Hearts of Iron 4 (HOI4) – How to Build and Use Rockets

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One of the most underused weapons in Hearts of Iron 4 is the Rockets. Though you can have access to an endless supply of Rockets that can destroy your enemy’s territories, they are unlocked very late in the game.

The main reason why players tend to ignore Rockets is because you can research only around 1943-44. By this time, most players will have finished with WW2 and are ready for a new playthrough.

Recommended Read: What Is the Hardest Country to Play in Hearts of Iron 4?

Still, some countries get special bonuses down their focus trees which allows them to get this advanced technology quicker than the rest.

In this guide, we will show you how to build Rockets in HOI4 and how to actually use them to destroy your enemy’s industry, infrastructure, and supply lines.


Table of Contents


What Can Rockets Do?

Rockets have only two purposes in HOI4:

  • Strategic Bombing
  • Nukes

Rockets can be used the same way you would use Strategic Bomber planes, but they are much better at their job and they don’t require any production cost.

Since the only job they can do is Strategic Bombing, they can also drop Nukes on countries as long as they have Air Supremacy.


How to Build Rockets in HOI4

If you look through the research tree for the Rockets, you might think that you have to produce them in the Production tab. However, that is not the case at all.

To build Rockets in HOI4, you will need to research both the Experimental Rockets and Guided Missile I technologies in the Engineering tab.

Once you complete the Experimental Rockets you can start building Rocket Sites.

These are the special buildings that will produce Rockets. However, you won’t be able to actually use them until you also research Guided Missile I to learn how to make the Rockets.

Rocket Sites produce 1 Rocket per day, with a maximum of 100 Rockets stockpiled per level.

You can only have a maximum level 2 Rocket Site in a province, so you will have a maximum of 200 Rockets stockpiled in a state at the same time.

So, build a few Rocket Sites close to the enemy you want to bomb and wait for the Rockets to be produced.


How to Use Rockets in HOI4

Rockets will slowly appear in the provinces where you have Rocket Sites once you finish researching Guided Missile I.

To use Rockets in HOI4, all you need to do is select them on the map (the small rocket icon) and right-click where you want to send them.

Then, select the Strategic Bombing mission from the upper left corner of the screen.

Now, every time a new Rocket is produced in the province, it will start flying to the territory you sent them to bomb the enemy buildings.

The initial Guided Missile will only have a small, 500 km range, so you need to make sure that you have your Rocket Sites close enough to the territories you want to bomb.

Once you reach 1945, you can get Guided Missile III, which will give you an incredibly large range.

At this point, you can basically bomb almost any province on the map. This can be very useful when you also unlock Nukes since you can bomb someone’s capital without actually having to send any planes there.

If you want to stockpile more Rockets to also get Air Supremacy, just stop the Strategic Bombing command and wait for the site to produce more Guided Missiles.


That’s everything you need to know about how to build and use Rockets in Hearts of Iron 4!

Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.

Adrian Oprea

Based in London, United Kingdom, Adrian Oprea is a Guides Writer. As a professional single-player RPG player, Adrian has often been stigmatized. He has decided to pour his frustration into writing guides!

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