Sir We Have an Orc Problem Missiles

Missiles are the default active ability in Sir, We Have an Orc Problem. From the first level you can fire AoE explosions into the horde while Gunners are still locked behind the upgrade tree. Missiles remain relevant through the finale because cooldowns are short relative to orbital lasers and nukes, and because every radius upgrade multiplies how many orcs one click deletes.

This page covers missile mechanics, upgrade nodes, firing technique, and how missiles compete for points with Economy Upgrades and tower caps. Pair it with Combat Upgrades for shared damage nodes and Upgrade Priority for early purchase order.

Baseline behaviour

During battle phase you click (or hold, if unlocked) to launch a missile at the cursor. Each hit deals explosion damage in a circular blast radius. Orcs killed contribute to run currency; missiles therefore matter for both survival and perfect clears even when turrets do most work.

Early levels show enemy counts in the hundreds; late levels reach tens of thousands. Missiles cannot carry alone at that scale, but they trim the peak so Mortars and Flamethrowers see manageable density.

Upgrade nodes that affect missiles

Missile stats live on the persistent tree alongside Gunner unlocks:

Missile damage

Flat or incremental damage increases raise kill threshold on chunky orcs and reduce shots needed on small clumps. Cheap early nodes help level one when Gunners are weak. Diminishing returns appear once turrets kill faster than you can click - shift budget to radius or cooldown.

Missile explosion radius

Wider blasts catch more orcs per shot. Radius often beats damage on merged paths where orcs stack three tiles deep. Community discussion notes knockback direction matters: explosions that push orcs toward the base feel bad; patches have adjusted physics - lead targets slightly up-path when possible.

Cooldown / faster shots

Cooldown reduction lets you fire more missiles per wave. Strong when you manually play actively; weaker if you prefer semi-idle turret focus. Synergises with hold to fire continuously unlocks that change input from repeated clicks to holding the button - read tooltips; continuous fire still respects cooldown timers in current builds.

Hold to fire continuously

A convenience node, not always a DPS doubling node. Useful on Steam Deck or mouse-heavy sessions. Skip if you prefer precise single shots on elite clumps.

All missile combat nodes also appear in Combat Upgrades grouped with tower paths.

Early-game missile priority

On a fresh save, typical order after Gunner unlock:

1. One damage OR radius node (radius if paths are wide)
2. Gunner cap upgrades from Economy Upgrades
3. Second missile node (whichever stat you skipped)
4. Cooldown once per-wave missile count feels limiting

Do not max missiles before buying income - two missile nodes plus Gunners clear early maps; income clears everything after.

Mid and late-game missile role

Mid campaign introduces bombing runs (Bombing Runs). Missiles become the quick flex tool while bombing cooldowns tick. Use missiles on stray leaks; save bombing runs for rectangular swaths.

Late campaign adds move speed per level. Lead targets further ahead of the pack; radius upgrades compensate for faster travel into the blast zone.

Power Shot and similar demo nodes may amplify missile bursts - buy after baseline radius so the bonus area actually catches orcs.

Targeting technique

Fire at chokes, not open field. Orcs compress where paths narrow; that is maximum radius value.

Wait for merge points on dual-path maps. A half-second delay often doubles effective hits.

Do not waste shots on single orcs unless that orc ends a perfect clear. Gunners clean singles cheaply.

Sync with Mortar impacts when shells land late - missile first to slow the ball, Mortar second on the pile.

During repositioning, missiles cover downtime while Gunner lines are recalled and redrawn.

Missiles vs bombing runs vs nukes

Tool	Cooldown	Best use
Missiles	Short	Constant manual trim, leak plugging
Bombing runs	Medium	Lane-wide rectangles, mid density
Orbital laser	Longer	Sustained zone on frozen clump
Nukes	Longest	Emergency reset

See Orbital Laser and Nukes for when missiles should cede budget to late abilities.

Planning with tools and tier lists

The Upgrade Planner abilities focus still lists early missile nodes - they are prerequisites for comfortable mid game. If you run combat-first, buy damage + radius before strafing run unlock.

Missiles do not replace towers. Check Turret Tier List for passive DPS roles; missiles supplement, not substitute, Flamethrower fronts or Cannon lines.

Demo stat panels

Demo patches added ability stat panels mirroring tower Damage Statistics. After each run, compare missile kills to bombing runs. If missiles lead by a wide margin, continue cooldown investment; if turrets dominate, cap missile spending at one radius node.

Common mistakes

Spaming into empty space during early cooldown reduction excitement - watch pathing.

Ignoring radius entirely - damage without area fails on swarm density.

Buying nukes before missile radius - late abilities matter less if mid game never stabilized.

Firing while paused for strafing duplicates - fixed in demo; do not rely on exploits.

Summary

Missiles teach the game’s AoE rhythm and stay on cooldown rotation until credits roll. Upgrade damage and radius early, cooldown when active play feels gatekept, and revisit nodes after demo balance changes. Link outward to Abilities Hub, Bombing Runs, and Economy Meta when funding those upgrades from farm runs.