Water Bucket
This article is timeless and should be accurate for any version of the game.
| “ | A bucket that holds water. You can toss water onto fires to extinguish them. | „ |
| — In-game description |
The Water Bucket is a utility item used to put out fires and remove water from flooded Large Ships.
Description
The Water Bucket is a utility item whose primary purpose is to move water from one location to another, either to extinguish a fire, or prevent a flooding Large Ship from sinking. It is equipped in the primary slot, and has certain properties when handled. When it is empty, it weighs 1.8%, but when there is any water in it, it weighs 60%.
Similar to other weapons, it starts off without any "ammunition" (water), and must be "reloaded" by filling it up at bodies of water, Water Wells, or with water cans in your inventory). Unlike other weapons, if it has any "ammo" inside of it, it cannot be stored into a stockpile, and must be emptied.
In terms of combat applications, it is one of two objects capable of extinguishing a fire, and the only way to remove water from a flooding Large Ship. In order to remove water from a Large Ship, it must be thrown overboard in order to be counted as removing water from the ship.
Uses
When the Water Bucket is filled, it is used like a thrown weapon:
- Aim with
RMB - Throw the water with
LMB
The Water Bucket has a very short range and only has two "shots" before needing to be refilled.
Pressing R refills it, though the amount varies depending on the source. Water sources, such as rivers, lakes, oceans, flooded Large Ships, and Water Wells will refill both charges, but refilling using water cans require two cans to fully refill it.
Extinguishing Fires
In order to extinguish a fire (more specifically, a structure on fire), the player must have a water bucket filled, and "shoot" the structure. This will throw the water on the structure, which will slightly decrease the fire on it. Depending on the severity of the fire, it will take more water to extinguish it.
Bailing out Flooding Large Ships
When Large Ships are hit, it increases the chance of a leak being created, which is a hole punched into the hull. This can cause the ship to flood if the hole is below the water level, which will cause the ship to start taking in water.
In order to remove this water, Water Buckets must be filled up, and the collected water thrown overboard. Due to the large amounts of water that can be caused by flooding, filled Water Buckets can only be emptied overboard, as players cannot simply store their filled Water Buckets back into the Ship's stockpile.
Production
| Structure | Input(s) | Output | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factory (Utility) | 80 x Basic Materials  |
Crate of 50 x Water Bucket  |
00:00:40 |
Storage
The Water Bucket does not stack in inventories.
It can be stored in Base stockpiles.
Water Bucket crates can be stored in the stockpile of a Storage Depot, Seaport, or Storage Ship. They can be submitted to any stockpile that accept Water Buckets to transfer their content into it.
Tips
- While Water Buckets are essential, due to their crate size, player do not have to produce a lot.
- Water Buckets and Water should always be stocked in a base, just in case a fire breaks out, which will allow defenders to quickly respond and extinguish it.
- Water sources instantly fill up the Water Bucket, while refilling it from water cans only refills one charge. This can be useful depending on the location of the fire
Tactics
If the town you are in has a Water Well nearby, have a bunch of filled Water Buckets stored nearby there so you can quickly grab them and use it when a structure is on fire. Additionally, players should be aware of nearby water sources, as certain areas are more susceptible to fire due to lack of water (such as certain inland regions).
Due to the water splash having a 3.5m effect radius, it is able to hit a somewhat wide area. This allows players to only need to hit the fire in its general direction, and not worry about accuracy.
Large Ship Crews Due to Large Ship crews being the largest vehicles in the game, and having the larger crews overall, it is important that most, if not all personnel be equipped for multiple roles. This can mean being equipped for infantry combat (in case of boarding actions), ship repair (when flooding happens), and Ammo loading (carrying ammunition to the main guns).
Trivia
- When the fire mechanic was introduced in Update 1.50 ('Inferno'), Water Buckets were the only way to extinguish fires.
- Over the course of the game, firefighting mechanics would be buffed in certain ways, such as Water Bucket's overall effectiveness against fires, adding an additional charge (allowing to throw water twice), and the introduction of Fire Engines.
- When Large Ships were introduced in Update 1.54 ('Naval Warfare'), Water Buckets were changed so that they could not be stored in a stockpile when they are filled.
- This was added during the devbranch, as players found that they could bypass the bailing water overboard mechanic and simply scoop up the water and storing it (which meant players could stay below decks if leaks happened). With this change, players must scoop up the water, and toss it overboard if they do not want their Large Ship to sink.
Gallery
A Warden soldier holding a filled Water Bucket
A Colonial soldier filling up a Water Bucket from a water source
Water being thrown out of a filled Water Bucket
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