What Are Water Nukes in OpenFront?

Direct answer: what are Water Nukes in OpenFront?

Water Nukes in OpenFront is an optional v31 game mode in which nuclear strikes permanently convert destroyed land tiles into water. The crater becomes part of the map instead of remaining land covered by fallout.

The new water is functional terrain, so ships can use water created during the match.

In v33.5, however, the minimap can still keep the wrong depth and ocean metadata after conversion. A transport works, but its route may take a strange detour around the Water-Nuked area.

The mode is off by default. A host can enable it in the game-options panel. Public games that use it display a Water Nukes modifier badge before players spawn.

The most important defensive answer is speed. Conversion is batched after the strike. If a tile is re-conquered before the conversion check and is no longer unowned land, it can remain land.

After a tile becomes water, ordinary land expansion cannot restore it. You can still exploit the new water with Ports, transports, Warships, and trade ships where the current rules allow them.

v33.4 changes the tempo, not the conversion rule. Atom Bombs can be launched in x2/x5/xMax batches from the radial menu, or x5 by pressing 8 twice.

One Silo releases queued bombs one tick apart; separate ready Silos can launch on the same tick. That can create several small craters faster, but each impact still enters the same reclaim-before-conversion check.

Known v33.5 ship-route limitation

Do not assume that a channel’s shortest visible line is the route a transport will take in v33.5. The converted water remains navigable, but Water-Nuked minimap tiles can stay at magnitude 0 and lose their ocean flag.

The water pathfinder then charges three times the normal step cost near those tiles. It also rejects some line-of-sight smoothing, so the route can bend around the crater instead of crossing it directly.

This is a routing defect, not evidence that the crater stayed land. Before relying on a new channel for reinforcements, inspect the first transport route and keep an alternate coast or land route available.

A working but indirect route can expose the ship for longer than the map shape suggests.

Upstream Issue #4760 documents the production behavior. PR #4975 recalculates minimap ocean flags and depth after conversion.

Commit c5c7d74 is merged into main, but it is still newer than the latest formal v0.33.5 Release. Treat it as an upcoming fix until a Release includes it.

v33.4 production behavior: the route avoids much of the converted water. Source: OpenFrontIO PR #4975.

Upstream main after c5c7d74: ocean flags and minimap depth are rebuilt, producing the direct route. This screenshot does not claim the fix is released yet.

Concepts and prerequisites

Water Nukes changes terrain, not the basic price or documented blast radius of a weapon. An Atom Bomb still has inner 12 and outer 30 reach. A Hydrogen Bomb still has inner 80 and outer 100 reach.

Atom and Hydrogen Bombs are still valid SAM targets. In v33.1, the MIRV carrier is not targeted, but separated warheads follow the normal SAM trajectory and timing checks.

Launching MIRV also puts its Missile Silo on cooldown. The modifier does not turn every weapon into an unblockable strike.

The v31 release paired Water Nukes with inland-water trading. Ports, Warships, and trade ships can work on any body of water, rather than only on ocean water.

Those two changes create the strategic twist. A strike can remove territory, cut a land bridge, and also create a new naval route through land that previously blocked ships.

You need a lobby with nukes enabled and Water Nukes active. If nukes are disabled, the terrain-conversion rule has no weapon to apply to.

You also need the normal nuclear infrastructure and Gold. The option changes the outcome of a successful strike; it does not waive the Missile Silo or weapon cost.

How terrain conversion resolves

The strike first removes ownership from affected land. The game then queues eligible empty land for conversion rather than changing every tile at the first instant of impact.

At the later flush, the game checks whether each queued tile is still unowned land. Tiles that still meet that condition become water. Tiles reclaimed before that check can stay land.

The conversion also clears fallout on tiles that become water, because water does not retain land fallout. This is different from a normal crater that stays land and can be walked back over after radiation fades.

Water Nuke edges are smoother than normal ragged fallout. The documented implementation uses sampled and averaged angles to avoid scattered single land pixels around the new shoreline.

That shape matters tactically. A smoother crater is more likely to behave like a coherent water feature, while a normal blast leaves irregular land that can be recovered through land expansion.

Normal nuke versus Water Nuke

Question	Normal nuke	Water Nukes mode
What is left behind?	Land with fallout	Water on converted tiles
Can land troops reclaim it later?	Yes, after conditions permit	Only before conversion; not after it is water
Does fallout remain?	Yes, then clears	Converted water cannot hold it
What does the edge look like?	Ragged outer spread	Smoothed crater boundary
Can ships use the result?	No new water is created	Yes, if the crater connects into usable water
Does weapon radius increase?	No	No
Does SAM behavior change?	No	No

Do not read “permanent” as “the match can never use that area again.” It means the land does not return. The resulting water may become a transport route, naval battlefield, Port location, or trade path.

Weapon and defense data

Item	Cost	Documented reach	SAM interaction
Atom Bomb	750,000	Inner 12 / outer 30 tiles	Interceptable
Hydrogen Bomb	5,000,000	Inner 80 / outer 100 tiles	Interceptable
MIRV	25M + 15M per prior launch	Splits into MIRV warheads	Carrier not targeted; launch triggers Silo cooldown
MIRV warhead	Included with MIRV	Inner 12 / outer 18 tiles	Normal in-flight SAM target
SAM Launcher	First costs 1,500,000	Starts at 70 tiles, scales upward	90-tick cooldown

An Atom Bomb is the cheaper terrain-editing attempt, but its footprint is far smaller than a Hydrogen Bomb. A Hydrogen strike can reshape a broad front, yet it concentrates 5,000,000 Gold into one interceptable projectile.

A MIRV can create several smaller affected areas. Its carrier crosses SAM targeting, but separated warheads can be intercepted when their trajectories and timing allow.

Its starting cost is five times a Hydrogen Bomb, every prior launch adds another 15,000,000 Gold, and firing starts the Silo cooldown.

The correct choice depends on shape, not only damage. Decide whether you need a small breach, a wide cut, several scattered craters, or simply troop destruction.

Decide what the strike is meant to change

Before launching, name the result in one sentence. “Remove this army” is a normal nuclear objective. “Cut this corridor” or “connect this waterway” is a Water Nukes objective.

Cut a land bridge

Target the narrowest part of the bridge, not the largest troop cluster nearby. A successful conversion can separate two land areas and force future movement onto transports or another route.

Check the outer reach against both shores. A crater that stops short may remove troops without creating the separation you planned.

Open an inland naval lane

Look for land between an existing lake, sea, or crater and the interior target. The new water matters most when it joins a body of water that your naval units can already reach.

A sealed crater can still deny land, but it is not automatically a useful route. The strategic value rises when the strike creates connected water rather than an isolated pond.

Break a coastal spine

Thin coastal territory is vulnerable because one converted band can separate inland buildings from the remaining land network. Aim for the connective terrain, not merely the visible coastline.

Expect the defender to re-expand during the conversion window. A follow-up ground attack can matter as much as the projectile because ownership at the flush decides which tiles survive as land.

Create long-term denial

If the opponent relies on one compact core, a large converted crater can remove future land capacity and change approach routes for the rest of the match.

Do not spend 5,000,000 Gold on permanent denial if the target has little strategic value. Terrain conversion is strongest when the lost shape matters after the immediate troop damage.

Use a crater defensively

A Water Nuke can also remove an approach into your own position. This sacrifices land to create distance, a channel, or a new coastline that is easier to watch with naval units.

The trade is irreversible after conversion. Confirm that you are not deleting the only land route your own reinforcements need.

Step-by-step attacking plan

Step 1: confirm the modifier

Check the lobby card or game options for Water Nukes. Do not base a plan on permanent terrain change in a normal nuke match.

Also check for Nukes Disabled and SAMs Disabled. These modifiers change whether the weapon is available and whether Atom or Hydrogen strikes can be intercepted.

Step 2: trace the desired shoreline

Identify the land you want gone and the water you want connected. Use the documented outer reach as a planning boundary, not a promise that every tile inside it becomes identical terrain.

For an Atom Bomb, think in terms of outer reach 30. For a Hydrogen Bomb, think in terms of outer reach 100. The Hydrogen footprint is more suitable for broad cuts but costs far more.

Step 3: inspect SAM coverage

Atom and Hydrogen Bombs can be intercepted. A default SAM begins with 70-tile range and has a 90-tick cooldown.

If the target is covered, choose another line, remove the defense through ordinary play, coordinate multiple threats, or accept the risk. Do not assume Water Nukes bypasses the interceptor.

Step 4: prepare the exploitation force

Have the next action ready before the launch. That may be a land push to stop re-conquest, a transport route, Warships for the new water, or a Port plan once a valid shoreline exists.

A crater without follow-through gives the defender time to adapt. The best strikes pair terrain change with a unit or economic plan that benefits from the new map.

Step 5: launch and watch ownership

After impact, watch the fresh crater rather than immediately scanning elsewhere. The conversion check cares about whether tiles remain unowned.

Pressure the surrounding border if your goal is permanent water. If the defender reclaims the queued tiles quickly, part of the planned channel can remain land.

Step 6: reassess the map

Once conversion completes, treat the crater as real terrain. Check the new coast, navigable connection, nearby Ports, and routes on the minimap.

Do not keep following the pre-strike plan if the actual shoreline differs. Water Nukes changes the board, so the next decision should use the new board.

Step-by-step defensive plan

Step 1: recognize the match before expanding

Read the modifier badge at the lobby. In Water Nukes mode, a one-tile-thick corridor is more than a temporary weakness because a strike can erase the connection itself.

Favor depth around Cities, Silos, SAMs, and Ports. Avoid placing every critical structure along one narrow coastal band.

Step 2: build nuclear defense early enough

A SAM Launcher takes 300 ticks, documented as about 30 seconds. It cannot be added after the projectile is already close and expected to provide instant protection.

Cover critical connectors as well as buildings. A land bridge may be the strategic target even when no City sits on it.

Step 3: keep re-expansion capacity nearby

The conversion window creates the only direct way to save queued terrain as land. Keep enough troops and a connected border to push back into fresh unowned tiles.

This is not guaranteed recovery. It is a race against the batched check, and pressure from the attacker can prevent the reclaim.

Step 4: prepare a naval fallback

If the land is converted, switch from recovery to adaptation. Ports, Warships, trade ships, and transports can turn the new water into a route rather than leaving it as pure loss.

The v31 inland-water rule applies to any body of water. A crater can therefore become part of your own naval economy or defense if you retain access to its shore.

Step 5: decentralize what remains

Do not rebuild every function beside the new crater. A second strike can extend the water. Spread important structures across separate land masses and overlapping defensive zones.

Numeric examples

One Hydrogen Bomb versus several Atom Bombs

Six Atom Bombs cost 4,500,000 Gold, which is 500,000 less than one Hydrogen Bomb. They create several smaller outer reaches of 30 rather than one Hydrogen outer reach of 100.

That does not make six Atoms a direct substitute. Each launch can be intercepted, the shapes can leave land between them, and the repeat-fire sequence needs several valid targets.

Choose the Hydrogen Bomb when one broad cut is the objective. Choose Atoms when several smaller edits are useful and the lower cost per attempt matters.

The cost of the first protected nuclear package

One Missile Silo costs 1,000,000 Gold. The first SAM Launcher costs 1,500,000. Adding one Atom Bomb brings the package to 3,250,000 before upgrades or other structures.

Replacing the Atom with a Hydrogen Bomb brings the same package to 7,500,000. Water conversion is powerful, but the economy must survive long enough to fund it.

Range interaction

A default SAM starts at 70-tile range. That exceeds an Atom Bomb’s documented outer blast reach of 30, but interception depends on projectile paths, timing, and whether the threatened area is covered.

A Hydrogen Bomb has outer reach 100. One successful strike can affect a much wider area than an Atom, which is why spreading critical structures matters even behind SAM coverage.

MIRV escalation

The first MIRV costs 25,000,000 Gold. The second costs 40,000,000 because one prior launch adds 15,000,000. The third costs 55,000,000.

Carrier immunity is strategically important, but local warhead interception and the escalating price mean each use needs a map-changing objective rather than a vague desire to create more water.

Common failure modes

Assuming every blast creates permanent water

Permanent conversion only applies when the Water Nukes modifier is active. Normal matches leave land and fallout instead.

Check the lobby before building a strategy around a future channel. The same target can produce a very different post-strike map under normal rules.

Targeting the army instead of the connector

The largest troop cluster may not sit on the most important terrain. A smaller strike on a narrow bridge can change movement for the rest of the match.

Separate the immediate damage question from the permanent-shape question. Water Nukes rewards targets that score well on both.

Forgetting the conversion delay

Freshly emptied tiles are not automatically safe permanent water. A defender can reclaim eligible land before the batched conversion check.

Watch the crater and maintain pressure. If you look away after impact, the channel can close before it ever becomes water.

Creating an isolated pond

New water is navigable, but a sealed crater may not connect to the fleet you already own. It can deny land without creating a practical route.

Trace connectivity before firing. If naval access is the goal, the planned crater must meet usable water or create a shoreline you can exploit.

Opening a route for the opponent

The new water is not exclusive to the attacker. A defender with better Ports or nearby Warships may gain more from the channel than you do.

Prepare naval control before changing the terrain. Otherwise the strike can finance or mobilize the player it was meant to weaken.

Clustering every defense

One compact defensive core is easy to understand and easy to target. A Hydrogen Bomb has outer reach 100, so wide effects can catch several nearby structures.

Use overlapping coverage without placing every SAM, Silo, City, and Port in one small area.

Treating SAMs as complete protection

SAMs intercept Atom and Hydrogen Bombs, then face a 90-tick cooldown. They cannot stop the MIRV carrier, but separated warheads are normal in-flight targets rather than receiving a fixed 50-tile rule.

Defense also needs terrain depth, re-expansion troops, separated infrastructure, and a plan for naval use after conversion.

Counters and adjustments

If the attacker uses cheap Atom strikes, prioritize the land connectors that each 30-tile outer reach could sever. Protecting every border equally wastes attention.

If the attacker is saving for Hydrogen Bombs, spread high-value structures beyond one broad target area. Keep more than one usable land and economic core.

If MIRV becomes the threat, use overlapping SAMs to cover critical flight paths, but do not expect them to stop the carrier or every dispersed warhead.

Preserve troop depth, distribute infrastructure, and prepare to operate across several smaller craters.

If a crater becomes water, contest it as a naval zone. Friendly Ports can support ship activity, while Warships can deny transports and trade on the new route.

If your own strike fails to complete a channel, reassess rather than firing blindly at the same center. Identify which reclaimed or untouched land still blocks connectivity.

If Water Nukes is off, return to normal nuclear priorities. Fallout recovery, troop destruction, SAM coverage, and infrastructure targets matter more than permanent shoreline planning.

FAQ

Is Water Nukes enabled by default?

No. It is an opt-in game option. Public lobbies show a Water Nukes badge when the modifier is active.

Does it make nukes larger?

No. The documented Atom, Hydrogen, and MIRV-warhead reaches do not increase. The difference is what eligible destroyed land becomes.

Which weapons convert land?

The mode applies to Atom, Hydrogen, and MIRV warhead effects. Their prices, shapes, and SAM interactions remain different.

Can SAMs stop a Water Nuke?

SAMs can intercept Atom and Hydrogen Bombs. They cannot intercept the MIRV carrier, but separated MIRV warheads are checked as normal in-flight targets. Water Nukes does not change that rule.

Can I save land after impact?

You can sometimes re-conquer queued empty land before the batched conversion check. Once the tile has become water, normal land expansion does not turn it back.

Does the water disappear when fallout clears?

No. Converted water is the new terrain for the rest of the match. Fallout is cleared from water tiles rather than restoring the old land.

Can ships use a crater?

Yes, when the new water forms a navigable body or connection. v31 allows Ports, Warships, and trade ships to work on inland water as well as oceans.

Can I build a Port on the new shore?

The terrain is recalculated as real water and shoreline. A Port still needs a valid placement and land you control, so inspect the final coast after conversion.

Is an Atom Bomb or Hydrogen Bomb better for making a channel?

Use the Atom for smaller, cheaper edits and the Hydrogen for one broad cut.

v33.4 can batch Atom Bombs, but Gold, loaded tubes, same-Silo staggering, SAM risk, and the value of each resulting connection still determine whether several craters are better than one wide cut.

Why did some land survive inside the crater?

The strike shape is not a promise that every tile resolves identically. Re-conquest before the conversion flush can also preserve queued tiles as land.

Does Water Nukes make coastal play impossible?

No. It makes thin coastal layouts riskier, but the new water can also support Ports, ships, transports, and trade. Depth and adaptation matter more than avoiding every coast.

Next reading

• Review exact weapon values in the units database.
• Check Silo and SAM costs in the structures database.
• Learn the full nuclear weapons and SAM system.
• Read the official site summary in the v31 release notes.
• Use the hotkeys guide for repeat-fire controls.
• Review the v33 release overview for the official batch and Silo-timing sources.
• Plan layered defense with nuclear deterrence and SAM networks.
• Adapt the new waterways with the team naval control guide.