The Dead Rails Christmas Update brings one of the biggest limited-time changes Dead Rails has seen so far. With a brand-new Frost Bite game mode, multiple unlockable classes, a special train, and a gifting-based progression system, this update focuses heavily on co-op play, survival pressure, and seasonal rewards. Below is a complete breakdown of everything added in the 12/20 Christmas update and how it all connects together.
Dead Rails Christmas Update – Frostbite Mode, 3 New Class
New Game Mode: Frost Bite
Frost Bite is a Christmas-themed survival mode built around a single objective: rescue Santa before the rails run out.
Players board the Christmas Train and travel toward an Outlaw Town where Santa has been captured. Along the tracks, presents spawn naturally and drop random loot, giving consistent resupply throughout the run and making exploration worthwhile instead of rushing straight to the end.
During the journey, players can encounter up to three Elf Villages. Each village contains caged elves that can be freed. These villages are optional, but skipping them comes with serious consequences.
If a village is skipped, a blizzard is triggered. The train becomes frozen in place, stopping all forward progress. While frozen, waves of werewolves and zombified elves will continuously spawn. The blizzard only ends once every enemy is defeated, forcing combat instead of allowing players to avoid risk.
At the final destination, the mode escalates into a multi-stage ending:
- Players fight through Outlaws guarding the town
- Santa must be rescued from captivity
- Krampus Prime appears as the final boss
If elves were freed earlier in the run, they will join the final fight as allies, making earlier decisions directly affect endgame difficulty.
Completing Frost Bite Mode rewards players with exclusive class unlocks and seasonal progression.
New Train: Christmas Train
The Christmas Train is designed specifically to support Frost Bite runs but can also be used outside the mode once unlocked.
It features a base speed of 80 meters per second, making it one of the faster trains available. The defining feature is the second furnace located at the rear of the train. When fuel is placed into this furnace, it spawns a present, effectively converting fuel into bonus loot.
This train can be obtained in two ways:
- Purchasing Christmas Bundle #2 for 499 Robux
- Buying it directly using 300 Bonds
The second furnace mechanic makes the train especially valuable for longer runs and co-op play where fuel is plentiful.
New Class: Santa Class
The Santa Class is the main progression reward tied to Frost Bite Mode.
This class guarantees that the Christmas Biome will spawn in any game mode, allowing players to experience the winter environment even outside the event. It does not require a purchase and is rewarded directly for completing Frost Bite Mode, making it one of the most accessible limited-time classes in the update.
For players who enjoy biome control and seasonal farming routes, this class has long-term value beyond the event itself.
New Class: Krampus Class
The Krampus Class builds on the Santa Class concept with added utility.
It shares the same guaranteed Christmas Biome spawn effect. In addition, when the player dies, a friendly Krampus Prime spawns to assist the remaining team, providing temporary battlefield control even after death.
This class is not earned through gameplay progression. It is rewarded to players who gift content two times, tying it directly into the new gifting system.
New Class: Elf Class
The Elf Class is focused on crowd control rather than raw damage.
Players spawn with Ice Grenades that rapidly freeze enemies in place. These grenades are extremely effective during blizzards and dense enemy waves, especially against werewolves and zombified elves.
The Elf Class can be unlocked by:
- Purchasing Christmas Bundle #2 for 499 Robux
- Buying it with 75 Bonds
This class is particularly useful for co-op teams that need reliable enemy control during Frost Bite runs.
New Feature: Gifting Leaderboard
The Christmas update introduces a seasonal Gifting Leaderboard that tracks generosity rather than combat performance.
Players earn Christmas Points by gifting content to others:
- Gifting a class grants 1 point
- Gifting a train grants 2 points
These points contribute to leaderboard rankings and also tie directly into unlocking the Krampus Class. This system encourages community interaction and makes gifting a meaningful progression path rather than a purely cosmetic action.
The Frost Bite update pushes Dead Rails toward more objective-based, decision-driven gameplay. Choices made early in the run, such as freeing elves or managing fuel, directly impact difficulty and survivability later on. Combined with exclusive classes and a strong co-op focus, this event rewards planning just as much as mechanical skill.