Front Cannon has two jobs: a burst of small automatic cannonballs against nearby enemies and a powerful active shot. Choose the attack you want to improve, then line up the castle before firing. Extra active damage is a poor first fix when the shot keeps missing.
Two attacks, two upgrade plans
The FrontCannon module occupies the front slot. Its automatic attack fires small cannonballs at nearby enemies; the active fires a powerful cannonball. This differs from side Cannon broadside play, where you bring a flank alongside the target.
| Attack | Use it for | Pick direction |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic burst | Repeated nearby-target fire while you steer and prepare the next active. | Auto Attack Ammo and upgrades specifically naming the automatic attack. |
| Active cannonball | A lined-up shot at a committed target or useful group. | More Damage, then Execute or Knockback according to the problem you need to solve. |
Watch which attack is connecting in ordinary fights. An automatic-focused run should not spend every special choice on the active simply because the active has the larger single-shot number.
How to stop wasting the active shot
- Choose an approach with an exit. Find room to turn after the shot instead of aiming from the middle of a surrounding group.
- Point the front at the enemy’s route. Use the active’s impact indicator to judge where the shot is going. A target moving across your front can leave that area before the cannonball arrives.
- Let the target commit. A pursuer approaching along a clear lane is easier to line up than an enemy circling across your nose.
- Consider the projectile path as well as the landing area. Direct contact along the shot’s path can matter at closer range; do not judge a shot only by whether a distant ground impact looks centred. Preserve space to turn rather than driving into the enemy for a hit.
- Fire, turn and reassess. Let the automatic burst work during the next approach. Reposition before taking another active shot if the enemy has moved out of alignment.
Why does the shot still feel weak?
Separate a miss from a damage problem. Try a manageable encounter with a clear view of the projectile and the enemy’s health. If hits are landing, damage upgrades become meaningful. If the enemy regularly leaves the line, change your approach before spending another pick on damage.
A turn that gives the Front Cannon a good angle may point a side weapon away from the enemy. Fire the two modules at their useful moments rather than trying to make every active connect from one heading.
Ammo or damage? Execute or Knockback?
| Choice | Choose it when | What it will not fix |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Attack Ammo | Your automatic burst is doing useful work. This special adds five automatic projectiles. | It does not add five cannonballs to the active shot. |
| More Damage | You can land the active consistently and want more impact from it. | It does not improve a shot that misses the target. |
| Execute | You want the active to finish low-health targets and can keep it available for that moment. | It is not a replacement for dealing the opening damage. |
| Knockback | You need space from targets the effect can displace. | It does not replace movement or bypass every enemy’s control resistance. |
These are alternative special choices. Compare the Front Cannon upgrade tree before treating all four as a single package. Use ordinary upgrades to support your selected attack, and take movement or recovery when positioning has become the limiting factor.
Match artifacts to the actual role
Front Hourglass helps the front-module cooldown plan. Broader cannon-damage choices support the cannon family, while a slot-specific side bonus belongs to a different part of the castle. The damage bonus comparison explains those boundaries.
Magma Core connects cannonballs to a fire build by leaving a fire crater when they hit the ground. Keep the cannon’s aiming needs separate from the flame modules: placing a crater does not remove the need to lead enemies through useful ground.
In the Fire Mage and Side Flamethrower build, Front Cannon can provide a cannonball source without competing for the flamethrower’s side slot. It does compete with Ram and Front Barracks, so choose one front-module job for that run.
Unlock the module, then practise one repeatable pass
Reach Side Cannons upgrade level 10 to complete the Front Cannon unlock requirement, then purchase the module between runs. Reaching Cannon Crew level 5 opens Cannon Tower instead: these are separate unlock routes.
For the first attempt, keep the loadout simple. Choose a target you can approach safely, line up the active, fire once and leave with enough nitro to turn. Repeat until you can tell whether the automatic burst, active shot or escape route needs the next improvement.
Use the equipment unlock guide to plan the prerequisite run, or compare the Wanderburg build options before spending silver on another module.