Everything about every MKPC item!

The Fake Item Box, also known as the FIB, first appeared in Mario Kart 64 and is one of the most common items obtainable in 1st place. In Mario Kart PC, its design is the same as in Mario Kart DS: an empty item box without a question mark.
This item can be trailed, placed on the ground, or thrown, but unlike other trailable items it cannot be used defensively. Hitting a Fake Item Box causes the player to spin out twice.

💡Tips:
• The main purpose of the Fake Item Box is to blend in with real item boxes. Placing one near an item set can act as an effective trap, catching players who aren’t paying close attention.
• While the Fake Item Box can’t be used defensively, keeping one in the first item slot guarantees a defensive item (such as a Banana or Green Shell) in the second slot.
• Against incoming Blue Shells, if a player throws their Fake Item Box and times it so they get hit by it right as the Blue Shell explodes, they can dodge the Blue Shell thanks to the invincibility frames (referred to as i-frames) granted by the Fake Item Box.

The Banana was the first ever item programmed by the Super Mario Kart developpers. The Banana always acted the same way in every Mario Kart game, it's also one of the most common items obtainable in 1st place.
This item can be trailed, placed on the ground or thrown, and can be used defensively against incoming shells. When a player hits a Banana they spin out once, making it one of the weakest items in the whole franchise.

💡Tip:
• Bananas being a very common item, they can easily be used in strategic spots like shortcuts or tight corners to force players behind to take very wider turns and lose time.

You know what we say: the more, the merrier! The Triple Bananas technically made their first appearance in Mario Kart 64 (it inially had 5 Bananas instead of 3 back then). Unlike a normal Banana, the Triple Bananas have a much rarer chance of being pulled in the front positions. When used, 3 Bananas appear trailed behind the player's kart. Just like normal Bananas, they can be thrown or placed on the ground.
In the standard item distributions, only one player can hold a Triple Banana at a time. It is impossible for multiple Triple Bananas to be in play at the same time.

💡Tips:
• Triple Bananas are best saved for defense. Thanks to the 2 extra bananas, they can block more incoming items.
• Placing 3 Bananas near shortcuts, boost panels or tight turns increases the chances of opponents hitting one and being slowed down.

The Green Shell is one of the most iconic Mario Kart items, appearing since Super Mario Kart. It's one of the most common offensive and defensive items you can get in the front spots.
This item can be trailed, thrown forward, or backward. When thrown, it travels in a straight line, bouncing off up to 10 walls before breaking. A Green Shell instantly breaks if it collides with a Banana, another Green Shell, a Red Shell, a Bob-omb or a racer. Getting hit by a Green Shell makes the player spin out twice.
Throwing a Green Shell right after exiting a cannon will cause it to be thrown with an extremely high speed before slowly dropping back to its normal speed.

💡Tips:
• Hitting an opponent with a Green Shell requires good aim. But they don’t always need to be thrown forward! Throwing Green Shells backward (referred to as backspamming) in narrow paths or sharp turns when opponents are close behind can almost guarantee a hit.
• Green Shells are powerful only if used wisely. Randomly throwing them forward can backfire and end up hitting you instead, wasting even more time. That's why it's often best to keep it for defense against incoming red shells.
• Because of how Mario Kart PC works, sticking to a wall and throwing a Green Shell can cause it travel inside the wall. Making it cut very large portions of out-of-bounds (referred to as OOB) areas to reach later sections of the track, potentially hitting players much further ahead!

The Triple Green Shells first appeared in Mario Kart 64 and just like every other Triple item, they were featured in every subsequent official Mario Kart title after Mario Kart 64. Being 3 times more powerful than a normal Green Shell, they have an uncommon chance of being obtained in the middle spots.
When activated, 3 Green Shells orbit in circle around the player. Just like a single Green Shell, each one can be thrown forward, or thrown backward.
In the standard item distributions, Triple Green Shells are only obtainable after the first lap. However, in single-lap tracks they can be obtained at any time.

Due to a bug, the Triple Green Shells may sometimes fail to block items coming from the front, which can result in the player getting hit even while protected.

💡Tips:
• Triple Green Shells are great for both offense and defense. You can keep them to act as a shield while racing to protect yourself from most items and intimidate opponents.
• Just like with single Green Shells, throwing them forward recklessly can cause them to bounce back and hit you. However, if you want to create chaos for opponents behind, you can backspam all of your Green Shells and let them bounce everywhere to increase your chances of hitting a player.
• It’s best to keep your distance from a player holding Triple Green Shells. You never know whether they’ll keep them for defense, throw them forward, or backspam them all at once. Never let your guard down near Triple Green Shells!

The Red Shell, without a doubt one of the items that makes players rage the most. First introduced in Super Mario Kart, it has a pretty common chance of being obtained in the early-middle positions behind 1st place.
This item can be trailed, thrown forward, or backward. Red Shells are very fragile items: they instantly breaks if they collide with any ground item (other than the ground Mushroom and the ground Star), any decor with collisions enabled, any racer, or a wall. Getting hit by a Red Shell makes the player spin out twice.

When thrown forward, the Red Shell goes through 3 distinct phases:
- Tracking: The Red Shell will first move around the track by following the nearest CPU Route.
- Homing: When it gets close to another player (different from the user), it stops following the CPU Route and homes in on that player by drawing a straight line toward them. If the targeted player gets hit by another item or decor, or falls into a hole during this phase, the Red Shell will skip that player and return to the Tracking phase.
- Impact: Once the Red Shell gets close enough, it teleports and locks onto the player's position to hit them. It is important to note that a Red Shell can only hit a player if both the Red Shell and the player are on the ground. If either is airborne, the hit will not occur.

When thrown backward, the Red Shell travels in a straight line until it meets a wall, a hole, a ground item, a decor or a racer.

💡Tips:
• Red Shells are very powerful items in the front spots. Instead of using them right away, it's best to keep them in the item slot for a surprise attack! In cases where the racer in front of you uses all their items, they don't have anything to protect themselves against incoming shells anymore. That’s the perfect moment to strike with your Red Shell and punish them for wasting all their defense!
Maybe next time they'll consider keeping at least one item for defense.
• If a Red Shell is coming for you and you have nothing to block it, don’t lose hope! There actually is still a way to dodge an incoming Red Shell without items. By taking very tight turns or positioning yourself so that an obstacle or wall is between you and the Red Shell, you can force it to break and escape unscathed.

The Triple Red Shells first appeared in Mario Kart 64 and just like every other Triple item, they were featured in every subsequent official Mario Kart title after Mario Kart 64. Being 3 times more powerful than a normal Red Shell, they have a rare chance of being obtained in the middle spots.
When activated, 3 Red Shells orbit in circle around the player. Just like a single Red Shell, each one can be thrown forward, or thrown backward.
In the standard item distributions, Triple Red Shells are only obtainable after the first lap. However, in single-lap tracks they can be obtained at any time.

Due to a bug, the Triple Red Shells may sometimes fail to block items coming from the front, which can result in the player getting hit even while protected.
Another quirk in Mario Kart PC is that if a player is moving at high speed and throws one of their Red Shells, it may instantly collide with one of the orbiting shells, causing both to break and making the player lose two Red Shells at once.

💡Tips:
• Triple Red Shells are great for both offense and defense. You can keep them to act as a shield while racing to protect yourself from most items and intimidate opponents.
• Spamming all of your Triple Red Shells too quickly can cause two to collide and break on each other. To avoid wasting such a powerful item, leave a little space between each throw.
• Triple Red Shells are among the scariest items for other players. It’s best to keep your distance and stay behind a player holding Triple Red Shells. Only try to pass if they’ve used all of them, or if you have a power item that can break all their Red Shells.

The Blue Shell, the item that punishes you for being good at the game, also known as the Spiny Shell, was first introduced in Mario Kart 64. Its main purpose is to target and hit the player in 1st place, making it one of the most infamous items in Mario Kart history.
When thrown, the Blue Shell goes through 3 distinct phases:
- Tracking: The Blue Shell will first fly above all racers around the track by following the nearest CPU Route, by travelling at a speed of 200 km/h (the same speed that players benefit from being launched from cannons).
- Homing: When it approaches 1st place, it stops following the CPU Route and homes in on that player by drawing a straight line toward them, all by moving at a slightly lower speed. It is important to note that once the Blue Shell has locked onto a target, it never resets. Which means that if that player is overtaken, the Blue Shell will still go for them.
- Impact: Once the Blue Shell is right above its target, it locks onto the player's position, hovering above them for about 1 second before striking with a devastating explosion.


As a chaotic item, it has a low chance of being obtained in the lower spots and it cannot be obtained within the first 25 seconds of a race. Only one Blue Shell can be in play at a time, and once it is used, a 30 second cooldown begins, preventing another from being obtained.

When a Blue Shell explodes, it can affect the player in 2 different ways:
- The player spins out 4 times and loses their items:
Happens when they are directly hit by the Blue Shell. They are launched high into the air before landing back down. This is the most severe damage any item can cause.
- The player spins out 2 times and keeps their items:
Happens when they are caught in the lingering explosion as it fades out.


Contrary to what many players think, being targeted by a Blue Shell doesn’t always mean you’re doomed. In Mario Kart PC, there are several possible ways to dodge a Blue Shell:
- Using any power item (Star, Mega Mushroom, Bullet Bill)
- Getting launched from a cannon
- Timing a drift on a mobile floor to gain enough speed
- Entering a teleporter at the exact right moment (frame-perfect timing)
- Using a Mushroom at the right time
Note: Blue Shells cannot be dodged using boost panels.





If you want a full and detailed explanation of how the Blue Shell dodge works, open the spoiler below:


💡Tips:
• While frontrunning, Blue Shells are extremely dangerous. Keep an eye on the minimap to check if one is coming. If opponents are close behind, it’s often better to let them pass and take the hit.
• If a Blue Shell is approaching while you’re near a cannon, wait at the cannon to dodge it before racing ahead again.
• Sometimes, getting hit is inevitable. But if the track has holes nearby, falling into one actually loses less time than taking the explosion!
• Even though Blue Shells fly above the track to reach their target, they are not entirely useless if used wisely. Before throwing one, always check the minimap to make sure 1st place isn’t about to dodge with a cannon, ground Star or any dodging option.
• One funny and surprisingly useful trick for Reverse Drifters is called the “Coque Strat”. It's a strategy where releasing a super mini-turbo (refered to as SMT), while reversing into a wall, all while facing away from the wall at the exact moment a Blue Shell explodes causes the player to be launched forward at high speed.

The Poison Mushroom made its first appearance in Super Mario Kart as a CPU-only item for Toad and Peach. This item has a somewhat common chance of being obtained in the early-middle positions
A Poison Mushroom can be trailed, placed on the ground or thrown, and can be used as a defensive item against incoming shells. When a player hits a Poison Mushroom, they spin out once and shrink to 0.6x their normal size, which reduces their speed to 0.6x as well, before growing them back to normal after 4 seconds.

💡Tip:
• Poison Mushrooms are dangerous items because they shrink players, leading to bad time loss. They can easily be used in strategic spots like shortcuts or tight corners to force players behind to take very wider turns and lose time.

The Mushroom is one of the most classic Mario Kart items, present since Super Mario Kart. It is a fairly common item obtainable anywhere in the early-lower positions, though more frequent in the middle spots.
When used, it grants the player a speed boost, capping their speed at 110 km/h and lasting 1.33 seconds. During the boost, the player also becomes immune to off-road.  

💡Tips:  
• Mushrooms may seem like simple items, but they can be extremely useful in many situations. It’s best to save them for taking shortcuts, skipping off-road sections, or quickly regaining speed after being hit.  
• It is very important to hold onto a Mushroom in 1st place. Even if it’s tempting to use it right away, saving one for a potential Blue Shell dodge is usually the smarter choice.

The Triple Mushrooms first appeared in Mario Kart 64 and just like every other Triple item, they were featured in every subsequent official Mario Kart title after Mario Kart 64. Being 3 times as many as a simple Mushroom, they have an uncommon chance of being obtained in the middle-lower positions.
Each use gives the same speed boost as a regular Mushroom.

If at least one Mushroom is used from Triple Mushrooms, it is possible to obtain another Triple Mushrooms. This is due to the MushroomX2 and Mushroom items being different than the MushroomX3 item.

💡Tips:  
• Triple Mushrooms can be more handy and powerful than a Mega Mushroom, a Star or even a Golden Mushroom if used wisely. It’s best to save them for taking huge shortcuts and gain a massive advantage, mostly in bagging tracks.
• Most of the time you don't want to waste all 3 Mushrooms at once unless you’re going for a very long shortcut. Because spamming them doesn't bring any extra speed boost, spacing them out is usually more efficient.

The Bob-Omb was first featured in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as a special item for Wario and Waluigi. This item has an uncommon chance of being obtained in the early-middle positions.
A Bob-omb can be trailed, placed on the ground, or thrown, and can also be used defensively against incoming shells. Unlike most other throwable items, the Bob-omb lands slightly farther ahead when thrown.

There are 4 ways a Bob-omb can explode:
- When placed or after landing from a throw, it waits 2 seconds before exploding
- Colliding with a Bob-Omb will cause an immediate explosion.
- Hitting the Bob-Omb with a Green or a Red Shell will causes it to explode
- The Bob-Omb has a proximity sensor: if a player comes within the explosion radius, it will instantly explode
That’s why, when you place a Bob-omb, it actually gets moved back a little so it doesn’t instantly blow up on you.



When a Bob-Omb explodes, it can affect the player in 2 different ways:
- The player spins out 4 times and loses their items:
Happens when they are directly hit by the Bob-Omb. They are launched high into the air before landing back down. This is the most severe damage any item can cause.
- The player spins out 2 times and keeps their items:
Happens when they are caught in the lingering explosion as it fades out.

Due to a bug, it’s possible to pass straight through a Bob-omb’s explosion radius right after it was placed (but not thrown) without it exploding.

💡Tips:
• Knowing how to snipe with Green Shells is cool, but it's even cooler to snipe someone afar with a Bob-Omb! When possible, and when no items are incoming, it is highly recommended to try to snipe any opponent in front of you. If you successfully hit them it could completely change the outcome of a race!
• Bob-Ombs are among the scariest items for other players. It’s best to keep your distance and stay behind a player holding a Bob-Omb. You don't want to risk overtaking them when the punishment is a quadruple spin out.
• Skilled players often place Bob-ombs right after exiting a cannon. Since the Bob-omb is placed slightly behind the user, make sure to move forward a bit before dropping it, or it won’t work properly.

The Blooper, the one and only item we all know and love. First introduced in Mario Kart DS, it has a very low chance of being obtained in the early-middle positions. Since its introduction, it has always served the same purpose: spitting ink onto players’ screens.
When used, the Blooper appears on every player’s screen before releasing ink that covers part of their view. After about 8 seconds, the ink completely disappears. Note that the ink does not affect CPU players or any character statistics.
There are several ways to make the ink disappear faster:
- Receiving a speed boost from a Mushroom
- Hitting a boost panel or entering a cannon
- Using any power item (Star, Mega Mushroom, Bullet Bill)

Due to a bug, the ink splashes may sometimes last longer than 8 seconds and may not disappear when the player receives a speed boost from an item, a boost panel, or a cannon.

💡Tips:
• When a Blooper spits ink on the player, it can sometimes be a little annoying to see if there is any hazard on the road. Make a good use of your minimap in that case!
• The Blooper is hated by almost every Mario Kart player because of how useless it is most of the time. However it is recommended to use the Blooper when opponents approach areas with a lot of hazards (items on the ground, many decors to dodge, etc.). Maybe some players will not see some of those hazards if they don't pay enough attention!

The POW Block doesn’t strike from the sky like the Lightning, it instead shakes the entire track beneath your wheels. It made its first appearance as an item in Mario Kart Wii. Upon use, a POW Block appears on the screen of every player ahead of the one who activated it and strikes 3 times. On the third and final strike, any player not in a dodge state (thanks to any power items or cannons) or not airborne (such as being launched from a cannon or in mid-jump) will spin out and drop their items. The POW Block never returned in any subsequent official Mario Kart titles after Mario Kart Wii.

As a chaotic item, it has an extremely low chance of being obtained in the middle-lower spots and it cannot be obtained within the first 25 seconds of a race. Only one POW Block can be in play at a time, and once it is used, a 30 second cooldown begins, preventing another from being obtained.

When a POW Block strikes, it can affect a player in 4 different ways:
- The player isn't affected and keeps their items:
Happens either when they are in the air (with a jump or a cannon), when they are protected with power items (Star, Mega Mushroom, Bullet Bill), when they are behind the POW Block user, while they are spinning out because of another item (i-frames prevent the POW Block from comboing the player), or when they are the POW Block user.
- The player spins out 1 time and drops their items:
Happens when they hop at the right moment. This is considered successfully dodging the POW Block.
- The player spins out 2 times and drops their items:
Happens when they hop a bit too early.
- The player spins out 3 times and drops their items:
Happens when they don't hop at all and stay on the ground. This is the most severe damage a player can receive from a POW Block.



Due to a bug, the POW Block cannot be seen nor heard while in spectator mode.

💡Tips:
• When a POW Block appears, players need to act quickly and use all their items before it strikes for the third time. Here are the 2 main reasons:
- First of all: If you have mushrooms you may have time to reach a jump or a cannon, and if you have any power item (Star, Mega Mushroom, Bullet Bill) you can just activate them to be completely invincible from the POW Block.
- Second of all: When you get hit by a POW Block, all your items are dropped and if you drop great items like Mushrooms or Stars you could indirectly benefit any player behind you which isn't what you want.
• A POW Block has to be used wisely for maximum efficiency. It is very recommended to make sure that nobody is about to reach a jump or a cannon before using a POW Block.

The Mega Mushroom first appeared as an item in Mario Kart Wii, obtainable in the middle-back positions. When used, it increases the player's speed by 1.12x and enlarges their size by 1.5x, before shrinking them back to normal after a short duration. The entire effect lasts for about 5.5 seconds.
Any player under the effect of a Mega Mushroom is invincible to every item (except the Star and the Bullet Bill) and immune to off-road. They can hit other players even during the growing and shrinking phases by driving into them, causing them to spin out 3 times and drop their items. However, if a player is hit by a Lightning while using a Mega Mushroom, they will shrink back to normal size and immediately lose the item’s effect.

💡Tips:
• With the Mega Mushroom's effect lasting so long, they are best saved for shortcuts. They can allow the player to skip huge portions of tracks and gain a huge lead, mostly in bagging tracks.
• Every Mario Kart race are nothing but chaotic. If you ever feel unsafe in chaotic situations, it's best to use your Mega Mushroom to go through everything unharmed (don't forget to pay attention to any nearby Star or Bullet Bills).

The Super Star was featured in every single Mario Kart game since Super Mario Kart and was always obtainable in the lower positions. When used, it increases the overall player's speed by 20 km/h and gives their character a bright yellow glow. The effect lasts for about 5.33 seconds. During the last second of the effect (from 4.33 seconds onward), the character begins to flicker between their normal and glowing sprites before the Star effect ends completely.
Any player under the effect of a Star is invincible to every item without exception and immune to off-road. They can hit other players even during the flickering phase by driving into them, causing them to spin out 3 times and drop their items.

💡Tips:
• Similarly to the Mega Mushroom, thanks to the great speed increase granted by the Star and the long lasting Star effect, they are best saved for great shortcuts. They can allow the player to skip huge portions of tracks and gain a huge lead, mostly in bagging tracks.
• Mario Kart races are always chaotic. If you ever feel unsafe in chaotic situations, it's best to use your Star to go through everything unharmed.

The Golden Mushroom, originally named the Super Mushroom in Mario Kart 64, is basically a Mushroom inside a million Mushrooms obtainable in the lower positions. Once activated, it allows unlimited boosts for 5 seconds, with each use giving the same speed boost as a regular Mushroom. During its duration the Golden Mushroom remains in the player’s item slot until it expires.

💡Tips:
• The Golden Mushroom is a really OP item. With the insane speed boost it grants after each use, it's recommended to find a strategic spot to use it. Here are the 2 main reasons:
- First of all: They can allow the player to cut large portions of tracks and gain a massive advantage, mostly in bagging tracks.
- Second of all: Because the item stays in your slot for the whole duration, you might reach the next item set while still holding it. Use it early enough to free space for another item!
• With a Golden Mushroom in your hands, you can easily dodge any incoming Blue Shell! By spamming it, the dodge is guaranteed!

The Bullet Bill was first introduced in Mario Kart DS as the Chain Chomp's predecessor. It has a somewhat common chance of being obtained in the lower positions. When used, the player transforms into a Bullet Bill that zooms forward at 130 km/h before ending after a certain duration.
While in a Bullet Bill, the player is invincible to every item and hazard without exception. Any opponent hit by a Bullet Bill will spin out 3 times and drop their items.

When activated, the Bullet Bill targets the nearest node it can find from a Bill Route and then follows the Bill Route (Bill Routes can be placed in the track editor along CPU Routes). If no Bill Routes are available, the Bullet Bill will instead target the nearest node from a CPU Route and then follow the CPU Route. If it doesn’t find any node at all, it will head toward the next checkpoint not yet reached until it detects any node from any route.



The Bullet Bill’s duration depends on the distance from the player in 1st place: the further away the player is from 1st place, the longer the Bullet Bill lasts. Normally, its maximum duration is around 8 seconds, but there are two exceptions where it can exceed this time: if the Bullet Bill is over off-road or above a hole. In those cases, the Bullet Bill will extend for a maximum of 2 seconds before forcefully ending, even if still above off-road or a hole.



When a Bullet Bill ends, 5 i-frames are granted to the player to prevent them from being unfairly hit right after exiting the Bullet Bill.

💡Tips:
• Use the Bullet Bill strategically for maximum efficiency. Activating it right before a major shortcut can completely change the outcome of a race by giving you a massive lead.
• It is especially useful in chaotic situations with many players packed together, or in tricky areas with mobile floors and obstacles. Its speed and invincibility let you plow through everything unharmed.
• Be careful: the Bullet Bill ends abruptly, often dropping you in dangerous spots like sharp turns, near walls, or even off-road. Always anticipate where it might leave you!

The Lightning is one of the most iconic Mario Kart items, appearing for the first time in Super Mario Kart. It is without a doubt the most powerful item in the whole game. Upon use, a Lightning strikes every racer except the Shock user, making any player not in a dodge state (thanks to any power items or cannons) spin out once, drop their items and shrink to 0.6x their normal size, which reduces their speed to 0.6x as well, before growing them back to normal.

As a chaotic item, it has a very low chance of being obtained specifically in last place, and it cannot be obtained within the first 25 seconds of a race. Only one Lightning can be in play at a time, and once it is used, a 30 second cooldown begins, preventing another from being obtained.
If you’re extremely lucky, you can actually pull a Lightning in before-last place, but that’s an unfathomably rare occurrence so don't expect it to happen often.

The shrinking effect's duration depends on the player's placement the moment the lightning struck and the number of racers. The higher the placement, the longer the player will stay small. The game calculates this duration in a proportional way with each position taking slightly longer to grow back than the one behind it. A player struck while in last place will always return to normal size after 5 seconds, while a player in first place will recover after 7.33 seconds.
If you want to see the exact shrinking duration for each position in an 8-player race, open the spoiler below:


💡Tips:
• Lightning strikes may seem random, but they’re not entirely unpredictable. On your minimap, if you notice a skilled player in last place holding onto an item for a long time after passing an item box, they might be saving a Shock. They usually activate it if both conditions are met:
- Nobody is currently in a dodge state
- They are approaching an item set
If you realize both conditions are true and the player in last hasn’t used any item for a while, it’s very likely that a Shock is coming! If you manage to predict it and Shock dodge by using a dodge item or by entering a cannon just in time, this can be a huge opportunity to overtake everyone and make a great come-back, potentially giving you a massive advantage!
• A Lightning has to be used wisely for maximum efficiency. Always make sure no one is currently in a dodge state or about to enter a cannon before activating it.

The Dark Shell is basically the Blue Shell’s evil twin. It is the proof that karma exists for everyone, even the ones in last place. The Dark Shell is a secret item added during the 2023 April Fools update. It isn’t included in any standard item distribution. When used, it behaves just like a regular Blue Shell, but instead of targeting the player in 1st place, it targets the player in last place. It’s basically a fun/troll item only available in custom item distributions.
The Dark Shell has no cooldown system, can be obtained right from the start of a race, and multiple Dark Shells can be in play at once. Unlike the Blue Shell, it is impossible to dodge a Dark Shell with a Mushroom.

Due to a bug in the code, throwing a Dark Shell affects the Blue Shell’s cooldown, preventing any player from obtaining a Blue Shell for 20 seconds.

In order to unlock the Dark Shell, type exactly the word “darkshell” on your keyboard on the custom item distribution screen. If done correctly, a pop-up message saying “Enable Dark Shell?” will appear, giving you access to it in your custom item distributions.
If it doesn't work, click anywhere on the custom item distribution screen (the red rectangle in the spoiler) with your mouse and try typing "darkshell" again.

As of today, there is no known way to unlock the Dark Shell on mobile devices.

💡Tips:
• While bagging, Dark Shells are very dangerous. Keep an eye on the minimap to check if one is coming. If opponents are close ahead, try to pass them quickly before the Dark Shell locks onto its target.
• If you are too far in the back of the race, it's best to keep a power item to dodge a Dark Shell safely.
• Sometimes, getting hit is inevitable. But if the track has holes nearby, falling into one actually loses less time than taking the explosion!
• If you want to include the Dark Shell in your item distribution all while keeping it balanced, give it a low chance of being obtained in the front spots (for example, from 1st to 5th with 12 players).
• Because the Dark Shell is a troll item, there is no real strategy to use one correctly.