How to Use Nukes in Hearts of Iron IV

Nuclear weapons are a weapon option that appears towards the end of a typical Hearts of Iron IV game. All things considered, Nukes are pretty weak in Hearts of Iron IV and won’t really help you win wars. But, if you want to try out these history-shifting weapons yourself, keep reading below.

Unlocking Nuclear Weapons

All you need to unlock nukes is a certain amount of progress along the Atomic Research tree.

• With the 1943 technology you unlock nuclear reactors, which you should immediately start building so you waste no time doing this once you actually unlock the weapons.
• Then, the 1945 technology will give you access to nuclear bombs. Each reactor you have built will begin producing one nuke per year.

Using the Nukes

Once you start producing nuclear bombs and have some in your stockpile, you’ll have to meet a few requirements to utilize them.

• Obviously, you will first have to be at war with the country that owns the territory you wish to bomb.
• You will also need to have a significant amount of Air Superiority: 75%.
• Additionally, you will need to have a strategic bomber stationed within range of the territory.

Finally, with those criteria met you will be able to use your bombs. Simply click on the province you want to use it on, and press the nuclear bomb button in the province window. 12 hours later, you will see a large mushroom cloud inside the province you selected.

Impact of the Nukes

As said before, nuclear bombs aren’t all that powerful. Divisions within the state will be damaged, provincial buildings will be significantly damaged, and the state buildings will receive a random amount of damage. War support for the impacted country will be reduced, depending on the infrastructure level or the largest victory point in the state. However, that’s all you can really expect from it.

Overall, nuclear bombs probably aren’t worth pursuing: they hardly contribute to the war effort and thus aren’t really worth using during a typical playthrough (unless you are just curious). They are too weak and show up too late in the game to have much impact. A better idea to succeed in Hearts of Iron IV would be to improve your division designs.