IRON NEST Ammo and Shell Types Reference

Choose ammunition by the target and mission intent, not by the biggest effect. IRON NEST combines destructive, illumination, obscuring, chemical, and narrative uses, while current public lists mix official examples, demo-era names, internal codes, and unlockable variants.

Evidence status: AP, Smoke, and Phosgene uses have direct official examples. Several other core roles are consistent across current guides. Exact radius, requisition cost, range, and the complete number of currently usable shells remain conflicted or unverified.

What ammo should you use against a bunker?

Use AP (armor-piercing) ammunition when the mission makes it available and identifies the target as a bunker. The official IRON NEST site gives the direct role example: “Breach bunkers with armor-piercing rounds.”

That is reliable bunker-role guidance, not a universal damage table. Before firing, confirm that AP is unlocked in the current mission, that the live objective actually identifies the target as a bunker, and that your shell, charge, bearing, and elevation all match the same firing card. The official example does not establish other target classes, a fixed number of hits, blast radius, requisition cost, or a one-shot guarantee.

A safe shell-selection workflow

1. Classify the target: hardened, surface, clustered, concealed, friendly-adjacent, or narrative.
2. Identify the mission intent: destroy, expose, cover a movement, deny an area, or make a story choice.
3. Check whether the target requires precision or area coverage.
4. Confirm the shell’s current in-game label and unlock state.
5. Confirm requisition cost and friendly-fire risk in the current build.
6. Only then select charges and calculate elevation.

Official examples say AP can penetrate a bunker, Smoke can cover a retreat, and Phosgene can poison an area. Those examples are reliable role guidance, but they do not provide a complete current stats table.

Why the public shell count is not settled

The official site advertises “30 ammo types and abilities to unlock,” and a developer reply discussed 30 unlockable ammunition types. Community resources, however, expose smaller sets of base codes, demo lists, or currently observed names. These may describe different layers: base shell families, unlockable effects, internal identifiers, or display names.

For that reason, this page does not claim “all nine shells” or “all thirty playable shells.” It also does not publish exact radii and prices where current sources disagree. For example, community reports conflict on STAR requisition cost and on the HE effect radius.

Confirmed roles versus community reports

Official examples

• AP: bunkers, following the official example. The official copy does not establish other target classes or effect-size statistics.
• SMK / Smoke: concealment and friendly withdrawal support.
• Phosgene: chemical area denial; use depends on mission and narrative consequences.

Current community-consistent roles

• HE: general surface targets and compact groups.
• HCHE: larger soft-target area coverage than standard HE.
• STAR: illumination, reconnaissance support, or exposing a target area.

Names needing direct version checks

DRIL/DRILL, APHE, Incendiary, TEAR, FUEL, PROPAGANDA, ATOMIC, and other unlocks appear in current or older community material. Their current display names, costs, radii, and unlock conditions are not asserted here.

Bunker and AP FAQ

Does the official bunker example prove AP is available in every mission? No. It confirms the intended relationship between armor-piercing ammunition and bunkers. Unlock state, starting cards, requisition availability, and the live objective remain mission- and build-specific.

Does AP always destroy a bunker in one hit? The official example does not publish a hit count or damage value. Treat AP as the supported shell-role choice, then use current mission feedback instead of assuming a guaranteed one-shot result.

Should I use AP for every target? No. The direct official example is specifically a bunker. Surface groups, concealment, illumination, area denial, and story choices have different roles; classify the live target before selecting ammunition.

Loading and safety notes

Shell choice and charge count are different decisions. A shell’s role does not tell you the correct elevation. Record the selected shell on the same target card as range, bearing, charges, and target type. If you load the wrong shell, do not invent an unload procedure; consult current controls and mission-safe options before acting.

Use the firing solution calculator only after selecting the intended charge count. Return to the beginner guide for the full verification chain.

Sources and data policy

• Official IRON NEST site — official AP, Smoke, and Phosgene role examples and the “30 ammo types and abilities” statement.
• Steam store — official game description and current product entity.
• Fandom ammunition page — community list with older and not-yet-introduced entries; used only as a discovery source.
• Developer ammunition discussion — pre-release developer statement about unlockable ammunition.

Direct bunker-answer and internal-link review updated August 24, 2026. Exact numerical fields remain needs in-game verification and are deliberately omitted rather than guessed.