Missiles

When you play your first game, you'll probably be at a loss as to what to buy. Here's a quick rundown of the most useful ones and how to effectively use them.

• Volcano Bomb - The volcano bomb is the basic staple of Cannons. I recommend you always have at least five volcano bombs on you. Use the volcano bombs whenever your target is reasonably close, but for targets that are really far away, use small missiles until you have your aim lined up well. Volcano bombs have many variants, with lethality proportional to price.

• Firework Bombs - Firework bombs are strange missiles. They detonate about two seconds after they are fired, so you should aim it so that it will be right above your opponent after two seconds. Don't try to hit them with it; detonate it over their heads. They create quite a wide dispersal of missiles, so it's easy to hit multiple opponents if you get it in between them. Of course, this means you can also blow yourself up with them easily - be careful.

• Atom/Fusion Bombs - Atom bombs and fusion bombs are simple missiles, doing 80 and 160 damage respectively. They are good when you know you have a good chance of hitting your opponent dead on, as their damage drops off very quickly at distances. When you're just taking a potshot, volcano bombs are a better idea, as they cover quite a wide area.

• Air Strikes - Air strikes are often your safest bet to hit your opponent. However, they're quite expensive. Atomic air strikes are your best bet for hitting a single opponent, and large air strikes can often hit multiple opponents if they're targeted between them.

• Cluster Bombs - Cluster bombs are simply like launching multiple missiles at once. Use them when you know your aim is about right, but slightly off. They are also very effective when there are no obstructions between you and your opponent; just aim and crank the power up to 100.

• Shields - Shields are very useful for increasing your survivability; a large shield doubles your HP! Try to have at least a small shield active at the beginning of each round.

• Repair kits - Repair kits are also useful for repairing yourself during a round. Try to always have a few in your stocks.

• Armor - Armor is quite nice for your survivability, but is very expensive. If you have a lot of spare money, go for it, but shields and missiles are higher priority.

Upgrades

• Antigrav/Sidegrav - These upgrades are extremely situational and quite difficult to use properly. There are times, though, when you can only hit someone be using one. In particular, sidegrav air strikes can be very handy when someone is under a ledge.

• EM/Armor Piercing - These upgrades are useful when your opponent has really beefed up their shields/armor.

• Remote Detonation - This upgrade is most useful when applied to a firework bomb. It eliminates the guesswork from firing them; you can press Space to detonate it when it's right where you want it.

I hope this guide has helped you get started with Cannons!