Most people remember the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombs have forever changed how war works in real life, and they also change the gameplay instantly once you discover them in Hearts of Iron 4.
As you go through the Second World War and try to bring glory to your chosen country, many years will pass. Around 1943, impatient players can already discover nukes, allowing them to quickly take over the world.
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However, there is no way you can do this if you have no idea how to produce these powerful bombs and how to use them. This is why, in this guide, we will help you by showing exactly how to make and use nukes in HOI4.
To make nukes in Hearts of Iron 4, you will have to build Nuclear Reactors around your states. To use the nukes, you need Air Supremacy over an air region and at least one Strategic Bomber in the air wing.
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How to Make Nukes in HOI4
Players can make nukes in HOI4 if they research the 1945 tech for Nuclear Bombs and have at least one Nuclear Reactor built in any of their states.
If you just finish the Nuclear Bombs research, you will just unlock a new icon at the top of the screen that shows you how many bombs you have available.
However, to actually start making the bombs, you will need to have Nuclear Reactors buildings in your country.
Each Nuclear Reactor creates 1 Nuclear Bomb every 365 days (1 year). This means that the moment you finish the Nuclear Bombs research, you will have to wait at least one year to get your first bomb.
The construction cost for a Nuclear Reactor is 30k, which is around 3 Civilian Factories.
The cost is huge, and if you don’t have an extremely powerful civilian economy, you will have no chance to build the Nuclear Reactor and also increase your military infrastructure at the same time.
Even if you have more reactors built the moment you finish the Nuclear Bombs research, the speed bombs are fabricated will still be the same.
The only difference is that you will get a larger amount of bombs at the end of the year.
How to Use Nukes in HOI4
To use the Nukes in HOI4, you will first need to meet these requirements in the province you want to bomb:
- At least 1 Nuclear Bomb (at least a 1 next to the radioactive sign that appeared at the top of the screen when you finished the Nuclear Bombs research).
- Have at least 75% Air Superiority in the air region above the province.
- Have at least 1 Strategic Border in range to the region.
Once you meet all of these requirements, you can click on the province you want to bomb, and you will see a button in the bottom left corner of the screen that says, “Click to drop a Nuclear Bomb.”
The button will be grayed out if you don’t meet all of the requirements above. After you click the button, you will have to wait 12 hours for the nuke to explode and destroy the province.
When you hover over the button to send the nuke, you will also see all of the requirements, and you will see how much War Support the country you bomb will lose based on the Infrastructure in the State and the Victory Points present there.
The Effects of a Nuke
Here is a list of all the things that happen in a province you nuke in HOI4:
- All buildings in the province will have 0% HP.
- All state buildings (Infrastructure, Air Base, Anti-Air, and Radar Station) will lose a random amount of levels.
- Depending on the amount of Victory Points the province has, the enemy country can lose up to 20% War Support.
- All units in the province will take a random amount of damage to organization and equipment, from 10% to 90%.
- All planes in the airport of that province will instantly be destroyed.
- Two nukes on Japan after you’ve captured Okinawa or Iwo Jima and you’ve reduced their navy to less than 40 ships will give them a decision where they can instantly capitulate. All buildings in the province will have 0% HP.
- All state buildings (Infrastructure, Air Base, Anti-Air, and Radar Station) will lose a random amount of levels.
- Depending on the amount of Victory Points the province has, the enemy country can lose up to 20% War Support.
- All units in the province will take a random amount of damage to organization and equipment, from 10% to 90%.
- All planes in the airport of that province will instantly be destroyed.
- Two nukes on Japan after you’ve captured Okinawa or Iwo Jima and you’ve reduced their navy to less than 40 ships will give them 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 (HOI4)!
Have any input or suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.
