Artillery

Artillery

Contents

On this page

Ammunition Types

Cannons

Rocket Launchers

Mortars

Swivel Guns

Environment Damage

Operating Artillery

Crew-served weapons

Artillery rewards coordination, range control, and careful ammunition choice.

Cannons, rockets, mortars, swivel guns, and naval weapons shape the battlefield by breaking lines, damaging ships, destroying defences, and forcing enemies out of position.

Key skillChoose the right ammunition and range for the target before firing.

Crew roleCannoneers reload faster and keep artillery pressure consistent.

Related pagesCannoneer, Crewmen, Naval Combat, Spawnable Props.

Ammunition Types

Artillery ammunition changes depending on the weapon that fires it, so the same selected shot can behave differently across cannons, howitzers, mortars, and naval guns.

Round Shot

Often called the cannonball, round shot is the most commonly used artillery ammunition, but its behaviour depends on the artillery piece it is loaded into.

In cannons, round shot is a solid iron ball used mostly for long-range to medium-range combat. It has the potential to wipe out entire lines due to the shot being able to pierce players and defences. It can also destroy sapper-built defences and enemy artillery. If it strikes a loaded artillery piece, the piece will blow up, which can often result in the death of the entire crew manning it.

In howitzers, round shot produces a shrapnel round with a timed fuse explosion. This is an anti-personnel shot only and does more damage when it explodes while still airborne.

In mortars, round shot produces a mortar shot which explodes on impact.

Chain Shot

Chain shot is only available in naval combat. It has a more drastic drop than round shot, but deals double damage to ship masts.

Grape Shot

Sometimes called canister shot, this ammunition is used in cannons and swivel guns. It shoots a bag of small metal pellets which can shred through any close-range infantry or cavalry.

It is used almost exclusively at short ranges due to its inaccuracy. Effective up to 50 meters, it can still be fired to 100 meters. Though not often used, it still has the potential to wipe entire lines in one shot and can be incredibly useful to a cornered cannoneer.

Long Range Shell Rocket

This ammunition can only be used inside a rocket launcher and can shoot incredibly far. They have a range of about 100-250m and explode upon impact when hitting any surface (including trees, so watch out).

When fired, they usually don't fly straight. They will swirl left and right in the air, making them inaccurate and prone to hitting trees or buildings. They are referred to as "Shell Rocket(L)" in-game.

Short Range Shell Rocket

This is similar to the long-range rocket but only useful from about 35-55 meters. It can be useful to defend artillery or friendly lines. Short-range rockets are also rumoured to have a larger explosion radius than long-range rockets.

Cannons

Cannons are the backbone of the artillery, the most versatile and most used artillery pieces. They can be loaded with either grape shot or round shot from an ammo box.

Loading & Firing

• Load: Hold the desired ammunition type and hold E on the barrel.
• Ram: When the ammunition is loaded, hold E again to ram the shot. Any class can ram, but equipping a ramrod as a cannoneer before ramming provides a +5% speed increase.
• Aim: Press E when looking at the cannon from behind, then move the barrel using WASD.
• Fire: Press Left Click or the fire button. Keep in mind that a cannoneer can override your aiming if you are firing as a different class.

Aiming a Cannon

You will only need to worry about bullet drop when firing at distances above 100+ meters. Though 100 meters isn't the maximum range (around 500 meters), it will prove difficult to find the best position to aim your cannon at extreme distances.

Moving a Cannon

If you need to reposition, press E on the wheels of an unloaded cannon. You can move up the cannon with 2 people for increased speed. Keep in mind you will probably have to move an ammo box as well. This can only be done by a cannoneer, but a sapper can build one for no material cost if available.

During the moving process, a cannoneer can override the person moving it. If 2 non-artillery classes or 2 artillery classes move the cannon at the same time, the first person who started moving it will always be favoured.

Rocket Launchers

Rockets are very unreliable as a beginner but with time can be learned and turned into a deadly long-range and short-range weapon. They can be loaded with 2 types of ammunition from a rocket stack and can hold 2 rockets at the same time (one on the left, one on the right).

What Makes Rockets Unreliable

The thing that makes rockets unreliable is their tendency to swirl left and right in the air randomly. This makes precise aiming difficult as it is nearly impossible to hit a specific target. You just have to be lucky to land a precise shot. Fortunately, the rockets will usually go to the same spot if fired from the same side of the launcher.

Key Facts

• Rockets can destroy enemy artillery and cause the same explosion that cannonballs produce on a loaded artillery piece.
• Moving: Hold E on the bucket in the front of the launcher (cannoneer only). You can move it with 2 people. Build it back up by holding E on the bucket again.
• When rocket launchers spawn, they always spawn unpacked, allowing cannoneers to move them quickly.
• Aiming rockets is best learned through practice. It will take a while to learn, but mastery can make you incredibly effective.

Mortars

Mortars are notoriously difficult to master but can shoot incredible distances (50-850 meters) and can be incredibly dangerous in the right hands. They can be loaded with round shot alone.

Advantages Over Cannons

• Rain down cannonballs on enemy encampments without worrying about walls, trees, mountains, or houses.
• The explosion of a mortar is bigger than that of a cannon.
• Shoot anyone anywhere on the map with enough precision (if they don't have a roof above them).
• You don't have to ram the shot in the mortar.
• You can destroy enemy artillery with it.

Drawbacks

• Cannot fire grape shot.
• Cannot fire closer than ~50 meters, so you can't defend yourself from close-range troops or cavalry.
• Shots take time to land.
• You cannot move a mortar, so if the map has a bad mortar spot, you're stuck with it.

Tips

• After firing, a 15-second countdown begins before you can shoot again. Use this time to observe where your cannonball landed and adjust your aim.
• Unlike rockets, mortar shots land exactly where you aim them.
• If a mortar is shot or rebuilt by a sapper after being destroyed, it will still retain its aiming position.
• Mortar effectiveness highly depends on the map.

Swivel Guns

Swivel guns are small, versatile cannons that can be built by the Sapper class. They are placed on a swivel gun stand and are most effective at close-quarters defence.

• Ammunition: Swivel guns exclusively use grape shot.
• Primary Use: They are excellent defensive tools for repelling infantry charges, such as at the top of ladders or in fortified positions.

Environment Damage

Each artillery piece deals a fixed amount of damage per hit to destructible environment objects such as sapper-built defences, palisades, and other structures. Higher numbers destroy fortifications in fewer shots.

Nations at War & American Revolution

Artillery Piece	Environment Damage
Swivel Gun	35
4 Pdr Cannon	50
9 Pdr Cannon	90
24 Pdr Cannon	150
Carronade	100
Coastal Cannon	150
Mortar	75
Field Howitzer Shrapnel	0 (anti-personnel only)
Rocket	25

Naval Guns (Age of Sail)

Ship Armament	Environment Damage
8-Gun Schooner / Gunboat 4 Pdr	50
Brigsloop / Frigate 9 Pdr	60
Frigate 18 Pdr	150
2-Gun Schooner 24 Pdr	200
Corvette / Brigsloop Carronade	150

Frontlines (WW1)

Artillery Piece	Environment Damage
Howitzer	75
Heavy Howitzer	150
Heavy Mortar	75
3-Inch Deck Gun	75
Coast Gun	300
Dreadnought	300

Key takeaways:

• The Field Howitzer's shrapnel shell deals no structural damage at all; it is purely an anti-personnel weapon.
• Rockets are poor siege weapons at 25 damage per hit. Use round shot from cannons or heavy naval guns to bring down structures.
• The Frontlines Coast Gun and Dreadnought guns are the most destructive weapons in the game against structures.
• Grenades and satchels can also damage artillery and structures (server-configurable since 5.10), and moveable artillery can be damaged with any melee weapon since 5.00.

Operating Artillery Controls

PC Controls

Action	PC Control
Interact (Mount, Load, Ram)	E
Aim	WASD (to move the barrel)
Zoom (Fine Aim)	Right Mouse Button
Fire	Left Mouse Button
Move Artillery Piece	Hold E on the wheels

Console Controls (Xbox / PlayStation)

Action	Xbox Control	PlayStation Control
Interact (Mount, Load, Ram)	X	Square
Aim	Left Analog Stick	Left Analog Stick
Zoom (Fine Aim)	Left Trigger (LT)	L2
Fire	Right Trigger (RT)	R2
Move Artillery Piece	Hold X on the wheels	Hold Square on the wheels