'Super Mario Run' World 3 walkthrough and coin locations: How to beat 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4
What you'll find in this guide:
We're a little over one-third of the way through our Super Mario Run walkthrough. In World 1, we thwarted Bowser's attempts to stop us in his castle, and in World 2, we defeated the Koopaling Boom Boom who was in charge of an airship. World 3 offers one new level and three levels that are variations on something we've already seen.
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Even if you've started getting more sure in your footing in this new incarnation of the Mushroom Kingdom, there are sure to be some surprises and new tricks up Bowser's sleeves (er, spiky wristbands). So read on for all the tips and tricks you'll need to get through the third world of Super Mario Run, and of course the locations to all the pink coins.
Super Mario Run 3-1 walkthrough: "Big Spiny Blitz"
"Big Spiny Blitz" is the first desert level you'll go through in Super Mario Run. It has a few special tricks you'll need to master in order to progress through it.
The first of these new twists is the yellow exclamation switch: By stepping on this, you can make red blocks appear (albeit temporarily) at various points in the level. You'll be able to see where these blocks will appear by the dotted outlines they have before you hit the switch. Use this as a hint to see where you ought to go.
The second twist is the Spinies themselves: They look like giant red-shelled turtles with spikes all over. Naturally, stepping on these turtles will be deleterious to Mario's well-being, but you can get by them by hitting the blocks they're walking on or just grabbing a Super Star in the level, which will make short work of them.
Aside from that, the main thing to look out for in this level is the Red Coin Ring. It'll take some smooth wall-jumping to get it, but if you can do that and grab all five of the coins, the Super Star will make your journey through the level a lot easier.
Super Mario Run 3-1 pink coin locations
The first pink coin in 3-1 will be staring you right in the face as soon as you start the level, since a Lakitu is holding it hostage while tossing all manner of coins at you from the sky. The easiest way to get this specific coin is at the third exclamation switch: If you let Mario begin climbing on it before vaulting off, you'll trigger the switch and get the height you need to snatch the coin away from that Lakitu.
The second coin is easily reached from the top of a triad of those three moving platforms we first encountered back in level 2-2. This is also a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and grab the coin from the Lakitu as well, but this is more luck than anything else.
The third coin is near the top of a bunch of cloud platforms, so as soon as you see the opportunity to start ascending up the level vertically, you should take it. If you can't make it or whiff one of the jumps, you're not going to be able to grab this coin.
The fourth coin is also accessible from a small elevated cloud platform. You can easily get it if you follow the red coins up the level after triggering the Red Coin Ring. The best-case scenario is you grab the coin automatically once you trigger the Super Star after collecting the coins, but even if you flub that, you're still in a perfect position to get the coin.
The final coin is likely to trip you up if you're looking for a pattern: It's on the lower part of the stage with a long line of red blocks. If you're still under the effects of the Super Star, it won't matter because you'll pick it up as you run by it. But if you missed the star or got caught on the geometry of the level, you'll want to try for the lower half (avoiding the Spinies and Piranha Plants, of course) and grab it.
Super Mario Run 3-2 walkthrough: "Bullet Bill Barrage"
It's not ever explained how Mario keeps getting up into the sky for some of these levels, but 3-2 ups the ante from the previous levels by forcing you to run away from Bullet Bills coming at you from both sides of the screen.
As soon as the level starts, you can grab a Super Mushroom from the question block, but do it quickly because a red Bullet Bill is going to be hot on your heels. He has a nasty habit of accelerating once he goes about halfway across the screen.
Eventually you'll reach a point where three red Bullet Bills show up one after the other in a vertical line. Don't freak out! If you just run along the ground, Mario will roll onto a lower platform and they'll harmlessly pass overhead. The timing to jump over them will be way harder to pick up.
This will happen again at the very end of the level. A bunch of red Bullet Bills will show up from the opposite side of the screen, but if you're making your way up the cloud platforms, you'll be able to leap free of them just in the nick of time. If you reach the castle flag at the end of the level, all enemies on-screen will be converted into coins, making this a great way to get some points at the end of the level.
Super Mario Run 3-2 pink coin locations
The first pink coin in the level is on a platform you'll jump onto at the start of the level. Ignore the line of gold coins indicating you upward and you'll run right into it, but be prepared to jump afterward. There's a Bullet Bill on your tail, and the platform ends almost immediately after the coin itself, so jump!
The second coin will require some fast jumps. After a break in the cloud platforms, you should be able to hop up to a higher platform with the help of a Bullet Bill. Soon after, a red and black Bullet Bill will approach you from either side of the stage. Hop on the red Bullet Bill and then the black one and you should grab the coin that's suspended high up in the air.
The third coin requires you to leapfrog off three black Bullet Bills coming from the righthand side of the stage. It's easy to miss these jumps, but thankfully the coin is just hanging out on a high platform so once you get up to the platform you should be in business.
The fourth coin is on top of a question block after the Red Coin Ring. It's hard to miss this one, but if Mario's in the middle of a roll and you can't hop on top of it quickly enough, it could still pass you by.
For the final coin, you'll come across a split path near the end of the level, and you should take the lower path here. What you miss out on in terms of gold coins, you'll make up for in netting the final pink coin — plus you won't have to deal with Bullet Bills stacked three high, which can really put a damper on your run.
Super Mario Run 3-3 walkthrough: "Shell Me the Way"
Knocking over turtles and using their shells as projectiles has been a staple of Mario games since the beginning of the series, but "Shell Me the Way" is the first level where you can use it to your advantage. It's also the first level that's almost the title of a Peter Frampton song, but that's neither here nor there.
Level 3-3 is full of flat areas with lots of enemies, and by knocking out a Koopa at the beginning and running to keep up with their shell, you can rack up a big coin combo as the shell knocks enemies out of your path. It makes you feel incredibly powerful, so enjoy it!
Although the bulk of the level exists to let you launch Koopa shells at unsuspecting enemies, there are still some tricky parts, like the Super Star trapped in a container made of breakable blocks. You'll have to use a Koopa shell to have enough room to maneuver under the blocks, but if you're not quick enough, the shell will shoot back toward you and take away your Super Mushroom power. You'll need to have a power mushroom in order to break the blocks below the star and get its power.
The final part of the level that's likely to trip you up is a split path. You'll want to stick to the upper platform because the bottom portion is riddled with Munchers, and setting foot down there without a Super Star is a recipe for certain death.
Super Mario Run 3-3 pink coin locations
The first coin in 3-3 isn't hard to spot, but can be tricky to get. It's at the tail end of a line of coins and you'll need to bounce off the Goombas marching toward. you near the start of the level. But even if you hit the jump perfectly, Mario still has an annoying habit of soaring just underneath it.
The second coin will require you to jump onto a few brick blocks a little above the action. After launching a Koopa shell at a bunch of Goombas on a bridge, jump off the hill leading down and you should land on top of the blocks. Continue on this upper set of platforms until you see the coin.
Eventually, you'll land on a diagonal pause block and should be able to see the third coin a ways up, at the end of another line of coins and guarded by a Paratroopa. The block will cause you to jump automatically when you get off it, so line up that Paratroopa in your sights and use him to boost yourself to the third coin.
Almost immediately after the third coin, you'll see a green Koopa. Make sure you hit him and launch his shell, because the fourth coin is hidden at the bottom of a crevasse and walled off by a bunch of brick blocks, and only the shell will be able to break those for you. It'll also collect the coin automatically for you as an added bonus!
The fifth coin is tricky, but not impossible to do if you're looking out. Right before the final stretch of the level with the Munchers, you should see a launch block that you can use (with proper timing) to propel yourself onto a block that's a little higher. Keep ascending the brick and wood blocks you find, and after a little bit of finicky platforming, you'll see the final coin resting on a high perch.
Super Mario Run 3-4 walkthrough: Fire Bar Castle! Youch!"
Level 3-4 helps us to figure out the pattern of Super Mario Run's final levels: Stage 4 of an odd level will be a Castle (like we saw in World 1) and stage 4 of an even world will be an Airship. "Fire Bar Castle! Youch!" lives up to its namesake by, well, being full of Fire Bars, big rotating lines of fireballs that you've got to navigate your way through in order to beat Bowser at the end of the level.
To that end, 3-4 is full of long hallways with fire bars rotating around them, so it's imperative you keep moving. The longer you get stalled on pause blocks or the level's geometry, the bigger chance there is that you'll end up toasted.
As if that weren't bad enough, Fire Bar Castle brings back those pesky fireballs from Bowser's Castle Hangout in World 1. Although nowhere near as prevalent as in the previous level, they're still a pain in the neck to dodge. This level is full of diagonal pause blocks that force you to jump off them: Time it poorly and you're getting a face full of fire.
Finally, Bowser has installed some additional protection on his flimsy bridge, and you'll have to deal with a Fire Bar as well. Don't wait too long, though, because when Bowser jumps up now, he breathes a fireball diagonally that'll catch you if you're on the pause block. Usually the best strategy is to have a Super Mushroom, take a hit on the chin and run past Bowser while you're invincible.
Super Mario Run 3-4 pink coin locations
The first pink coin is right at the start of the level on top of a platform. If you're using a character with a higher jump like Luigi, you can get to the platform via the diagonal pause block below it, but if you're playing as Mario, it's a trap! Jump over the pause block and then again, and you ought to make it up to the platform with the coin.
The second coin is perched on the side of a small pit with a Fire Bar in it. With some fast jumping, you can grab the coin and leap up to the higher platform, avoiding the trap below. But if you're not fast enough on the draw, you'll end up tumbling down into the Fire Bar below.
To get the third coin, you're going to have to take the high road when the option is presented to you. After dodging numerous Fire Bars, you'll see a diagonal pause block you can use to jump up to a higher platform, and you should take it. You'll see the coin on a path below you, but be warned that you'll probably eat a hit from the Fire Bar directly after it once you've done so.
You'll have to contend with some fireballs in order to get the fourth coin. After the Fire Bar gauntlet, you'll come across a series of lava-filled pits with fireballs shooting out of them: Take advantage of the diagonal pause blocks (and the fact that the timer stops while you're on them) to time your jumps across the pits; the coin should be on the opposite side of the last pit you need to get across.
The final coin is easy to see. Right before the final fireball trap, you should see it as you emerge from a tunnel full of Fire Bars, so roll off the ledge instead of jumping to grab it.
Now you've got all the pink coins in World 3. Nothing to it, except for all the tricky platforming!
Complete walkthroughs
Super Mario Run tips, tricks and hints at Mic
Can't get enough of Mario, Peach, Bowser and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom? Check out Mic's coverage of Super Mario Run, including how to unlock new characters like Toad, Peach and Yoshi, how to get different colored Toads to come back to the kingdom, how to find the game's secret levels, how to play the game on your Apple TV and our coverage for the Android release date and some knock-off versions to tide you over until it drops.
