Mario Kart 8 Wave 4: Fruit Cup and Boomerang Cup Shortcuts and Tips

The fourth DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has arrived, and with it, eight new tracks on two new cup competitions: the Fruit Cup and the Boomerang Cup. Plus, a much-loved character comes to the racing game, Birdo, and a tantalising five new blank character slots.

There’s a lot to like about the new tracks in Mario Kart 8, so read on to help you master the courses.

In this article, you will read:

• Key shortcuts for every race in Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Fruit Cup and Boomerang Cup
• Tips for each race in Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Fruit Cup and Boomerang Cup
• An FAQ on Mario Kart 8 Wave 4

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Fruit Cup shortcuts and tips

The Fruit Cup begins with Amsterdam Drift, followed by Riverside Park, DK’s Snowboard Cross, and then the new Yoshi’s Island. Of them all, DK’s Snowboard Cross has the greatest potential to ruin a good race day with its jumps, snow piles, and drops making it potentially tricky to navigate at high speed. 

These are the Fruit Cup shortcuts that you can utilise in each race. 

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Amsterdam Drift shortcuts

Notoriously, tracks coming to Mario Kart 8 from Tour don’t tend to have many shortcuts and ways to get the edge on the track, but there are a couple of small boosts and shortcuts to target on Amsterdam Drift.

Amsterdam Drift 1

Your first Amsterdam Drift shortcut comes as you’re flying through the two windmills. Once you land, sharply drift to the left, and then use a Mushroom to scoot over the green patch and back onto the track before the bridge.

Amsterdam Drift 2

It’s only a small boost, but you can get ahead in Amsterdam Drift by hitting the middle of the three pumps to get up on top of a boat. Here, you can hit a ramp for another quick boost.

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Riverside Park shortcuts

Riverside Park from the Game Boy Advance is a fun track with the walking Piranha Plants requiring skill to evade, and capable of dropping Mushrooms when hit by racers or Shells. 

Riverside Park 1

While you can skip over the grass mounds early on each lap with a Mushroom, the prime time to use a boost is across the mud pit toward the end of the lap to make up a huge amount of ground. That said, drifting early into the same bend can easily get you a purple boost by the next turn. 

Riverside Park 2

This one is more of a tip than a Riverside Park shortcut. You can really irritate other racers by placing a Banana on the ramp just before the waterfall. If racers hit it on the ramp, they’ll spin off and drop into the river, taking them even longer to get back on the track. 

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 DK’s Snowboard Cross shortcuts

Hailing from the Wii, DK’s Snowboard Cross was a pain to play with motion steering and is still a tight track to get around on the Switch. The key is not to get drawn into the jump ramps – bar one. 

DK’s Snowboard Cross 1

The first jump of the treacherous twisting track sector with drops on either side offers a favourable jump ramp. Hit it in the middle, keep driving straight, and it’ll land you perfectly centre with the track going forward and give you a little boost. 

DK’s Snowboard Cross 2

There aren’t really any recommendable DK’s Snowboard Cross shortcuts to take that won’t fail most of the time, so this one is a tip. As you drift to approach the many mounds sector, keep central for the middle speed ramp and drop a banana on the ramp. The track makes the central lane the most direct, so many will fall into the trap. 

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Yoshi’s Island shortcuts

One of the Yoshi’s Island shortcuts can give you a quick bump past the rest, while this Yoshi’s Island tip triggers a hidden part of the track! 

Yoshi’s Island 1

After you’ve made your way across the cloud part of the track and hit the ramp to then glide back down, try to hit the Question Cloud. Doing so will unveil a raised red track that you can hit, drift around, and get a jump boost from at the end to finish the lap. As it winds inwards, this is an excellent Yoshi’s Island shortcut to unlock.

Yoshi’s Island 2

If you have a Mushroom, you’ll be able to come through the cave and eye up the snowy patch to your left. Hit the Mushroom to go over it straight, then pivot to your left at the top to line up with the track again. 

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Boomerang Cup shortcuts and tips

Racing the Boomerang Cup will take you to the Bangkok Rush, over to Mario Circuit, down to the pits of Waluigi Stadium, and then back to Asia for the Singapore Speedway. With two Tour tracks in the Boomerang Cup, shortcuts are fairly few and far between, but there are a couple to hit when the opportunity arises.

These are the Boomerang Cup shortcuts that you can find in each race. 

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Bangkok Rush shortcuts

Hailing from the mobile game Mario Kart Tour, this street race has a few ramps to climb and escalators to race up. Before the Bangkok Rush shortcuts, it’s good to know that the first apparent shortcut – the wooden plank on the right of the market – is tricky to get right and often ends in bumping to a slow. 

Bangkok Rush 1

The main Bangkok Rush shortcut comes in the form of escalators on your left about halfway through the first lap. You’ll need a sharp right-leaning drift to get it, and when up top, head straight to the left turn at the very end of the top street. Going down the steps, be ready for a sharp right turn.

Bangkok Rush 2

It’s always great to find areas that offer a maximum speed boost, so this Bangkok Rush tip delivers exactly that. As you approach the multi-story entrance, get ready to hard-drift to the left and hold it for a few floors. At the top, you’ll get a purple drift boost out of the building.

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Mario Circuit shortcuts

A classic track from the Nintendo DS, there are plenty of Mario Circuit shortcuts to take in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Two are sneakily hidden in the woods, but all of them require a boost item – like a Mushroom or Super Star.

Mario Circuit 1

After coming through the fields, if you have a Mushroom, drift hard to the right as you see the fire-spitting Piranha Plant and boost over the sand rather than going around the Plant. 

Mario Circuit 2

Immediately after the Mario Circuit shortcut above, get ready to drift left to turn and face the rock after the second tree on the left. Once you pass it, hit the boost to skate past it, the bush behind, and onto the track.

Mario Circuit 3

If you hold the drift or run too far on that second Mario Circuit shortcut, you can take another with a boost back through the forest to cut out even more of the track and end up on the ramps before the next sector.

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Waluigi Stadium shortcuts

Hailing from the GameCube instalment of Mario Kart, there are plenty of fun Waluigi Stadium shortcuts to hit, primarily by using the jump ramps around the track.

Waluigi Stadium 1

Your first Waluigi Stadium shortcut doesn’t use the jump ramps, but offers a beeline across a wide part of the track. After one of the early ramps, if you have a Mushroom, power over the mud pit and through the tires – they’ll bounce away without hindering your drive – to shave off a second or two.

Waluigi Stadium 2

After the straight featuring the mechanical Piranha Plant obstacles, veer right, hit the jump ramp, and keep heading forwards to land on a lofted bit of track with a speed boost. 

Waluigi Stadium 3

Similarly to the second Waluigi Stadium shortcut, you’ll need to hit another jump ramp to get onto a lofted run, but this time with bumpers for additional boosts. This one’s a bit trickier to land. You’ll want to run up the ramp at about a 45-degree angle and not drift on your way down – just run straight along the shortcut bit of track.

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 Singapore Speedway shortcuts

Simply put: there aren’t any true Singapore Speedway shortcuts on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Still, there are a few ways to get some speed boosts and take the right direction for faster times.

Singapore Speedway 1

As a quick Singapore Speedway tip, when you go off the blue ramp to glide across the fountains during the second lap, be sure to hit a jump just as you go into one of the fountains. This’ll give you a little speed boost.

Singapore Speedway 2

Later in the race, during the third lap, take the second of the two red arrow jumps and glide through the two rings to get some speed boosts. Then, veer right to follow the track back through. 

Hopefully, with these Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 shortcuts and tips, you’ll soon be loaded with golden stars and cups from the latest wave of new tracks. 

Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 FAQ

Here are some quick-fire answers to a few common questions about the tracks of Wave 4 from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

What does the question mark cloud do on Yoshi’s Island?

If you drive into the question mark cloud on Yoshi’s Island, it’ll reveal a hidden part of the track, which will help you to finish the race quicker.

Is it slower to drive through the shallow pool on Bangkok Rush?

It is not slower to drive through the shallow pool during the first lap of Bangkok Rush. 

Can you hit the walking Piranha Plants of Riverside Park with Shells?

You can hit the walking Piranha Plants of Riverside Park with Shells or other weapons, and doing so will make them throw their item somewhere on the track.

How do you get Birdo in Mario Kart 8 Wave 4?

To get Birdo in Mario Kart 8 Wave 4, you need to buy the Booster Course Pass and download the updates through to Wave 4.

Now you know everything you need to know to dominate Mario Kart 8 Wave 4 with its two new cups. Plus, you now know how to unlock Birdo! Happy racing!