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Build and Defend Your Raft — Turrets vs Cannons
Combat Updated 2026-09-03

Turrets vs Cannons

Turrets are the second automated defense piece, unlocked on the higher Crafting Table tiers alongside reinforced gear. They look like cannons’ little sibling — and then someone boards your raft and gets deleted. Here’s how turrets actually differ from cannons.

Turret vs cannon at a glance

Turret Cannon
Detection range Short proximity radius Longer range, engages distant rafts
Best target Players (boarders, swimmers) Structures and rafts
Anti-building damage Lower — under community review Higher, especially upgraded
Fire control Fully automatic Fully automatic
Cap Shared with cannons (Raft Weapons upgrade raises both) Same
Cost profile Higher-tier Crafting Table unlock Heavy metal cost

Why your turret isn’t shooting

The most common turret complaint in the official Discord — “why is my turret not shooting?” — has a confirmed answer from the dev side: turrets have a shorter proximity range than cannons. A turret that feels dead is usually just deployed too far from where the fight happens.

Fix: place turrets on the deck where boarders land and near doors/chest rooms, not on the outer rim where you’d put cannons. Turrets are interior defense; cannons are perimeter defense.

The structure damage question

Players noticed turrets seem to do less damage to walls and more to players — “people are breaking my metal structures while I cannot crack their wood walls,” one defender wrote, describing cannon-era damage feel. The dev team has said they’ll test the turret-vs-structure numbers, so treat the exact split as unconfirmed until an official note lands.

What’s confirmed from play:

  • Turrets shred unarmored boarders fast.
  • Neither turrets nor low-level cannons delete reinforced walls quickly — upgrade cannons for siege work.
  • Damage seems to land harder from a moving raft, per the dev team’s own observation — kiting while shooting beats standing still.

The rotation complaint

A recurring balance request in the official Discord asks for turrets to get a wider (270–360°) firing arc — right now a turret’s placement angle matters a lot. Until that changes: rotate-check every turret after you build. A turret facing inland is decoration.

For a defended mid-game raft, the community standard is:

  1. Cannons on the perimeter — front and flanks with clear water view.
  2. Turrets inside — covering the deck, the stairs up, and the chest room.
  3. Raft Weapons upgrade as soon as metal allows — it raises the cap on both at once.