IRON NEST Counter-Battery Guide: Stop the Clock
Prepare target cards before the first impact, prioritize hostile guns and the fire-direction center, manage counter-battery timing, and correct a missed shot.
LAST REVIEWED // 2026-08-11
Quick answer
Do the slow work before the first shell lands. Locate hostile guns, supply points, and the fire-direction center; prepare the firing cards; load the magazines for the planned sequence; then begin. The first impact starts the enemy counter-battery clock in the demonstrated mode. Destroying enemy guns adds time, while destroying the fire-direction center stops the clock.
Exact timer values can vary with challenge conditions, so use the on-screen timer rather than a number from another run.
Before the first shot
Finish reconnaissance and map plotting while no impact timer is running. Mark every confirmed hostile gun and the fire-direction center. Build a firing solution for each target and arrange the cards by bearing, elevation, ammunition, and gun assignment.
Use the left and right magazines deliberately. A sequence that minimizes large changes in turret bearing and barrel elevation is faster to execute. A higher valid charge may reduce the elevation needed at the same distance, but it must still match the calculator and available resources.
Prioritize the clock
The evidence supports three stable relationships:
- the first shell impact begins enemy counter-battery tracking;
- destroying hostile artillery extends the available time;
- destroying the fire-direction center stops the active countdown.
A practical sequence is to hit high-value guns continuously, arrange for the final planned shell to land on the fire-direction center, then use any newly revealed reconnaissance to prepare the next group. Do not publish one universal target order; the current operation and discovered targets control the sequence.
Manage ammunition and reconnaissance
Preload only what the verified cards require. Hidden supply locations and the fire-direction center may provide requisition resources, but paid reconnaissance has an opportunity cost. Use information revealed around impacts before spending on additional scouting when possible.
Recover from a miss
Do not improvise a new angle at the gun. Preserve the impact marker, apply the reported direction and distance correction, draw a new line from the IRON NEST to the corrected target, and print a fresh card. Decide whether the original target still protects the timer plan or whether another confirmed gun should be engaged first.
Some operations allow the IRON NEST to move and may change the timing pressure. If the gun moves, every old gun-to-target bearing and range is stale even when the target markers remain correct.
Use the walkthrough for the full firing loop and flight time guide for reading the impact countdown.