Dead Rails isn’t all firing on werewolves with a minigun and working out the best place to stable zombie cadavers to your train, there’s a whole story hidden just under the surface, with pandemics, conspiracies, and Nikola Tesla’s brain in a jar. Our Dead Rails lore guide covers it all.
You can play Dead Rails now on Roblox. If you’d like to know about the latest developments in the game, maybe try our Dead Rails update guide.
Dead Rails Lore Guide
We’ll run over the major topics in the lore right now, and relay the different in-game texts.
The Zombie Plague Timeline
The first lore you run into in Dead Rails is actually pretty easy to find. In the lobby, and the first town you’ll run into you should find some newspapers that paint a picture of the wider state of the world. We’ve recounted each of those below.
June 21st 1899
New Illness Spreading
A new form of influenza is spreading through the nation. Health officials have reported over 1000 new cases in Texas alone. If you experience a fever, please limit your exposure to others. The long-term effects are yet to be discovered.
June 22nd 1899
Looting Across Nation
Dozens of towns in San Antonio have reported looting. Sources say that the looting is caused by the recent news that the new virus causes violent and unexplained mental effects. If you or someone you know shows symptoms, you are advised to limit exposure.
June 25th 1899
Martial Law Ordered
It has been four days since the Zombie Plague started spreading through the nation. Due to the mysterious, violent effects of the virus, President McKinley has ordered martial law to regain control. To aid efforts, visit your local recruiting station.
July 5th 1899
Cure Found!
Government officials announced today that Mexican scientists have successfully developed a treatment for the Zombie Plague. Authorities are urging all survivors to seek refuse in the capital, where the cure will be distributed. This breakthrough is expected to bring new hope to communities still grappling with the crisis.
So in short, a strange virus began spreading across the country. The virus began to cause erratic behavior and violence in sufferers. Others, unaffected by the virus, turned to looting and robbing in the chaos. Eventually, scientists in Mexico discovered a cure. This led to a dash there to receive it, or at least reach a place where the spread was controlled enough to be safe.
Nicola Tesla
If you run across the Tesla Lab, you should find some notes scattered around the building that hint at the origins of the Zombie Plague.
January 2nd 1896
Thank you for the swift development, we will order 100 barrels of the latest prototype “Agent-15”.
Note (No Date)
The whoever finds this note, my name is Nikola Tesla. My workers and I were exposed to a Bioweapon. I will have a total encephalectomy performed in order to stop the effects from spreading to my brain. Take me to the top scientists to rebuild me.
So, does this mean that the Tesla Lab was the original source of the Zombie Plague? It seems like the lab was working on something for the US government, but it got out and infected everyone. Tesla survived, in the loosest sense of the word, but getting his staff to put his brain in a jar.
Captain Prescott
You may find wanted posters depicting a certain Captain Prescott with a reward. He’s wanted for ‘deserting a post’ and ‘defecting to an enemy nation’. You’ll find him at Fort Constitution, and probably take him out, but is he as much of a bad guy as his posters claim? Some telegrams at Fort Constitution reveal the truth behind it all.
February 6th 1898
Captain Prescott, expect shipment of metal barrels with label “Agent-15” sometime today. You will hold them for 2 days before a carrier will pick them up to load them on the USS Maine.
February 16th 1898
Captain Prescott, URGENT, burn all prior telegraphs that contain “Agent-15” and/or “USS Maine”. Report when done.
February 17th 1898
Captain Prescott, URGENT, if you do not report to the chain of command, you and your company will be formally charged with desertion, cowardice, and defection to an enemy nation.
What we can take from this is that the desertion charges are… not totally accurate. Prescott never deserted or defected. He was probably already undead by the time the telegrams arrived. The Agent-15 was the same thing apparently developed at the Tesla Lab, which zombified everyone there. We feel a bit sorry for him now.