Scorch

Scorch is a short-range, high-damage 1x1 ground turret that specializes in flamethrower-style attacks. It has the shortest range of all turrets on both main planets and cannot target air units, but produces very high burst damage to ground targets that enter its tiny engagement radius. Scorch has unusually high health for a 1x1 turret (400 HP on Serpulo), making it durable for forward placements and isolated pillboxes. Its flames pierce enemies and apply a burning status.

Scorch consumes solid ammo and can be boosted with liquids. It fires at 10 shots per second (current baseline) and is very ammo-hungry; a single conveyor line of Coal struggles to keep one continuously firing. Liquid boosters consume 6 units/sec and modify its fire rate: Water increases fire rate to 106%, Cryofluid to 113.5% under current values. Scorch’s liquid capacity was reduced to 20 units in recent updates, and a stat item deposit cooldown of 1 second was added.

Ammo behavior and key stats:

• Coal: 17 damage per shot, 3x ammo multiplier, pierce, causes burning for ~4 seconds.
• Pyratite: 30 damage per shot, 10x ammo multiplier, pierce, causes burning for ~4 seconds.
• Flames pierce multiple enemies, and burning contributes additional damage over time.
• Recent balance changes moved the fire rate off client/server FPS dependence and adjusted ammo damages and multipliers to the values above.

Practical usage and strategy:

• Place Scorch on the front line very close to enemy pathing to maximize uptime; it excels as a softener ahead of heavier defenses. Because it is cheap and quick to replace, forward pillboxes of Scorches are effective.
• Use Pyratite where possible: it is consumed more slowly and deals substantially more damage per shot than Coal, giving much higher sustained DPS for the same supply effort.
• Protect supply lines: transport blocks carrying Coal or Pyratite will start fires if destroyed, which can spread into nearby defenses. Safer supply tactics include sending ammo only when no enemies are nearby (use Logic Processors with Radar), using Routers/Distributors (they hold only one item so fires are limited), isolating supply lines with Bridges or Phase Conveyors, and keeping water-based turrets placed inward to avoid Wet status blocking burning interactions.
• Because Scorch cannot hit air, pair it with anti-air turrets (e.g., Scatters) to prevent air from undermining your forward flamethrowers.
• Scorch performs best in concentrated clumps near chokepoints but is vulnerable to outranged attackers; its short range means almost every enemy can attack it from safety if not supported.

Counters and interactions:

• Air units bypass Scorch entirely; use fighters or long-range ground attackers to eliminate Scorches from outside their range.
• Destroying or sabotaging ammo transport blocks not only cuts supply but also creates hazardous fires that can disrupt enemy defenses.
• Phase Walls can reflect Scorch’s flames, producing unusual defensive interactions.

Design notes and trivia:

• At 400 HP, Scorch is the most durable 1x1 turret on Serpulo.
• Its current sprite was created by the contributor Fox1va_.