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Demolition Build Guide

Demolition Shack is the explosive burst branch. It is strongest when you use it as a focused package: Demodwarves for TNT throws, cooldown and damage upgrades to make each dwarf reliable, den upgrades when artifacts and mithril matter, then Powder Hall to turn Scientists, Runesmiths, luck, and extra TNT into real scaling.

Short version: unlock the branch after the basic Miner + Maw economy is stable, buy 1-2 Demodwarves, rush Efficient Delivery Protocol before deep damage greed, stop at the efficient Tightly Packed Package breakpoint, then only spend mithril on Big Bomb, Shrapnel, and Powder Hall if demolition is carrying the run.

Quick Answer

Stage	Buy	Stop Or Pivot When
Open	Demolition Shack after Miners, The Maw, and several Runners are stable. Buy 1-2 Demodwarves.	Hauling starts falling behind or the current mountain dies without needing more bomb burst.
Core	Push Efficient Delivery Protocol first, then Tightly Packed Package to tier 6.	Cooldown and efficient TNT damage are funded.
Specialize	Add Lightweight Casing, den tools, then Big Bad Bomb and Powder Hall when the support requirements are ready.	Mithril, Scientists, Runesmiths, or hauling become the next wall.

Why This Works

Demolition gets strong from stacking throw rate, TNT damage, extra throws, Big Bomb chance, crit support, and den pressure. A single Demodwarf is only a burst helper; the full branch works when cooldown, throw reliability, and support units are built together.

Core Formula

Part	Math	Player Meaning
Base Demodwarf output	A Demodwarf starts at 31 damage every 13-15 seconds, so the clean baseline is 31 / 14 = 2.21 damage per second before crits, Big Bombs, extra throws, and modifiers.	This is why one naked Demodwarf feels like burst support, not a full build by itself.
Cycle time	average cycle = 14 seconds * Efficient Delivery value * Tightly Packed cooldown penalty * other cooldown multipliers.	Efficient Delivery Protocol is the strongest early lever because lowering cycle time multiplies every future damage upgrade.
Expected throws	expected throws per cycle = 1 + extra TNT rolls * rain chance.	Raining Dynamite is multiplicative because each extra throw can also roll Big Bomb and crit.
Rain chance	rain chance = 4% + 0.5% per Scientist + 0.08% per luck.	Scientists become a real demolition stat only after Powder Hall tier 2 opens the extra-TNT upgrade.
Big Bomb chance	Big Bomb chance = Big Bad Bomb tier chance + Bob-omb's Idol + 4% per Powder Hall tier + 0.7% per Runesmith + 0.08% per luck.	Each successful TNT throw rolls the chance. Big Bad Bomb itself changes that throw to 1.5x damage, +8 force, and 1.35x radius.
Expected Big Bomb damage	expected Big Bomb multiplier = 1 + 0.5 * Big Bomb chance.	A 20% Big Bomb chance is about 1.10x expected hit damage before the force and radius benefits.
Crit	expected crit multiplier = 1 + crit chance * (crit multiplier - 1). Base Demodwarf crit is 5% at 1.5x, or 1.025x expected damage.	Shrapnel Rocks Hate and Runesmith crit support matter more after the branch is already throwing often.

Optimal Upgrade Order

Step	Buy	Why It Works
1. Open safely	Demolition Shack after Miner's Guild, The Great Maw, and 4 Runners. Then buy 1-2 Demodwarves.	The building costs 350 gold. Demodwarf purchases scale from a 90 gold base and cost dwarves, so the branch should not starve hauling or early damage.
2. Cut cooldown	Efficient Delivery Protocol to tier 5 first, then tier 9 when affordable.	Tier 5 costs 6,597 total gold and cuts the cooldown multiplier to 0.5. Tier 9 costs 59,197 total and reaches 0.1, about a 10x throw-rate multiplier before later tiers get extremely expensive.
3. Add efficient damage	Tightly Packed Package to tier 6.	Tightly Packed tier 6 costs 13,420 total gold, gives 1.6x damage, and has only a 1.09x cooldown penalty. Net damage per time is about 1.6 / 1.09 = 1.47x before crits and Big Bombs.
4. Fix hit reliability	Lightweight Casing when TNT visibly lands short, sails past useful targets, or stops exploding on the mountain often enough.	Tightly Packed makes TNT heavier. Lightweight Casing raises throw power up to 1.28x, and also improves the chance that dynamite explodes on mountain collision.
5. Add den pressure	I'm A Power Load into Total Denmolition.	Power Load adds force/radius. Total Denmolition reaches 2x den damage and +35 den-loot force, so it is best when dens, artifacts, or mithril veins are the goal.
6. Spend mithril with intent	Big Bad Bomb, Shrapnel Rocks Hate, then Powder Hall.	Big Bomb and Shrapnel directly improve each throw. Powder Hall is the pivot into advanced explosives, but it needs prestige and Scientist support.

Math Breakpoints

Breakpoint	Calculation	Decision
Efficient Delivery tier 5	6,597 total gold for a 0.5 cooldown multiplier.	Best early upgrade target if Demodwarves are your main damage.
Efficient Delivery tier 9	59,197 total gold for a 0.1 cooldown multiplier.	Strong midgame throw-rate spike; later tiers are expensive enough that you should check other bottlenecks first.
Tightly Packed tier 6	13,420 total gold, 1.6x damage, 1.09x cooldown penalty.	The cleanest early damage breakpoint. Push deeper only if throw power and cooldown are already handled.
Shrapnel max	+36 percentage points crit chance.	At a 1.5x crit multiplier, those 36 points are about +18% expected damage before Runesmith crit-multiplier support.
Big Bad Bomb starter	Tier 1 adds 4% base Big Bomb chance; Big Bomb hits deal 1.5x damage and have larger radius.	Worth buying once you meet the 1 Demodwarf, 3 Scientist, and 2 Runesmith gate and can spare the mithril.
Powder Hall entry	Requires Powder Hall prestige and more than 3 Scientists, so the practical target is 4 Scientists.	Do not chase advanced demolition without the science and PP path to unlock it.

Powder Hall Pivot

Package	Math	When To Buy
Big Bomb starter	Big Bad Bomb tier 1 + Powder Hall tier 2 + 2 Runesmiths + base 5 luck gives 4% + 8% + 1.4% + 0.4% = 13.8% Big Bomb chance.	This is about 1.069x expected hit damage before crits, extra TNT, and radius/force value.
Raining Dynamite with 10 Scientists	At 10 Scientists and 5 luck, rain chance is 4% + 5% + 0.4% = 9.4%. Tier 4 Raining Dynamite gives 1 + 4 * 0.094 = 1.376 expected throws.	About 37.6% more TNT per attack cycle, with each extra TNT also rolling Big Bomb.
Raining Dynamite with 20 Scientists	20 Scientists and 25 luck give 4% + 10% + 2% = 16% rain chance. Tier 4 gives 1 + 4 * 0.16 = 1.64 expected throws.	This is where Scientists become a serious demolition scaler instead of only an unlock tax.
Mapped Destruction	Mapped Destruction tier 1 at 40 Underground Mapping is 1 + 0.003 * 40 = 1.12x. Tier 6 at 40 mapping is 1.32x; tier 6 at 100 mapping is 1.8x.	Bad early, excellent only after mapping is already high and Powder Hall tier 3 plus prestige are unlocked.
Late Big Bomb stack	Big Bad Bomb tier 6 + Powder Hall tier 4 + 10 Runesmiths + 25 luck + Bob-omb's Idol is 14% + 16% + 7% + 2% + 2% = 41%.	That is about 1.205x expected hit damage from Big Bomb alone, before crit and extra-throw math.

Support Units

Support	Demolition Role	How Much To Buy
Runesmiths	They add 0.7% Big Bomb chance each, can add fire damage, luck, crit multiplier, and den damage through rune support.	Two Runesmiths are required for Big Bad Bomb. More are good when demolition remains the main branch.
Scientists	Three Scientists help unlock Big Bad Bomb, four unlock Powder Hall after the prestige, and each Scientist adds 0.5% Raining Dynamite chance.	Use 4 as the first demolition breakpoint. Go past 10 only when Raining Dynamite, Powder Hall, or artillery/science support is already paying off.
Runners	Explosions create loose ore and can disturb runner flow. Damage is wasted if ore sits on the ground until reclaim pressure starts.	Keep hauling ahead of damage. If loose pickups approach 350, pause damage greed and fix Maw, runner, or machine hauling.
Bulldozers	Bulldozers bring high capacity and nearby runner protection once Manufactorum is unlocked.	Use when demolition bursts create more ore than normal runners can clear.
Underground Mapping	It converts directly into Mapped Destruction damage once that prestige and Powder Hall gate are solved.	Do not buy Mapped Destruction first. Build mapping first, then buy the demolition multiplier.

Artifacts And Prestige

Piece	Value	Recommendation
Bob-omb's Idol	+2% Big Bomb chance, first Big Bad Bomb tier costs 100% less gold and mithril, and Wind Bomb gets +4 force.	Best single demolition artifact.
Tremor Lord's Idol + Hellfire Spark	Direct +10% and +20% Demodwarf damage artifacts.	Strong when Demodwarves are your carry instead of only a den tool.
Explosive Interns	Free early Demodwarf buys.	Good early PP if you want demolition to carry resets.
Powder Keg Lineage	Permanent Demodwarf damage and explosive force.	Best long-term demolition prestige line.
Powder Hall prestige	Unlocks the Powder Hall upgrade path.	Required for advanced demolition. Buy before planning Raining Dynamite or Mapped Destruction.
Controlled Demolition	Dynamite always explodes when it hits the mountain and no longer knocks back runners or scatters ores.	Important quality-of-life and logistics fix. It turns demolition from messy burst into a cleaner main branch.
Blast Aegis	Explosions that hit runners can give a shield.	Useful if demolition and runners are sharing the same dangerous space.
Mapped Destruction prestige	Unlocks the Underground Mapping damage upgrade for Demodwarves.	Buy only when mapping is already a meaningful part of the run.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Buying one Demodwarf as a side toy and ignoring cooldown.	Either commit to cooldown and damage, or spend that gold on the branch already carrying the run.
Pushing Tightly Packed deep without throw support.	Pair Tightly Packed with Lightweight Casing and Efficient Delivery so heavier TNT still lands often enough.
Rushing Powder Hall without Scientists.	Powder Hall needs the prestige and more than 3 Scientists. Big Bad Bomb needs 3 Scientists and 2 Runesmiths. Plan the support first.
Buying Mapped Destruction before mapping exists.	The multiplier is only good when Underground Mapping is already high. At 40 mapping, tier 6 is 1.32x; at 100 mapping, it becomes 1.8x.
Letting explosion damage outrun hauling.	Use Runners Guide logic: if loose pickups approach 350, fix collection before buying more TNT.