Scorch, Null and Shock Cannons
Scorch, Null and Shock Cannons are Relics used in Wrath of the Machine, House of Wolves and Rise of Iron.
Cannon Blast
| Console | Control |
|---|---|
| Action-based | Fire Weapon |
| Default Playstation | R2 |
| Default xBox | RT |
This function is quite simple... fire it! An energy blast will fire straight from the cannon like a rocket launcher. When it lands, it will blow up. It deals elemental damage that matches its name and energy color, and this is important to take note of when using it in the Wrath of the Machine.
Cannons can be aimed like any gun, so holding the aim-down-sights button (PS default L2, Xbox Default LT) zooms the cannon reticle for easier shots at long distance.
Charged Cannon Blast
| Console | Control |
|---|---|
| Action-based | Hold Fire Weapon |
| Default Playstation | Hold R2 |
| Default xBox | Hold RT |
Perform a Charged Cannon Blast with the Scorch/Null/Shock Cannons are, to me, the only real reason to use them. Inexperienced players commonly aren't aware of this mechanic in public PoE and Strikes.
To use the Charged Attack, when firing the weapon, don't release the fire weapon button immediately and instead hold it down. When the cannon hits its target, it will attach and begin to charge up. From there, the cannons behave somewhat differently depending on where you are in the game.
In Prison of Elders and House of Wolves era story missions, the charge has three stages which you can watch and listen for. Each stage produces a higher-pitched sound and a brighter color of light from the charge. Each stage will result in a higher damage output.
In Rise of Iron era strikes and story missions and Wrath of the Machine, the charge powers up faster but only has a single stage, which is communicated with a clicking sound and a pulse of color from the blast. The mechanic in the raid that uses the cannons requires that the Charged Cannon Blast be used.
In both cases, continuing to hold the fire weapon button after the cannon charged to its final stage does not do extra damage, so once you hear/see the indicator of the final charge state, release the trigger and fire again! Also, firing a cannon into the ground or a nearby wall and holding the charge button can set a great trap... like for Servitors you haven't seen come out the doors yet in WotM.
