Artillery

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Ammunition Types

Cannons

Ammunition Types

There are 4 types of ammunition (not including chain shots in naval combat) and they each have their uses.

Round Shot

Often called the cannonball, this ammunition is used in cannons and mortars. The most commonly used type of ammunition is the round shot — a solid iron ball used mostly for long-range to medium-range combat.

This ammunition is almost always used in line battles. 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.

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 but can 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 or rocketeer 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 — no need to worry 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.

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

Cannoneer Class

Cannoneers excel at manning cannons, but can turn their hands to providing rocket fire if the need arises. Can equip a ramrod to provide a +5% speed bonus to ramming.

Attribute	Value
Factions	British, French, Prussian, Russian
Traits	Cannon Specialisation
Abilities	Artillery Operator, Rocket Operator, Bayonet Handling
Equipment	Spyglass, Ramrod

Stat	Base	Bonus
Health	100	+0
Agility	80	+0
Swimming	35	+0

Weapons by Faction

Faction	Primary Weapon	Secondary
British	India Pattern Brown Bess Musket	—
French	Charleville IXXII Musket	Briquet Sabre
Prussian	Charleville IXXII Musket	1715 Pattern Sabre
Russian	Russian 1808 Musket	1796 Epee