Hello everybody, this is my first guide for Empire Total War. It’s about the different types of ammunition for cannons you can use. You will get information about the effects of the ammo, the usage etc.
So remove those bits of gunpowder from you cannon, pour in some new gunpowder, go get your crew and a fresh bottle of Coca-Cola and get ready for a guide with a high risk of explosion!
Some practical info and history about cannonballs
The cannon was a Chinese invention that knew a fast evolution during the centuries. While the battle tactics changed, new ways were needed to deploy cannons. First it served as a replacement for trebuchets to destroy buildings and as weapon in naval combat. Soon there was a need to kill enemy infantry or do massive material or moral damage. In the 18th century some very special types of ammo were invented like Shrapnel shot, Quicklime and Percussion shots. These led to the large variety of projectiles of modern warfare like bombs with chemicals or diseases or even nuclear bombs.
1. Old, basic and standard: the roundshot
The oldest type of ammo but what can you do with it in Empire?
It’s the standard type of ammo of every cannon in the game. Its range is as normal the range indicated on the unit overview.
This type is great to batter down walls of fortresses or other defensive structures and it serves also suite well as a long range anti-infantry weapon. The downsides are that the shot is not really accurate and doesn’t do great morale damage
• Pros: Good to destroy solid objects like walls
Serves fine as an early game anti-infantry weapon for long range
All-rounder for the early game in the campaign
• Cons: Quite inaccurate
Very basic
Does not do a great morale shock but something is better than nothing
Suitable for ?: All types of cannon or Howitzers or mortars
2. When they come close, unleash Hell!!: the Canister shot
This ammo makes the crew load the cannon with lead musket balls. When fired the cannon acts like a giant shotgun. The morale effects are HUGE even when the shot doesn’t kill anyone. This shot kills a nice amount of enemies, how closer they stand to each other and how closer they stand to the cannon, how more enemies are caught in the blast. The disadvantage to this ammo is that the range is pretty close; leaving the crew open for fire from enemy infantry or cavalry attacks and the damage isn’t suitable for destroying emplacements.
• Pros: Huge morale effect: combined with firing line infantry any kind of enemy infantry will break.
Does great damage to enemy soldiers
Early research in the campaign
• Cons: Not suitable to destroy walls
Short range
Suitable for ?: All normal cannon and horse artillery not suited for Howitzers and Mortars
3. Hail of iron for afar: the Shrapnel shot
While the canister shot acts for short range, the Shrapnel shot can be fired over the whole reach of the cannon. The cannonball is filled with iron balls and equipped with a fuse. The fuse is set to flame when the cannon fires. Hopefully the cannonball explodes somewhere above the heads of the enemy soldiers, raining down a deadly hail of iron on their unwashed heads. This ammo is the step up from canister but it requires ALOT of time to research even with an army of gentlemen. The morale effects and the damage are both very good like the canister shot. The only downside is the inability to destroy walls and the large amount of time needed to research.
• Pros: Huge morale effects for long range
Good damage at long range
The fact it does nice damage at full range
• Cons: Inability to destroy walls
Very long research time and needed researched stuff
Suitable for ?: Normal cannons and horse artillery
4. Watch out! I could explode did ya knew that?: Explosive shot
A cannonball used for the Howitzer and the mortar. This thing is mostly for the morale effect and not for the damage. It’s very, very, very inaccurate but gives those enemy dogs the shivers. As said it’s purely for the morale effect and not for damage or kills. Very rarely it does kill some soldiers but don’t count for it. The research for it doesn’t take that long. The inaccuracy comes from the fact that there is a fuse attached to the cannonball to let it explode.
* Pros: Sadly enough only the nice morale damage
Quite quick research
* Cons: Very inaccurate
Due the inaccuracy not good for walls or troop killing, the damage to troops is ok, but soo inaccurate
Suitable for ?: Howitzers and Mortars
5. Playing Hula-Hoop with canvas and very flammable compounds: Carcass shot
Not the shape of a normal cannonball. It consists of rings with canvas combined with a highly flammable chemical compound. The accuracy and damage radius aren’t great but ok, it’s suited to kill troops but don’t use it as your main troop killer. This shot has a (again) huge morale effect. The effect can be shocking if you see some (elite) troops running after a cav charge when they were hit by a carcass shot.
*Pros: ok to kill troops
Huge morale effect
Can be shot over the full killzone of the cannon
*Cons: Not as accurate like Shrapnel or Percussion shot
Long research time
Not able the destroy walls
Suitable for ?: Howitzers and Mortars
6. Chemistry is good for us all: Quicklime shot
In this case the cannonball is filled with the chemical compound Quicklime also known as brunt lime (CaO). When the cannonball hits the ground or explodes, the cloud of quicklime spreads among the enemy ranks causing a the highest morale damage of all ammo types and kills quite some units caught in the cloud. Perhaps fun to know, you enemy will be hit by blindness or suffocate by the cloud of Quicklime.
The only downside is the very long research time.
• Pros: Extreme morale damage
The physical damage is good and what would happen in real life makes you smile everything you see the cloud.
The shot can be fired over the whole radius of the canon
• Cons: Very long research time
The game can lagg on weaker pc’s if the quicklime is used a lot during the battle.
Not able to destroy walls
Suitable for ?: Howitzers and Mortars
7. Death and decay in a small round that loves contact: Percussion shot
The last but not least. The percussion shot is a combination between the round shot and the explosive shot. When the shot hits the ground, it explodes violently and deals great damage to enemies in the blast radius. Together with the great damage, the shot deals nice morale damage. The shot is also very suited to blow enemies from walls (oh glorious sight).
• Pros: Beautiful physical and morale damage
Accurate and reliable
Covers the whole (long) range of the cannon
Blows easily defenders from walls
• Cons: Longest research time in the game
Suitable for ?: Howitzers and Mortars
8. Burn baby burn!: Rocket launcher rockets
A special one but I didn’t want to leave it untouched. This is again a shot used for morale effects and less for the damage. It has probably one of the most impressive animations of the game: a hail of fiery rockets heading to the enemy t burn them to cinders. Very inaccurate but the morale effects are equal (or worse) to quicklime shot.
* Pros: Very high morale damage
Show factor
• Cons: Inaccurate
Not great damage but a burning enemy is better than a living enemy
Suitable for?: Rocket launcher
Conclusion
In Empire you have a large variety of ammo with each its advantages and disadvantages. These are not always very clear but I hope that you knew how to use them after reading this guide and hopefully we sky will turn black, filled with artillery shells.
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