In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which orange action badges are the best to wear?
A big part of the reason why Super Mario Wonder is one of the best 2D Mario platformers in decades is that it’s not afraid to change things up. Badges have been added as extra gameplay changes that can help or sometimes hurt your progress through the levels. This is one of the main ways that the gameplay of a standard Mario shooter has been changed.
If you want to see the biggest difference, get orange action stars. These give you extra moves that you can use to change how you platform. Which ones are the best?
Floating High Jump
![toadette about to floating high jump into piranha plant](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/floating-jump.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
There is a time and a place for the Floating High Jump badge, but there are better action badges out there that you can get right away. This badge will let you float in the air a little longer when you jump. This is a skill that can help you in some parts of the game, but it can also get in the way of your progress.
Part of what makes Wonder’s platforming so fun is how you time your jumps. The extra time in the air can throw off your feelings about how to land, and you may lose more lives than you need to.
Fast Dash
![toadette and wiggler about to race](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/dash.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
It’s easy to use Fast run, which does exactly what it says it will do: speed up your run and your walking speed on sand. You might think this skill would be more useful, but like Floating High Jump, it can mess up your time and lead to crashes.
There are times when it can help, like when you are really having a hard time with the Wiggler races. But because of how exact the fast platforming is, it might make things even harder.
Grappling Vine
![mario wonder toadette using grappling vine](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/grapple.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
The Grappling Vine is one of the more enjoyable moves to use because it lets you move faster through some levels and protects you from falling.
But it’s not very useful and you can only get it late in the game, which slows it down. It will mostly help in levels with a lot of vertical space, but even there, platforming is often a better way to solve the problems it fixes. It’s great when you can use it, but since you don’t use it very often, you might not want to bother having it in the first place.
Timed High Jump
![elephant toadette on pole after timed high jump](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/timed-high-jump.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Timed High Jump is one of the better jumping moves, but like Floating High Jump, there are better moves that do the same thing that it does better throughout the game. Like the triple jump in the New Super Mario Bros. games, Timed High Jump makes each following jump higher by itself.
However, it doesn’t give you as much happiness because timing isn’t as important this time, and you can just mash jump to get higher. The issue is that the skill can be too noticeable; it doesn’t feel as natural and isn’t as accurate as other jumping badge skills.
Crouching High Jump
![toadette at the start of crouching high jump challenge](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/crouching-jump.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Since you get both Timed High Jump and Crouching High Jump at about the same time, you should choose Crouching High Jump since it is easier to control. It gives you a jump that is about the same height, but this time you have to crouch to use it instead of jumping again and again.
It’s more likely that this will stop your progress through a level, but you’ll be able to land more precisely because you can line up exactly where you want to.
Wall-Climb Jump
![toadette after using wall climb jump](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/wall-jump.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Climb up the wall When you unlock Jump, you’ll feel like you have way too much power because it lets you jump up the side of any flat wall, making wall jumps better and easier. This badge is one of the most useful if you remember to wear it and use it often. It can keep you from falling down things you shouldn’t.
Some people might find that this ability throws off their timing if they switch between badges a lot, which could lead to falls instead of stopping them.
Parachute Cap
![toadette gliding with parachute cap](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/glide-cap.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
In the beginning of Drift Boss, the Parachute Cap is the best badge to keep equipped. It’s also one of the easiest to use. You can use the parachute to make longer jumps or change your path, which is a lot like some of the other badges, but this one is usually a lot less difficult.
Some action badges are more useful than this one, but this one can still help you in late game levels and keep you from missing some targets.
Dolphin Kick
![toadette swimming using dolphin kick](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/dolphin-kick.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
One problem with older 2D Mario games was that some of the swimming parts could get boring. In Mario Wonder, the Dolphin Kick badge makes these parts much easier and more fun. This not only makes it easier to move through the water, but it also gives you more ways to attack, since the kick can break rocks.
Even though this badge isn’t perfect because it only works in water-based levels, it still gets a lot of points for how useful it can be.
Boosting Spin Jump
![toadette using boosting spin jump](https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/spin-boost.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
One reason Boosting Spin Jump is kept until very late in the game is because it’s so useful and makes a lot of the other badges less important. You can add a spinning boost to your normal jump with this ability, which is very useful in many situations.
It’s better than the other jumping skills because it’s easy to use and doesn’t require precise time or stopping your motion. Because of this, it’s a great way to get items that you might not be able to get any other way.