Ripple

Ripple is a long-range, 3×3 artillery turret that fires clusters of shell fragments at ground targets, capable of shooting over walls and dealing area damage. It appears in medium-threat sectors and above as both a player-buildable defensive structure and an enemy emplacement. Ripple trades a low build cost and very long theoretical range for significant inaccuracy: its projectiles tend to undershoot targets, reducing its effective maximum range to roughly 25 tiles unless corrected by Logic or direct control. Ripple cannot hit adjacent tiles because it has a death zone; it also benefits greatly from cooling, which raises its fire rate substantially.

Ripple accepts five distinct ammo types, each changing its behaviour and role:

• Graphite: Basic, easy-to-produce ammo. Each shell deals 70 area damage with a radius around 2.8–2.3 tiles depending on version history and counts as a 2× ammo multiplier in earlier builds (current implementations use the values described by the weapon’s stats). Graphite is the most supply-efficient choice and pairs well with automated production.
• Silicon: Same base area damage as Graphite but grants homing and a +20% firing rate while used; it increases accuracy against distant targets and reduces the impact of Ripple’s undershoot. Using Silicon for ammo can interfere with producing advanced units since it consumes silicon.
• Plastanium: Fires frag rounds in addition to the main shell, producing multiple smaller projectiles that boost total damage and knockback. Plastanium rounds deal high burst damage but consume plastanium quickly and are expensive to produce, impacting late-tier unit manufacturing.
• Blast Compound: Higher area damage and a larger blast radius; also inflicts the Blasted status on units it hits. It is powerful against clusters and structures but is the hardest ammo to produce.
• Pyratite: High area damage with burning effect that lasts roughly 12 seconds. Pyratite is ammo-efficient, sets structures and units on fire, and synergizes with oil/heat-based area effects.

Practical notes for use and counters:

• Ripple’s inaccuracy is its primary weakness; targets beyond ~25 tiles are frequently missed despite area damage. Silicon ammo eliminates the homing/accuracy problem by guiding shots, while Logic or direct manual control can correct aim at the cost of player attention.
• Coolant drastically increases Ripple’s fire rate; pairing Ripple with water or cryofluid cooling networks is essential for maximizing damage output.
• Ammo consumption: because Ripple fires multiple shells per shot and ammo multipliers apply, one displayed ammo item can feed several projectiles; plan supply lines accordingly (e.g., Graphite is easy to feed with Multi-Presses).
• When encountered as an enemy emplacement, Ripple is commonly supplied with Graphite or Blast Compound. It can be difficult to approach because its projectiles bypass blocks; only shielded units or segments can reliably block its shots.
• Effective counters include fast, high-DPS naval units like Risso and Minke on open-water maps, long-range snipers such as Corvus on land, or using your own Ripple placed just outside its detection band with Silicon ammo to snipe (requires precision). Flying units are immune to Ripple’s ground-targeting, though Ripples are often paired with anti-air turrets like Cyclone or Scatter to counter flyers.
• Build placement: position Ripples to cover chokepoints and waves while ensuring a steady coolant supply. Avoid relying on raw theoretical range without accounting for undershoot; cluster defenses or overlapping coverage reduces the chance that enemies slip through at extreme distances.

Ripple is one of only two turrets with five ammo types and ranks among the turrets with the longest advertised ranges. Its versatility via ammo choice and strong synergy with cooling make it a powerful artillery option when supplied and aimed properly.