Heavy Weapons: Silos, Nukes, Ion Cannon, and Shields

Heavy weapons are the late-game tools that change a front without marching a normal army. Silos and nukes punish fixed positions, the Ion Cannon answers incoming threats or damages hostile stacks, and the Shield Generator can buy a colony time against squad arrivals. They are powerful, expensive, and easy to waste if you ignore their timing rules.

Unlocking the systems

Heavy weapons come from high-level structures:

• Missile Factory / War Factory level 5 unlocks silo outposts and nukes.
• Colony Radar level 5 unlocks Ion Cannon fire.
• Intelligence Center level 5 unlocks the Shield Generator.

The unlock is only the first gate. Silos still need a real silo outpost, nukes still need arming time, the Ion Cannon still needs Energy, and shields still need charge.

Silos and arming nukes

A silo is an upgraded outpost role. To arm a nuke, the silo must be eligible and settled with 24 control ticks. Arming costs 500 Metal and takes 24 ticks. If the silo is captured while arming, the arming process aborts and the new owner has to start from their own control and arming state.

A silo can only support the current active nuke lifecycle attached to it. If a nuke is arming, armed, or in flight from that silo, resolve that state before trying to use the same silo again.

A silo does not hide its progress. Anyone who can see the silo through radar can read its state on the map: dormant, arming (the warhead is counting down), or armed (ready to launch). That cuts both ways. You get early warning when an enemy arms a nuke near you, and they get the same warning about yours, so treat an armed silo as a visible threat rather than a surprise.

Launching nukes

A launched nuke can target a colony or outpost. Launching costs 25 Energy plus Oil based on travel time: 10 Oil per ETA tick. The ETA is clamped between 6 and 24 ticks. You can also hold a launch and delay the nuke's departure by up to 24 ticks, which lets you line a strike up with a squad arrival or an ally's nuke instead of firing the instant it is ready. Nukes cannot be recalled like squads, but the owner can self-destruct an in-flight nuke before impact.

Jamming and lockdown can stop launch windows. Jamming a silo blocks silo launch capability for the jam duration. Lockdown blocks outgoing movement and nuke launch from the locked target.

Nuke impact and radiation

When a nuke lands, it damages the target but does not simply erase every unit:

• It kills 10% of units at the target.
• Surviving units are floored at 1 HP, not killed below that floor by the impact rule.
• A colony target loses 10% of workers.
• An upgraded outpost target downgrades to a normal outpost and has its control ticks reset.
• Planted agents at the target are killed.

Radiation follows the impact. Colony radiation lasts 3 to 6 ticks; outpost radiation lasts 6 to 12 ticks. Radiation stacks up to a visible 72 tick counter and deals 1 HP damage per tick without dropping units below 1 HP.

Ion Cannon

The Ion Cannon costs 250 Energy to fire. It can be used defensively or offensively:

• Fire at a hostile incoming squad aimed at your own or same-alliance holding to delay it by 1 tick and floor affected units at 1 HP.
• Fire at a hostile incoming nuke aimed at your own or same-alliance holding to destroy it.
• Fire at a hostile silo to destroy its armed pre-launch nuke.
• Fire at hostile stationed colony or outpost units to damage 10 random units, floored at 1 HP.

Ion defensive authority comes from current same-alliance membership. Private relation labels do not grant it.

Shield Generator

The Shield Generator protects colonies from hostile squad arrivals. Charging costs 50 Energy per 3 ticks of shield time, and the allowed charged durations are 3, 6, 9, or 12 ticks. Only one active shield per owner can run at a time.

Charging alone does not protect you. The shield must be active or auto-arm must be set so hostile arrivals get parked at ETA 1 until the shield expires or they are pulled. Friendly and support arrivals do not trigger the shield. Nukes pass through shields, and shields do not block spies, covert operations, or existing radiation.

See also

Read Structure List for unlock levels, Outposts and Camps for silo outposts, Teleport Gate for late-game mobility, Spies and Agents for planted agents and covert operations, and Jamming and Lockdown for denial counters.