block-hail

Hail is a long-range artillery turret that fires small shells at ground enemies from great distances. It is designed to engage single, often bulky or evasive targets rather than spray down large swarms; its projectiles travel over intervening blocks and land to deal area damage on impact. Hail accepts multiple ammo types (Graphite, Silicon, Pyratite), each altering its behavior and effectiveness, and it can be cooled to increase rate of fire.

Graphite ammo is the simplest and easiest to supply, dealing 33 area damage with a 2.3-tile radius, a 0.8 knockback, and a 2× ammo multiplier; it is notable for being cheap and produced without power (via the Graphite Press) but gives the lowest DPS. Silicon ammo deals the same base 33 area damage and radius but provides a 3× ammo multiplier, a +20% fire rate when loaded, homing capability, and the same knockback—this increases practical DPS (to about 39.6 DPS per shell base rate) and improves effectiveness versus fast targets, though Silicon production can slow down unit manufacturing. Pyratite ammo offers the highest damage: 45 area damage with a 2.3-tile radius, 0.8 knockback, incendiary burning (~12 seconds), and a 4× ammo multiplier, making it the most ammo-efficient and best for sustained damage (especially synergistic with oil on maps like Waves and Tsunamis).

Hail’s stats have changed across versions: its build time and fire rate were tweaked in earlier updates, range was slightly increased in 7.0, and ammo multipliers and area values for Silicon and Pyratite were adjusted (notably Pyratite’s multiplier increased and its area damage raised to 45). Cooling mechanics were altered across patches—coolant consumption and fire-rate bonuses for Shallow Water and Pooled Cryofluid have been modified multiple times—so exact cooldown values should be checked in your current build.

Practical notes and tactics:

• Use Hails to pick off high-health, evasive units (for example, Risso) at long range; their single-target precision makes them strong against bulky enemies where splash turrets struggle to apply steady damage.
• For maps with guarded resources (such as Titanium guarded bases on Fungal Pass), Hails can serve as an alternative to Ripple for applying constant, long-range damage—though this approach is less effective if the enemy base also fields Hails.
• Choose ammo to suit your needs: Graphite for easy supply and basic coverage; Silicon for improved fire rate and homing against fast movers; Pyratite for maximum damage and incendiary effects.
• Hail’s shells travel over blocks and cannot hit flying targets; flares (flying units) can bypass Hail fire, making them a counter—be mindful of accompanying anti-air like Scatters.
• Since all Hail ammo lines use Coal in their production, attacking supply chains may cause fires that early bases can struggle to manage.
• Against bases with area-damage installations or long-range reconstructions (for example, the Multiplicative Reconstructor enabling Fortresses to outrange Hails), consider complementing Hails with other turret types (Arc, Lancer, or Minke in some layouts) to handle swarms or to avoid being outranged.
• Cooling with water or cryofluid boosts Hail’s fire rate significantly, but coolant consumption and bonus values have changed over time—balance coolant usage against logistics.

Hail’s name refers to solid precipitation; similarly, its shells arc and land to damage the ground beneath them. Its current sprite was created by Snake#2132.