What are Power-Ups? 

If you’re new to Fun Run 3, you first want to familiarize yourself with the game's most critical aspect: power-ups. A power-up is a floating red box you can pick up during each race. 

Each box contains an item or an ability. These abilities allow you to avoid losing to that squirrel in front of you that definitely seems to be teleporting.  One of your main goals in a race is to try picking up the power-ups around the map.

I say “try” because these power-ups are frequently in hard-to-reach places. They sometimes feel more challenging to catch than lightning in a bottle, almost eerily similar. The mechanical skill required to pick up a power-up makes up most of the difficulty.

Over time, you may view these power-ups as your saving grace because they often are. But this might make you think that all power-ups are equal. And if you can just grab that one red box in front of you, you could win it all. But you would be mistaken.

Many power-ups are more valuable than others. Their uses are sometimes very situational and may fail you in the throes of desperation—very heartbreaking. In the next section, I'll discuss the variations between power-ups and their relative effectiveness.

Are some Power-Ups better than others? 

While the array of power-ups may seem tempting, like a 5-star bakery display, it's crucial to proceed cautiously, as effectiveness varies. These power-ups are categorized by colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, each tailored for specific situations where they excel. Understanding these differences is essential for optimizing your gameplay strategy."

"Within these categories, some power-up groups offer significant advantages, while others may only provide minor inconveniences. It's crucial to grasp how each power-up functions within its respective group to make informed decisions during gameplay. By leveraging this knowledge, you can enhance your gaming experience and improve your chances of success.

Although, it certainly doesn’t feel like a minor annoyance when an elite fox sends you 10 miles back with no mercy whatsoever. So, while some power-up groups are supposed to throw you off slightly, highly skilled players can turn these situations into total nightmares.

As such, consider your skill and experience level when deciding which power-ups work best. Because some power-ups are significantly easier to use than others, their practical effectiveness in-game varies.

Certain power-ups are just plain better when you know how and when to use them. They give you many great abilities, but they can also make things more complicated. So, while they can be super powerful, they might also add a bit of a challenge to your game.

More complexity means there are more aspects of a power-up that you need to master, which will take more of your time and commitment. But the payoff is extraordinary. You’ll be able to learn more about the maps, secrets, and tricks to win more games.

In the next section, I’ll go over the top 12 best power-ups in Fun Run 3, so you’ll have a clear idea of which powers will get you to that next rank and keep you coming back for more.

1. Roulette - Red (Very Powerful)

Roulette is a revolver pistol that fires a projectile bullet toward the targeted player, instantly killing them. It grants the user a short burst of speed upon firing the weapon unless the player dies before the burst goes off.

The only burst with changing colors, what more do you need?

What's Strong About Roulette:

• This power-up is a very powerful and aggressive elimination item. It gets the job done when it comes to stopping your opponents in their tracks and preventing them from leaving you in the dust.
• Roulette allows you to gain momentum and connect your moves with other power-ups throughout the map. This style provides flashy, fast-paced gameplay that your enemies may need help keeping up with.
• Roulette presents exciting opportunities for strategic advantage in gameplay, but mastering it requires considerable time and effort. Mistakes in execution can lead to extreme consequences, such as harming teammates or losing races.

What Features Roulette Has:

• Roulette’s aim mechanics feature a red, circular target reticle that moves from player to player. The reticle indicates the target the Roulette will fire at. You can see the reticle on each player's face. And also on the player icons at the bottom of your screen. 

The target reticle moves from player to player in a specific pattern. The pattern changes each time you pick up the Roulette. Beware of firing the Roulette, as the target may also be you!

• Roulette sports a burst feature that propels you forward after you’ve fired your shot. This burst allows you to gain considerable momentum and speed to zoom past your fastest enemies. That will make coming in first a cinch, huh?

Timing your shot well allows you to use your burst on a speed bump, flinging you into the air. Roulette's effectiveness hinges on timing; mistiming it can cause it to lose its burst effect. With the burst, Roulette becomes a risky but rewarding power-up, making it strong.

You can lose your burst by firing your Roulette right before you bite the dust or when you're clueless about a wall ahead, leading to a crash. These issues contribute to the high-risk, high-reward nature of the Roulette power-up.

2. Speed Burst - Yellow (Overpowered)

Speed Burst is a power-up that gives you a powerful one-second speed boost. The burst increases your running speed for a few seconds after the initial boost ends.

Three bursts in sync, how satisfying

What's Strong About Speed Burst:

• Speed Burst allows you to zoom through various map areas and gain incredible distance from your opponents. This power-up is the culprit behind those tragic moments when victory seems inevitable until a fox zooms past like a speed demon.
• This power-up allows you to collect power-ups from otherwise inaccessible places, saving valuable time. This usage of Speed Burst is why it sometimes seems like good players always have a power-up despite taking faster routes. 
• One of the worst situations in this game is getting power-ups that only hinder your opponents behind you. This scenario can repeat multiple times in a race. The Speed Burst lets you overtake opponents before encountering power-ups, ensuring effectiveness despite random power-ups.

What Features Speed Burst Has:

• This power-up boasts a supercharged jolt of speed that engulfs you in a fiery blue flame.
• Speed Burst also possesses a lingering effect that increases your movement speed temporarily.
• You will die instantly if something suddenly stops you while this power-up is active. The added risk makes Speed Burst similar to the first power-up on our list, Roulette. Players may also consider it “high-risk, high-reward.” You might call it that because of its glaring difficulty, especially for players unfamiliar with a map. 
• Speed Burst is mighty powerful and can do a lot of cool stuff. But good players can use it against you. Certain power-ups can force your character to move backward or stop altogether. And it will kill you if this happens while your Speed Burst is active.
• You must be familiar with the map you’re playing on, as you may easily crash into unfamiliar walls and objects. The mastery of movement mechanics this power-up requires makes it hit-or-miss depending on your skill level. But while Speed Burst can work against you like Roulette, its strength can never be overstated.

3. Gun - Red (Very Powerful)

The Gun is a flintlock blunderbuss that instantaneously fires a bullet at the targeted player.

When did the Blunderbuss become a long-range weapon?

What's Strong About Gun:

• The Gun is about as simple as it gets regarding power-ups. It is reliable and straightforward, killing your enemies with no strings attached. The Gun is essential for consistent gameplay.

But even though it is simple, it is still difficult to use. While it may not be as challenging as Roulette, the speed of the target reticle often surprises players. Just like Roulette, making mistakes with the gun is devastating, as it can kill your teammates and even you.

• Because of the lower speed of the Gun compared to the Roulette, it takes more time to get a shot off with the gun. But the bullet of the Gun is considerably faster than the Roulette and will hit your target instantly. Giving almost zero time for enemies to prepare for a counter.
• The Gun fires silently, leaving players unaware of its discharge and unable to react. These mechanics make the Gun a stealthy and efficient elimination tool. 
• Learning the Gun is a breeze compared to mastering Roulette. With fewer slip-ups, it's the top pick for players looking to dodge the pains of Roulette training.

What Features Gun Has:

• The Gun’s aiming mechanics are the second fastest among the power-ups in the red group.
• You can accidentally target yourself with the Gun.
• The Gun fires its shot instantly.
• It is almost impossible to react to the bullet of the Gun, as you will not be warned when a shot has gone off.

4. Lightning - Blue (Very Powerful)

Lightning summons a storm that will strike all players, killing them instantly

.

How I don’t get electrocuted is a mystery I don’t want to figure out

What's Strong About Lightning:

• Lightning is a highly potent power-up that doesn’t just kill that mean-looking black cat that whooshed past you for the 100th time. It will kill every player around you. This situation frees you up to use your following power-ups without worrying about another player trying to stop you.
• The lightning power-up has no limits to its range and can kill a player from any distance.

What Features Lightning Has:

• The lightning takes three seconds to take effect when activated. This time allows players to react and plan their counter when dealing with the lightning.
• This power-up instantly kills players and stops them in their tracks, ceasing their momentum.

5. Bounce Trap - Orange (Very Powerful)

The Bounce Trap unleashes a devastating punch that sends players backward.

Grr!

What's Strong About Bounce Trap:

• The Bounce Trap is the most annoying and rage-inducing power-ups you can encounter. For reasons of being both ridiculously overpowered and pitifully useless, depending on the situation. The Bounce Trap lets you immediately shut off any areas that sport a surefire way to gain significant distance and momentum. 
• With this power-up, you can cause players to take a slower route or redo a particular movement altogether, like climbing. The Bounce Trap can buy you an enormous amount of time and keep you safely distant from your enemies, away from menacing saw blades!
• In Clan Battles, with a teammate, you can stack your Bounce Traps with each other to send your enemies flying back multiple times in a row! Doing this almost always gets you angry face emotes on the end-game screen. Or if you’re unlucky, you’ll be the one sending them.

What Features Bounce Trap Has:

• You can only place Bounce Traps on the ground.
• Bounce Traps will disappear after a certain amount of time from their placement passes.
• Bounce Traps knock players further back depending on their elevation.

6. Bouncer - Orange (Very Powerful)

The Bouncer releases a mild punch inside a box, pushing players in multiple directions.

How is that fair!?

What's Strong About Bouncer:

• Apart from the striking resemblance in the name, the Bouncer functions very similarly to the Bounce Trap. The bouncer acts more as a minor inconvenience than a strong attack, but good strategy and experience can make this power-up game-ending. Like with the Bounce Trap, you can block off secret areas and faster paths by placing these traps in the right spots. You’re probably wondering how they’re any different if they do the same thing, right? Well, the answer lies in a tiny detail: the Bouncer floats! 
• In some map areas, you launch into the air to complete certain routes. With the Bouncer, you can cut this journey short by placing a box in the air and watching your opponents fall out of the sky like dead birds (sometimes literally).
• In some maps, hazards are on the ground below. Unlike the Bounce Trap, the Bouncer can punch players vertically, up or down. Using clever placement, you can send players into hazards.

What Features Bouncer Has:

• The Bouncer vanishes after a certain amount of time.
• Unlike the Bounce Trap, the intensity of the punch from this power-up is mild, so its basic application is more of a slight deterrent.
• A player can activate the Bouncer from four different sides. This mechanic allows you to gain distance or cause other players to lose distance. 

7. Shield - Green (Very Powerful)

Shield surrounds the user in a protective bubble, blocking all attacks or hazards.

It’s okay. Eventually, it’ll go away, eventually.

What's Strong About Shield:

• The Shield is one of the most straightforward and reliable power-ups. It simply prevents you from dying—and, often, from losing. The most substantial aspects of the Shield make themselves apparent in the Clan Battle game mode.
• In Clan Battles, you can activate your Shield and let your teammate rip their Lightning power up, killing your opponents. Since you have your Shield up, your teammate does not need to worry about affecting you.

What Features Shield Has:

• The Shield has a lingering effect that lasts 0.5 seconds. This effect returns the shield for one last clutch block when needed most.
• When active, the Shield slows you down very slightly. 
• The Shield activates instantly despite the animation portraying a delay. 

8. Phase Dash - Yellow (Powerful)

Phase Dash lets you zap through the map at breakneck speed, phasing out of reality and bypassing any attacks or hazards.

It really does seem like you can dash right through a solid wall, but you can’t!

What's Strong About Phase Dash:

• You can dash right past any traps, bullets, or environmental hazards. It only lasts about a second, which is much inferior to the duration of the shield. But it provides a serious and unique advantage since the dash also gains decent distance simultaneously.
• A unique feature of Phase Dash is its supersonic acceleration. It is the quickest-accelerating speed boost in the game.
• You can take advantage of this acceleration by using it on speed bumps. Using the Phase Dash on a speed bump will near-instantaneously shoot you forward. This movement is essentially teleportation. It is the most unique movement in the game and will definitely surprise your enemies or even your teammates!
• You can use the Phase Dash similarly to the Speed Burst. Most areas where you’d use a Speed Burst work well with the Phase Dash.
• With Phase Dash, you can pick up power-ups that are usually out of reach.

What Features Phase Dash Has: 

• Phase Dash lasts for one second.
• You can phase through multiple hazards, escaping deaths and increasing your chances of winning.
• Phase Dash sends you forward at high speeds.

9. Fiery Shield - Green (Powerful)

Fiery Shield is an orange bubble that forms around the player for three seconds when activated. This bubble protects the player from all attacks and grants a slight speed boost.

I never felt safer, but not for long…

What's Strong About Fiery Shield:

• The Fiery Shield works almost the same as the Shield. You use it to block attacks and survive contact with environmental hazards. You can avoid getting damaged by Roulette, Lightning, Shrink Ray, spikes, lava, and you name it!
• Like Shield, you can get your teammate to pop one of those enemy foxes while you’re nice and comfy in your little orange bubble. But don’t get too comfortable because this shield does not last as long as the blue one!
• The speed boost barely lets you squeak by your opponents if you’re close enough. This boost is monumental if you’re coming up to a power-up and happen to pick up a Bounce Trap. That small distance gain lets you catch that annoying squirrel with the smack of a lifetime.

What Features Fiery Shield Has:

• Fiery Shield has a speed increase of 3-5%
• The shield lasts 3 seconds.
• The Fiery Shield takes effect instantaneously, just like the standard Shield.

10. Electrocution Web - Orange (Very Powerful)

The Electrocution Web is a trap that releases a web of electricity that catches players and fries them in place for 1.5 seconds.

I’m always surprised how long I’m caught in this damn web

What's Strong About Electrocution Web:

• Electrocution Web is great for putting distance between you and a trailing opponent. Besides making you more likely to finish first, staying away from your opponents is beneficial because it decreases your chances of getting hit by their power-ups.
• You can use Electrocution Web like a Bouncer or Bounce Trap to shut down certain map areas with good trap placement. It also has the bonus of freezing your opponents for a while (although it’s closer to burning).
• Unlike the other traps on this list, you can’t jump over the Electrocution Web to avoid it. The diameter of the web is large, catching enemies, teammates, and anyone else in range.

What Features Electrocution Web Has:

• The duration of the Electrocution Web’s effect will decrease as time passes since the user placed it.
• Like most traps in Fun Run 3, Electrocution Web disappears after some time.
• Electrocution Web can affect multiple enemies.
• You can place Electrocution Web in midair.

11. Magnet - Purple (Powerful)

The Magnet yanks players backward when activated.

Sometimes, I wonder if this does anything when they’re this far away

What's Strong About Magnet:

• The Magnet is like a Bouncer but as a projectile. You can use it in much the same way you’d use some of the other traps on this list. You can pull your enemies back slightly to gain an advantage or shut down vital routes!
• The magnet can effectively negate the abilities of some of the most potent power-ups. The Roulette and the Speed Burst need freedom of movement to function well. With the magnet, you can pull the users back at the right time and interrupt them.
• If you're playing Clan Battle with a teammate, you can use the Magnet with other power-ups (some of them are on this list) to significantly enhance its impact.

What Features Magnet Has:

• The Magnet has a powerful pull that will launch players backward.
•  The effect of this power-up is delayed for a moment after the user activates it.
•  Pulling players back with the Magnet is more effective when they are airborne.

12. Blizzard - Blue (Powerful)

The Blizzard spawns a snowstorm that freezes all players in a block of ice for 3 seconds.

Kinda looks like a frozen caveman exhibit.

What's Strong About Blizzard:

• The Blizzard is distinct among the blue power-ups because of its situational nature. It can either greatly benefit you or prove frustratingly counterproductive. When this power-up works well, you can force your enemies to slide back or down into inconvenient areas.

This strategy can allow you to easily brush past enemies with a considerable lead or help further extend one you already have. But it can easily backfire, helping your enemies advance and push forward. This situation can happen due to the slide mechanic when players are frozen.

• The best part about Blizzard is the duration of its effect. It is longer than other power-ups in this color group. Blizzard allows you to regain control of a game that almost seems lost. But the duration can sometimes be a positive thing for your opponents.
• Some power-up effects may persist after the user is frozen. In Clan Battles, coordinating with your partner to activate the Blizzard and power-ups like the Roulette or Speed burst simultaneously can allow for unique plays to gain an edge over your opponents.

What Features Blizzard Has:

• Players can move when frozen by the Blizzard, but they cannot control the movements.
• Once activated, Blizzard affects other players for 3 seconds. Therefore, you should time your attack accordingly.
• Players frozen by the Blizzard are invulnerable. You can take advantage of this mechanic by allowing yourself to be frozen when approaching hazards.

Conclusion:

In wrapping up, becoming a power-up pro is the secret sauce to dominating Fun Run 3. It's all about grasping the ins and outs of each power-up, leveraging their unique strengths, and outsmarting your rivals on the track. Whether you're zipping past foes with the Speed Burst or pulling off jaw-dropping maneuvers with the Roulette, mastering these abilities is your ticket to the winner's circle. So, roll up your sleeves and let the adrenaline-fueled fun begin in Fun Run 3!

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• [Guide] Fun Run 3 How To Get Coins (Top 5 Ways)