, which will double Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s course total to 96. With all these course options, you’ll need the best kart possible to take down your opponents on the track. Whether you prefer a bike or car, heavy or light, or maybe just an all-around reliable vehicle, these options are sure to satisfy.
13/13 Yoshi Bike
As one of the few vehicles in the game named after a character, the Yoshi Bike lives up to its namesake.
The green two-wheeler is perfectly modeled after the green Dino, down to the arms that flip out of the side of the bike when gliding. Dating back to Mario Kart Wii, the series has had inside drift and outside drift vehicles, with the Yoshi Bike being the former.
This means you will still be driving with the turn, rather than drifting to the outside. The bike’s acceleration and handling stats will help you reach top speed and stay in control once you get there. However, you’ll be sacrificing speed and traction, meaning your turns and inside drifts won’t be as tight as you prefer.
12/13 Landship
With a design that calls to mind the airships of old Super Mario Bros. games, the Landship is much less intimidating than its inspiration. Its cannons on the side do move as you are racing, to remind you of the many times you died on Super Mario Bros. 3 airships as a child.
Acceleration is this kart’s best attribute, but it comes at the expense of speed. In addition, the kart is lightweight, meaning you may get bullied on the track if you aren’t driving aggressively.
Luckily, the kart’s solid handling stats will allow you to evade competitors.
11/13 Teddy Buggy
If you’re looking for the cutest kart in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Teddy Buggy may be the ATV for you. While the Teddy Buggy won’t blow anyone away with its stats, seeing as how it only slightly increases your acceleration and handling, the trade-offs are minimal.
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With only a slight decrease in your speed stat, this is a perfectly average kart. It shares the same stats as the beloved Cat Cruiser, which is fitting considering the cuteness factor of both. Sometimes the flashy bells and whistles are overrated, anyway!
10/13 Comet
The Comet is one of Mario Kart 8’s many Bike options and is statistically similar to the light-weight characters in the game. The Comet has high acceleration, handles extremely well, and has a longer mini-turbo, making it one of the better vehicles for catching up to other characters on windy tracks like Toad Harbor or perhaps the upcoming Choco Mountain.
With a perfectly average weight and traction, the Comet’s one downfall is that its top speed doesn’t reach the heights of its contemporaries. For players who prefer an easy, breezy lightweight combination, this bike is a great option.
9/13 Cat Cruiser
The Cat Cruiser has similar stats to the Comet, albeit in the form of a car instead of a bike: the acceleration, handling, and mini-turbo are its best features, balanced out with average weight and traction. Once again, the speed is its lowest stat.
This is an easy car to drive for beginner players, but again can be balanced out with a heavy-weight character like Bowser or Morton or with slick tires. As an added bonus, the car looks like an adorable cat! What’s not to love?
8/13 Biddybuggy
The stats of the Biddybuggy are more spread out than the Comet and Cat Cruiser; its best asset is its acceleration, which is significantly better than the previous entries. The Biddybuggy also improves on its handling and traction and has a decent mini-turbo as well.
Its lowest stats are its weight and speed, both of which are below average. Though the speed of the Biddybuggy is its worst stat, the other bonuses more than make up for it. This cart is ideal for windy courses that don’t have many off-road options, such as Mario Kart Stadium.
7/13 Tanooki Kart and Koopa Clown Car
The Tanooki Kart and the Koopa Clown Car have the exact same stats, tying them at number seven. These vehicles have the highest possible mini-turbo of all the cars in Mario Kart 8, which is great for windy courses that have a slick surface, like Rainbow Road. They have above-average weight and handling, making them easy to drive on difficult courses.
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Their traction is perfectly average, so they’re not ideal for off-roading, and their stats are rounded out with below-average speed and less-than-perfect acceleration. A character with a lower weight-class will help increase their acceleration, even if their speed isn’t up to snuff.
6/13 Flame Rider and Standard Bike
The Flame Rider and Standard Bike also have the exact same stats. While their speed and weight are below average, their great traction makes it easy to take tight turns on levels like Bowser’s Castle. They both handle well and have above-average acceleration and mini-turbos as well.
These bikes can be balanced out with middleweight or heavy characters; in general, the Flame Rider and Standard Bike are more well-balanced than some other options in the vehicular creation process, so they work well as an all-around decent bike.
5/13 Wild Wiggler
The Wild Wiggler is the best ATV in the game and has similar stats to the Standard Bike and Flame Rider. Its great traction makes tight turns easy while its high acceleration, handling, and mini-turbos increase its ability to catch up on characters on windy courses.
This is a great vehicle for the aforementioned Bowser’s castle or Cloudtop Cruise. Again, while its speed and weight leave much to be desired, its other stats more than make up for it.
This ATV is a great option for middleweight characters like Mario or Luigi.
4/13 Mercedes Silver Arrow
Of the three sponsored Mercedes vehicles present in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Mercedes Silver Arrow is the best. The Mercedes 300 SL Roadster has the exact same stats as a Standard Kart while the Mercedes GLA has great speed, but struggles with a terrible acceleration and mini-turbo.
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The Silver Arrow generally has good stats; like the Wild Wiggler, Standard Bike, and Flame Rider, it has great traction but poor speed and weight. Its acceleration, handling, and mini-turbo are all above-average and once again, this car does best on windy courses with fewer off-roading options.
3/13 Mr. Scooty
The stats for Mr. Scooty, one of the better bikes in the game, vary wildly: its acceleration and mini-turbo are some of the best in the game, but it also has some of the lowest stats for speed.
Mr. Scooty also handles very well and has decent traction, but its weight is unsatisfactory.
The Mr. Scooty bike is best suited for tracks that have limited off-roading opportunities and has lots of places to use a mini-turbo without taking too tight of a turn; Thwomp Ruins, for example, is a great course to practice with this bike.
2/13 City Tripper and Varmint
The City Tripper and Varmint are two more bikes that share the same stats: their best features are their acceleration, handling, and mini-turbos, which have decent traction but struggle with their weight and speed.
This makes them ideal for courses that don’t have much in the way of off-roading and are windy without being overbearing — for instance, Toad Harbor and Sunshine Airports are ideal courses to use this vehicle. Meanwhile, their poor speed can be bettered by driving with heavyweight characters like Dry Bones or Morton.
1/13 Pipe Frame
Statistically, the Pipe Frame is the best car in the game: it has great acceleration, handling, and a great mini-turbo.
It also has decent traction but, like many of the other cars on this list, suffers from its weight and speed.
The Pipe Frame seems to be a favorite for heavyweight characters to help balance its low speed and excels on courses like Royal Raceway or Music Park. Its positives greatly outweigh its negatives, leading the Pipe Frame to come out on top as, statistically, one of the best cars in the game.
NEXT: Every Mario Kart DLC Track in Wave 1, Ranked
Is it cheating or a genius addition?
Impact
ByXavier Harding
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tips and tricks range from knowing how to dodge the blue shell to thriving in 200cc. But what use is all that reading if your opponent goes self-driving mode on you? One of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s newer additions is smart steering, and it kind of feels like cheating.
But before you call out your friends for using smart steering, here’s what you need to know about the pros and cons of the new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe option.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe smart steering: How does it work?
While Mario Kart has always been family-friendly, the skill level required to complete every course sometimes require pro-level technique — especially on the hardest difficulty levels. Smart steering, a first for the Mario Kart series, is meant to remedy that.
If you notice an antenna blinking yellow while you’re driving in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, that means smart steering is engaged. Congratulations, you’ve barely been driving at all! While you can mostly control your kart during straightaways and while tossing a shell at your enemies, turns are a different story. You can still control most of the turn, but the game takes over and adjusts for you if you mess up. While smart steering isn’t an auto-win button, it will remove errors from your turns and keep you from flying off the edge on trickier tracks.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe smart steering: How to turn it on
Xavier Harding/Mic
You can toggle smart steering in two places.
The first is in the pause menu: Hit the plus button or minus button to reveal the option in the top left corner. Tap the screen or hit the left shoulder button to add or get rid of that dreaded — or life-saving? — feature.
You can also add smart steering to your kart or bike before the race. On the kart selection screen, hit the plus or minus button to gain options for motion control, auto-accelerate and smart steering. Then hit the L button or tap the screen’s smart steering icon. You can easily change this during the race from the pause menu.
Interestingly, smart steering mode is turned on by default for everyone. The setting initially requires you turn it off rather than switch it on. If you’ve never interacted with the menu item at all, you likely haven’t been steering your kart.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe smart steering: Is it fair to use?
GameXplain/YouTube
Now the important question: Is this cheating? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s smart steering mode certainly isn’t the most difficult way to play, but it won’t automatically get you a win, either.
Smart steering will keep you from flying off Rainbow Road or driving through grass, but it isn’t a self-driving mode. You’ll need to bring at least some skills to the table. You’ll also miss out on some coins — which improve your speed — and be forced to take routes you probably didn’t want to. Shortcuts are handy except when you really didn’t want to go that way at all.
Ultimately, there’s a reason Mario Kart calls it smart steering and not «victory mode.» But don’t come around us with that auto-turn nonsense. We’re all about the manual turns only.
Check out more
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe news, tips and tricks
If you’re anxious to get racing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, check out our video gameplay of the first 20 minutes of the game and find out the eight characters the game needs ASAP. Check out the best techniques to race with and learn how you can buy the game bundled with the console, including one bundle from Nintendo.
Find out if we’re expecting DLC and our initial impressions of the new console it’s on from back in January. Or you can play Mario Kart 64 on a newer console instead, if you’re looking for some nostalgic throwback. And when all else fails, back that thang up.
? Best combinations and cars in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — TricksDownloads
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a game that has been on the market for several months now. and it became a new hit among users. The new success of Nintendo, which knows that this game is hugely popular all over the world and is going to get big sales. If you have started playing, there are certain aspects that you are interested in knowing about the game.
One of the most important is combinations. Maybe know what’s the best combination and the best cars In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’s not just about knowing which ones are available.
Therefore, below we will tell you everything you need to know in this aspect in order to be able to master it in the game.
Index
- 1 Best car combinations
- 2 Types of cars in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- 3 Tips for choosing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- 3.1 Principiantes
- 3.2 Speed 90
0015 3.4 Acceleration
- 3.5 Stability
- 3.6 Configure your car
- 3.7 Motorcycles
Best automobile combinations
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If you started playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it is important as well as the characters, so it has a big impact. Since this gives rise to many possible combinations in the title, it is important to choose which character and car we use so that we can get the most out of the racing in the game.
Several points should be taken into account, namely that there are two parameters that are more important: speed and acceleration .
The first represents the maximum speed the car can reach, while the second indicates the level of recovery after a crash or crash in a race. Others, such as grip or handling, are important but rely more on the skill of each.
Light characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have more acceleration, but we get slow speed in return , and vice versa in heavy ones. For this reason, each user must decide what he considers the best or worst, since the combinations are many and also depend on what each of them prefers and on the strategy to follow when playing a Nintendo game.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does not have a reliable winning combination . Finding a balance between these variables is important in addition to the player’s own skills, which also determine the success that will be when playing this game. As you gain experience in the game, you will be able to take more risks and expose your skills, so you will be less dependent on these combinations.
Types of cars in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
In the game, we mainly find three types of cars: karts, motorcycles and quad bikes. The right choice is important, although each type of vehicle has its own advantages or characteristics that it is important for us to know:
- Karting : This is the most classic option in the game. These are vehicles that offer great stability and handling, although the performance of one and the other is very uneven, which will have a big impact when playing and using one of them. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes with Standard Kart, Tube Frame, Mach 8, Steel Driver, Cat Cruiser, Circuit Special, Tri-Speeder, Badwagon, Prancer, Biddybuggy, Landship, Sneeker, Sports Coupe, Standard Gold, Mercedes-Benz GLA, W25 Silver Arrow, 300 SL Roadster, Blue Falcon, Tanooki Kart, B Dasher, Streetle, P-Wing and Koopa Clown.
- Motorcycles : A vehicle that provides excellent maneuverability, although you need to have some experience to handle them, they also stand out for their speed.
Standard Bike, Comet, Sports Bike, Duke, Flame Racer, Varmint, Mr. Scooty, Jet Ski, Yoshi Bike, Master Cycle and City Train are available. - ATV : Halfway between karting and motorcycling, it combines elements of both, so it can be a safe option for many to make the right choice in the game. The choice is small: the standard ATV, Wild Wiggler, Teddy Buggy, Bone Rattler, Inkstriker and Splat Buggy.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Selection Tips
Depending on your level and experience, each option will more or less weigh in-game. Because these parameters may have more influence at the beginning when you start than when you already have experience. Although you should always be careful to keep your balance and know what you are doing.
Principiantes
If you are starting to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it is best to bet on the standard well-balanced kart, focusing on the acceleration of without neglecting other aspects.
This is especially important because, as beginners, we may have falls, bumps and mistakes — this is normal. So this acceleration will help offset the increased number of errors a little.
The small wheel makes the easier to handle, in addition to balancing speed. While it’s good that we use an intermediate category when choosing a kite, which will give the best balance, although depending on the strategy of each of them, you can choose something else. In the case of betting on speed, we will have an advantage in conservative lines, but we will suffer in others.
experts
If you’ve already played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you already know that there is no such thing as a perfect match. Usually during games, each user develops a different style, so you are going to pay more attention to aspects such as speed or acceleration. Ideally — take advantage of the ability to customize your vehicles in the game.
Because by using these customizable elements we will be able to adapt our car to every track so on those classic circuits or where there are many straights we can put more emphasis on speed, while on those where there are corners and they are difficult, good acceleration and stability will be key so that we can win these races on racing.
the game. This is the best we can do in such cases.
Speed
If we want to get the maximum speed in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, will have to choose the kart, motorcycle or ATV, which are fast vehicles that already give us a good base. Also, then we have to choose a fast wheel, although this is detrimental to the acceleration of said vehicle, which is a risk. The pilot must also be a light character in order to maximize the indicated speed.
In simple circuits and with straight , we are going to get a lot from this bet. Although in those with curves or more complex ones, a mistake can cost us dearly and they will attack us because we have little acceleration.
boost
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, boost is important, but don’t bet everything on it. Although on difficult tracks it is a good option so that we can fight for the victory. Ideal in this sense is to bet on a driver with a light or medium weight and with a car that provides acceleration, but uses thin wheels.
This allows us to save time on errors, in addition to better navigation in areas with many curves . Although, if we’re on a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track where there are straight lines, we won’t be the strongest.
Stability
If stability is really important to us in this case Since we want to take less risk, we should bet on other combinations in the game. Since you need to choose a heavy rider that will give us grip and stability. In addition, as a vehicle, we will use a wide kart, which will provide us with good stability. Then a fat wheel is also recommended, which has extra grip but no loss of speed.
Configure your vehicle
An important aspect that you will discover as you gain experience in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the configuration of your vehicle. They have custom aspects or parts in the game. , which will allow us to easily adapt them to each race in order to improve various aspects depending on the route we will face.
Opportunity to take advantage of this.
Tires and kites are things we can change in the vehicle, thanks to this option available in the Grand Prix game mode. There are different types of wheels and kites available in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Thanks to them, we will be able to configure the specified vehicle and use it.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles is the best handling car from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Therefore, when choosing, users are always looking for a configuration that is fast and dynamic. The important thing is that we choose a bike that is easy to handle, with a small wheel and constantly providing acceleration so that the kite amplifies it. By choosing a heavy rider, we get good stability, which is certainly important for a motorcycle.
If you want an aggressive and risky bet in the game, you can choose the light rider . Although this combination is only recommended for motorcycle experts, as this type of rider will add additional complexity, which for many users in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be too much.
When you have experience with motorcycles, you will be able to choose this combination in the game.
basic mechanics and useful tips for beginners / Computer and mobile games / iXBT Live
In this article I want to outline the main life hacks that you can (and should) use in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The game has a childish entourage, which creates a false feeling that this is a simple arcade race — sat down before driving. However, in fact, the game implements very complex and even deep mechanics that are not so easy to master. There is no tutorial in the game, and even the description of the features in the manual is incomplete.
Kart selection
Considering the modern parts of Mario Kart, it’s worth bearing in mind that this is not even a kart selection, but a build build, like in some action-RPG, since we now select both a character and three parts of our kart. Both characters and details affect 5 build characteristics, which you also need to familiarize yourself with.
All characteristics are a number from 1 to 6 in one-quarter increments. For clarity, they are represented by stripes, although numbers would also not hurt. It is easy to confuse, for example, 3.25 with 3.5.
The first characteristic is speed, or to be precise, maximum speed. Here, I think, everything is clear. The second characteristic is acceleration, that is, how quickly you pick up speed. The third characteristic is mass. The higher the mass of your build, the more difficult it is to push you, and, on the contrary, you can freely ram other lighter riders. The fourth characteristic is manageability. The higher it is, the easier it is to enter turns. In the 150cc and 200cc championships, this characteristic becomes very important. Much more important than speed. The fifth characteristic is patency. The higher the cross-country ability, the faster you can go off-piste.
There is one important thing to note about the fifth characteristic. The road in Mario Kart is the main track, which, as a rule, is visually highlighted. The road can be paved or sandy — it doesn’t matter. The road is the road. That is, the patency characteristic is in no way related to the type of road surface. But different cuts are no longer a road, and there your kart starts to get stuck and go slowly. But with a high flotation value, you can drive through these sections with almost no loss of speed.
There are no cheat builds in the game and there is no imba either. You simply collect a build that is convenient for you personally. If you pump through the cross-country ability, you will not enter turns well, but then you can just cut off the road and not lose speed. If you are pumping controllability, then vice versa. Maps with high handling usually have low passability, it is better not to cut with them, but to maneuver sharply and fit into turns. By itself, high speed will also not give anything, since the kart will be poorly controlled and accelerate for a long time. The influence of map details on parameters can be viewed when they are selected by pressing minus or plus on the gamepad.
A table will open where you, switching the details, will see how the characteristics change.
However, the characters themselves also affect performance. And by choosing a character, you determine your build. That is, it is inefficient to take a heavy character like Bowser and try to make him a light build with high handling. Unfortunately, in the game itself, the values of the characteristics of the characters are not indicated. And when you look at the table with the stats, you already see the sum of the characteristics, taking into account the characteristics of the details of the card. A table of characters can be found on the Internet and from it, among other things, it becomes clear that the characters are divided into groups. And within the group they are all the same. The same applies to the details of the map — some details duplicate the characteristics of others. This is done so that, in addition to the characteristics themselves, you can assemble a build that you like and externally.
Driving
As mentioned above, Mario Kart games are not that easy to control. Initially, on the Super Nintendo, the game was generally developed almost as a simulator. Well, by the standards of the time. Now it’s a purebred arcade, but each arcade has its own rules. As in many arcade races like the same Rage Racer, drift and acceleration are very important in Mario Kart. You will not be able to win against strong opponents if you do not master these two techniques. Just a clean ride is not enough here, and the brake button is essentially only needed in the 150 and 200 cc championships. Well, either if you have cards with very low handling.
Drift
So, first about drifting. This is not very obvious, but in fact drifting is performed by the jump button. You need to hold the jump button and while the kart is in the air, press turn left or right, depending on where you need to turn. Keep holding the direction button and the jump button and the kart will start to drift.
While drifting, you cannot change the direction of the turn, but by tilting the analog stick to the left or right, you can change the sharpness of the turn. If you want to start drifting in the other direction, then first you need to release the direction and drift buttons and do it all over again.
Acceleration
So, we got used to drifting. Now the acceleration. The fact is that both the jump button and the drift itself are inextricably linked with acceleration. You won’t win a race on medium or hard difficulty if you don’t accelerate wherever you can. The easiest places to accelerate are the arrows on the track. Look for them, remember where they are located and do not forget to run into them. Most often they are highlighted in orange.
The second is Slipstream. As in racing simulations, keeping behind the other driver gives you an advantage. Only in Mario Kart you need to hold out in this position for a while, literally a few seconds, to get a speed boost. In general, not very difficult.
The third important point is that jumps in many places of the route are equipped with springboards or even just bumps. In short, any uneven surface that lifts your kart off the ground can be used to accelerate. Just press the jump button at the right moment. Which one — you have to find empirically. The button must be pressed literally a moment before the wheels leave the ground or at the moment of hitting the springboard. In general, a little training, and you will succeed at the subconscious level. I note that as such a springboard, you can use both springboards with arrows, which in themselves give acceleration, and springboards that turn on the antigravity mode.
Speaking of anti-gravity. It’s actually easy to miss the moment your kart enters such a zone. But you can be guided by the blue stripes on the track and the way your kart wheels suddenly tilt 90 degrees. In the anti-gravity mode, you can collide with other racers and with special spinning wheels on the track and get acceleration from this too.
Well, the last important acceleration tool is drift. This is the main and probably the most difficult move in Mario Kart. In general, you just need to master it.
We already learned how to drift a little earlier. Now look, the more you are in a state of drift, the more acceleration you can get when you complete the drift. Here you need to monitor the appearance of sparks from under the wheels. The first stage — blue sparks — comes pretty quickly. We saw blue sparks — release the drift button, that is, the jump, and we immediately get a slight acceleration. The second stage is yellow sparks. After the appearance of blue sparks, you need to wait even longer. The third stage, which was added specifically in the Nintendo Switch version, is pink sparks. This is the maximum acceleration, but of course it is the most difficult to obtain and at high speeds it most likely will not work. Learn all these techniques and the next time you see a twisty track in Mario Kart, you will perceive it not as “Ugh, you have to drive slowly”, but as “Hooray, here we finally drive!”.
In the end, driving with acceleration through drift looks just beautiful. It is also worth noting that acceleration can be obtained both at the start and due to various items. We’ll talk about items a little further, and at the start it’s enough to hold down the acceleration button immediately after the number two appears. After the start is announced, you will receive an instant boost. I note that this trick works even if you have set automatic acceleration in the settings.
Items
The last thing to keep in mind is items and how to use them. Mario Kart is still a race with weapons and the proper use of these weapons will bring you victory. All items you get from translucent cubes with a question mark. In advance, you cannot know what item you will get. The game is balanced so that players in the last places get the most powerful items, and those who ride in front get the weakest. By the way, experienced players sometimes use it. They deliberately lag behind to take some kind of imba, then pull ahead and use it.
Here everything depends on you. There can be many options for a strategy, so let’s look at the items themselves.
Coin
Coin is one of the most useless items. It most often falls to the one who goes first. Coins are already lying on the track and, by the way, for a reason. Each coin slightly increases your maximum speed. You can have no more than 10 coins at a time, and every time your kart falls into the abyss or you get knocked out, you lose coins. Coins affect your rating at the end of the race. The more coins, the higher the rating.
Red mushroom
Red Mushroom gives you a boost that can be quite effective. By the way, if your kart is low-traffic, you can use the mushroom while driving through off-road sections to maintain speed. The mushroom will also help to quickly accelerate after being hit. Sometimes not one, but 3 mushrooms fall out at once and they act like … 3 mushrooms that can be applied sequentially. You can meet the mushroom on the track as well.
Most often they stay there, if someone had 3 mushrooms, he was knocked out and the mushrooms fell out. Feel free to run over them or if you see someone with 3 mushrooms spinning around them, ram him and take his mushrooms.
Golden Mushroom
It is extremely rare and mostly for those who ride in sixth place. Further, this mushroom allows you to get a mini-speedup every time you click on the button to use an item. Valid for a limited time.
Banana
This item drops even for early players and is more than enough if used properly. First, a banana can be placed on the track. If you just press the button to apply an item, it will remain behind you like a mine. The player who runs into him will instantly stop and lose a few coins. It is useful to use against those who are trying to stream at the expense of you plates. Secondly, by pressing the analog control stick up at the same time as the use item button, you can throw the banana forward. Not very effective and unlikely to help, but situations are different.
The main thing — thirdly, you can use a banana as protection. Just hold the item’s use button and don’t let go. A banana will save you from a green or red shell, as well as from a fireball and a boomerang. In general, a useful thing.
Green Carapace
Perhaps the most common weapon on the track, because it can drop out to any player at all. And from 3rd to 8th place falls out with an extremely high probability. By default, this shell is thrown forward, clearly in the direction of your movement. Keep in mind that it can bounce off the walls of the track and it is not uncommon for riders to knock themselves out in this way. This shell can also be thrown backwards by holding the analog control stick down and pressing the use item button. The armor also works as a defense, similar to the banana. Just hold down the button to apply the item. In addition to 1 shell, 3 green shells can also drop, which will fly around you as a constant protection from behind. They cannot be used, but if you are lucky and an enemy projectile hits such a shell, it will still work as a defense.
You can also ram the enemy this way. Surely at least one shell will touch him. The main thing is not to crash into such a racer with shells yourself. Well, don’t pick up the shells lying on the track either.
Red Carapace
Similar to Green Carapace, but drops less frequently and is homing. If you throw it forward, that is, simply by pressing the action button, it is a very useful thing, as it overtakes the driver in front with almost one hundred percent probability. If you throw it back, holding the analog control stick down, then it will simply fly in a straight line and will not be induced by itself.
Blue Carapace
The scariest weapon in the game. They cannot be defended and cannot be thrown back. It falls out only to those who go behind and invariably hits the very first rider. Standard defenses like banana or red/green shell won’t work against him. To protect yourself from the blue shell, you will need either a star, or a horn, or just stop being the first.
If you miss the moment when the shell has just appeared on the track, it will not help. The appearance of the blue shell is always accompanied by a special notification, but the horn must be activated at the moment when the blue shell has already flown up to you and is circling above you. You will have literally seconds to act. By the way, even if you are not the first, still try not to stand in the way of the blue shell. He will knock you down and not even slow down.
Star
Most often falls out somewhere from 6th place onwards. Makes you completely invulnerable even to the blue shell. Well, unless you fall into a hole somewhere. It also allows you to cut off the road without losing speed and ram other riders with unpleasant consequences for them.
Horn
Buzzes loudly, knocking out everything and everyone in a small radius. Works the same as a save from any shells, including blue ones, if used in time. So if you are going first and you come across a horn, it makes sense to keep it.
Bomb
As for me — the most uncool weapon. The bomb can be thrown forward (this is the default) or backward by holding the left analog stick down. It explodes as soon as someone enters the area around the character. The zone is quite large, so I would not recommend throwing forward for beginners. Most likely you yourself will be blown up on a bomb.
Fire Flower
Gives you the ability to shoot fireballs for a while. By default, you shoot forward, but you can also shoot backward by holding the analog control stick down.
Piranha Plant
After use, the flower will protect you for some time from other racers and their projectiles, and collect coins. Quite a useful thing, but keep in mind that a flower cannot knock out two riders at the same time, and a blue shell will not protect it either. Also, while the flower does not bite anyone. You can constantly press the action button to get a small speed boost, just like when using the golden mushroom.
Boomerang
Just a boomerang that can be thrown three times. 1-2 times he returns, and the third — flies away forever. Knocks out racers and their projectiles. Throws forward by default, but can also be thrown backwards.
Lightning
Imbo weapon, which is given only after 6th place and beyond. Causes every rider to be struck by lightning, except for the one who pulled out the lightning and the one who is under the effect of the star. Racers injured by lightning lose speed, a few coins, active objects and become small, and therefore they can be run over, which acts as another hit.
Blooper
An almost useless weapon that fills the screen with black paint for everyone except the one who used the weapon or is under the influence of a star. In most cases, it does not seriously affect the perception of the track and quickly disappears.
Bringing Boo
Not included in the Wii version of Mario Kart 8, but added to the Nintendo Switch.
