Want to farm a ton of Bonds in Dead Rails without relying on teammates? The Priest Class is one of the best solo options, offering unique perks that let you survive longer, fight more efficiently, and maximize your loot. With the right strategy, you can easily walk away with 50+ Bonds per run, all while keeping risk to a minimum. My guide will walk you step-by-step through an optimized solo farming route, covering where to loot, how to fight smart, use the Priest’s perks in your favor and key locations to hit along the way!
How to Get A LOT of Bonds SOLO Using the Priest Class
The Priest Class costs 75 bonds, which is a hefty price, but it comes with some powerful perks:
- Immunity to lightning strikes (helps in stormy weather)
- Starts with two crucifixes and two holy waters (useful for zombie-heavy areas)
- Decent starting equipment for surviving solo
If you don’t have the Priest Class, the Arsonist (20 bonds) is another solid option. However, for this guide, we’ll focus on the Priest’s unique advantages and how you can use them to quickly rack up Bonds.
Preparing At Spawn & Making Your Way To Fort Constitution
To begin, make sure that you sell the gold bar at the Trading Post, then use the money to buy coal from the General Store. Grab newspapers outside the store for extra cash. If you want an early advantage, consider selling all your holy water. This will give you enough money to afford a rifle, ammo, and more coal.
The first major goal is to reach Fort Constitution. This location will provide you with your first significant batch of bonds, along with weapons and ammo.
Keep an eye out for useful locations like the Furniture Store, Doctor’s Building, Gunsmith, and Sheriff’s Office. The Doctor’s Building is especially important since you can grab snake oil if you have extra cash. Also, be on the lookout for barns, as they often have horses, which will speed up your travel time.
Moreover, defeating bandits is a great way to steal a horse, and if you find a saddle, you can also capture a wild one. Barns are the easiest place to find a free horse, which will make moving around much faster.
Looting Towns to Maximize Your Bond Gain
Recent updates have made looting towns way more profitable. Now, every town has at least one bank, which means free Bonds if you can crack the vault! Loot every bank you find, broken banks now drop Bonds, which is a huge bonus.
Clearing Fort Constitution
Before attacking the fort, make sure you have a long-range weapon, like a rifle, and a short-range weapon, like a shotgun. Snake oil is also helpful for healing during fights.
Take out the zombies carefully, then find the captain and take his key. This key unlocks the Supply Depot, where you’ll find bonds and other valuable loot.
Also, if you find it helpful, I have a guide on how to easily clear the Fort Constitution in Dead Rails!
Heading To Castle for Vampiric Knife
After clearing Fort Constitution, stock up on coal and snake oil before heading toward the Castle at the 40,000M mark.
The Vampire Knife is one of the best weapons you can get because it heals you every time you deal damage. To get it, use snake oil to move quickly inside. Lure vampires outside before fighting them to control the battlefield. A great trick is to block the castle entrance with dead vampire bodies—this prevents werewolves from escaping and overwhelming you.
Tesla Building Raid – Getting a Powerful Gun
Next, head toward the Tesla Building at the 55,000M mark. Find and assemble the werewolf parts in the machine, then survive the incoming fight. After winning, grab the special gun that drops near the machine. This gun will make the final fight much easier. Before leaving, make sure to collect any remaining bonds and loot the area.
The Bridge – How to Prepare
On your way back, collect dead zombies to use as fuel. This makes sure that your train doesn’t run out unexpectedly. Now, leave the fort at nightfall so you reach the bridge during the daytime. This will give you better visibility and an easier fight. Moreover, take out all bandits and grab any remaining bonds before moving on to the final boss fight.
Lower the bridge to start the fight. While waiting for the boss, take out any bandits that spawn. Use the Tesla gun from earlier to deal with the boss quickly. After the boss is defeated, clear out any remaining enemies to finish the run.
Final Thoughts: Bonus Tips for Extra Bonds & Efficiency On Your Runs
IMPORTANT: We also have guides for bonds farming using other classes:
Selling extra weapons is an easy way to make more money. Pick up extra guns along the way and sell them for extra cash. If you find duplicate armor pieces, like chest plates or helmets, store them and sell them later. Chest plates, for example, can sell for 75 cash.
To make your train zombie-proof, use newspapers to create a train door that zombies can’t enter unless they move sideways. At the final fort, barricade the cab, place barbed wire inside and outside, and use snake oil to heal when needed.
If you’re lucky, you can speedrun a zombie raid by using fort auto turrets to take them out quickly. If you struggle with 80K bandit raids, stock up on Molotovs or other AOE weapons to clear them out faster.
This strategy should set you up for a successful solo run in Dead Rails, earning 50+ bonds while keeping risk to a minimum. If you have any questions or tips of your own, drop them in the comments, I’d love to hear them!
