Item dossier · version boundaries included
Short answer: the Phase Bomb is a delayed Piercing-damage throwable. Its commonly repeated route rewards are explicitly documented for an Unstable Beta; this guide does not relabel those rewards as verified Steam 1.0 facts.
Item profile
Use these values as a planning snapshot, then check the current in-game tooltip after patches.
How to get it
STEAM 1.0 / 1.0.1
No current stable-release route list establishes every Phase Bomb blueprint reward. Confirm the reward text in your current mission branch before choosing a storyline only for this item.
UNSTABLE BETA
The Beta build names Xiomara, RealWare before its fork, both AnCom branches, and Tezctlan. That route list belongs to the Beta build and does not prove stable 1.0.1 matches it.
COMMUNITY REPORTS
Current player reports may point to the same factions, but reports can reflect another branch, prerequisite, or patch. Compare the report date and your build before acting.
Loadout check
Use the current target’s resistances and your other damage types to decide whether the bomb fills a real gap.
Choose a tile with enough separation and do not assume the target, allies, or your clone will remain clear during the arming window.
A thrown explosive is not an escape plan. Preserve movement, cover, and a route away from the blast area.
Check the item tooltip and production screen in your installed build; a wiki value or Beta reward can become stale.
Patch 1.0.4 displays explicit IMMUNE floating feedback when targets completely resist Piercing damage. If heavy mechanoids or bosses trigger immunity, do not waste remaining phase bombs—switch to Acid, Thermal, or blunt impact.
Item distinction · community evidence included
These are not two names for the same item. Phase Bomb is a delayed throwable; Cortex Bomb is recorded separately as a head implant by a pinned community wiki revision.
PHASE BOMB
The existing item profile on this page is for a throwable with Piercing damage. Its stable acquisition route remains unverified, and Beta route rewards are not promoted to Steam 1.0 facts.
CORTEX BOMB · COMMUNITY WIKI
Those values and the crafting row are community-maintained references. They do not establish an official Steam 1.0 acquisition route, guarantee craft availability, or make Cortex Bomb a Phase Bomb variant.
This 55-minute video was published on 20 August 2026. It may be useful for comparing a player’s route and timing, but it is not stable-route proof: the official 1.0.2 notes do not establish a current Phase Bomb acquisition path. Keep the video inside this spoiler gate, compare its build and chapter context, then verify the reward in your own mission branch.
Direct answers
A current stable 1.0 acquisition route is not established. The Unstable Beta names Xiomara, RealWare, both AnCom branches, and Tezctlan, but Beta route rewards must be checked in your current stable build.
It is currently documented as a throwable grenade dealing 60 Piercing damage in radius 3 after an arming time of 2. Verify the in-game tooltip after patches.
No. Phase Bomb is a delayed throwable. Cortex Bomb is separately documented by a community wiki revision as a head implant, not as a Phase Bomb acquisition route or a confirmed Steam 1.0 crafting guarantee.
There is no verified universal build. Plan around Piercing damage, a delayed blast, radius 3, safe throwing space, and an escape route rather than carrying a copied loadout as a rule.