Boom Karts is the latest racing game from Fingersoft, the mobile game developer behind the classic physics-based racing title, Hill Climb Racing. Despite the plethora of kart racing games out in the mobile gaming market, Fingersoft’s Boom Karts offers a perfect mix of the usual mechanics and features that fans of the genre love and enjoy as well as its own dash of unique elements.
As far as the basics of any mobile racing game go, Boom Karts provides tight controls and excellent handling, making it a newbie friendly racing game anyone can get easily hooked on. There are plenty of cars to unlock and collect, and each one can be customized and upgraded as well. The tracks are pretty memorable and challenging, almost ensuring that every player will have a favorite one over a series of races. Beyond wits and driving skills, your performance in every race is also dependent on how you utilize the array of power up items at your disposal.
As much as the controls and mechanics in Boom Karts have been simplified to cater to a wider range of audiences, there are plenty of concepts and strategies to be learned. The in-game tutorial will certainly bring you up to speed as far as the basics go and there are plenty of lessons to be learned from first-hand racing experience as well.
If you have just started playing Boom Karts and needs a boost to learning all the basics, or if you have been hooked into it for quite some time and still in search for more tips and strategies, our Boom Karts beginner’s guide has all you need to know to start racking up wins across all races!
1. Stack Up On Race Mode Chests
Your first few minutes in the world of Boom Karts will drop you right into a series of races as part of the tutorial session. While the earlier races will have chests that unlock quickly, the subsequent chests you earn from further participation in race mode will take at least 3 hours to open. Given that you only have 4 slots to stack chest rewards and that you can only proceed to start unlocking them one at a time, it is best to always keep your chest slots full as much as possible.
The race mode can actually grow to become the more challenging game mode in Boom Karts as you will have to compete against real players with varying skill levels and strategies. It may happen that you will not consistently earn chest rewards one race after another but ensuring a steady flow of resources you constantly need is as important as the experience you get out of the racing experience itself.
Related: Boom Karts Ultimate Kart Guide: Every Kart Detail, Build and Strategy You Need to Know
There is and will always be more experienced and better drivers to face off against in race mode but do not let that stop you from attempting to have a full rack of chests to unlock. Be sure to unlock one and start the timer from counting down.
2. Spend Time In Adventure Mode
The other game mode in Boom Kart will pit you against AI opponents as you make your progress in Adventure Mode. This mode holds a different set of challenges on its own and even squeezes in 3 objectives for you to accomplish for each race.
As it may take a shorter span of time for your chest slots to be filled with rewards to be unlocked early on, continuing to play Race Mode while all your chest slots are occupied will no longer earn you new chests. Although there are still points to earn for the current season from extra races within Race Mode, it is best to try and earn more chests through accomplishing objectives in Adventure Mode.
Adventure Mode will have you race through practically the same set of race tracks that you will compete in on Race Mode. In this sense, you will get more practice on each stage that will eventually improve your performance on other races later on.
One important point to consider is that the chest rewards you obtain from Adventure Mode do not have countdown timers and the rewards will automatically be received. Note that the rewards you earn are dependent on the completion of the stage objectives.
3. Take Advantage Of Every Boost Opportunity
Different choices for karts as well as different setups for which parts to upgrade and use in accordance to your racing strategy can spell the difference between victory and defeat. There are skills to master within the race track as well and luck can also be a factor to consider every step of the way.
While earning first place in every race you participate in can be a product of strategies, skills, and luck before and during the race itself, grabbing evey opportunity available for you to keep up with the pack or stay ahead of them can also largely depend on how you utilize and execute boosts.
Similar to most kart racing games, Boom Karts provides players plenty of opportunities for you to earn boosts within each race. Regardless of your kart choice and build, each boost you activate will make your kart run faster than all other karts for a second or so. Of course, these opportunities are open to every other racer as well and the one who grabs boosts consistently and executes it well certainly has more open chances to place first at the end of the final lap.
The first boost opportunity you need to master is the starting line boost. It is actually great for Boom Karts to include this mechanic in the tutorial session as most other kart racing games consider it as a hidden mechanic. As a plus as well, you have a visible tachometer (revolution counter) that makes it much easier to time the boost right.
When you rev your engine at the starting line, keep the tachometer gauge within the green area. It does not matter when you start to rev so long as the meter is in the green zone once the racing lights count down to zero. Of course, if there are other karts ahead of you, planning on a route to take to avoid bumping into them should automatically come to mind.
There are plenty of boost strips scattered across the race track. These are arrow-shaped panels you can see on the ground with flashing lights and are actually difficult to ignore. Running through each one gives you a quick speed boost as well and can help you overtake or outrun opponents in numerous circumstances.
As much as we usually recommend players to keep their eyes ahead of the track in many arcade games, what we would recommend for Boom Karts is for you to memorize the locations of the boost pads on each track. It will certainly take a lot of time and effort to do so but is guaranteed to pay off in the long run.
There are 2 different types of nitro boosts you can get as well from the item boxes on the race track. Although in most cases, you might prefer or wish you chanced upon another item, the advantage of these nitro boosts can come in handy as you can hold on to them until the specific spot where to take most advantage of them comes up. The blue nitro can only be used once for a quick boost but the red one provides a short period of time within which you can go for another boost.
4. Master The Drifting Techniques
Relative to the boost opportunities we discussed above, one of our favorite features in Boom Karts relate to the speed boost you can activate following a successful drift. Turning a little sharply on curves along the race track will always initiate a skid unless you are not going fast enough, and what follows is a burst of speed depending on how you pull off the drift and execute the alignment. It can be a tricky feat to consistently pull off with best results for newbies, but some practice and patience will certainly get anyone there.
For starters, what you need to do while drifting is to swerve on the opposite direction to end the rift, realigning your kart to face straight ahead will trigger the speed boost. Another detail you have to pay some attention to is the color of the sparks on your wheels as you continue to execute a drift. Your tires will initially show blue sparks at the start of your drift, which will soon turn yellow, and finally glow purple.
As the purple boost is the most powerful of the 3, you would naturally want to attempt to release your drift once the sparks turn purple. It can be a little tricky, though as the purple color only lasts for a while and will revert back to yellow if you drift too long. Different tracks with different kinds of turns within it will test your timing and precision as you attempt to activate a drift from a purple spark.
For starters, initially focus on mastering the art of executing a drift once sparks appear. Regardless of the spark’s color, even the slightest boost consistently performed every after drifting will be of great advantage to you.
Another important detail to take note of are zigzags on the track or any sector where you have to immediately turn the opposite direction after a turn. If you are already drifting, you can continue to do so by holding the opposite direction quickly while drifting.
The timing to execute this will be even more challenging for beginners and may take a lot of practice to consistently execute. Otherwise, if you already have a purple spark at the end of the initial turn, then you can initiate a boost and drift immediately for the succeeding turn.
5. Grab As Many Lightning Bolts On The Track As You Can
One of the unique elements that add more excitement to every race you engage in Boom Karts come in the form of the lightning gauge at the upper left side of the screen. There are plenty of lightning bolts scattered across each race track and grabbing these bolts will add energy to the lightning gauge. The lightning gauge is basically tied up to your kart’s maximum speed, regardless of which kart you drive. Having more energy or charge on your lightning meter increases your top speed more as well.
Similar to our earlier tip relative to the speed boosters found on certain areas or sectors of each track, simply keeping your eyes ahead of the course may not be enough to fully take advantage of these opportunities for you to earn more speed. These lightning bolts to grab will always be on the same spot and, as such, memorizing where each one appears as well as the maneuvers you need to execute to nab as many of them as you possibly can.
6. Get To Know Each Power Up Well
The constant source of excitement and mayhem within the race tracks are attributable to the host of weapons you can grab from the item boxes scattered across the course. The items you can get are randomized to some extent, squeezing in an element of luck to each race you partake in. Despite not always getting the items you would want or need, though, knowing full well how each one works and how to utilize them as best as you can will naturally make each item grab an opportunity for you to have an edge against everyone.
One of the most basic concepts revolving around these weapon boxes is that when a racer grabs one, it takes a short while for the replacement to pop up. With this, it becomes a necessity for you to not tail any racer closely as you may miss nabbing an item for yourself. Beyond the usual weapon boxes that appear across all lanes within the track, there are also unique locations or areas within the course that holds extra item boxes that can be a bit more challenging to grab.
A common item you will be familiar with is the bomb that you can toss forward and will explode on impact. Note that this bomb will travel on a straight line so use them only on straight paths for the most part. You can detonate these bombs at will by pressing the item button again. You may also grab a trio of bombs that can be tossed separately. These bombs cannot be manually triggered to explode, though.
Another item you will grow very familiar with in just a couple of places is the bar of soap. This can be dropped behind you and any opponent who runs across it will spin out of control. Most beginners may find this item a bit lame with a mindset that it can be easily dodged.
Leaving it on tight and dangerous spots like the end of a ramp or a critical area in a turn makes it very effective, though. Another trait of the soap bar is that it can also serve as an added protection for you in case an enemy from behind fired up a projectile targeted at you. The soap bar can stop the projectile if placed in its way.
The Tesla is our favorite item choice especially when playing defensively. If you have played numerous other kart racing games before, then you should already know that taking the lead puts you in a lot of danger and it will often be a challenge to maintain the lead position across several laps.
The tesla generates a wave of energy around your kart, which can impact other racers and destroy their held items as well. Beyond that, the tesla is the perfect defense tool that can wipe out all other projectiles coming in from behind as well as the ones ahead that you cannot dodge.
There are also 2 types of rockets you can obtain from the item box. The more common one is the red one, which locks on the racer ahead of you and chase him or her down and explodes on contact. The blue rocket works very much the same except it will only target the racer in first place. If you are on fifth place, for example, firing a blue rocket will have it pass through the fourth, third, and second placers and will only explode after catching up to the race leader.
The dynamite is essentially a combination of the soap and bomb. You basically leave it on the track from behind you and can be detonated by hitting the item button a second time. The explosion radius of the dynamite is bigger than that of the bomb so if timed right, can definitely deter whoever is tailing you from behind.
The lightning bolt gives you a boost on your lightning meter, effectively speeding up your kart. Unless your lightning meter is full, there really is no point in saving this item for later.
There are rare weapons in Boom Karts that you will never be able to obtain from the item boxes if you are on the upper half of the racing ranks. Being dead last tremendously increases the probability of securing these rare weapons.
The first one is the chili, which gives you invulnerability and extra speed for a set period of time, much like the star in Super Mario Kart. The other is a remote control, which is also comparable to the lightning weapon in Super Mario Kart and zaps all other racers in the track making it easier for you to catch up and overtake a lot of them.
7. Choose The Right Power Ups To Invest In
Boom Karts currently holds 7 different karts to unlock and upgrade. Each one comes with a unique set of 8 parts that you can upgrade using duplicate copies of the cards as well as some coins. Beyond the different stats that each kart comes with by default, a lot of the upgradable parts can boost those stats as well as provide different buffs.
Most especially early in your kart racing career, earning coins will not be as easy. You will receive a lot of it from races, chests, and even as rewards from season milestones, but the increasing costs of upgrades can quickly diminish your supply of it.
Another point to consider is that you can only equip 3 parts at a time. As you may acquire a lot of duplicate cards for your first kart, you will most certainly be inclined to purchase upgrades to your heart’s content. Keeping the 3-parts rule in mind, however, you should already decide on which 3 parts work best for you before you consider upgrading any of them.
Some parts may take more time to unlock and find cards of but you can already tap on their icons to know what they do even before you unlock them. If you peak into what each part does, you can basically categorize them into 2 groups. Some parts offer permanent buffs while others have certain conditions that needs to be met first. The lightning rod, for example, will always increase your pick up range for lightning bolts while the aerodynamics will only boost your kart’s speed if you are not in first place.
As much as we prefer a trio of unconditional buffs for our setup, we believe that different part combinations suit different players. In this sense, pick your top 3 parts to begin with and only invest in a fourth one once you feel the need to try a different combination out.
8. Take On Challenges And Claim Freebies
Beyond the instant rewards you can obtain for winning races and securing trophies for the season, Boom Kart provides additional means for you to earn more chests for actively racing. There are free chests to claim each day and there are some extra ones you can earn as well through completing challenges.
From either the shop or the garage, you can claim 1 free chest daily and grab 5 free more thru watching 15 to 30-second video ads. Spamming on those ad boosts is a good way of taking a break from races, especially when you have a full set of 4 chests waiting to be opened and any reward you get out from each chest will certainly help you progress faster in your kart racing career.
On the main page, you may notice a chest icon at the left side of the screen with a bar underneath it. Tapping on this icon opens up the challenges. Accomplishing any challenge will earn you chests and completing 10 challenges serve as the main challenge, granting you another chest upon completion. This is the window where you can claim daily gifts as well so be sure to visit it daily.
There are plenty of exciting things to do in Boom Karts like customizing your driver and kart as well as participating in custom races. As much as there are more than enough content to offer now, we are fairly confident that more features will be added in the future as well.
And that concludes or Boom Karts beginner’s guide. We surely hope that the simple tips and strategies we shared has opened your eyes to potential improvements on your subsequent races. If you happen to stumble upon something we have yet to uncover ourselves, fill us in on your own tips, tricks, and strategies and don’t hesitate to share them below!