I noticed that there wasn't an up to date weapons guide for this game on Steam, so I decided to make this. I used my personal experience, as well as the Nuclear Option Wiki[nuclearoption.wiki.gg] for more detailed statistics. I will keep this guide up to date as best I can. Please leave any comments or suggestions down below!

These missiles rely on an infrared tracker to seek their target. They can be defeated via breaking line of sight using terrain, using flares, and/or lowering engine power to reduce the heat signature of an aircraft.

IRM-S1
The IRM-S1 is the cheapest (and worst) air to air missile available. It has a maximum range of 5km, but you should try and get within 2km if you want a better chance to hit something with it. Additionally, this missile has a higher chance of not killing an aircraft it hits due to its small warhead. The IRM-S1 should really only be used in a self-defense role by helicopters or other ground-attack focused aircraft. Don't count on it if you're looking for a dogfight.

IRM-S2
The IRM-S2, as its name would suggest, is the big brother to the IRM-S1. It has a maximum range of 10km, but I try to get within 5 to maximize my chance of hitting my target. It also has a larger warhead than the IRM-S1- you're almost certain to kill any aircraft you hit with this one. Pretty good if you want a self-defense missile on an aircraft configured for ground attack or just want something cheaper. The Ifrit also has 2 dedicated slots for these.

MMR-S3
The MMR-S3 is the best infrared air to air missile available, however it is relatively expensive (2x the cost of the IRM-S2). It has a maximum range of 15km, but as always, the closer you get, the better. These will kill the vast majority of aircraft they hit in one shot. Use this one for dedicated anti-air flights or if you just want the extra range.


These missiles use a radar seeker to track their targets. They are invulnerable to flares, however they are vulnerable to notching, radar jammers, and/or flying close to the ground to confuse their seekers.

AAM-29 Scythe
The AAM-29 is a medium-long range radar guided missile with a high price (~2.5x MMR-S3). It has a maximum range of 40km, with one caveat: The missile is guided by datalink from friendly units until it reaches a range of 10km, when it activates its own radar seeker head. This has the benefit of enemy pilots not being warned about the incoming missile until it activates its radar seeker. However, it also means that if you fire a Scythe at a long-range target and friendly units become unable to see it, the missile will self-destruct and be wasted. I find 20-5km seems to be the optimal engagement range for this missile. You can also combine it with a MMR-S3 to make it harder for the enemy aircraft to avoid being shot down.

AAM-36 Scimitar
The AAM-36 is a radar guided missile that works as a faster and much longer-range version of the Scythe. It has the same method of tracking targets, with datalink being used until 10km where the missile switches to its own tracker. It is also twice as expensive as the Scythe. This missile takes a decent amount of time to get up to maximum speed, so it should never be fired at targets under 10km away. I don't use this one too much due to its relatively niche use case and extreme cost (2x AAM-29 or 6x MMR-S3). However it can be handy for sniping an enemy Darkreach before it can destroy one of your bases.

These weapons follow a laser beam to their targets. The target must constantly be lased by either the launching aircraft or an allied aircraft for the entire flight of the missile. They tend to be cheaper than other powered air-to-ground munitions while still being very effective if used properly.

AGR-18 Lynchpin
The AGR-18 Lynchpin is a small laser-guided rocket with a maximum range of 6km. It is very cheap and you can fit lots of them on a single aircraft. They are effective against most ground vehicles with the exception of tanks. You can kill any ground vehicle with 1-3 Lynchpin hits. It takes about 8 to kill a tank, which is generally not worth doing. You can also reliably kill a corvette by overwhelming its defenses with a swarm of Lynchpins fired from close range. Don't use these against buildings, they suck at that. They are pretty effective against hovering helicopters in a pinch.

AGR-24 Kingpin
The Kingpin is essentially a Lynchpin with a warhead 5 times as large, a slightly longer range(8km), and about twice the cost. I use these to kill tanks, SAM vehicles, and corvettes for the most part. You can also use them to damage buildings and larger ships, but they're less than ideal for this purpose. Very good bang for the buck.


These missiles use an optical tracker (basically a camera) to find their targets. They are true fire-and-forget weapons, with no need for lasing or any other form of babysitting after they've been launched.

AGM-48
The AGM-48 is an optically guided air-to-ground missile with a warhead size, range, and cost comparable to the Kingpin. They are, however, slower than the Kingpin and you can't carry as many of them at once. Effective against any ground vehicle, although tanks will probably take two hits. Decent against corvettes, not great against buildings.

AGM-68
The AGM-68 is a bigger and meaner AGM-48. It has twice the range, almost 20 times the warhead yield, and about 1.5 times the cost. Obviously, it is a lot larger than the AGM-48 which means you can't carry as many. Use these to smash buildings and ships for the most part, although they can one shot any ground vehicle if needed. One AGM-68 has a decent chance of killing a corvette, although they should be fired in combination with cheaper missiles to increase their chances of making it past the corvette's missile defenses.

ATP-1
The ATP-1 is an air-to-ground anti-tank missile. It is fairly comparable in range, yield, and cost to the AGM-48, with one notable exception: against tanks and other heavily armored vehicles, it automatically will target the top of the vehicle where the armor is weakest. This means that it can reliably one-shot main battle tanks along with any other ground vehicle. This missile can only be carried by the Chicane helicopter, but 20 of them can be carried at once. A Chicane armed with these missiles can easily wreck multiple enemy convoys or leave a base defenseless. It can even take out a corvette if necessary.


These missiles are long-range missiles used to attack large or stationary targets. They tend to have much larger warheads than standard air-to-ground missiles. When fired, they will stay close to the ground to avoid radar detection until they approach their target.

AGM-99
This missile is an anti-ship cruise missile with twice the yield and 4x the cost of the AGM-68. It has a range of 100km, which means it can hit almost anywhere on the map. The missile approaches the target at relatively low speed and altitude until it gets close. Then, it will peform a pop-up maneuver, quickly gaining altitude and sprinting towards the target at hypersonic speeds. Unfortunately, despite being an anti-ship missile, I haven't found this one to be too great at taking out ships. The warhead size is enough to take out a corvette in one shot, but you need to fire six at once to guarantee a hit, which is not worth the money. The pop-up maneuver performed at the end of the missile's flight seems to make it easier for the ships to shoot down, not more difficult. This missile can also target buildings, which might be a better use case. I have not tested this, however.

AShM-300
The AShM is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile with a slightly larger warhead and much larger cost than the AGM-99. It has effectively infinite range, being able to hit anywhere on the map. It is somewhat more effective at taking out ships than the AGM-99. Three fired at once will generally allow one to get through a corvette's defenses and kill it. The AShM-300's greatest strength, however, is the fact that you can put 20 of them on one Darkreach heavy bomber and lay waste to any enemy ship or small group of ships from across the map. However, larger groups of ships may be able to defeat this tactic using their overlapping missile defenses. You can use this against ground targets too, although the ALM-C450 is generally better for this purpose.

ALM-C450
The ALM-C450 is a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile. It has a larger warhead, slower speed, and about 3/4 the cost compared to the AShM-300, making it a better option for attacking enemy structures. It also has effectively infinite range, and 20 of them can be carried at once on the Darkreach. Not too much else to say here, it's pretty effective at what it does. Note that these can be shot down by enemy air defense somewhat easily, so it's best to fire them in large groups at enemy bases with heavy AA.

ALND-4
The ALND-4 is essentially an ALM-C450 equipped with a 20 kiloton nuclear warhead, giving it the ability to annihilate bases, fleets, and anything else with a single shot. Being a nuclear weapon, it is extremely expensive, costing around the same as a full Darkreach's worth of ALM-C450s. It is highly recommended to fire one of these along with a bunch of ALM-C450s to increase the odds of it making it past enemy AA. Very satisfying to use.



These air-to-ground missiles launch to extremely high altitudes and come down on their targets from above at extremely high speeds, making them more difficult to defend against compared to other weapons.

Tusko-B
The Tusko-B is an air-to-ground quasi-ballistic missile with a very long range of 60km and a warhead equal in size to the ALM-C450. It is slightly more expensive than the ALM, but is much faster and more difficult to shoot down. You can load up 24 of these on a Darkreach and lay waste to an enemy base, or you can put a couple on a smaller aircraft like an Ifrit to take out high value targets. I find that these are much better to use in small quantities compared to the ALM-C450s due to being much harder to intercept. They aren't bad against ships either if necessary.


Piledriver TBM
The Piledriver is a ballistic air to ground missile with a huge 1000kg warhead, effectively infinite range, and a high cost (5.5x ALM-C450). When launched, these will shoot up into the upper atmosphere before dropping down on their targets at hypersonic speeds. They are impossible to shoot down except by Stratolance long-range SAM batteries. Use these to wreck enemy bases or even against ships. Piledrivers can only be carried by the Darkreach heavy bomber, which can fit up to 8. This one is one of my favorites and is a lot of fun to use. For best results, take out any Stratolance batteries near your target before using Piledrivers, although this isn't strictly necessary if firing multiple. You can also increase your chances of penetrating enemy air defenses by getting closer to the target, causing the missile to approach at a steeper angle.

Piledriver TBM (With nuclear warhead)
This one is the same as the normal Piledriver, but with a 20kt nuclear warhead and 4.5x the cost. Use wisely.

Bombs are air-to-ground weapons that are dropped from an aircraft and free-fall or glide to their targets without any internal propulsion. In Nuclear Option, all available bombs are optically-guided smart bombs- drop them at the appropriate speed and altitude, and they will track and hit their target. Bombs also have the advantage of not generating heat, meaning they are invulnerable to being shot down by infrared surface-to-air missiles. They also tend to have a much lower cost/yield ratio than missiles do. However, their unpowered nature means that you have to get much closer to your target than you would with a missile, leaving you vulnerable to anti-air fire.


PAB-125
The PAB-125 is not only the cheapest bomb, but the cheapest munition available, coming in at only 1/4 the cost of the Lynchpin. Despite this, it has a very respectable 100kg warhead, meaning it is able to take out any ground vehicle in one hit. Its small size also allows a lot of them to be carried on a single aircraft. A great anti-vehicle weapon for the price, but not great against structures. You can use them against corvettes if you drop many at once from relatively close, but this doesn't always work, and you will probably be shot down even if it does kill the enemy boat. I don't use these too often, but when I do, I will load up as many PAB-125s as I can fit along with a couple Kingpin pods. I will use the Kingpins to take out any anti-air vehicles from a safer range, and then kill the other vehicles with the bombs.

PAB-250
The PAB-250 is a bomb with twice the warhead yield and 1.5x the cost when compared to the PAB-125. It is a decent multipurpose air-to-ground weapon, being able to eliminate any ground vehicle or do heavy damage to many structures. Note that less can be carried at once due to its larger size. Fun fact: a Darkreach can carry 68 of these at once.

PAB-80LR
The PAB-80LR is a small gliding bomb. When dropped, it extends its wings which allows it to hit targets from a much longer range compared to any other bomb. Its warhead is slightly smaller than that of the PAB-125 and it costs 6x as much. Speed and altitude are king when using this weapon. The higher you are, and the faster you go, the more range this bomb has. I like to load 12 of these on an Ifrit and gain as much altitude and speed as I reasonably can before dropping them. Using this tactic, you can precisely strike targets from halfway across the map without putting yourself in any danger from air defenses.

GPO-500
The GPO-500 is a large bomb with 2x the cost and 4x the yield of a PAB-125. It serves primarily in an anti-structure role, although it cannot kill most hardened structures in a single shot. It also can be used against tightly packed clusters of ground vehicles or even ships if necessary.

GPO-2P Auger
The Auger is a large bunker-buster bomb with a relatively high cost (15xPAB-125). It specializes in penetrating into the ground before detonating, allowing it to destroy hardened structures such as aircraft revetments or munitions bunkers. Due to its underground explosion, it doesn't do damage in a wide area- the GPO-500 is a cheaper and more effective option for non-reinforced structures. The Auger will also severely cripple or outright sink any ship in the game if you manage to hit one.

Demolition Bomb
The Demolition Bomb is a massive orange tube filled with gasoline and explosives that costs the same as an Auger and has an 11 ton yield. It is good at destroying large groups of weak buildings or ground vehicles. The main issue with this weapon is that it can only be carried by two aircraft: the Tarantula VTOL or the Darkreach heavy bomber, with a capacity of 2 on either of them. The Tarantula is extremely slow, especially loaded up with giant demolition bombs, which means you will basically have to fly directly over an enemy formation or base in it. This leaves you very vulnerable to ground fire. The Darkreach isn't great for dropping these bombs either- it simply isn't worth it to risk the most expensive aircraft in the game to drop two demolition bombs. Just use a nuke instead, this thing sucks.

GPO-N
The GPO-N is a nuclear bomb with a variable yield and a hefty cost equal to 24 ALM-C450 cruise missiles. It has two settings, the 1.5kt yield and the 250kt yield, with both being the same cost. The 1.5kt is easily able to destroy large formations of vehicles, ships, small bases, and even take a huge chunk out of a big base. On the other hand, the 250kt GPO-N is a wonderful air-delivered war crime which will wipe out anything in the game in a large radius. Buildings will be gone. Ships will be turned into a fine dust. Planes stupid enough to fly around within the blast radius will be swatted out of the sky like pesky mosquitoes. One successful hit with the 250kt GPO-N will have you at a huge advantage in a match, if not winning the game for you outright. Most of the time, I will choose the 250kt GPO-N over the 1.5kt due to the fact it costs the same amount of money and still only takes one nuclear warhead from your team's supply. Note that the 1.5kt version can be deployed earlier in the match than the 250kt.

Nuclear bombs in Nuclear option have a feature that makes them more difficult to employ successfully than conventional bombs: they will only detonate after a set amount of flight time and at a set altitude. This is intended to provide the pilot dropping the weapon a chance to escape the blast radius. However, this means that if you drop the bomb at the wrong altitude or at too high of a speed, it will simply smash into the ground and not detonate. When set to 250kt yield, the bomb will only detonate after a minimum flight time of 16 seconds and below 500m. When set to 1.5kt, it will detonate after a minimum flight time of 8 seconds and below 300m. The 1.5kt option also has a unique feature when dropped from 300m or below; it will deploy a parachute allowing it to slowly drop to the ground and successfully detonate. This gives it a bit of a niche use case over the 250kt version in some situations.

When using these weapons, it is best to have a plan of attack and perform any necessary setup work, such as destroying SAM sites, ahead of time. You want to maximize your chance of successfully detonating the bomb and not losing it to AA fire or improper release. I will often bring a bunch of conventional bombs to release at the same time as the nuclear one to confuse enemy air defenses. Additionally, when attacking a large base with the 250kt GPO-N, I will aim to drop the bomb at the edge of the base rather than in the center. The blast radius is still plenty large enough to wipe the whole base, and dropping the bomb at the edge leaves it exposed to fewer air defense units for a shorter time.

Loft bombing is a very effective technique to use when equipping a GPO-N. This is when you fly as fast as possible at a relatively low altitude until you get close to your target, and then quickly pitch up and gain altitude before releasing the bomb. This throws or "lofts" the bomb towards your target on a ballistic arc, which allows it to fly for long enough to detonate, as well as giving you some extra range. You can even loft a nuke over a mountain or other ground cover to attack an enemy base without exposing yourself.

You know what guns are. They fire bullets or shells to hit air and ground targets at relatively close range. It's generally best to only use them as a last resort in an air-to-air role, although they can be pretty cost-effective in an air-to-ground role against some targets.

12.7mm (.50 Cal) Machine Gun
The 12.7mm machine gun is available as a gunpod on the Cricket, as a turret on the Tarantula, and as a door-mounted weapon on the new Ibis helicopter. 12.7mm rounds pose a decent threat to light ground vehicles and any aircraft foolish enough to get within their range. The 12.7mm machine gun should be used primarily in a self-defense role, not as a primary attack weapon.

Fun: You can put six 12.7mm gunpods on a Cricket if you want to get the WW2 fighter pilot experience. Note that the enemy does not care about your little WW2 roleplay and will blow you out of the sky with missiles.

20mm Cannon
The 20mm Cannon is a light cannon available in rotary gun form on the Revoker and Vortex fighters, and in a slower-firing attachable gunpod form on the Compass. This weapon, especially the rotary gun version, will absolutely shred any aircraft that it hits with its extreme fire rate and relatively high damage. It's not bad against lighter ground vehicles or structures either.

25mm Cannon
The 25mm Cannon is a fast-firing rotary cannon available on the Compass and as a gunpod on the Chicane attack helicopter and Tarantula VTOL. It is fairly similar to the 20mm rotary cannon, although it is slightly better against ground targets and slightly worse against air targets.

27mm Cannon
The 27mm Cannon is only available as an internal gun on the Ifrit fighter. When compared to the 20 and 25mm guns, it fires at a much lower fire rate with higher damage per shot. This makes it excel in a ground attack role, being able to destroy most ground vehicles in a few hits and even damage tanks. In an air to air role, its lower fire rate makes it harder to land a hit, but even one or two hits from this larger cannon can down any aircraft.

30mm Cannon
The 30mm rotary cannon is only available on the Chicane attack helicopter and serves as its primary weapon. This fast-firing and powerful cannon shreds enemy light vehicles and deals heavy damage to tanks. Any aircraft unlucky enough to wander into the range of the Chicane's 30mm cannon will also be shredded to bits.

40mm Grenade Launcher
The 40mm grenade launcher is available as a door-mounted weapon on the new Ibis helicopter. I haven't spent a ton of time testing it, but it seems to be very effective against groups of enemy ground vehicles.

76mm Cannon
The 76mm Cannon is a heavy cannon available as a side-mounted weapon on the Tarantula VTOL. It fires guided high-explosive shells with a much longer range compared to other guns. The 76mm cannon can easily destroy any enemy ground vehicle and even damage structures and boats.

These weapons or devices generally fill a more specialized role and don't fit cleanly into any of the other categories.

ARAD-116 Anti-Radiation Missile
The ARAD-166 is a long range hypersonic missile with about half the warhead yield and 6x the cost when compared to the AGM-68. It homes in on radar-emitting objects such as radar trucks, radar SAM batteries, boats, and even planes (don't use it for planes). Unlike other missiles, it does not require a lock on to fire- you can just launch it and it will home in on the first radar signature it detects. It is still recommended to designate a target, however, as the ARAD will prioritize tracking it. This one is obviously very effective for taking out pesky radar trucks or SAMs at a long range. It can also be used in an anti-ship role when combined with the radar jammer available to the Medusa electronic warfare plane. Fire a few ARADs at the ship, then consistently jam it until they hit.

Radar Jamming Pod
The Radar Jamming Pod is available only to the Medusa EW aircraft. When activated, it uses the aircraft's capacitor power to jam a target's radar, rendering it completely useless for as long as it is jammed. This can be very effective for temporarily shutting down enemy air defenses while a missile strike is in progress, or to support allied pilots in air-to-air combat. Each pod can jam one target at a time, and up to 4 can be equipped on the Medusa.

120kw Laser
The 120kw laser is a defensive anti-missile weapon available to the Medusa. It uses the aircraft's capacitor power to precisely target and destroy enemy missiles. It can be used out to about 20km, but it becomes more effective the closer you get. The power of the laser begins to drop off as the capacitor drains, so it is recommended to wait until you have a 30-40% charge before using it. It also can only target missiles in a 30 degree arc in front of the Medusa's nose. The 120kw is not an effective anti-aircraft weapon (although it is possible to shoot a plane down with one with enough time and patience). It is absolutely useless against any ground target or ship.

Radome
The Radome is the third and final unique attachment for the Medusa. It is simply a very powerful radar with a long range, allowing the Medusa to track enemy targets to assist its team. It is also harder for enemy aircraft to hide using ground cover from the Radome when compared to other radar systems.

ECM Pod
The ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) pod simply provides a defensive radar-jamming ability to aircraft which do not have this capacity by default. These aircraft are the Cricket, the Chicane, the Ibis, and the Tarantula.

Vehicle Drop
The Tarantula and Ibis can both carry friendly ground vehicles, such as IFVs or SAM carriers, in their cargo bays. These can be dropped to provide support to critical areas on the ground or to assist in capturing an enemy base. There are a wide selection of droppable vehicles which are described adequately in game, so I won't list them here.

Resupply Container
The Resupply Container provides ammo for nearby ground units, and can be dropped from the Tarantula VTOL. It comes in a standard variant and a floating naval variant to resupply friendly ships. 2 can be carried by one Tarantula.