Your Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Dead Rails

Welcome, survivor. This Dead Rails guide is your ticket to navigating the treacherous tracks, outsmarting foes, and securing that win. Let's get this train moving.

🚂 The First Run: Getting Started in Dead Rails

Welcome to Dead Rails, a game where every decision matters. You start in a Safe Zone with **$20**, a Shovel, and a Gold Bar. Your first moves are critical. Sell the Gold Bar for **$50**, then head to the General Store. What you buy next sets the tone for your entire run. This part of our Dead Rails guide will ensure you start off right.

Your First Purchase: Coal or Combat?

You have a few strategic choices for your starting cash:

The Speedrunner: Buy 3 Coal. This lets you travel farther and faster, avoiding early conflict. It's a great choice if you have a combat-ready Class or are playing with friends. Grab a torch with the leftover cash for nighttime visibility.
The Scavenger: Buy 1 Coal, 1 Revolver, and some ammo. This is more luck-dependent but allows you to earn money early by taking down Outlaws and raiding their camps. Ideal for more vulnerable starting classes.
The Team Player: In a duo, have one player buy coal while the other buys a Shotgun and shells. This gives you both mobility and firepower for the first town.

Don't forget the newspapers! Near the General Store, you'll find newspapers. They can be used as mediocre fuel, but more importantly, they can be used to build a basic door on your train, offering your first layer of defense.

Essential Dead Rails Survival Tips

This dead rails guide is your key to surviving longer and getting richer. Mastering these fundamental concepts is the first step towards becoming a seasoned veteran. For a complete overview of all game elements, our Dead Rails Wiki is an invaluable resource.

A player looking over a valley in Dead Rails

Resource Management

In this dead rails guide, effective resource management is paramount. Your survival depends on how well you handle fuel, money, and loot.

Fuel is Everything: Coal is the best fuel, but don't overlook alternatives. Zombie, vampire, and werewolf corpses can all be burned. Looting Furniture Stores is a reliable way to find fuel. Prioritize fuel over almost everything else; getting stranded is a death sentence.
Looting Priorities: Not all buildings are created equal. In the early game (0-10,000m), prioritize looting **Furniture Stores** (fuel), **General Stores** (coal/items), and **Sheriff's Offices** (weapons/armor). Normal houses have a low chance of spawning useful items.
Sack Organization: Keep your sack organized. A good practice is to place valuables deep inside and fuel near the top for easy access when you're on the move.

Combat Tactics

Whether you're facing zombies or outlaws, a solid combat strategy is key.

Ranged > Melee: A gun is a game-changer. It allows you to eliminate threats from a distance. Aim for headshots to conserve ammo and take down enemies faster.
Know Your Enemy: Zombies have a short reach, so you can often get them stuck on terrain and hit them safely with a melee weapon. Vampires can teleport, so they need to be a priority target. Werewolves are fast and tanky. Outlaws have guns—treat them with extreme caution.
Reload, Reload, Reload: Always reload your weapon when you have a safe moment. It's better to be prepared than caught with an empty magazine. Carrying multiple weapons allows you to switch instead of waiting for a reload.

Your train is your sanctuary. Treat it well. The journey is perilous, and this part of our Dead Rails guide focuses on navigating it.

Day & Night Cycle: You have 5 minutes of daytime. Use it wisely for looting and traveling. At night, enemies become much more dangerous. If you're not prepared, it's best to be in a Safe Zone or inside your fortified train.
Safe Zone Strategy: The turrets in Safe Zones are your best friends. You can camp for a few nights and let the turrets do the killing. In the morning, collect the corpses for fuel or cash.
Horse Power: Horses are the fastest way to travel on foot. If you find a rideable horse (especially a Unicorn), it can be a massive advantage for looting, scouting, and escaping danger.

💡 Advanced Techniques for Veteran Survivors

Once you've mastered the basics, it's time to elevate your gameplay. This section of our Dead Rails guide covers the strategies that separate the survivors from the statistics.

The Endgame: The 80km Checkpoint

The final stretch is an all-out war. The area is swarming with outlaws and other powerful enemies. Preparation is key.

Stock Up: Before leaving the 70km Safe Zone, stock up on ammo, Snake Oils, and fortify your train with everything you have (Sheet Metal, Barbed Wire, Maxim Guns).
Activate the Bridge: Once you clear the initial wave of outlaws at the bridge, you can loot the nearby houses for bonds and rare weapons. Activating the bridge triggers the final, chaotic wave.
Survive the Onslaught: A common strategy is to use the bridge's pillars for cover, preventing enemies from hitting you. If you encounter a Vampire night, retreat to a fortified train cabin if possible, as their teleport ability makes open ground deadly. Having a Shotgun can make short work of them.

In a multiplayer game, you can leave one player behind at the 70km Safe Zone. As long as they stay alive after the bridge crank is turned, the whole team will get the a win when the timer ends, even if the players at the bridge are downed.

🛡️ Train Defense 101: Fortify Your Lifeline

Your train isn't just for transport; it's your mobile fortress. Protecting it is non-negotiable. A core component of any good Dead Rails guide is solid train defense.

The Newspaper Door: In the early game, use newspapers to build a door with a crack in the middle. Make sure you can only walk through sideways; this will block most zombies, vampires, and werewolves.
Sheet Metal Upgrade: As soon as possible, upgrade your defenses with Sheet Metal. It's bulletproof, protecting you from Outlaws. Use it to cover windows and reinforce your entrance.
Barbed Wire: Place Barbed Wire at the entrance to damage and stun enemies that get too close. This allows you to safely pick them off with melee weapons to save ammo.
Train-Specific Strategies: Different trains require different defenses. The Armored Train, for example, is the most expensive but offers incredible protection when fully fortified with Sheet Metal, allowing you to create a nearly impenetrable fortress.

💰 High-Risk, High-Reward: A Guide to Raiding

Raiding high-value locations is the fastest way to get powerful gear and a lot of money. But be warned: these areas are heavily defended. Follow this Dead Rails guide to raiding to maximize your profits.

Towns: Towns are guaranteed to spawn between safe zones. Raiding them is very beneficial, but don't attempt it without a decent weapon. Look for the Mayor Zombie (top hat, white beard) who drops the 5-digit code for the Bank vault, which contains Gold, Silver, and Bonds.
Fort Constitution: A military fort full of Soldier Zombies and Captain Prescott. Clearing it rewards you with weapons, ammo, and a cannon. Captain Prescott's body can be sold for a $150 bounty.
Tesla Lab: You can either sneak in and steal valuables or reconstruct Nikola Tesla to fight waves of Scientist Zombies. Surviving the ordeal rewards you with the extremely powerful Electrocutioner weapon.
Castle: By far the hardest raid, containing huge numbers of vampires and werewolves. The reward is the Vampire Knife, which has a lifesteal ability, along with tons of valuables and supplies. Not recommended for solo players.
Sterling: A hidden mining town that holds incredible wealth, including the Jade Sword and a total of 12 Bonds. It involves a multi-step puzzle to access all the loot.

🤠 Choosing Your Class: Find Your Playstyle

Dead Rails offers a variety of classes, each tailored to a different playstyle. Your choice can dramatically affect your team's strategy and your own survival chances. Experiment to see what fits you best. You can find a full list of abilities on our game wiki page.

Beginner Friendly: **Doctor** is a solid support class with healing items. **Cowboy** starts with a revolver, giving you an early combat advantage. **Miner** starts with items that can be sold for a good starting fund.
Aggressive Play: **Survivalist**, **Cowboy**, and **Vampire** are great for players who enjoy frontline combat and taking risks for high rewards.
Defensive Play: **The Alamo** excels at setting up early defenses. The **Conductor** is essential for managing the slow, fuel-hungry Armored Train.
High Risk, High Reward: **High Roller** offers a gamble that can pay off massively, as they sell items for 1.5x their value. **Werewolf** is incredibly powerful at night but vulnerable during the day.

❓ Dead Rails FAQ: Your Questions Answered

Still have questions? This section of our Dead Rails guide answers some of the most common queries from survivors.

Q: What's the best thing to buy at the start of a run?

A: It depends on your strategy. For a safe start, buying 3 coal is recommended to ensure you can reach the first Safe Zone without issue. If you're confident in your combat skills or playing with a team, buying a revolver or shotgun can help you earn money faster by killing outlaws. Never leave the first camp without buying at least one piece of coal.

Q: How do I survive the night?

A: The safest way is to be inside a Safe Zone. The turrets will kill most enemies for you, and you can collect the bodies in the morning for fuel or cash. If caught outside, your best bet is to hide inside your fortified train. Use a newspaper or sheet metal door to a block the entrance and pick off enemies with a melee weapon to conserve ammo.

Q: Should I raid the first town I see?

A: It's risky. The towns that spawn between 0m and 10,000m are usually smaller, but they are still dangerous. It's not recommended to raid a town unless you have a reliable firearm (like a shotgun or rifle) or you are using a horse to lure zombies away from key buildings like the Bank.

Q: What is the best way to make money?

A: Early on, killing outlaws and selling their bodies at a Sheriff's Office ($35 each) is a good source of income. Raiding Banks in towns for Gold, Silver, and Bonds is the most profitable activity. High-value unique locations like Sterling or the Tesla Lab also offer massive payouts. Selling Unicorns (tamed or killed) and high-value items like the Jade Mask ($250) are also great ways to earn cash.

Still have questions? This dead rails guide covers a lot, but for more general game information, check the FAQ section on our homepage, or explore the community Wiki for even more in-depth details on every aspect of the game!

This guide will be continuously updated based on game developments and community feedback. Good luck on the rails, and may your train never run out of coal!