Fusion Kart
The Fusion Kart is a co-op, tank-like vehicle that is a prominent feature in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. It appears only if either two players are playing in adjacent arcade cabinets and if they opt to play in co-op mode instead of against each other (Two-Player Co-op) or if there are 4 players playing and they wish to split into pairs (Team Battle). When a player obtains the special power-up via Item Box, an option to turn into the Fusion Kart is available. When one player from their team uses their item button in order to activate the Fusion Kart, the rear player instantly teleports to the front player, and the players' karts fuse together to form a single large kart, called the Fusion Kart. The player who activated the Fusion Kart shoots while the other player drives, in which the concept is very similar to the double kart concept from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The shooting player has an infinite number of Green Shells and can shoot in any direction, including sideways and backwards. The transformation is temporary; once the time is up, the two players split and resume driving as they were before. The shooting player faces the same direction as the driving player when the transformation ends. The Fusion Kart cannot be used by CPU players.
When playing with 4 human players in Team Battle, the Fusion Kart also has a health bar, which depletes as it takes damage. The transformation will end early if the tank's health is depleted (usually after 4 hits), in which the players will take damage.
Experience Points
By playing in Two Player Co-op or Team Battle, the player can gain experience points to upgrade their Fusion Kart. As long as the player's team finishes 2nd or above in a race after the points are tallied up (see here), the player can earn experience points. The player earns more experience points when their team wins. By earning XP, the player can gain up to six levels of the Fusion Kart. Each level requires a different amount of XP and each level fires a different item.
The list is as follows:
| Level | XP Required^ | Total XP | Item Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Green Shell |
| 2 | 20 | 20 | Green Shell |
| 3 | 40 | 60 | Black Shell |
| 4 | 80 | 140 | Black Shell |
| 5 | 120 | 260 | Tornado |
| 6 | 120 | 380 | 2 Koopa Shells |
- ^Amount of XP required to rank up to this level.
