Squad Rush door, rescues, convoys and last stands
A few times in every stage of Squad Rush, the road stops and robots rush at you. These are the big moments: the door wave, the rescue, the convoy and the last stand. In most of them a giant door helps you. Wait until the SLAM DOOR button turns yellow, then close it on the robots for bonus coins and extra power.
The four big moments
The message at the top of the screen tells you which one has started.
| Big moment | Message on screen | What to do | From stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door wave | "Hold on! Robots are coming!" | Shoot the crowd and close the door just in time | 1 |
| Rescue | "Rescue! Let your friends cross first!" | Let the gold recruits reach you, then close the door on the bots | 2 |
| Convoy | "Stay with the truck, or dodge!" | Stay behind the fire truck so it takes the strikes | 4 |
| Last stand | "Last stand! Beat the wave, then choose" | Beat the wave, then choose Escape or Another wave | 5 |
When the road moves again, the screen says "Go! Keep moving". Which moments come in which stage is on all 12 stages.
The big door
In a door wave, a rescue and a last stand, a giant door stands between you and a crowd of robots. The SLAM DOOR button appears. Press Space, A on a controller, or the button.
The door can close once per wave. It slams shut in a moment, stays shut for about two seconds, and then opens again. Every robot that runs into it while it is shut is stopped.
Watch the message next to the button:
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Wait… let the robots come closer" | Too early. If you slam now, the door opens again before they arrive. |
| "Slam now! Bonus coins + power!" | Just right. The button turns yellow. Slam it! |
| "Robots at the door! Slam it or dodge!" | Late. Slam it now or steer out of the way. |
| "Wait! Friends are still crossing!" | Rescued friends are still outside. Don't slam yet. |
After you slam, the game tells you how it went:
| Result | Coins for each robot stopped | Extra |
|---|---|---|
| "Just in time! Bonus coins + power!" | 30 | 10 seconds of extra power |
| "Door used - keep firing!" | 5 | None |
| "Door reopened" | 5, if it stopped any | None. It shows when a door you slammed too early opens again. |
The result line also says how many bots you stopped and how many coins you got, like "8 bots stopped · +240 Coins". A just-in-time door can be worth more than the whole stage reward, so it pays to wait for the yellow button.
If you don't close the door, keep shooting the crowd and dodge. The wave ends when every robot is gone, or after about 11 seconds.
Rescues: let your friends cross first
In a rescue, six gold recruits run toward you from beyond the door. Red bots come after them. The line under the message counts them: "Rescued: 2 · Gold recruits first, red bots after!"
- Every recruit who reaches you joins your squad: up to +6.
- If you close the door while recruits are still outside, they run back, and the game says how many "recruits retreated".
- So wait. When the cue changes from "Wait! Friends are still crossing!" to the yellow "Slam now!", close the door on the bots.
Convoys: stay with the truck
In a convoy the road keeps moving, and a fire truck drives ahead of you, weaving from side to side. Every second or two, a strike marks a red lane where you are.
- If you are right behind the truck when the strike lands, the truck takes it for you.
- The truck can take 3 strikes. The line under the message shows "Cover hits left: 3 / 3".
- When the truck has no cover left, dodge the red lanes yourself.
- There is no door in a convoy. It lasts about seven seconds.
Follow the truck closely and steer as it weaves. A strike the truck takes is not a hit on you, so it doesn't break the no-hit star.
Last stands: fight on or escape?
A last stand starts like a door wave. Beat the wave and you get a bonus. Then the game asks: "Fight on, or take the exit?"
- Escape (E, B on a controller): leave safely and run on.
- Another wave (R, A on a controller): fight one more wave for a bigger bonus. The door is ready again.
You have four seconds to choose. The line shows the next bonus and the time left, like "Next clear bonus: 40 · 4s". If you don't choose, you escape safely.
| Wave | Bonus when you beat it | Robot rows |
|---|---|---|
| First wave | 20 coins | 4 |
| Another wave (1) | 40 coins | 5, a bit tougher |
| Another wave (2) | 60 coins | 6, tougher still |
After the third wave there is no more choice: you run on. All three waves give 120 coins, plus the door coins. Each extra wave is bigger, so only fight on when your squad is big and strong.
Gold cages: RESCUE +4
From stage 2, gold cages with the sign RESCUE +4 stand by the road. Shoot the cage until it breaks, and four new friends join your squad. You don't need to run into it, and running past it doesn't hurt.
Cages stand on one side of the road, a little way past the 1st, 4th, 7th gate pair and so on. Steer so your shots hit the cage as you pass.
Scouts: SCOUT 8s
From stage 4, purple pads with the sign SCOUT 8s lie by the road, across from the gold cages. Run over one and a third of your squad goes scouting. You need at least 6 squad members.
- The screen says "Scouts away" and how many went. Your squad is smaller for eight seconds, so you have fewer shots.
- The line shows "Scouts returning" and the seconds left.
- The scouts come back with 4 new friends and 20 coins: "Scouts returned".
Each hit you take while they are away means one scout less comes back, but at least one always does. Only one group can be away at a time.
Should you send scouts? Yes, if the road ahead is clear and you can dodge for eight seconds. No, if a big moment or a tough robot is right ahead. The cage on the other side is the safe choice.
See also
- Robots, crates and red lanes: how to dodge red lanes.
- The Workshop, coins and stars: where all those coins go.
- Advanced tips: squeeze the most coins out of doors and last stands.
- Back to the Squad Rush guide, or play Squad Rush.
