When it comes to the game Hearts of Iron 4, one of the most impactful moments is the discovery of nuclear bombs. Just like in real life, these bombs have the power to change the course of war instantly. In this guide, we will show you how to make and use nukes in Hearts of Iron 4.
How to Make Nukes in HOI4
If you want to make nukes in Hearts of Iron 4, you first need to research the 1945 tech for Nuclear Bombs and have at least one Nuclear Reactor built in any of your states. Once you finish the Nuclear Bombs research, a new icon will appear at the top of the screen, indicating how many bombs you have available.
To actually start producing the bombs, you will need to construct Nuclear Reactor buildings in your country. Each Nuclear Reactor creates one Nuclear Bomb every 365 days. This means that after finishing the research, you will have to wait at least a year to get your first bomb.
The construction cost for a Nuclear Reactor is 30k, which is equivalent to 3 Civilian Factories. It’s a significant investment, so if you don’t have a robust civilian economy, it may be challenging to build the reactor while simultaneously increasing your military infrastructure. Keep in mind that having more reactors doesn’t increase the speed at which bombs are fabricated; it only leads to a larger quantity of bombs at the end of the year.
How to Use Nukes in HOI4
To use the nukes in Hearts of Iron 4, you need to meet certain requirements in the province you want to bomb. Firstly, you must have at least one Nuclear Bomb in your possession. Secondly, you need to have at least 75% Air Superiority in the air region above the province. Lastly, you must have at least one Strategic Bomber within range of the region.
If you meet these requirements, you can click on the province and find a button in the bottom left corner of the screen labeled “Click to drop a Nuclear Bomb.” Note that the button will be grayed out if you don’t meet the specified requirements. After clicking the button, you will have to wait for 12 hours for the nuke to explode and destroy the province.
Hovering over the button will display the requirements and also show you the amount of War Support the enemy country will lose, based on the Infrastructure in the State and the Victory Points present in the province.
The Effects of a Nuke
Using a nuclear bomb in a province causes various consequences in Hearts of Iron 4:
- All buildings in the province will have 0% HP.
- All state buildings, such as Infrastructure, Air Base, Anti-Air, and Radar Station, will lose random levels.
- Depending on the Victory Points of the province, the enemy country can lose up to 20% War Support.
- All units in the province will sustain random damage to organization and equipment, ranging from 10% to 90%.
- All planes in the airport of the targeted province will be instantly destroyed.
- After capturing Okinawa or Iwo Jima and reducing Japan’s navy to less than 40 ships, two nukes on Japan will lead to a decision where they can instantly capitulate.
That’s everything you need to know about how to make and use nukes in Hearts of Iron 4. If you have any suggestions or input, feel free to leave a comment below!