How to Dodge a Blue Shell in Mario Kart DS

It’s not urban legend – dodging a blue shell, in Mario Kart DS really is possible. _NANO_ even gives us five videos showing him doing what you have all just heard before. If you’ve always wanted to try out this trick, then fret not – you soon might be able to do so, as _NANO_ now provides us with the guidelines on how to do it. The procedure may seem complicated but he assures us that “once you get the whole procedure down, it really isn’t so bad”.

_NANO_ says that while snaking isn’t really a required skill to be able to dodge blue shells, he admits that snaking will make the trick easier (check out how to snake via SL19’s tutorials here). Read on for the steps in how to avoid a Spiny Shell:

Step # 1: Let’s say a blue shell was just fired from a racer in 4th place. You’ll hear the ‘wooshing’ sound a blue shell makes as soon as it is launched. You should get yourself ready or start to position yourself for a powerslide depending on how far ahead you are from that racer.

Step # 2: The blue shell noise should dissipate briefly. As soon as you hear it again, you should begin your powerslide, or already have the blue sparks appearing.

Step # 3: The blue shell noise should begin to pulsate rapidly. By now, you should have the orange sparks. Be ready to release them at no more than a moment’s notice because that’s what you’ll have.

Step # 4: This is where it gets tricky. The blue shell should be directly overhead by now. You’ll be able to see it hovering at the top of your DS screen. Using your peripheral vision, you should be able to see the blue shell suddenly stop at the top of your screen and then begin its descent to the ground. At this point, let go of the ‘R’ trigger. Press it again to jump and lean into the natural direction of your powerslide.

Step # 5: With the proper timing and a little luck, you’ll successfully dodge the infamous blue shell. Don’t let it get to your head though. Just because you did it once doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do it again with the same results. Besides, the race isn’t over yet!

More of the dodging a blue shell in mario kart DS after the jump!

It’s not urban legend – dodging a blue shell, in Mario Kart DS really is possible. _NANO_ even gives us five videos showing him doing what you have all just heard before. If you’ve always wanted to try out this trick, then fret not – you soon might be able to do so, as _NANO_ now provides us with the guidelines on how to do it. The procedure may seem complicated but he assures us that “once you get the whole procedure down, it really isn’t so bad”.

_NANO_ says that while snaking isn’t really a required skill to be able to dodge blue shells, he admits that snaking will make the trick easier (check out how to snake via SL19’s tutorials here). Read on for the steps in how to avoid a Spiny Shell:

Step # 1: Let’s say a blue shell was just fired from a racer in 4th place. You’ll hear the ‘wooshing’ sound a blue shell makes as soon as it is launched. You should get yourself ready or start to position yourself for a powerslide depending on how far ahead you are from that racer.

Step # 2: The blue shell noise should dissipate briefly. As soon as you hear it again, you should begin your powerslide, or already have the blue sparks appearing.

Step # 3: The blue shell noise should begin to pulsate rapidly. By now, you should have the orange sparks. Be ready to release them at no more than a moment’s notice because that’s what you’ll have.

Step # 4: This is where it gets tricky. The blue shell should be directly overhead by now. You’ll be able to see it hovering at the top of your DS screen. Using your peripheral vision, you should be able to see the blue shell suddenly stop at the top of your screen and then begin its descent to the ground. At this point, let go of the ‘R’ trigger. Press it again to jump and lean into the natural direction of your powerslide.

Step # 5: With the proper timing and a little luck, you’ll successfully dodge the infamous blue shell. Don’t let it get to your head though. Just because you did it once doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do it again with the same results. Besides, the race isn’t over yet!

Put in mind that as the characters and karts in this game have different stats, use of a different character or kart will affect your ability to dodge blue shells. _NANO_ provides us with the difficulty rating for each character and kart:

Blue – Very Easy
Green – Easy
Yellow – Normal
Orange – Normal
Red – Hard
Purple – Very Hard

MARIO– B Dasher
MARIO- Standard MR
MARIO- Shooting Star

LUIGI– Poltergust 4000
LUIGI- Standard LG
LUIGI- Streamliner

PEACH- Royale
PEACH- Standard PC
PEACH- Light Tripper

YOSHI- Egg 1
YOSHI- Standard YS
YOSHI- Cucumber

TOAD- Mushmellow
TOAD- Standard TD
TOAD- 4-Wheel Cradle

DONKEY KONG– Rambi Rider
DONKEY KONG- Standard DK
DONKEY KONG- Wildlife

WARIO- Brute
WARIO- Standard WR
WARIO- Dragonfly

BOWSER- Tyrant
BOWSER- Standard BW
BOWSER- Hurricane

DAISY- Power Flower
DAISY- Standard DS
DAISY- Light Dancer

DRY BONES- Banisher
DRY BONES- Standard DB
DRY BONES- Dry Bomber

WALUIGI- Gold Mantis
WALUIGI- Standard WL
WALUIGI- Zipper

R.O.B.- ROB-BLS
R.O.B.- Standard RB
R.O.B.- ROB LGS

Another tip _NANO_ provides us is that we can powerslide and dodge blue shells on any terrain except heavy sand and dirt as long as we’re on a more powerful engine class like 100cc, 150cc, and 150Mcc. As the master says, “The weaker the engine, the slower your kart moves, the smaller your ‘window of oppurtunity’, the harder it is to dodge shells.” Also, being hit by lighting will take away your ability to dodge blue shells.

Seems pretty easy, huh? There is a catch. _NANO_ shares, “When you dodge a blue shell, any items held behind your kart in the ready position will be destroyed by the blue shell’s blast shockwave. However, any items still in your black item box in the top left-hand corner of your screen will be saved.”

More tips on how to master the trick? Practice on 150 CC Mirror Mode – the increased level of difficulty, says _NANO_, will give you more opportunities to dodge blue shells. You may also play with a low volume then look at the touch screen often: this will help you detect a blue shell before it barrels down the court.

Go ahead and try out these tips then let us know via the comments how you’re liking those blue shells now that you can actually dodge them already. Good luck!

Via Nintendo