Customizable Artillery: Build Your Own Cannon in Minecraft
If vanilla Minecraft's simple TNT cannons no longer cut it, this add-on delivers a full engineering sandbox for creating heavy siege weapons. Customizable Artillery: Build Your Own Cannon in Minecraft transforms your world into a proving ground where every component of a field gun is assembled by hand. You control the caliber, barrel length, chassis type, armor, and camouflage, producing anything from a rapid-fire light piece to a slow-moving super-heavy howitzer.
This guide covers the build process, installation steps, and version compatibility so you can add this mod to your collection without guesswork.
Core Crafting Pipeline
The mod splits construction into three distinct stages. Each stage has its own recipes and upgrade paths, and the final result depends entirely on the choices you make along the way.
Barrel Assembly
Start with six iron ingots to craft the base barrel segment. From there, you can expand it in two directions:
- Caliber: six steps from 50 to 300. Higher caliber accepts heavier projectiles but reduces reload speed, accuracy, and mobility.
- Length: sixteen steps from 100 to 1600. A longer barrel boosts projectile velocity and precision but makes the whole assembly less maneuverable.
Once the barrel reaches the desired specifications, combine it with a cauldron to produce a functional Cannon. An optional auto-loader mechanism can be crafted together with the barrel for faster follow-up shots.
Chassis Construction
The undercarriage begins with a pair of tracks made from one iron block and eight iron bars. Next, craft a Carriage from three iron pressure plates and two ingots. Upgraded carriage versions rotate the barrel faster.
Combine the carriage with the two track units to get a chassis. If you want self-propelled artillery, add an Engine during this step. The engine consumes fuel but grants full mobility across the map.
Final Assembly
Place the finished barrel and chassis together in a crafting table. The resulting artillery piece can be placed on the ground and operated immediately. Optional upgrades include armor plating for better defense against small and slow mobs, at the cost of movement speed, and camouflage patterns that change only the appearance.
Operating the Artillery
To use the weapon, place it on the ground and right-click to take the gunner seat. Press R to open the interface, which contains several dedicated zones:
- Ammo display: shows the currently loaded projectile. Items cannot be inserted directly here, only removed.
- Ammo slots: hold any item a dispenser can throw. The auto-loader pulls from these slots during reload.
- Powder display: shows the loaded charge. Direct insertion is blocked.
- Powder slots: store gunpowder, used automatically on reload. TNT works as an alternative propellant.
- Fuel slot: required only if an engine is installed. Any furnace-burnable fuel works.
- Info panel: displays all current stats for the gun.
Fire by right-clicking while seated. You can launch any block or item a dispenser can eject, including arrows, fire charges, spawn eggs, lava buckets, and projectiles from other mods. The author specifically recommends pairing this with Shells Mod for a wider arsenal and deeper immersion.
Installation and Version Compatibility
To download Customizable Artillery: Build Your Own Cannon in Minecraft, you need Minecraft Forge as the required loader. The mod works with standard Java Edition releases supported by Forge; check your specific Forge version against the mod file before installing. A launcher that manages mods directly can simplify the process, letting you add the mod to your profile without manual file editing.
For a smooth experience, also install Shells Mod from CurseForge. Note that the mod changes the gunpowder recipe, though this can be disabled in the configuration file. The vanilla recipe book does not display the custom crafting patterns correctly, so rely on JEI or the provided schematic images instead.
Advanced Mechanics and Edge Cases
Several non-obvious behaviors are worth knowing before you deploy your artillery:
- Mobs, including zombies and sheep, can climb into the seat and fire the gun. This works for automated traps or mob-powered defenses.
- The artillery can ride on minecarts, enabling rail-based combat scenarios.
- The gun counts as a living entity, so potion effects apply. A splash potion of healing repairs it quickly.
- Arrows fired from a longer barrel deal more damage due to higher exit velocity.
- Armor does not protect against fire or lava damage, and the driver still takes reduced damage even with a fully enclosed cabin.
- You can use the cannon for construction by firing blocks, but diamond blocks occasionally vanish on impact, so avoid wasting valuable resources.
- Name tags, banners, and paintings can customize the gun's appearance further.
Customizable Artillery: Build Your Own Cannon in Minecraft for Minecraft is a robust addition for players who want tactical depth and engineering freedom. The modular crafting system, combined with compatibility for a wide range of throwable items, makes it a strong fit for PvP servers, creative builds, or chaotic survival sessions. Follow the installation steps above, verify your Forge version, and you will be shelling your friends in no time.