Reinforced barrel
Reinforced barrel
A large barrel for projectile-based weapons like mortars. In order to hold the high launch pressures, it is specially reinforced and cannot be manufactured at a small scale.
Base Stats
- Type
- Exotic item
- Market Value
- 600
- Stack Limit
- 25
- Mass
- 10 kg
- HP
- 75
- Deterioration Rate
- 1
- Flammability
- 10%
- Rotatable
- False
- Path Cost
- 15 (46%)
- defName
- ReinforcedBarrel
Reinforced barrels are used for mortars. They are removed from the game if Classic mortars storyteller option is enabled.
Acquisition
Reinforced barrels cannot be crafted. Instead they can only be acquired through trade with tradeships and Outlander visitors, caravans, or faction bases. They can also be obtained reward for performing quests. Bulk goods traders specifically will always offer 1-4 reinforced barrels.
Reinforced barrels are also dropped down to raiders if they are in a siege, or acquired from deconstructing hostile mortars and automortars
.
Summary
A reinforced barrel is required to build and rearm mortars. A mortar costs 1 barrel to construct, and can fire up to 20 rounds before needing to be rearmed with another reinforced barrel. They are consumed on use.
If the Classic mortars storyteller option is enabled, reinforced barrels are completely removed from the game, and mortars do not need them to be built/used. Instead, mortars cost 
150 steel more to build and mortar shells cost 10 steel more to make. The forced miss radius of mortars also increases in compensation.
Analysis
Mortars are very useful in order to defend against stationary enemies, such as sieges, crashed ship parts or mech clusters. Reinforced barrels are required to use mortars in the first place. But with a market value of 600, before being impacted by Trade Price Improvement, they aren't a cheap item. Mortars also require mortar shells, themselves costly to fire.
Mortars in general are defintely worth getting, especially as a defense against enemy sieges or automortars. How quickly will depend largely on playstyle, current mortar defense, and difficulty. For example, a sniper rifle can be a good tool to lure early siegers, allowing you to loot their mortars/barrels against future attackers.
An effective way to acquire bulk barrels early is to lead traders with them into insectoid hives, wait for them to be killed, then retrieve the barrels while the bugs sleep. If you haven't got some already, then sieges themselves can be a good source of barrels (or constructed mortars).
Version history
- 1.3.3066 - Added