Game Info[]
Advanced nuclear weapon of the Information Era. Delivered via guided missile. Requires Manhattan Project and 2 
Uranium.
- Common abilities:
- Evasion (50)
- Special traits:
- Blast radius (2 tiles)
- Nuclear Fallout
- Actions:
- Rebase Mode: Order the air unit to rebase to another city, Missile Cruiser, or Nuclear Submarine
Strategy[]
The Nuclear Missile is an upgraded version of the Atomic Bomb, and the ultimate weapon of the warmonger. It must be stored in one of your cities or carried by one of your Nuclear Submarines or Missile Cruisers prior to being launched. The nuclear warhead is delivered by a guided missile rather than a bomber plane, which makes it almost impossible to stop (short of destroying the unit that carries it or capturing the city in which it is stored). With a range of 12, a Nuclear Missile possesses significant reach, and will heavily damage cities while destroying all units within its blast radius of 2 tiles; the missile, too, is consumed in the attack.
The nuclear attack, as usual, produces a deadly fallout in its blast radius, which makes the land unusable until it can be scrubbed clean by a Worker.
Unlike Atomic Bombs, Nuclear Missiles will utterly destroy cities with a 
Population of 6 or less (5 if the city has a Bomb Shelter, 4 in Brave New World), removing them from the map and leaving City Ruins in their place. However, they are unable to destroy cities that cannot be razed, so original capitals and city-states will be safe from complete destruction.
Bear in mind that the Nuclear Missile affects everything in its blast radius regardless of allegiance. Hence, it can end up hitting territory or units owned by a nonhostile civilization or city-state, which is considered a declaration of war against the owner. When the risk of collateral damage is high, it's better to use Nuclear Missiles as a last resort. They also require Uranium, so players who rely heavily on Nuclear Missiles should keep production of Nuclear Plants and Giant Death Robots to a minimum.
Civilopedia entry[]
Nuclear Missiles carry one or more warheads containing hydrogen bombs, each capable of destroying a city. Capable of carrying their deadly payload halfway around the world, nuclear missiles are the single deadliest and most terrible weapons ever created. At present there are no practical defenses against nuclear missiles: once launched, barring a miracle, the target city is dead. In addition to the immediate destruction caused by the huge explosion, nuclear explosions poison the land, sea and air for generations to come. Errant wind can carry the deadly nuclear fallout for miles, poisoning the land and killing people across a continent. It is fairly insane to use them on an enemy that one shares a planet with, unless it is to forestall that enemy from using them on oneself.
Trivia[]
- The Nuclear Missile's model is based on the Trident missile.
See also[]
- Nuclear Missile in other games
