Mutations how-to
How to Get Mutations in Merge a Nuke
Rebirth 3 opens mutations — reroll spawns, merge for inherits, pick winners. Screenshot walkthrough, updated September 2026.
Quick Answer
How to get mutations, step by step
Screenshots from Radex Tips: ALL MUTATIONS GUIDE (BEST MUTATIONS & EFFECTS) in MERGE A NUKE. Step images are annotated gameplay stills for this guide — not official Roblox promotional art.
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Reach Rebirth 3 to open mutations
Mutations are tied to the rebirth system: until your third rebirth, missiles always spawn normal. The REBIRTHS panel tracks progress toward the next gate — reach it, and missiles can start spawning with Common, Rare, or Epic mutations.
The rebirth panel where the mutation journey starts — Rebirth 3 is the first gate.Watch at 0:34 - 2
Check your pads for mutated spawns
After Rebirth 3, every spawn can roll a mutation. Walk your pads and look for the mutation tag on a missile's info card before you merge or launch anything — a mutated keeper is worth more than tier progress.
Read each missile's card — mutations show as a tag on the pad.Watch at 0:38 - 3
Reroll spawns: delete normal missiles
The video demonstrates the simple reroll: keep deleting normal missiles from your base until a mutated version appears. Spawn odds are not published, so this is a repeat-and-check loop the video shows, not a guaranteed rate.
Delete, respawn, re-check — the video's reroll loop for mutated spawns.Watch at 0:31 - 4
First pick: Dense Core
The video's beginner recommendation is Dense Core: +25% cash and +25% health, at the cost of a 40% longer launch cooldown. Our mutations table marks this stat line verified from an in-game tooltip — the safest all-round start while your base is still growing.
Dense Core — the balanced opener both the video and our table agree on.Watch at 1:05 - 5
Money pick: Enriched Core
Enriched Core raises cash earnings by 40% but the missile loses 25% of its health. If income is the goal and the missile is not holding a dangerous route, the video calls it the strongest early money mutation.
+40% cash for 25% less health — the pure income trade.Watch at 1:28 - 6
Speed or tank: Accelerated Fuel and Reinforced Plating
Accelerated Fuel cuts the launch cooldown by 35% but every missile deals 25% less damage; Reinforced Plating is the mirror image — 50% more health for 25% less cash. Pick speed for active play, plating when survival matters more than profit.
Two opposite Common mutations — cooldown down or health up.Watch at 1:40 - 7
Rare rolls: Critical Mass, Leaching Warhead, Regenerative Alloy
Critical Mass deals 50% more damage below half health for 25% less cash; Leaching Warhead restores 25% health after a hit but its cooldown grows 25% longer; Regenerative Alloy slowly heals after avoiding damage and costs 20% of cash.
Rare mutations trade cash for combat survivability.Watch at 2:05 - 8
Epic damage: Siege Core
The confirmed Epic option in the video is Siege Core: a 75% damage increase balanced by a 50% longer cooldown. A raid-timing mutation — launch it when the long cooldown will not strand your defence.
Siege Core — huge damage, plan around the longer cooldown.Watch at 2:32 - 9
Rebirth 5: Fissioned prints nukes on merge
Legendary mutations join the pool at Rebirth 5. Fissioned creates an additional lower-tier nuke whenever it is merged, at the cost of 30% less cash and 20% less health — free merge fodder for climbing tiers.
Fissioned turns every merge into an extra nuke.Watch at 3:02 - 10
The progression prize: Overclocked Reactor
Overclocked Reactor pays double cash and adds 75% damage — the video calls it one of the best progression mutations. The price is real: 40% less health and a 35% longer cooldown make the nuke powerful but fragile.
Double cash, +75% damage — if you can keep it alive.Watch at 3:12 - 11
Weigh the fragility before you commit
The same stat line read the other way: Overclocked Reactor takes 40% off health and stretches the cooldown by 35%. On a route that eats missiles, the video's advice is to reach for it only once your base can absorb the losses.
Strongest Legendary — and the most fragile.Watch at 3:20 - 12
Rebirth 10: Apex Core, the video's endgame pick
Admiral mutations unlock at Rebirth 10. The video reports Apex Core gives +150% cash and doubles damage with no listed downside — its strongest standard mutation. Our table still lists Apex Core stats as Pending, so verify the tooltip on your own nuke before building around it.
Apex Core — video-reported numbers; our table says Pending.Watch at 3:32 - 13
The exception: Magma comes from the volcano event
Magma ignores the rebirth gates: it is applied during the volcano event the developers trigger, so new and experienced players alike can obtain it. The table lists +50% cash, extra damage, and fire on hit — the fire does not add separate damage.
Magma — event-only, any rebirth level, fire on hit.Watch at 0:57
Rebirth gates for each mutation rarity
The mutation system opens at Rebirth 3, which enables the Common-through-Epic random spawn pools. Legendary mutations join the pool at Rebirth 5, and Admiral mutations — including Apex Core — at Rebirth 10Our rebirth guide lists every published gate.
Racing to Rebirth 3 is the whole early game: the rebirth-fast walkthrough walks the published tier gates step by step.
The video's picks for beginners
The Radex Tips video ranks beginner picks — that is the channel's opinion, not ours. The numbers above come from our sourced mutations table, and one pick is still Pending in it:
- Dense Core first — +25% cash and +25% health is called the safest all-round start
- Enriched Core when money is the goal — +40% cash for 25% less health
- Overclocked Reactor later — double cash and +75% damage once you can absorb the fragility
- Apex Core at Rebirth 10 — the video calls it the strongest standard mutation (+150% cash, doubled damage, no listed downside); our table still lists Apex Core stats as Pending
Compare merged nukes by income on the tier list.
This walkthrough vs our mutations data page
This page is the task walkthrough — unlocking and rerolling mutations. Our mutations page is the reference table: every stat line with its evidence level and sources. Stat lines here match that table; anything the video claims beyond it is labelled as a video claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do mutations unlock in Merge a Nuke?
After Rebirth 3. Missiles can then randomly spawn with Common, Rare, or Epic mutations. Legendary mutations join the pool at Rebirth 5 and Admiral mutations at Rebirth 10, while Magma comes from the developer-run volcano event at any rebirth level.
How do I reroll mutations?
The Radex Tips video demonstrates deleting normal missiles from your base until a mutated version appears, and merging a mutated missile with a normal one so the new warhead can inherit the mutation. Spawn odds are not published, so treat both as methods the video shows rather than guaranteed rates.
Which mutation should I pick first?
The video recommends Dense Core first: +25% cash and +25% health for a 40% longer launch cooldown. Our mutations table marks that stat line verified from an in-game tooltip, and it is the safest all-round start.
What does Apex Core do in Merge a Nuke?
The video reports +150% cash and doubled damage with no listed downside, at Rebirth 10. Our mutations table still lists Apex Core's stats as Pending because we have not verified them in game — read the tooltip on your own nuke before relying on it.
How do I get the Magma mutation?
Magma is applied during the volcano event that the developers trigger, so any player can obtain it regardless of rebirth level. Our table lists +50% cash, extra damage, and fire on hit — the fire does not add separate damage.
Do mutation effects stay the same after updates?
Not guaranteed. Friday patches can rebalance effects, and Nuke The Game does not publish spawn odds. Always read the tooltip on your own nuke before committing a keeper.