Advanced Techniques: Ways to Avoid the Blue Shell

Did you ever want to know all the ways to escape or avoid the blue shell? Then this is exactly what you are looking for.

Blue Shell
So this is it. You're in first place and you hear the blue shell closing in on you. Usually this is your death sentence. The blue will draw closer, lock on to you and eventually blow up right in your face. But there are some - more or less useful - ways to escape the blast. Here we go:


Escaping the Blast Radius

Probably the most common way to survive the blue shell is to be accelerate fast enough to escape it's blast. This is possible because the blue shell will lock on to you, taking up your speed and direction and then a moment later explode on the previously estimated position of you. Now, if you accelerate fast enough between the moment it locks on to you and the moment it hits, you are able to escape unharmed. There are several circumstances that allow you to do this. In any case you should definitely bring some skills along and a little luck isn't bad for you too.

• Mushrooms allow you to build up the necessary acceleration before the blue shell hits. Be sure not to trigger the mushrooms too early, since you're only interested in the acceleration after the blue shell locked on to you. In the unlikely event that you have a golden mushroom while being in first place you have to be patient and try to keep your speed low before the blue shell locks. Completely mashing the shit out of the trigger button (as you would normally do) won't help.

• Boosts on the race track are a little bit more difficult to use and definitely require a lot of luck for you to be in the right place and to get the timing right.

Invincibility
Some items make you invincible to the blast of the blue shell. It usually requires a lot patience to keep them stacked as you advance to the first place and thus doesn't happen too often. Simply activate before it hits:

• Starman / Giant Mushroom / Bullet Bill

Tunnels

Tunnels also allow you to survive a blue shell. Entering the Tunnels / Cannons / Ramps (or whatever you want to call them) just after the blue shell locks on to will result in escaping the blast radius. It is an ongoing discussion wether this is a case of invincibility or acceleration. I would say it is both. These Tracks feature tunnels that allow this: DK Mountain, DK Summit, Maple Treeway, DK's Jungle Parkway and Rainbow Road.

Avoiding

Now there are some other situations that allow you to cancel your next appointment with the blue shell.

• Falling down. Well, in case you're really scared of the blue shell, why not suicide an avoid the painful experience?

• Not being first :-) Of course this is a little lame but sometimes might prove to be useful, if you just let the player behind you pass and take the fall for you.

Holding the blue shell in your item stack

This is probably the most advanced technique and requires a lot of skill. This technique is based on the fact that there can only be one blue shell at a time in play. So, if you have a blue shell in your item stack, holding on to it will prevent other players from collecting other blue shells. The challenge hereby is to maintain your position without using items.

Of course these are the results of ongoing research. As soon as we find new ways to avoid the blue shell, we will let you know! On the other hand we would be happy, if you would let us know when you think there is another technique.