Cart armor refers to the attachments players can buy from the "Cart Stuff" section of the shop and mount on the front of the cart for protection against wooden obstacles in all versions of Rail Rush, except the coin-op arcade version. (In that version, however, players can get a similar in-game power-up that provides temporary protection against nearby wooden obstacles.)
Types of Cart Armor Parts[]
There are four types of cart armor parts that can be purchased from the shop. Each type usually corresponds to each of the different kinds of wooden obstacles that one encounters.
- Grid: This attachment goes on the top part of the front of the cart, and is designed to absorb upper wooden obstacles.
- Ram: This attachment goes on the bottom part of the front of the cart, and resembles a ram attached to the front of typical locomotive steam engines. It is designed to absorb lower wooden obstacles.
- Spikes: This attachment goes on the left or right corner of the front of the cart, and is designed to absorb left or right wooden obstacles.
- Dual Spikes: This attachment goes on the front of the cart and is designed to absorb side obstacles. Non-steel attachments can absorb hits from one or two side obstacles, regardless of whether it/they is/are left or right.
Armor Material Types[]
Cart armor attachments can be constructed of three different kinds of materials. Sturdier materials are more expensive.
- Wood: A wooden armor attachment is brittle and can only withstand one hit from the corresponding wooden obstacle that it is designed to shield the player from. It is currently the cheapest material type in the game.
- Iron: An iron armor attachment is sturdier, but can only withstand two hits from the corresponding wooden obstacle that it is designed to shield the player from. After an iron attachment absorbs one corresponding wooden obstacle, the attachment will start to wiggle loose as an indication that it can only take one more hit before being shorn off.
- Steel: A steel armor attachment is indestructible and can withstand an unlimited number of hits from the corresponding wooden obstacle that it is designed to shield the player from, for as long as it is equipped. Steel armor is not for sale in the classic version and is an in-app purchase in the mobile version. However, it can be purchased with nuggets in the Worlds version.
Prices[]
| Part | Classic price | Worlds price | Mobile price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood ram | 1,500 nuggets | 1,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 1,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Iron ram | 3,500 nuggets | 3,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 3,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Steel ram | N/A | 30,000 nuggets | $1.99 |
| Wood grid | 1,500 nuggets | 1,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 1,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Iron grid | 3,500 nuggets | 3,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 3,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Steel grid | N/A | 30,000 nuggets | $1.99 |
| Wood side spike | 750 nuggets | 750 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 750 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Iron side spike | 1,500 nuggets | 1,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 1,500 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Steel side spike | N/A | 18,000 nuggets | $1.99 |
| Wood dual side spike | 1,400 nuggets | 1,400 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 1,400 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Iron dual side spike | 3,000 nuggets | 3,000 nuggets (pkg. of 3) | 3,000 nuggets (pkg. of 3) |
| Steel dual side spike | N/A | 30,000 nuggets | $2.99 |
Strategy[]
It can be helpful to players to buy iron armor in their early runs to provide insurance against mistakes that might lead to an early death. Players should leverage the fact that spikes are cheaper than rams and grids, which would prove helpful since side obstacles are difficult to avoid.
It is also helpful to know that wooden and iron armor attachments can only be destroyed after hitting one or two wooden obstacles. Armor attachments will not be lost if the player dies by crashing into barriers, colliding into hazards from other worlds or falling off a track.
Purchasing wood or iron dual side spikes can be a tempting option, as it seems to bundle left and right side spikes for one lower price. However, the lower price comes with a surprising catch: While wood or iron dual side spikes cover either side obstacle, they function as one unit and both of them will instantly break after hitting one or two side obstacle(s), regardless of their direction. For example, a wooden dual side spike would shatter altogether if it were to hit a left obstacle, and an iron dual side spike would be shorn off completely after hitting a left obstacle and then a right obstacle.
Wood and iron armor attachments are sold individually in the classic version, but in later versions, they are sold in packages of three. It would be better to have three of one attachment rather than none.
You can remove attachments that you have purchased and save them for later use by selecting a purchased attachment and clicking/tapping "Unequip". Equipped armor parts will be indicated with a green checkmark.
In the Worlds version, the steel armor parts are each sold for a significant quantity of nuggets, and are perhaps well worth buying if the player wants to make deep runs and post huge high scores. However, it would be better to raise 100,000 nuggets to buy both the Double Nuggets premium power-up and the Mega Magnet Force first, before shelling out about 90,000 additional nuggets to buy the complete steel armor set. While the steel armor parts can grant you a sense of invincibility, they can eventually make the game too easy, breaking its difficulty balance. Also, the armor may also make you forget to complete missions that require you to dodge certain obstacles. Therefore, since steel armor makes the game too easy, they are in-app purchases in the mobile version.
It is also important to remember that while armor attachments can protect the player from wooden obstacles, they cannot protect the player against hazards in premium worlds, which must be avoided at all costs.