Items Guide
Items are an important part to the fighting dynamics of Smash Brothers, because some of them have the power to turn the tides of battle in favour of the players who hold the items. Items range from healing items all the way to big hammers. Each item has its own unique attributes and powers. Items hold such power over battles that some people (namely my friends) consider them to be too "cheap" and turns the items off during matches. In most cases though, items will appear during matches and you need know how to use them to your advantage, and this guide is here to help you along. Keep reading to find out more about the items. This guide is designed to be a lot more comprehensive than what the instruction booklet has inside of it, so it's likely that you'll learn something.
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General Item Properties
General Item Strategies
How the Guide Works
Containers
-Crate
-Barrel
-Chansey Egg
-Capsule
General Item Properties
All items share some common properties. I will list them all here.
-Almost all items can be picked up by standing close to it and pressing
A. Press only the A button and nothing else, because pressing something
else (especially the control stick) will make the character do an attack.
-Many of the items in the game can be thrown at an opponent to cause
damage. The way to cause the most damage with a throw is by jumping
above an opponent and throwing the item downwards with a smash throw.
A smash throw is done by tapping the control stick in direction you
want the item to fly simultaneously with the pressing of the throwing
button (A or R. R works for all items that can be thrown while A does
not.). You can control how far and in what direction you throw by moving
the control stick in different ways. Remember tapping the stick makes
the items go further than tilting the stick, which still makes the items
go further than just pressing R or A. You can also achieve maximum throwing
damage with some items by throwing the item while running, but not all
items work that way. When it is not possible to smash throw downwards,
as with a crate or a barrel, the max damage is caused if the container
falls from a high place on to the victim(s).
-All characters deal the same damage and has the same powers with all
items.
-Items must be picked up on the ground. You cannot grab items while
they are in the air, at least not in this edition of Smash (You can
in its sequel, Smash Melee).
-Most items will disappear in a puff of smoke if not picked up for a
long time or if it is used a lot. The exception to this rule is the
bob-omb, which has a self destruct sequence, and the star, which will
jump off the stage.
-Thrown items can only damage one opponent, unless the item can explode,
is a red shell, or a bumper.
-All items will appear naturally on every stage except for the Chansey
Egg, which only appears naturally on Yoshi's Island. That is if you
didn't turn any or all of the items off.
-A hard hit can make a character drop the item he/she is holding. If
the item is deployable, it will deploy when it is dropped.
-Most items do not decrease in damage or in power. The exception to
these are some of the clobbering items and distance attack items.
-A character can't pick up another item while holding an item already
unless the other item is a star.
General Item Strategies
The general strategy is... hog all the items!!! Whenever an item comes on to the stage (you will hear a chime if an item appears), try to be there first and get it. Of course, every player who has some experience in Smash knows this strategy, so all the players will try to get the items, so there will probably be a battle for the item. In this case, don't go for the item but instead, go hit the opponents away first, so they can't steal your item. If the item happens to be a container, just let someone else get it if there are opponents near you because all a person can do with a container is break it apart or throw it at someone. Some items are also better than others, so evaluate before you go charging in. Here I put together a list for which items you should get first and which ones you shouldn't bother with. There are four categories that goes from very useful to don't bother, but inside the categories the items are not listed in any particular order.
| Very Useful Items | Motion Sensor Bomb PokeBall Hammer Maxim Tomato Heart Container Star |
| Useful Items | Fire Flower Ray Gun Star Rod Beam Sword Green Shell Bob-omb (if it just appeared) Home Run Bat |
| Okay Items | Crate Barrel Chansey Egg Capsule Red Shell Bumper |
| Don't Bother | Fan Bob-omb that has been there for a few seconds. Don't ever touch these. You'll find out why soon enough. |
Get it? Got it? Good. Now you know which items to go for first, which
will aid you in all items enabled battles, which include all single
player mode fights and most multiplayer fights unless someone explicitly
set NO ITEMS in the Item Switch menu.
How the Guide Works
The Item Guide is similar to the move lists for character guides. I will split the items into categories just like in the instruction booklet and give a general description of what these items do, then I will use the following format to describe each item:
Name:
Name of the item
Description: What the item looks like and anything special
about it.
Function: What can you do with the item. If it is used to attack,
I will list the attack properties in the attack section. If the item
is not used for attack, I will describe its function.
Attack:
If the subject item can be used to deal damage, the properties of the
hits will be listed here. I will put the name of the attack, list the
buttons used for the attack, the maximum damage it does, the KKT score,
startup, duration and recovery times (if applicable) for the attack,
the flight path, the reach or range of the attack, and I will describe
the attack. Note that some items can be used to hurt people in more
than one way. I will list all the ways an item can be used to attack.
If you didn't read my character guide explaination, then click here
to learn what KKT, startup, flight path and other terms mean. There
is a KKT score for most items except containers and the Pokemons.
My Opinion:: My personal opinions on the item
Rating: A rating from 1 to 5. 1 being useless and 5 being very
useful.
I think you know enough now to understand my list. Lets start with the items then. I will begin with the containers, or what Nintendo calls "carriers."
Containers
Containers, or Carriers, are a group of items that carries other items inside of it. A container will not contain another container; they will only contain stand-alone items. The only things you can do with containers is either pick them up or throw them or break them apart. When breaking containers apart, be aware that sometimes the containers will be rigged with an explosive device that will cause 30% damage to anyone who happens to hit it open. The explosive usually add 20% damage to big containers and 30% to small containers regarding the total damage caused by the container if the container is thrown. These containers do not contain any items and their only purpose is for hurting people. Throwing these exploding containers against an opponent will deal tremendous damage to your enemy and send him/her flying very far.
Crate
Description: This item is exactly what the name indicates: it's a big
heavy cubic crate. Press A to pick the crate up. Only DK can move while
carrying a crate. All other characters can only stand where they are
and turn left or right, but they can't move. Crates can only be thrown
sideways, unlike most items that can be also be thrown up or down.
Function: A crate carries up to three items inside, or it can be rigged
with an explosive that explodes on contact. You can throw it against
people to cause damage.
Attack No.1: Crate Throwing
Buttons: press A or R while holding the crate. Tilt or tap the control
stick sideways to control the direction and the force of the throw.
Damage: 27% for a non explosive crate. 47% for throwing an exploding
one.
Startup: Medium
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Flight Path: Regular
Range: Short (crates don't fly all that far)
Attack Description: The character will throw the crate forward with
both hands. The crate will pop open when it hits someone or hits a surface
(ground, wall etc.).
My Opinion:
The crate is the largest and most damaging container item in the game.
I wouldn't recommend trying to pick one up unless there's no enemies
around you, because in most cases you can't move while carrying a crate,
which makes you a sitting duck. If you want to see what's inside and
there's someone near you, either let the other person pick up or break
the crate or break the crate yourself. If your character has a projectile,
use the projectile to break the crate. If not, then you'll to hope that
you are lucky and hit the crate with a physical attack. The crate is
too big and cumbersome to be used as an effective weapon, but it does
do a lot of damage, even without the explosives. I also wouldn't recommend
hitting a person who is holding a crate with a close combat move. If
you are lucky, the person might drop the crate on to himself/herself
and fly away, or the crate could disappear in smoke. In a lot of case
though, the crate will happen to fall on your character's head and your
character wil be sent flying, and if you die, the opponent gets a KO.
Use something with a bit more reach or a projectile to hit people carrying
crates.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Barrel
Description: This item is exactly what the name indicates. It's one
of those big heavy barrels that DK uses to throw at either Mario or
the Kremlings. Press A to pick the crate up. Only DK can move while
carrying a barrel. All other characters can only stand where they are
and turn left or right, but they can't move. Barrels can only be thrown
sideways, unlike most items that can be also be thrown up or down.
Function: A barrel carries up to three items inside, or it can be rigged
with an explosive that explodes on contact. You can throw it against
people to cause damage. Unlike crates, barrels don't explode when it
hits the floor. Rather, it will roll along the floor until it hits something
like a person or a wall or it will roll off the stage. On certain stages,
a barrel will stay on the stage because it will roll back and forth
since the stage slants into the middle.
Attack No.1: Barrel Throwing
Buttons: press A or R while holding the barrel. Tilt or tap the control
stick sideways to control the direction and the force of the throw.
Damage: 21% for a non explosive barrel. 41% for throwing an exploding
one.
Startup: Medium
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Flight Path: Regular
Range: Long (It can keep rolling along the ground if there is no obstacles
in its way)
Attack Description: The character will throw the barrel forward with
both hands. The barrel will pop open when it hits someone or someone
hits it.
My Opinion:
The barrel is also big like the crate. I wouldn't recommend trying to
pick one up unless there's no enemies around you, because in most cases
you can't move while carrying a crate, which makes you a sitting duck.
If you want to see what's inside and there's someone near you, either
let the other person pick up or break the barrel or break the barrel
yourself. If your character has a projectile, use the projectile to
break the barrel. If not, then you'll to hope that you are lucky and
hit the barrel with a physical attack. Unlike the crate, the barrel
has a pretty long range so you can throw it at someone far away who
is not paying attention. Barrels can do plenty of damage so it's not
too bad as a weapon. I also wouldn't recommend hitting a person who
is holding a barrel with a close combat move. If you are lucky, the
person might drop the barrel on to himself/herself and fly away, or
the barrel could disappear in smoke. In a lot of case though, the barrel
will happen to fall on your character's head and your character wil
be sent flying, and if you die, the opponent gets a KO. Use something
with a bit more reach or a projectile to hit people carrying barrels.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Chansey Egg
Description: This is a yellowish egg that appears when the Pokemon Chansey
appears, hence the name Chansey eggs. It won't appear naturally on any
stage except Yoshi's Island.
Function: A Chansey egg carries one item, or it can be rigged with an
explosive that explodes on contact. You can throw it against people
to cause damage.
Attack No.1: Chansey Egg Throwing
Buttons: press A or R while holding the egg. Tilt or tap the control
stick in any direction to control the direction and the force of the
throw.
Damage: 13% for a non explosive egg. 43% for throwing an exploding one.
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Flight Path: Regular
Range: Long
Attack Description: The character will throw the egg forward with one
hand. The egg will break open when it hits someone or if it hits a surface.
My Opinion:
Unlike the big containers, characters can easily carry the egg around
and throw it at anybody. If there's no one around you when you find
an egg, the best way to break it is to pick it up, jump upwards and
throw it down to the ground below. If there is someone else near, feel
free to chuck it at them, if you don't really care about the item inside.
I recommend breaking open it yourself and then take the item inside.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Capsule
Description: This looks like one of those capsules that holds drugs.
It's half pink and half white and I think it's from the days when Mario
quit his plumbing job and became a doctor. It appears naturally on all
stages except Yoshi's Island, at which it is replaced by Chansey Eggs.
Function: A capsule carries one item, or it can be rigged with an explosive
that explodes on contact. You can throw it against people to cause damage.
Attack No.1: Capsule Throwing
Buttons: press A or R while holding the capsule. Tilt or tap the control
stick in any direction to control the direction and the force of the
throw.
Damage: 15% for a non explosive capsule. 45% for throwing an exploding
one.
Startup: Fast
Duration: Short
Recovery: Fast
Flight Path: Regular
Range: Long
Attack Description: The character will throw the capsule forward with
one hand. The capsule will break open when it hits someone or if it
hits a surface.
My Opinion:
This is basically the same as the Chansey egg, except that it does slightly
more damage and it is much more common. Use the same strategy used for
Chansey eggs.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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