Cannon Tower: Stats, Upgrades, Tips: The Cannon in Blockade Brigade: 50 gold, hits ground and air. Every level's stats, how it overheats and how water and the Cold Snap cool it, research and FAQ.

Plain-text version for AI assistants: https://blockadebrigade.com/llms-page-towers-cannon.txt. Site guide: https://blockadebrigade.com/llms.txt

Basic Tower

Cannon Tower

Balanced damage and fire rate

50 goldGround + Air

The Cannon is the one gun you can build without research, and one you will keep building all game. At 50 gold it hits ground and air, one target at a time, and every upgrade adds damage, fire rate and range: level 10 does about 20 times the damage per second of level 1. The catch is heat. Every shot warms the barrel, and from level 5 a Cannon firing nonstop runs hot enough to overheat and go quiet in the middle of a wave. Build it beside water or inside a Cold Snap's snow and it keeps firing.

Cannon Tower
Build your own Cannon

Attributes Level 1, on the ground

Cost
50 gold to build
Unlock
freeevery player has it from the start
Sell value
37 gold 75% of the gold spent on it; all of it back within 15 seconds of placing
Can hit
Ground & Air
Damage
20
Fire rate
1/s
DPS
20 damage a second, one hit on one target, before armour
Range
5 2.5 tiles
Targets at once
1 target
Power
uses 4 when firing · 1 on standby Full power only while it has a target. Switch it off to free its power.
Heat
+30 °C a shot Overheats at 400 °C, fires again at 250 °C. Nonstop fire at this level peaks at 215 °C: stays cool
Cooling
Water beside it 1.5x, +0.5x each more (up to 3x)A connected row shares up to 12 water tiles. A Cold Snap over it: 2x to 6.5x. A cooling pump appears on its base by water.
Neighbours
+15% damage, +10% fire rate eachSame-type towers on its four sides, up to four (+60% / +40%). Connected Cannons need 25% less power.
Platforms
+8% damage, +0.5 range a level of heightSmall +1, Medium +2, Large +3, up to 3 stacked. Hills up to 15 (above 5 is rare).
Ground
Grass: −5% damageNo penalty on rock, or on a platform (it stands on steel, even over grass)
Level parts
Field gun: single round barrel. Base: 1 green level light, plate 01
Research
5 items, 5 levels each250 / 750 / 2,000 / 6,000 / 15,000 XP a level, 120,000 XP for all. Damage, Fire Rate, Range, Deep Wound, Poison
Cards
Damage, Fire Rate, Range, Deep Wound, Poison, Armor Damage, Shield DamageEnd-of-wave cards: up to 5 of each a game, then Endless cards

Base numbers: no research, cards or neighbours. (+n) is the change from the level before.

How to use it

Early game

Two or three Cannons where the path bends, so each one fires for longer. Each new Cannon costs 20% of its price more than the last (50, 60, 70, 80...), so they stay cheap for a while.

Build in rows

Each Cannon on the four sides of another gives it +15% damage and +10% fire rate (up to four: +60% and +40%). Connected Cannons also need 25% less power each and share their water for cooling.

Go high

Each level of hill or platform gives +8% damage and +0.5 range. On bare grass it loses 5% damage, unless it stands on a platform.

Keep it cool

From level 5 a Cannon that fires nonstop overheats on its own. Water beside it or a Cold Snap over it fixes that (below).

Upgrade the ones in your best spots

A Cannon on a bend, up high, in a row and kept cool turns every upgrade into more damage than one alone in a corner.

Build it

Pick a level, research, end-of-wave cards, where it stands and what cools it, and see what your Cannon ends up doing, worked out the way the game does it. Share the build with a link.

How the configurer works it out (formula, card values, share-link format)

How the game adds it up

  • Damage: level base x (1 + neighbours x 0.15) x (1 + height x 0.08) x ground (0.95 on bare grass, else 1) x (1 + research %) x (1 + cards % + Endless %)
  • Fire rate: level base x (1 + neighbours x 0.1) x (1 + research %) x (1 + cards % + Endless %)
  • Range: level base + height x 0.5 + level base x (research % + cards % + Endless %)
  • Dps: damage x fire rate, one hit on one target, before splash, afflictions and armour
  • Rule: Every source multiplies damage and fire rate; cards and Endless cards of one stat add into one percent. Range percents are all of the levelled base, added.
  • Cooling: 1 + (Cold Snap - 1) + water. Cold Snap: 2x at level 1, +0.5x a level (only the strongest powered one counts). Water: +0.5 for the first tile, +0.5 each more. A tower counts its own water (up to 4 sides); in a connected chain it counts the chain's water, up to 4 + 1 per extra tower in the chain, never over 12.
  • Heat: Each shot adds 30 C; between shots the heat above 20 C drains by exp(-seconds x cooling / 6). Nonstop fire levels off with its hottest point, just after each shot, at 20 + 30 / (1 - exp(-cooling / (fire rate x 6))) and its average at 20 + fire rate x 30 x 6 / cooling. A shot that takes it to 400 C overheats it: it stops firing until it has cooled to 250 C. Cooling needed to never overheat = -fire rate x 6 x ln(1 - 30 / (400 - 20)).

End-of-wave cards

Each wave offers 3 cards. Up to 5 cards of each stat a game, then that stat comes only as grey Endless cards (a random amount in the range shown). Percent per card:

CardNormalCommonRareEpicLegendaryMythicalEndless
Damage2%5%10%15%25%35%1-5%
Fire Rate2%5%10%15%25%35%1-5%
Range2%5%10%15%25%35%1-5%
Deep Wound1%1%2%2%3%3%1%
Poison1%1%2%2%3%3%1%
Armor Damage2%4%6%8%10%12%2%
Shield Damage2%4%6%8%10%12%2%

Research

Unlock: free (every player has it); its upgrades: 120,000 XP for all.

  • Cannon Damage: +10% a level, 5 levels (+50%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
  • Cannon Fire Rate: +6% a level, 5 levels (+30%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
  • Cannon Range: +6% a level, 5 levels (+30%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
  • Cannon Deep Wound: +1% a level, 5 levels (+5%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP
  • Cannon Poison: +1% a level, 5 levels (+5%), 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000, 15,000 XP

Where it stands

  • Each same-type neighbour on its four sides: +15% damage, +10% fire rate (up to 4).
  • Each level of height (hill + platforms): +8% damage, +0.5 range.
  • Bare grass: damage x0.95 (no penalty on rock, or on a platform: it stands on steel, even over grass). One tile is 2 range units.

Worked examples

Share-link format

A build is the page address + #build: + parts joined by ~, in any order; parts left out are 0 / none. Opening the link loads the build and scrolls here. Links shared from the page also carry ?utm_source=...&utm_medium=...&utm_campaign=tower_build&utm_content=... before the hash; they are optional.

  • l<N>: tower level 1..10
  • r.<stat>.<N>: research level 0..5 of a research item (damage, fire_rate, range_radius, deep_wound, poison)
  • c.<stat>.<digits>: end-of-wave cards of one stat, one digit per card = its rarity (0 Normal, 1 Common, 2 Rare, 3 Epic, 4 Legendary, 5 Mythical); at most 5 a stat
  • e.<stat>.<amount>x<count>: Endless cards of one stat: count cards of +amount% (only once that stat has 5 cards)
  • n<N>: same-type neighbours touching it, 0..4
  • h<N>: height: hill + platform levels, 0..15
  • g: standing on bare grass (no platform)
  • s<N>: level of the Cold Snap over it, 0 = none (1..10)
  • sp0: that Cold Snap has no power (it cools nothing)
  • w<N>: water tiles beside it, 0..4 (sides not taken by neighbours)
  • k<N>: towers in its connected chain, itself included (at least neighbours + 1)
  • kw<N>: water tiles beside the whole chain
How the Battle test works it out (enemies walking past)

Pick enemies and waves, the path and how many towers; the walk plays at 1x to 5x and says which enemies die and what would stop the rest. A build link with ~vb opens it.

  • Enemy health, armour and shield grow 1.15x a wave in the game's own numbers (bosses at half that), speed up to 3x; each enemy's numbers for waves 1 to 60 come from the game itself.
  • A wave's enemies come out 1 s apart (the Gap setting). Ground enemies with momentum run their straight-line bonus faster; flyers fly straight over the towers at their flight height.
  • Range is measured in 3D from the tower's base. A Cannon keeps its target while it is in range and every 0.2 s moves to the enemy furthest along the path; it fires as soon as it is ready, then every 1 / fire rate. Shells fly at 15 units a second, home in and land even after the enemy left the range.
  • The barrel heats 30 C a shot and locks out at 400 C until 250 C, as in the heat panel.
  • Each hit goes to the shield first (plus the Shield Damage bonus), then the armour (plus the Armor Damage bonus), then health; flyers take no shield or armour bonus.
  • Deep Wound: each tower's wound lasts 4 s after its last hit on that enemy, and all wounds on it add to every hit. Poison: each hit adds damage dealt x the poison % a second to that tower's poison on the enemy, dealt every 0.5 s straight to health, for 4 s after the last hit.
  • A Cold Snap (centred on the first tower): range 4.5 + 0.3 a level, pulses 0.8 + 0.15 a second on up to its level in enemies, slows 30% + 5% a level (up to 70%) for 2 s; repeated slows multiply down to 10% of speed (2% at the top levels). Its freeze crits (5% + 3% a level) and its own damage are not counted, so the verdict is the worst case.
  • More towers stand in a row beside the path before the first, each exactly like the configured one, each with its own time in range. Not played out: enemy abilities, height in the range check, enemies waiting at the entrance.

Every level

Base numbers: no research, cards, height or neighbours. Damage per second = damage x fire rate. Power is what it needs while it has a target (1 on standby). The last two columns are for nonstop fire: the heat it levels off at, and how much faster it must shed heat to never reach 400°C.

LevelUpgradeTotal spentDamageFire rateDPSRangePowerNonstop fire peaks atCooling it needs
1build 5050201/s2054215°Cnone
275125301.3/s395.55269°Cnone
3112237401.6/s6466323°Cnone
4168405501.9/s956.56377°Cnone
5253658602.2/s13277431°C1.1x
63791,037702.5/s1757.58485°C1.3x
75691,606802.8/s22489539°C1.4x
88542,460903.1/s2798.510593°C1.6x
91,2813,7411003.4/s340910647°C1.7x
101,9225,6631103.7/s4079.511701°C1.9x

Levels 1-4Cheap, and cool even firing nonstop. The best damage for the gold: level 2 adds 25 damage per second for every 100 gold, level 4 still 18.

Levels 5-6Still good value (11-15 damage per second per 100 gold), but a Cannon that fires nonstop now needs cooling: one water tile (1.5x) is enough up to level 7.

Levels 7-10Each upgrade costs about half of all the gold the Cannon has cost so far (51-55%) and adds 3-9 damage per second per 100 gold. Worth it on a Cannon with neighbours, water and a Cold Snap, where every bonus multiplies the bigger numbers; for a lone Cannon, another Cannon in a row is often more damage for the gold.

Heat and cooling

Water

1.5x

One water tile beside it; +0.5x for each more, up to 3x. A connected row shares up to 12.

Cold Snap

2-6.5x

Inside a powered Cold Snap's range, level 1 to 10. Only the strongest one counts.

Both

2.5x

A level-1 Cold Snap and one water tile: the two add up.

Nonstop fire, no cooling overheats at 400°C

Level 1215°C
Level 10701°C
  • Every shot adds 30°C to the barrel. Between shots it cools back toward 20°C, fastest when it is hottest: each second it sheds about 15% of its heat above 20°C.
  • Fired nonstop, it levels off where the heat it adds matches the heat it sheds. A level 4 Cannon (1.9 shots a second) settles at about 380°C; at level 5 (2.2 shots a second) it climbs to about 430°C, past the limit.
  • At 400°C it overheats: it shows OVERHEATED, smokes and stops firing until it is back under 250°C. That takes about 3 seconds on its own, 1.5 seconds in a level-1 Cold Snap's snow.
  • Water beside it: one water tile next to the Cannon makes it shed heat 1.5x as fast, +0.5x for each more, up to 3x with water on all four sides; a small cooling pump appears on its base. Connected Cannons share their water: a row counts one more water tile for each Cannon after the first, up to 12 tiles. No water? The bulldozer's Dig makes a water tile.
  • A Cold Snap over it: inside a powered Cold Snap's range a hot gun sheds heat 2x as fast at Cold Snap level 1, +0.5x for each level after (6.5x at level 10). Only the strongest Cold Snap over a gun counts. It also slows the enemies, so they stay longer in front of your guns.
  • Faster fire means more heat: fire-rate research, cards and neighbours all add shots. A level-10 Cannon firing nonstop needs 1.9x cooling, and with four Cannons beside it 2.6x: water on four sides (3x) or a level-3 Cold Snap (3x).
  • See it in the game: the tower panel's heat gauge shows how hot it is and what is cooling it (and up to which level it fires nonstop without overheating with that cooling), and while you place a Cannon its ghost shows the cooling that spot gets, before you pay. A Cannon with nothing to shoot cools by itself.

Research

Research (main menu, Upgrades & Research) makes every Cannon you build stronger. Each item has 5 levels for 250, 750, 2,000, 6,000 and 15,000 XP (24,000 XP for all 5).

Cannon Damage

+10% damage a level, +50% at level 5.

Cannon Fire Rate

+6% fire rate a level, +30% at level 5. More shots means more heat, too.

Cannon Range

+6% range a level, +30% at level 5.

Cannon Deep Wound

Each level: enemies a Cannon hits take 1% more damage from every tower for 4 seconds (5% at level 5). Wounds from different kinds of tower add up.

Cannon Poison

Each level: a hit leaves poison worth 1% of the hit's damage every second for 4 seconds (5% at level 5). Poison goes straight to health, past shield and armour.

Challenge

Cannon Challenge

Cannons only, and Power Plants to run them. No research: everyone starts alike. Pick it on a map card under New Game.

  • Goal: get as far as you can on Grand Canyon, Islands or Spiral (40 waves each). Ranked by the furthest wave, then the most kills, then the fastest time.
  • Towers: only Cannon and Power Plant.
  • Research: off. Your research bonuses, starting gold, base health and level caps do not count, so everyone starts alike; everyone gets small, medium, large platforms, no stacking.
  • Start: +100 gold, 10 card rerolls (usually 6).
  • End-of-wave cards: stat cards only for Cannon; tower cards 1.5x as often; tower cards worth 1.5x; +1 card 3x as often; Extra Lives 2x as often.
  • Reward: a place on that map's Cannon Challenge board on the Leaderboards. Each map has its own, apart from the normal boards; play signed in, with leaderboards allowed in Settings > General.
  • Best run: each game you finish, won or lost, posts its run; the board shows each player once, with their best run. Nothing carries over between games.

Height and ground

  • Each level of height: +8% damage and +0.5 range.
  • Hills: up to 15 levels on every map; above 5 is rare.
  • Platforms (small +1, medium +2, large +3) stack up to 3 high: up to 9 more levels, on flat ground or on a hill. Research unlocks the sizes and stacking.
  • Highest it can stand: 24 levels, +192% damage, +12 range.
  • On grass: −5% damage; no penalty on rock, or on a platform (it stands on steel, even over grass).

Cannon FAQ

Is it better to upgrade my Cannon or build more?

Early on, build more, side by side. A second Cannon beside the first costs 60 gold and, with the neighbour bonus on both, adds about 31 damage per second; upgrading the first to level 2 costs 75 gold and adds 19. Upgrades get dearer fast (level 10 alone costs 1,922), while each new Cannon costs just 10 gold more than the last. But every Cannon needs power and a good spot near the path, so once your best spots are full, upgrade the Cannons on them.

Can the Cannon hit flying enemies?

Yes. It hits ground and air, one target at a time.

Why did my Cannon stop firing?

Most often it overheated: it shows OVERHEATED and smokes, and fires again once it has cooled to 250°C (about 3 seconds). Or it is short of power: LOW POWER means it can track but not fire, NO POWER means it does nothing. A Cannon needs 4 power at level 1 and 11 at level 10, and connected Cannons need 25% less each. Build a Power Plant, or switch off a tower guarding an empty stretch.

How do I stop my Cannon overheating?

Water beside it, a Cold Snap over it, or both. Firing nonstop, a level-10 Cannon needs 1.9x cooling: water on two sides (2x) or a level-1 Cold Snap (2x). With four Cannons beside it, it needs 2.6x: water on four sides (3x) or a level-3 Cold Snap (3x). Fewer upgrades work too: up to level 4 it never overheats on its own. Only the strongest Cold Snap over it counts: two don't add up, but water adds on top of one.

Does the Water Pump cool my Cannons?

No. The water does: a water tile right beside the Cannon. The Water Pump is a tower of its own that stands on water and blasts Infernos.

Do two Cold Snaps cool a Cannon twice as fast?

No. Only the strongest Cold Snap over a gun counts. Give each Cold Snap its own group of guns, or upgrade the one you have: each level adds 0.5x.

Where is the best place for a Cannon?

On high ground where the path bends past it, in a row of Cannons, beside water or inside a Cold Snap's snow. Avoid bare grass (5% less damage) unless it stands on a platform. Before you pay, the placement ghost shows what the spot gives.

Is the Cannon good against armour?

Not on its own: heavy armour takes a bite out of every shell. Put a Magnet near your Cannons, which tears armour off enemies in range, or research Cannon Poison, which goes straight to health.

What is the Cannon Challenge?

A challenge where you may build only Cannons and Power Plants, with no research, so everyone starts alike. It is played on Grand Canyon, Islands and Spiral (40 waves each), each map with its own leaderboard.

At what level will my Cannon start to overheat with the cooling it has?

The tower panel works it out for you: under its heat gauge it says "Fires nonstop without overheating up to level N; from level N+1 it overheats" (or "at every level"), or, if it already overheats, how much more cooling it needs. It uses the Cannon's fire rate at each level and the cooling it has right now (Cold Snaps in range, water beside it), and it changes when you add or upgrade a Cold Snap or add water. Nonstop fire is the worst case: with gaps between enemies it stays cooler.

How much power does a Cannon use when it has nothing to shoot?

Only 1: with no target it stays on standby, lights and radar on. It uses its full power only while it has a target: 4 at level 1, 11 at level 10 (the tower panel says "uses N when firing, 1 on standby"). If the grid cannot give it that, it stays on standby too: it keeps tracking enemies but cannot fire (LOW POWER). The panel's Switch off button turns it off completely: it draws nothing and does nothing until you Switch on again, so you can choose which towers run when power is short.