Choose the effect before loading
The official store describes armor-piercing rounds for bunkers and smoke for screening friendly withdrawals. The community basics guide also documents high-explosive families and star shells that reveal an area. The game contains many unlockable ammunition types, so a short list is not a permanent complete inventory.
Start from the mission objective and target icon rather than whichever shell is closest to the loader.
Core roles
- Armor-piercing: use when the target’s protection or underground position requires penetration, or when a more confined impact is needed.
- High explosive: use for exposed surface targets inside the documented effect area.
- Larger explosive variants: trade requisition and collateral footprint for a wider effect; confirm friendlies before use.
- Smoke: supports friendly repositioning or withdrawal rather than direct destruction.
- Star or illumination rounds: reveal part of the map and support later target identification.
These roles summarize official and community documentation, not real-world artillery advice.
Verify before sealing the gun
Check the shell label, target card, objective wording, and map effect indicator. The community guide warns that a loaded shell and charges cannot simply be unloaded through the normal workflow, so catching the error before chambering saves resources and recalculation.
When new ammunition unlocks, read its current in-game description. Do not assume a similar color or name means it shares the same damage radius or mission purpose.
Version note
Shell roles were reviewed for version 1.0 (1663) on September 2, 2026. The article is mixed because the full unlock set and exact effects can vary with progression, modes, and updates.