Reinforced barrel

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

Acquisition Strategy

Wandering traders, including visitors, often carry some reinforced barrels. If you can down the visitor without angering their faction, you can retrieve the barrels for a cheap/no cost. For example, you can lead traders into an insectoid hive, wait for them to be killed, then retrieve the barrels while the bugs sleep.
Sieges arrive with reinforced barrels, which they use to create mortars. You can either provoke the siege before the mortar is built, getting the barrels, or wait for the mortar to be built, getting a built mortar. The latter choice has some advantage, as it gives you a full mortar without needing the research. But it is usually best to provoke the siege early, if possible, since you don't want enemies firing shells at your base. Either way, this should be used as a supplemental source of barrels, as sieges are not consistent.
The most reliable way to get barrels is to simply buy them. Outlander and empire faction bases often come stocked with some, and as mentioned, in-colony traders also bring them.

You can also find built mortars in faction bases, but this requires the hassle of attacking a faction base. By the time you are able to win a fight against a base, you can probably can buy barrels / build mortars yourself.

Classic Mortars Setting

For the early game, classic mortars is generally the easier setting. First, it reduces the impact of RNG: you might not get a chance to buy reinforced barrels for a long time, but maps (outside the sea ice) almost certainly have steel ore. Plus, it is easier to get steel if you have a competent miner.

If you are playing on 500% threat scale, then classic mortars also have the wealth advantage. When playing with reinforced barrels, you are encouraged to hoard expensive barrels, which do nothing but add wealth. With classic mortars, a steel mortar costs 175 steel more to build, which is only worth 332.5. While the classic setting makes more expensive to create a mortar + 20 shells (375 more steel; 712.5), having just a few shells available can end a siege. Outside of 500% difficulty, this wealth is unlikely to matter at all.

In the late game, both steel and reinforced barrels are easily obtainable; steel from deep drills or trade, reinforced barrels from comms console use. Playing with regular mortals has an advantage, as mortars are more accurate under this setting. Also, using the regular mortar setting makes IEDs cheaper to obtain.

Version history

1.3.3066 - Added