The recent 3.0 update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is being praised by players for removing an exploit that promoted some bad player behavior.
Despite the original release being nearly a decade old at this point, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has received a second (or third) wind thanks to the Booster Course Pass.
The final wave of the expansion has just released, and along with it is a new software update: Version 3.0.
These patch notes mainly contain smaller or obvious changes, such as adding support for the paid DLC. However, one in particular is getting a lot of attention: the removal of a mechanic that led to a controversial gameplay strategy known as “bagging.”
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s final DLC update removes “bagging”
For those unaware, “bagging” is a strategy some players use that involves either not driving forward – or even driving backward – at the beginning of a race. Since Mario Kart famously reserves its most powerful items for players who fall behind, some skilled players would do this to stage huge comebacks later in a race.
For many players, the viability of bagging incentivized poor gameplay, essentially allowing players to take advantage of items meant for those who actually fell behind in a race.
Version 3.0 “Made it so that you can’t acquire strong items when taking an Item Box by stopping or driving in reverse, or taking an Item Box that is in same location multiple times during a race.”
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This effectively removes bagging as a viable strategy, as evidenced by this video from a well-known Mario Kart player.
Yup looks like it's over for Bagging strategy in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Homie @vnt__x pulled a Green Shell in 12th on GBA Cheese Land a sandbagging staple. RIP Sandbagging 2017 – 2023pic.twitter.com/RmgCzA8rfI
— Bear (@BearUNLV) November 9, 2023
As you can see, players who stop or reverse to get items while behind are no longer able to get those precious Blue Shells or Bullet Bills.
Overall, players seem pretty happy with this change. As one Reddit user said, “thank god. online has been miserable.”
“It never made sense to me that the optimal strategy in a racing game was to hang back on purpose,” said another commenter, summing up the issues many had with bagging.
While it took longer than fans may have liked, the removal of bagging seems to be a great improvement that’ll help Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the long run.
