Nukes are a magic attack when used by INT builds will deal massive damage. For INT characters they are the strongest hitting skill in the game.
There are 4 different fire nukes. One is a Quick casting nuke that does okay damage with no splash. One is more powerful with penetration which means it will target mobs between you and your target as well as monsters behind you. Another nuke is with area damage surrounding the target and is more powerful at higher levels. The last one is flame wave bomb which has short cast time with okay damage.
There are 3 light nukes. They all have the same effect/cast time, unlike fire. The 2nd and 3rd books are just progressions in strength of the nuke, just like the books of imbue. Light nukes transfer up to 10 meters to hit a total of 3 opponents. There is a 35% reduction in damage with each transfer. The damage range is larger than fire, the same is also true with imbue. Lion Shout (baby nuke) Cast time is instant dealing little damage. It is very useful finishing move.
Compared with fire nukes and light nukes, Ice nukes are weak, but they have a chance of status effect. 1st book Ice is a relatively weak nuke with no splash. 2nd nuke considerably more damage than book 1, but less than fire or light nukes. Has a nice damage radius with chance of inflicting status. A great nuke when you are getting mobbed. 3rd book ice seems to be a continuation of book 1. When combining these nukes with ice imbue the chance of inflicting status effect is relatively high.