Forget Super Mushrooms, forget Fire Flowers, even forget rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser’s Minions (well, maybe!) – when it comes to New Super Mario Bros. 2, it’s all about the moolah. And with the special goal to collect over one million coins, believe us when we say that you’re going to need a lot of them. Thankfully, there are plenty of tips you can use to help stuff your pockets without too much effort…

Off the beaten path

There’s obviously a set route through each stage that you need to take to reach the Goal, but it’s worth having Mario explore every nook and cranny along the way. Quite often, moving him into an empty space – say, between two pipes or down into a shallow pit that otherwise serves no purpose – will make a flurry of coins appear nearby, allowing you to up your count immediately.

It’s shiny for a reason

Gold Flowers are pretty rare in the power-up food chain, but there’s a reason for that: you can use them to turn almost anything into coins! Collecting one turns you into Gold Mario and lets you throw Gold Fireballs – you can use these to turn regular breakable Blocks into coins, as well as earn bonus coins from any enemy you hit with one. While Mario’s a force to be reckoned with in this form though, he’s not invincible and being hit by an enemy will turn him into plain old Fire Mario.

You can find Gold Flowers in the scant few (Star) Toad Houses scattered round the World Maps, as well as occasionally in Roulette Blocks in the courses themselves.

Block-rocking beats

Courses that feature Gold Flowers in Roulette Blocks usually have them there for a reason. Check around and you’ll probably find a path or pipe covered with Blocks; if you use a Gold Fireball to smash your way through, chances are you’ll discover an area filled with Blocks that are ripe for turning into coins. Woo hoo, coin harvest!

Should-a put a ring on it

Gold Rings are also a great way to increase your coin total, as they turn all the enemies around you into potential money boxes! Stomping on an enemy while it’s gold grants you five coins; if you stomp another enemy before touching the ground, this increases to 10 coins, then 15 coins, 20 coins, and finally the maximum of 50 coins.

What’s more, you can stomp on a Gold Koopa and throw its shell to make a stream of coins flow out behind it, which you can then scoop up, while Gold Cheep Cheeps will have a row of coins trailing behind them. The effect of a Gold Ring only lasts a short time though, so make the most of it.

C-c-c-c-combo!

Whether you’re using a Gold Flower to become Gold Mario or rushing to make the most of a Gold Ring, the key to success in both cases is using combos. Hitting a single enemy with a Gold Fireball gives you some coins, but hitting multiple enemies at once with a Gold Fireball gives you even more coins. The same goes for either jumping on or hitting multiple enemies with a single shell while a Gold Ring is in effect: the more you can get in a chain, the higher your combo will go.

Combine the effects of Gold Rings and Gold Mario to double the coins awarded, up to a maximum of 100 coins per enemy!

Flip the switch

If you come across a blue P Switch, hit it and be ready to move! As soon as you press it, Blue Coins will appear and you’ll only have a short time to grab them before they vanish again – they usually follow a path through the level, so collect as many as you can before time runs out.

Sometimes, hitting a P Switch can have other effects too like revealing Star Coins or the path leading you to a hidden exit… you’ll have to experiment and see!

Over the rainbow

Rumour has it that if you’re very lucky, you might just see a rainbow during your adventures… a rainbow that leads to a magical place filled to the brim with coins! These special courses (one per World) are tricky to find, but doing so is worth the reward – with tons of cash and Roulette Coin Blocks worth up to 100 coins up for grabs, they’re great for those looking to really boost their total.

What a coin rush!

If you really want to send your coin count through the roof, look no further than Coin Rush mode. Once you clear the W1-Castle, you’ll be able to access Coin Rush mode from the main menu of New Super Mario Bros. 2 – you can then use it to play a random mix of three stages that you’ve already completed, trying to collect as many coins as possible. And to make it even more exciting, you’ve only got a single Mario to do it with!

Although the courses might be familiar, the tight time limit means you’ll have to move quickly to clear each one. The trick is to balance swift movement with remembering where all the coin opportunities are, so you can reach the goal with the highest number of coins. Use the tips mentioned above to try and maximise your total!

There’s one final tip that only applies to Coin Rush mode: if you can reach the top of the Goal Pole, your overall coin total will be doubled. Do that on all three courses and it means your total for the first course will be multiplied by eight – believe us, it pays to get as many coins on the first course as possible!