In the dangerous underwater world of Barotrauma, your submarine’s weapon systems are often the only line of defense between your crew and a swift, crushing death. With the addition of new turret types and updates from the Thunder and Ice expansion, understanding your armament options is more important than ever. This guide will take you through all the key turret types, their ammunition, damage profiles, cost-efficiency, and strategic uses.

Coilguns: Your Standard Workhorse

The coilgun is the default turret type on most submarines, boasting a high fire rate of four rounds per second and four ammunition variants:

• Regular Ammunition: 200 rounds per box, 10 structural damage, 25% penetration. Deals 15 internal damage and minor bleeding.
• Explosive Ammunition: 75 rounds, 3m blast radius, 10 base + 5 splash structural damage. Inflicts 8 internal, 1 bleeding, and 40 burn damage.
• Piercing Ammunition: 149 rounds, 10 structural damage, 80% penetration. Deals 8 internal and 1.5 bleeding.
• Physicorium Ammunition: 200 rounds, 10 structural damage, 25% penetration. Deals 28 internal, 1 bleeding, and applies 2 seconds of stun.

Use Case Breakdown

• Who? Explosive and piercing rounds are ideal for swarms. Physicorium works well against large, tough enemies due to its high affliction damage and stun.
• Where? Avoid using explosive rounds up close due to splash damage. Piercing and regular rounds are safe for close combat.
• Cost & Availability? Regular rounds are cheap (130 marks) and easily crafted with steel and lead. Piercing (271 marks) and explosive (379 marks) are expensive and limited, requiring rare materials like titanium-aluminum alloy and incendium. Physicorium rounds need the rare physicorium metal, making them costly and scarce.

Summary: Use regular rounds for economy. Save explosive and physicorium rounds for emergencies or boss-level threats.

Railguns: High Damage, High Risk

Railguns deliver massive, slow-firing blows—one every five seconds—with four shell types:

• Regular Shell: 55 structural, 250 impact, 50 bleeding. Explodes on impact (2.5m radius) for 100 structural and 500 internal damage.
• Physicorium Shell: 200 structural, 800 internal, 50 bleeding. Explodes in a 3m radius.
• Canister Shell: Fires 11 pellets (each 15 structural, 70 impact, 3 bleeding). Great for swarm control. Has a 2-second stun and 20% penetration per pellet.
• Nuclear Shell: Covered later due to its unique mechanics and dangers.

Tactical Overview

• Who? Physicorium and regular shells excel against singular heavy targets. Canisters are effective against grouped enemies.
• Where? Use regular and physicorium at range. Canisters perform best up close.
• Cost & Availability? Regular shells are cheap (84 marks) and easily fabricated. Canisters cost 100 marks or can be crafted with steel and lead. Physicorium shells share the same rarity issue as the coilgun variant.

Summary: Rotate shell types based on encounter range. Save physicorium and nuclear shells for boss fights or ship-to-ship combat.

Pulse Lasers: Precision and Power

A new addition from the Thunder and Ice update, pulse lasers fire instant-hit energy beams. Two fuel variants exist:

• Regular Pulse Box: 44 charges, 25 structural, 30 internal, 40 burning. Explosive radius of 1.5m adds 30 more burn damage.
• Tri-Laser Pulse Box: 28 charges, fires three beams (15 structural, 33 burn, 15 internal each). Small explosive radius (1.5m) with 25 extra burning and minor stun.

Application

• Who? Regular lasers are best for single enemies and ships. Tri-lasers are great for swarms.
• Where? Distance doesn’t matter due to the instant-hit mechanic. Very low self-damage risk.
• Cost & Availability? Regular fuel costs ~325 marks. Crafting requires lithium and alien blood. Tri-laser needs fulgurium and alien blood, making it one of the rarest and most expensive ammo types in the game.

Summary: Effective and versatile, but expensive to craft. Use tri-laser for elite swarms; stick to regular for common threats.

Chainguns: Volume Over Precision

Another Thunder and Ice addition, chainguns unload 10 bullets per second, making them ideal for overwhelming foes. Two ammo types:

• Regular Chain Bolt: 149 rounds, 12 structural, 16 internal, 4 bleeding, 35% penetration.
• Physicorium Variant: 149 rounds, 18 structural, 24 internal, 4 bleeding, 2s stun.

Breakdown

• Who? Best for swarms or high-HP entities, thanks to the rate of fire and stacking afflictions.
• Where? Viable both close and long range.
• Cost & Availability? Regular is moderately priced (325 marks), but depends on titanium-aluminum alloy. Physicorium variant is rare and cannot be bought from stations—must be fabricated using rare components.

Summary: A solid early option. Chain bolts are a great opener, especially in crowded fights.

Depth Charges: Tactical Area Denial

Not turrets, but vital for controlling monster movement. Four variants exist; the key distinction is between:

• Regular/Decoy Depth Charges: Minimal base damage (1 structural), 10 afflictions. Can be packed with explosives.
• Nuclear Depth Charge: Covered below.

They can be loaded with additional explosives to significantly increase damage.

Nuclear Weapons: Ultimate Destruction at a Price

Nuclear railgun shells and depth charges boast unparalleled power but come with extreme risks:

• Damage: 1075 structural, 250–500 internal, 300 burn, 50 bleeding, 100 radiation sickness.
• AOE: 10m radius, with a high chance of killing everything within.
• EMP Effect: Disrupts sonar and nearby electronics.

Caution Required

• Use Case? Best against large boss monsters or pirate submarines—when nothing else will do.
• Distance? Fire from as far away as possible. Never use near your own submarine.
• Crew Safety? NPCs should never be allowed to fire nuclear weapons due to their lack of distance calculation.
• Cost? Surprisingly affordable (450 marks) and can be fabricated with IC-4 and uranium.

Summary: Powerful and economical, but extremely dangerous. Always have anti-rad medication ready before using.

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Final Thoughts

Understanding the nuances of each turret type, ammo variant, and their respective strengths and drawbacks is key to surviving the hostile depths of Europa. Whether you’re firing a precision pulse beam, unleashing a torrent of chaingun fire, or risking it all with a nuclear payload, smart turret choices can mean the difference between a successful mission and a crushed, irradiated husk of a submarine.

Choose wisely, adapt quickly, and never underestimate the power of good ammo management. Until next time—stay armed, stay alert, and stay alive.