Wave

Wave is a medium liquid-firing turret that shoots continuous streams of liquids at enemies and interacts with status effects rather than dealing direct kinetic damage in most loadouts. It must be supplied with liquids via Ducts and consumes them rapidly; its role is to control, debuff, and enable synergies with other turrets rather than to solo-kill heavy targets. Wave has been tuned across updates; its fire rate was reduced to 20 shots per second in recent builds and the universal 2× ammo multiplier was removed, slightly increasing its reliance on sustained liquid supply.

Wave’s ammunition determines its primary function and its battlefield synergies. Water produces strong knockback and a short wet status while also automatically extinguishing fires inside its stream. Cryofluid grants a potent slow and increases damage taken by affected targets, and it also extinguishes fires; Cryofluid is often the most effective choice where available, though its use can be gated by resource prerequisites such as Titanium or by deriving it from Scrap. Oil applies a tarred status and also slows; oil pairs especially well with Pyratite-accepting turrets (for example Hail and Scorch), since oil leaves targets vulnerable to high Pyratite damage. Slag is the only Wave ammo that directly deals damage (4 damage) while applying a melt status; it also increases damage taken and synergizes with oil but can leave hazardous slag puddles that, when combined with oil, risk igniting structures.

The Wave’s ammo mechanics in numeric terms:

• Water: 0.7 knockback, Wet ~ 2 seconds, automatically attacks fire (extinguishes).
• Slag: 4 damage, 0.55 knockback, Melting ~ 2 seconds.
• Cryofluid: 0.55 knockback, Freezing ~ 2 seconds, automatically attacks fire (extinguishes).
• Oil: 0.55 knockback, Tarred ~ 2 seconds.

Practical deployment and interactions:

• Because Ducts have limited storage and the Wave fires quickly, place Liquid Containers or Liquid Tanks on supply lines so the turret can maintain continuous output; otherwise it will rapidly exhaust its feed and become ineffective.
• Use Wave ahead of high-damage Pyratite turrets to maximize combined damage: oil-coated enemies take amplified Pyratite hits, and slag or cryofluid can make targets take more damage from other weapons.
• Water and Cryofluid Waves will neutralize incendiary tactics and Pyratite-based flame damage by extinguishing fires in their area; this can both defend your base against burning and undermine allied incendiary setups, so plan placement accordingly.
• Slag Wave installations can contribute direct damage and stacking debuffs but create environmental hazards; avoid placing slag-fed Waves too close to critical infrastructure unless you intend to pair them with flame sources.
• If attackers sever the Duct network feeding a Wave, the turret will quickly run out of ammo due to its high consumption; prioritize cutting supply lines when assaulting Wave defenses.
• Many long-range turrets and units (Daggers, Novas) can outrange Wave and destroy it safely; combine range with direct firepower to remove Waves without exposing units to their streams.

Recent balance notes include an added 25 Copper to the build cost and a small increase to build time (from 2.0 s to 2.2 s) in later versions. Knockback values for Slag, Cryofluid, and Oil were adjusted slightly downward in prior updates to balance crowd control. The Wave remains a utility-focused turret best used to shape engagement zones and amplify the effectiveness of damage-dealing turrets rather than as a lone killing platform.