Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, community sites named in the text and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Cannon Terminology: Propellant, Booster, Injector
In cannon talk, projectiles are the TNT that hit the enemy and propellants are the TNT that push them. Boosters, injectors and ejectors are kinds of propellant. The chamber is where TNT is lit and the barrel is the way out. minecraft.wiki's cannon pages use the WarGear community's names, listed here in plain words.
What are the kinds of TNT in a cannon?
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Projectile (proj) | TNT, or another launched entity, that damages the enemy |
| Propellant (prop) | TNT that pushes other entities; usually all explode at once |
| Booster | A propellant that throws TNT across to the enemy's side |
| Injector | A propellant that explodes outside the cannon to drive projectiles straight into the enemy |
| Ejector | A propellant that moves TNT out of the cannon, but not towards the enemy |
What are the parts of a cannon called?
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Chamber | The place where TNT is lit |
| Barrel | The path the TNT uses to leave the cannon. A barrel means less armour, and damaging it can break some modes |
| Launch point | Where the boosters explode; see launch points |
| Chokepoint | A spot that every shot's TNT passes through |
| Formation | The overall plan of where cannons, shields and other parts sit in a fighting machine |
What do angle, pressure and modes mean?
- Angle: the whole path the projectiles take after the launch point.
- Pressure: the speed TNT is pushed to.
- Modes: the different shots a cannon can make, such as hitting higher, lower or sideways, or switching from tunneler to mortar.
- Prime phases: the order in which groups of projectiles are lit.
- Prime motion: the random starting push each lit TNT gets; micro motion is almost invisible movement that can spoil a shot.
- Pixel: 1/16 of a block. Subpixel displacement: TNT positions off that grid, usually 0.01 blocks because TNT is 0.98 blocks wide.
Speeds in cannon guides are counted in blocks per tick. One block per tick equals 20 blocks per second.
How are cannons named?
minecraft.wiki builds a cannon's name from a few of its features, written in reverse order of how its list presents them. So SAT means Shift-Ascend-Tunneler, 3/4US means an Up-Shotgun with 3 injectors and 4 projectiles, and Sa means semi-automatic. The damage types are on shotguns, tunnelers, ripples and mortars and scatters and nukes.
Do factions players use the same words?
Many words overlap, but each community has its own naming. minecraft.wiki says plainly that different communities use different conventions and its pages follow WarGear's. Factions words such as regen and sand stacking are covered on their own pages, each with its source.
Frequently asked questions
What is a booster in a TNT cannon?
A propellant TNT that throws the other TNT across to the enemy's side.
What is the difference between a projectile and a propellant?
Projectiles are the TNT that damage the target; propellants are the TNT that push them.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.