Illumination Shell
Night observation / star shell
The IRON NEST illumination shell lights up the battlefield — a star shell that hangs over a target area so you can observe, range and correct in low visibility.
You can't hit what you can't see.
Like the smoke shell, the illumination shell deals no damage — it deals vision. A star shell bursts and hangs over the target area, throwing harsh light across ground you’d otherwise be firing into blind.
This round is listed as expected, based on the era’s gunnery practice and the game’s emphasis on observation. We’ll confirm specifics as the developers detail the arsenal.
When to load it
Illumination earns its slot in low-visibility conditions — night actions or anything where you can’t cleanly observe the fall of shot. If your aerial reconnaissance can’t give you a read in the dark, light the area first.
How to use it
- Light, observe, then fire. Use the illumination round to confirm the target and your ranging, then follow with a damage shell.
- Place it over, not on. You want the light source above and slightly beyond the target so the area is lit, not silhouetted.
- Treat it as setup. Like smoke, its payoff is the shot that comes after it.
In the wider loadout
Illumination is part of the utility side of the table — rounds that shape the conditions of a shot rather than its impact. Pairing observation rounds with the right damage shell is exactly the kind of two-step thinking IRON NEST rewards. See the ammunition guide for how the families fit together.