Nuclear Bomb
Explodes when hitting an enemy, dealing {[min_bomb_damage]}-{[max_bomb_damage]} damage to nearby enemies and applying 1 stack of radiation to everyone present indefinitely (max {[max_radiation_stacks]} stacks). Each stack of radiation increases damage received by {[radiation_pct]}. Has a {[cooldown_length]} second cooldown.
Nuclear Bomb Ball Guide
Quick Reference
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Effect | On hit, deals AOE damage to nearby enemies and applies 1 stack of permanent radiation to everyone present (max X stacks). Each radiation stack increases all damage received by X% from all sources. Has a cooldown |
| Category | AOE Explosion / Permanent Debuff |
| Tier | S |
Rating
Nuclear Bomb is an S-tier ball and the definitive upgrade of the Bomb line. Its critical distinction from Radiation Beam and X Ray: the radiation stacks never expire. They accumulate permanently throughout the entire round.
Where other radiation sources apply temporary stacks that tick down and disappear, Nuclear Bomb's radiation stacks build up continuously with every throw and remain active indefinitely until the round ends. Each additional stack multiplies all damage from all sources on all affected enemies.
Combined with its simultaneous AOE explosion, one Nuclear Bomb throw delivers burst damage AND increases the global damage multiplier permanently. Over the course of a round, this compounds into an extraordinary DPS escalation for the entire build.
The cooldown means you can't spam it, but every throw permanently raises the damage ceiling for every other ball in your set.
When to Pick
- Any build that wants to continuously escalate total damage over a full run
- DOT builds where permanent radiation multiplies every tick of every DOT
- Multi-source damage builds where radiation applies universally across all effects
- Boss encounters where permanently stacked radiation maximizes all DPS sources against a single target
Best Characters
| Character | Synergy | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-DOT builds | S | Permanent radiation multiplies every tick of poison, burn, bleed, and curse |
| Multi-source builds | S | Universal multiplier elevates all damage sources simultaneously |
| Endurance builds | A | Longer rounds = more throws = higher permanent stack totals = higher total DPS |
Recommended Passives
| Passive | Synergy |
|---|---|
| Radiation stacks per hit increase | More stacks per throw = faster maximum reach |
| Radiation stack cap increase | Higher cap = higher ceiling on damage multiplier |
| Cooldown reduction | More frequent throws = faster permanent stack accumulation |
| AOE radius increase | Larger explosion hits more enemies per detonation |
| Global damage amplification | Compounds multiplicatively with radiation for extreme final values |
Tips
- Throw as early and often as possible — permanent stacks mean every early throw has compounding value throughout the whole round
- Leverage the cooldown window — other balls firing during Nuclear Bomb's cooldown all benefit from whatever radiation has already been accumulated
- Stack DOTs before max radiation — poison/burn/bleed applied before radiation is maxed out will deal increasing damage per tick as more stacks accumulate
- Boss priority — keeping max radiation on a boss means every other DPS source against it is fully multiplied; this is the highest-value scenario
TL;DR
Nuclear Bomb deals AOE damage and applies permanent non-expiring radiation stacks that increase all damage from all sources per stack. S-tier. The radiation never fades — the longer the round, the more powerful every other ball in your build becomes.