Build Guides
A build guide is a plan for your money. It names one gun, one Core and the tracks to buy. It also shows how the train beats each boss.
You do not have to follow a guide. Use one as a start, then change it to suit how you play.
The rules every guide follows
- Every guide spends the same. At rung 100, each guide has put the same total into its tracks. No guide wins because it got more money. A guide that spreads over many tracks gets fewer levels in each.
- Every build attacks and defends. The attack builds carry % Armour, and every build carries % Health. The defence builds carry % Projectile Damage. Armour cuts a smaller share of a big hit than of a small one, and it never cuts more than 90%: every hit lands at least a tenth. So armour alone cannot hold off a chase kick. % Health makes the pool big enough to take it. In the same way, a train that only defends cannot kill the bosses that you must kill.
- You cannot aim. Your guns choose their own targets. A guide tells you only what to buy, and when to change your speed with the throttle.
- The numbers are a start. Every number on this page is a first plan. Play-tests will change them.
The six guides
| Guide | Role | Side | Gun | Core |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siege | Area | Attack | Mortar | Fire |
| Plaguebearer | Status | Attack | Mortar | Toxic |
| Stormchain | Targets | Attack | Machine Gun | Lightning |
| Glass Cannon | Damage | Attack | Machine Gun and Laser | Void |
| Bulwark | Survival | Defence | Machine Gun | Earth |
| Deep Freeze | Time | Defence | Laser | Ice |
The frame every guide shares
All six guides grow the train the same way. You gain carriages at rungs 2, 4, 10, 30 and 60, and the gun rack grows like this: 4 guns at rung 2, 6 at rung 3, 8 at rung 4, 10 at rung 5, 12 at rung 10, 14 at rung 20, 18 at rung 30, 22 at rung 40 and 24 at rung 60.
More guns arrive from rung 2. A guide only changes which gun you buy.
Siege
Area. Fire holds the ground. Splash holds the swarm.
- Gun: Mortars. The Machine Gun you start with stays on the train.
- Core: Fire. See Guns, Cores & Elements.
Buy first
- Projectile Damage most of all.
- Then % Blast Radius, then Attack Speed.
- Then an even share of Gun Mounts, Range, Train Speed, Armour, % Armour and Train Health.
Siege sets the total. Every other guide spends what Siege spends.
By the end (rung 100)
| Track | Level |
|---|---|
| Projectile Damage | 602 |
| Attack Speed | 560 |
| Armour | 573 |
| Train Health | 580 |
| % Armour | 552 |
| % Projectile Damage | 554 |
| % Blast Radius | 20 |
| Range | 20 |
| Train Speed | 20 |
| % Train Health | 559 |
Guns and Core: 23 legendary Mortars and 1 common Machine Gun, and the Fire Core at level 20.
Timeline
- Rung 1: you start with one Machine Gun.
- Rung 2: your first Mortar arrives. Start to buy % Blast Radius now, not before.
- Rung 6: research the Fire Core.
- Your Mortars step up: uncommon at rung 5, rare at 10, epic at 20, legendary at 30.
- The Fire Core gains a level every 5 rungs after you research it.
The bosses
| Rung | Boss | How this build wins |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Harrower | Shells land in front of it as it chases. The burning ground hurts it. Keep Train Speed high so it catches you less. |
| 20 | The Windlass | It holds still while it drags you, so the shells land on it. Splash kills the Bursters that come from behind. % Armour cuts the blasts that get through. |
| 30 | The Brood-Mother | You cannot kill her. Splash breaks up the hatch, and the fire burns what walks in. Live through the repair, then drive on. |
| 40 | The Reacher | Shells hit it while it rides. Take the hairpins fast to throw it off. |
| 50 | The Bulkhead | Train Speed lets you catch it. It has no armour, so the shells finish it fast. |
| 60 | The Standard | Fire and splash hit the pile at the far end of the bridge. Armour and Train Health take the spit. |
| 70 | The Courser | Shells hit it when it staggers after a charge, and the burn keeps working. Keep moving: the lava never stops. |
| 80 | The Cairn | Mortars are long guns, so they reach it in the canyon. Change your speed to get out of each red circle. |
| 90 | The Tide | Fire on the ground and splash keep the Shamblers down while you dig. |
Test result (main, configHash 8d9f7db2). Bots that follow this guide exactly cleared all 10 boss rungs, on all 3 test seeds. The lowest train health was 57%, at rung 10. The Mortars did the most damage to the boss at rungs 10, 40, 70 and 100. At 20, 50 and 80 the one Machine Gun did more: the train won, but not by this plan. At 30, 60 and 90 the test could not tell which gun did the most. Budget refit (2026-10-20): the bots in the test now hold about twice a typical player's gold. Rerun at rungs 10, 20 and 30, every rung still cleared on every seed. The lowest train health at rung 10 is now 92%; at rungs 20 and 30 it stays at 100% or more.
Plaguebearer
Status. Plague spreads. The Mortar lands it on the pack.
- Gun: Mortars. The Machine Gun you start with stays on the train.
- Core: Toxic. See Guns, Cores & Elements.
Buy first
- Projectile Damage and Damage over Time most of all.
- Then Attack Speed and % Projectile Damage.
- Then an even share of DoT Tick Rate, % Damage over Time, % Blast Radius, Gun Mounts, Train Speed, Armour, % Armour and Train Health.
- Fill DoT Lifesteal too. It heals the train from the poison.
Damage over Time does nothing until the Toxic Core is on your guns. Wait for it.
By the end (rung 100)
| Track | Level |
|---|---|
| Projectile Damage | 584 |
| Damage over Time | 568 |
| Attack Speed | 552 |
| % Projectile Damage | 556 |
| DoT Tick Rate | 541 |
| % Damage over Time | 539 |
| Armour | 565 |
| Train Health | 572 |
| % Armour | 544 |
| % Blast Radius | 20 |
| Train Speed | 20 |
| DoT Lifesteal | 20 |
| % Train Health | 550 |
Guns and Core: 23 legendary Mortars and 1 uncommon Machine Gun, and the Toxic Core at level 20.
Timeline
- Rung 1: you start with one Machine Gun.
- Rung 2: your first Mortar arrives. Start to buy % Blast Radius now.
- Rung 4: research the Toxic Core. Start to buy the Damage over Time tracks now.
- Your Mortars step up: uncommon at rung 5, rare at 10, epic at 20, legendary at 30.
- The Toxic Core gains a level every 5 rungs after you research it.
The bosses
| Rung | Boss | How this build wins |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Harrower | Poison stacks on it from the first shell. It dies over time while you drive. |
| 20 | The Windlass | It holds still, so the shells land on it and the poison ticks. Splash kills the Bursters from behind. |
| 30 | The Brood-Mother | You cannot kill her. Splash breaks up the hatch, and the poison spreads from one hatchling to the next. |
| 40 | The Reacher | Poison it on the climb. DoT Lifesteal heals you between throws. Take the hairpins fast to throw it off. |
| 50 | The Bulkhead | Train Speed lets you catch it. It has no armour, so the shells and the poison finish it. |
| 60 | The Standard | Shells and poison hit the pile at the far end of the bridge. DoT Lifesteal keeps the train up. |
| 70 | The Courser | Get the poison on it early. It ticks while the Courser runs. Keep moving: the lava never stops. |
| 80 | The Cairn | Mortars are long guns, so they reach it in the canyon. The poison finishes it. Change your speed to get out of each red circle. |
| 90 | The Tide | Splash holds the hall, and the plague spreads through the Shamblers while you dig. |
Test result (main, configHash 8d9f7db2). Bots that follow this guide exactly cleared all 10 boss rungs, on all 3 test seeds. The lowest train health was 91%. Poison did the most damage to the boss at rungs 10, 40, 70 and 100. At 20, 50 and 80 the one Machine Gun did more: the train won, but not by this plan. At 30, 60 and 90 the test could not tell which gun did the most. Budget refit (2026-10-20): the bots in the test now hold about twice a typical player's gold. Rerun at rungs 10, 20 and 30, every rung still cleared on every seed. The lowest train health at rung 10 is now 75%; at rungs 20 and 30 it stays at 99% or more.
Stormchain
Targets. Lightning jumps to what the guns cannot reach. Attack Speed feeds the chain.
- Gun: Machine Guns only.
- Core: Lightning. See Guns, Cores & Elements.
Buy first
- Attack Speed most of all.
- Then Projectile Damage, then % Projectile Damage and Gun Mounts.
- Then an even share of Range, Train Health, Armour, % Armour and Train Speed.
By the end (rung 100)
| Track | Level |
|---|---|
| Attack Speed | 575 |
| Projectile Damage | 589 |
| % Projectile Damage | 561 |
| Train Health | 578 |
| Armour | 570 |
| % Armour | 550 |
| Range | 20 |
| Train Speed | 20 |
| % Train Health | 556 |
Guns and Core: 24 legendary Machine Guns, and the Lightning Core at level 20.
Timeline
- Rung 1: you start with one Machine Gun.
- Rung 2: more Machine Guns start to arrive.
- Rung 4: research the Lightning Core.
- Your Machine Guns step up: uncommon at rung 5, rare at 10, epic at 20, legendary at 30.
- The Lightning Core gains a level every 5 rungs after you research it.
The bosses
| Rung | Boss | How this build wins |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Harrower | In the test it stays out of Machine Gun range at rung 10, so you outrun it. Keep Train Speed high and take its kicks on Armour. By rung 100 your guns reach it. |
| 20 | The Windlass | Fast fire and chain jumps clear the Bursters from behind. % Armour cuts the blasts that get through. |
| 30 | The Brood-Mother | You cannot kill her. Chain jumps clear the hatchlings as they walk in. Live through the repair. |
| 40 | The Reacher | Your guns fire at it while it rides. Take the hairpins fast to throw it off. |
| 50 | The Bulkhead | Train Speed lets you catch it. It has no armour, so fast fire kills it. |
| 60 | The Standard | Chain jumps hit Leaders and Spitters in the pile. Armour and Train Health take the spit. |
| 70 | The Courser | Keep firing as it runs. It takes the most damage when it staggers after a charge. Keep moving: the lava never stops. |
| 80 | The Cairn | Machine Guns cannot reach it. Change your speed to get out of each red circle. Reach 85% of the track and it gives up. |
| 90 | The Tide | Chain jumps keep the Shamblers down while you dig. |
Test result (main, configHash 8d9f7db2). Bots that follow this guide exactly cleared all 10 boss rungs, on all 3 test seeds. The lowest train health was 58%, at rung 10. The Machine Guns did the most damage to the boss at every rung where the boss took damage. At rung 10 the Harrower stayed out of range and took no damage. Budget refit (2026-10-20): the bots in the test now hold about twice a typical player's gold. Rerun at rungs 10, 20 and 30, every rung still cleared on every seed. The lowest train health at rung 10 is now 57%; at rungs 20 and 30 it stays at 100% or more.
Glass Cannon
Damage. Crits stack and Void marks. Each hit is huge.
- Gun: Machine Guns and Lasers, half of each.
- Core: Void. See Guns, Cores & Elements.
Buy first
- Projectile Damage most of all.
- Then Attack Speed and % Projectile Damage.
- Then an even share of Crit Chance, Crit Damage, Gun Mounts, Train Health, Armour, % Armour and Train Speed.
- Buy a little % Crit Damage, and some % Train Health.
By the end (rung 100)
| Track | Level |
|---|---|
| Projectile Damage | 595 |
| Attack Speed | 560 |
| % Projectile Damage | 564 |
| Crit Damage | 536 |
| % Crit Damage | 514 |
| Train Health | 573 |
| Armour | 566 |
| % Armour | 545 |
| % Train Health | 552 |
| Crit Chance | 20 |
| Train Speed | 20 |
Guns and Core: 12 legendary Machine Guns and 12 legendary Lasers, and the Void Core at level 20.
Timeline
- Rung 1: you start with one Machine Gun.
- Rung 2: Lasers and Machine Guns start to arrive, in turn.
- Rung 8: research the Void Core.
- Your Machine Guns and Lasers step up: uncommon at rung 5, rare at 10, epic at 20, legendary at 30.
- The Void Core gains a level every 5 rungs after you research it.
The bosses
| Rung | Boss | How this build wins |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Harrower | In the test it stays out of gun range at rungs 10 and 100, so you outrun it. Its kick takes a share of your maximum health, so % Armour matters here. |
| 20 | The Windlass | Lasers drain it while the guns crit. Armour and % Armour take the Burster blasts from behind. |
| 30 | The Brood-Mother | You cannot kill her. This build hits hard enough to break eggs near the train. Live through the repair on Train Health. |
| 40 | The Reacher | Your guns fire at it while it rides, and crits take it down. Take the hairpins fast to throw it off. |
| 50 | The Bulkhead | Train Speed lets you catch it. It has no armour, so crits kill it fast. |
| 60 | The Standard | Crits kill Leaders as they arrive. Armour and Train Health take the spit. |
| 70 | The Courser | Crits hit it hard when it staggers after a charge. Keep moving: the lava never stops. |
| 80 | The Cairn | Your guns cannot reach it. Change your speed to get out of each red circle. Reach 85% of the track and it gives up. |
| 90 | The Tide | Big hits keep the Shamblers down while you dig. |
Test result (main, configHash 8d9f7db2). Bots that follow this guide exactly cleared all 10 boss rungs, on all 3 test seeds. The lowest train health was 58%, at rung 10. The guns did the most damage to the boss at rungs 20, 40, 50 and 80. At rungs 10 and 100 the Harrower stayed out of range and took no damage, and at rung 70 the Courser lost almost none of its health. Budget refit (2026-10-20): the bots in the test now hold about twice a typical player's gold. Rerun at rungs 10, 20 and 30, every rung still cleared on every seed. The lowest train health at rung 10 is now 57%; at rungs 20 and 30 it stays at 99% or more.
Bulwark
Survival. The train is the weapon: armour, reflected damage and the ram. The guns back it up.
- Gun: Machine Guns only. They stop at rare.
- Core: Earth. See Guns, Cores & Elements.
Buy first
- Armour most of all.
- Then Train Health, % Armour, Projectile Damage and % Projectile Damage.
- Then an even share of % Train Health, Attack Speed, Train Speed, Ram Damage and % Damage Reflected.
- Buy a few Gun Mounts, and some Health Regen.
- Fill Tenacity early: all 20 levels by rung 5. It is cheap, and it cuts slows and stuns, so the run does not drag.
By the end (rung 100)
| Track | Level |
|---|---|
| Armour | 590 |
| Train Health | 587 |
| % Armour | 559 |
| Projectile Damage | 581 |
| % Projectile Damage | 561 |
| % Train Health | 548 |
| Attack Speed | 539 |
| Ram Damage | 566 |
| Health Regen | 196 |
| Train Speed | 20 |
| % Damage Reflected | 20 |
| Tenacity | 20 |
Guns and Core: 24 rare Machine Guns, and the Earth Core at level 20.
Timeline
- Rung 1: you start with one Machine Gun.
- Rung 2: more Machine Guns start to arrive.
- Rungs 2-5: fill Tenacity, 5 levels a rung.
- Rung 6: research the Earth Core.
- Your Machine Guns step up to uncommon at rung 5 and rare at rung 10. They stop there.
- The Earth Core gains a level every 5 rungs after you research it.
The bosses
| Rung | Boss | How this build wins |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Harrower | In the test it stays out of gun range at rung 10. Take its kicks on Armour and % Train Health and drive on. By rung 100 your guns reach it. |
| 20 | The Windlass | Armour and Train Health take the Burster blasts. Reflected damage and the guns wear the Windlass down. |
| 30 | The Brood-Mother | You cannot kill her. Live through the repair on Armour and Health Regen. |
| 40 | The Reacher | Health Regen heals you between throws. Reflected damage hurts it while it rides. Take the hairpins fast to throw it off. |
| 50 | The Bulkhead | Train Speed lets you catch it. It has no armour, so the guns finish it. |
| 60 | The Standard | Armour, Train Health and Health Regen take the spit for the whole repair. |
| 70 | The Courser | Ram Damage fits the Ram Prow. Keep at least 60% of your top speed and you win the collision. Tenacity makes each kick shorter. Armour does not stop the lava: keep moving. |
| 80 | The Cairn | Armour takes the blasts. Change your speed to get out of each red circle. Reach 85% of the track and it gives up. |
| 90 | The Tide | Armour and Train Health take the bites while you dig. |
Test result (main, configHash 8d9f7db2). Bots that follow this guide exactly cleared all 10 boss rungs, on all 3 test seeds. The lowest train health was 61%, at rung 10. The Machine Guns did the most damage to the boss at every rung where the boss took damage. At rung 10 the Harrower stayed out of range and took no damage. At rung 100 the guns took a quarter of its health. Budget refit (2026-10-20): the bots in the test now hold about twice a typical player's gold. Rerun at rungs 10, 20 and 30, every rung still cleared on every seed. The lowest train health at rung 10 is now 61%; at rungs 20 and 30 it stays at 100% or more.
Deep Freeze
Time. Ice slows, Lasers drain, and the train outruns what is left.
- Gun: Lasers. Two Machine Guns stay on the train.
- Core: Ice. See Guns, Cores & Elements.
Buy first
- Train Speed most of all.
- Then % Armour, Range, % Projectile Damage, Damage over Time and % Damage over Time.
- Then an even share of Ram Damage, Attack Speed, Gun Mounts, Train Health and Armour.
- Fill Tenacity early: all 20 levels by rung 5. It is cheap, and it cuts slows and stuns, so the run does not drag.
Skip Projectile Damage. It only helps the two Machine Guns. The Laser drain grows with Damage over Time and % Damage over Time.
By the end (rung 100)
| Track | Level |
|---|---|
| % Armour | 559 |
| % Projectile Damage | 560 |
| Ram Damage | 572 |
| Attack Speed | 546 |
| Train Health | 576 |
| Armour | 569 |
| Damage over Time | 565 |
| % Damage over Time | 553 |
| Train Speed | 20 |
| Range | 20 |
| % Train Health | 555 |
| Tenacity | 20 |
Guns and Core: 22 legendary Lasers and 2 common Machine Guns, and the Ice Core at level 20.
Timeline
- Rung 1: you start with one Machine Gun.
- Rung 2: your first Laser arrives. Start to buy the Damage over Time tracks now.
- Rungs 2-5: fill Tenacity, 5 levels a rung.
- Rung 4: research the Ice Core.
- Your Lasers step up: uncommon at rung 5, rare at 10, epic at 20, legendary at 30.
- The Ice Core gains a level every 5 rungs after you research it.
The bosses
| Rung | Boss | How this build wins |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Harrower | It stays out of Laser range. Ice slows it, Train Speed outruns it, and Armour takes its kicks. |
| 20 | The Windlass | Tenacity makes each stake stop shorter. The Lasers barely dent it, so outlast it. Keep your speed up when it lets go, or it hooks on again. |
| 30 | The Brood-Mother | You cannot kill her. Ice slows the hatchlings. Live through the repair on Armour. |
| 40 | The Reacher | Your top speed lets you throw it on every hairpin. The Lasers barely dent it, and Armour slows its drain. |
| 50 | The Bulkhead | This build has the speed to keep up with it. Stop and repair each smashed track. |
| 60 | The Standard | Ice slows the pile at the far end of the bridge. Armour takes the spit. |
| 70 | The Courser | Ram Damage fits the Ram Prow, and your speed wins the collision. Tenacity makes each kick shorter. Keep moving: the lava never stops. |
| 80 | The Cairn | Your guns cannot reach it. Change your speed to get out of each red circle. Your speed gets you to 85% of the track, where it gives up. |
| 90 | The Tide | Ice slows the Shamblers. Armour holds while you dig. |
Test result (main, configHash 8d9f7db2). Bots that follow this guide exactly cleared all 10 boss rungs, on all 3 test seeds. The lowest train health was 18%, at rung 30. No boss lost any real share of its health to this build at any rung: it wins by surviving and out-running. At 20 and 50 the Machine Guns did more damage than the Lasers; at 40, 70, 80 and 100 it was bleed. Budget refit (2026-10-20): the bots in the test now hold about twice a typical player's gold. Rerun at rungs 10, 20 and 30, every rung still cleared on every seed. The lowest train health at rung 10 is now 57%; at rungs 20 and 30 it stays at 93% or more.
At rung 100
Bosses come every tenth rung, from rung 10 to rung 90. At rung 100 the Harrower comes back. Use the same plan as at rung 10. In the test, the Stormchain and Bulwark guns reach it at rung 100, but not at rung 10.