Atomic Launch Pad

Quickstart

1. Craft a Nuclear Launch Pad and place it in the open.
2. Craft a Red Launch Button and place it within 4 blocks of the pad.
3. Craft a Nuclear Missile and hold it in your main hand.
4. Interact (tap/use) the Red Launch Button while holding the missile.
5. The missile is consumed, a 10-second countdown begins, and then the detonation fires. Get clear.

Overview

Atomic Launch Pad adds a complete nuclear weapons system to your world. Three craftable items — a missile, a launch pad, and a launch button — combine to trigger a massive staged detonation equivalent to 16,000 TNT pulses, leaving a permanent radiation zone at the blast site.

What It Adds

Crafting And Obtaining

All three items are crafted at a Crafting Table.

Nuclear Missile

Nuclear Launch Pad

Red Launch Button

How To Use

Setting Up a Launch Site

1. Place the Nuclear Launch Pad anywhere in the world.
2. Place the Red Launch Button within 4 blocks of the pad (any direction).
3. Make sure no other active launch sequence is already running at that pad.

Firing a Missile

1. Hold exactly one Nuclear Missile in your main hand.
2. Walk up to the Red Launch Button and interact with it.
3. The missile is consumed from your inventory immediately.
4. A server-wide chat message announces the armed missile's coordinates, yield, and fallout radius.
5. A ticking countdown sound plays every 2 seconds during the 10-second countdown.
6. Players inside the fallout radius see a red action bar timer counting down.

Detonation

When the countdown reaches zero:

• A massive explosion particle effect and sound fires at the launch pad.
• A 17×13×17 block area around the pad is instantly cleared to air.
• 16,000 virtual TNT pulses are then distributed in an expanding radius (up to ~196 blocks) over multiple ticks, breaking blocks and starting fires.
• A server-wide message announces the detonation and permanent fallout zone.
• Once all pulses finish, a final message confirms: "Nuclear firestorm complete. Permanent radiation remains active in the blast zone."

Abilities And Mechanics

Nuclear Launch Pad

• Explosion-immune — cannot be destroyed by any blast, including the detonation it hosts.
• Requires a pickaxe to mine (8 seconds to break).
• Acts as the origin point from which all explosion pulses radiate outward.

Red Launch Button

• High explosion resistance (80) — very difficult to destroy by accident.
• Quick to mine (2 seconds) if you need to disarm a site before firing.
• Only triggers a launch if a Nuclear Launch Pad is within 4 blocks.

Nuclear Missile

• Stacks to 1 only — you can carry one per slot.
• Cannot be placed in the off-hand.
• Consumed immediately when the launch sequence is confirmed.

Radiation Zone

• After detonation, a permanent radiation zone is recorded at the blast origin.
• This zone persists across world reloads (world-saved state).
• Players within the fallout radius continue to receive radiation effects even after the firestorm ends.
• A second launch cannot be initiated at a pad already inside an active blast/radiation area.

Progression And Strategy

• Gather late-game materials first. The Nuclear Missile requires Nether Stars (Wither kills) and Netherite Ingots, making it a true end-game weapon.
• Pick your target carefully. The detonation radius and permanent radiation zone cannot be undone — choose uninhabited or designated destruction zones.
• Build the pad far from your base. The blast clears a large area instantly and the radiation lingers permanently.
• Use the 10-second countdown to put distance between yourself and the blast site — the explosion radius easily reaches a couple hundred blocks.
• Chain launches with caution. Multiple independent pads can be fired sequentially, but each leaves its own permanent radiation zone.