This subgame lets you break into terminals and laptops. Success allows you to disable security features, turn them against your enemies, find out information, and unlock different routes. Hacking is huge, and that’s why there are so many augmentations devoted to it.
Any type of player might be interested in taking extra Hacking augs. It’s never a bad choice.
The Basics of Network Intrusion
In short, you break into a computer or terminal by interacting with it. This brings up the hacking minigame. Once there, you click on a node to start overwhelming its defenses. The higher the node’s level, the more time this takes and the higher the likelihood that the AI will realize that something is wrong.
If you succeed in your capture, the node changes color and is under your control. You are allowed to start attacking any nodes that are connected to the one you just captured unless it has a one-way arrow facing in the wrong direction (these nodes must be secured from another side).
You continue taking nodes until you secure all of the green nodes in the current system OR until you overwhelm the red security nodes. Sometimes the security nodes will be easier to take than the green nodes, so it’s smart to look at the network before a trace is triggered so that you have a solid plan of attack.
When you fail to capture a node stealthily, the AI begins a trace. You still get the node you were attacking, but a timer pops up at the top of the screen. When that reaches zero, you’re logged out of the system without any benefit to your character. This triggers an alarm and you cannot try to break into the system again until another timer expires, which takes maybe half a minute.
To beat a trace, hurry to the end of a network and capture the green nodes before time runs out. To get an advantage, you can fortify nodes behind you. Fortification is when you improve a node’s defenses after you’ve already captured it. Look at the button prompts to see which button to use, and press that on a node that’s under your control.
Fortification can trigger a trace just like capturing can, so don’t start fortifying until you think a trace is about to start. This is part science and part art, so we’ll explain that about finishing with the basics.
There are several types of software that help you defeat a network.
- Reveal Software: Removes the fog that covers many networks so that you can see all of the nodes ahead of time.
- Stealth Software: Bypasses firewalls and prevents any chance of AI detection for one capture operation.
- Stop Worm: Stops a trace for five seconds.
- Nuke: Instantly takes over a node, regardless of its level; this starts a trace if one isn’t already active.
- Datascan: Shows all datastores on a network.
- Overclock: Speeds up all of your actions.
All software is used a single time and then lost, so save these for networks that are giving you the most trouble. Use Datascan or Reveal before doing anything at all when facing high-end networks. Use Stealth before an alert is triggered. Save Stop Worm, Nuke, and Overclock for your desperate rush after a trace begins so that you can rush to the end without failing.
More Advanced Techniques
You might not realize this at first, but it’s possible to start operations on multiple nodes simultaneously. This is a critical skill for defeating tougher networks. Instead of going from one point to just one other, you might want to start several operations. If you’re going after a single, easy node, then it’s often worth taking just that one. After all, you’re unlikely to be detected, but if the chance of failure is high, then you need to make the most of your time. In that case, send out multiple capture requests and start fortifying all of your existing nodes while the capture operations are processing.
Doing this often triggers the trace, but you start the rush several steps ahead from where you’d be if a single capture request failed.
After that, continue the mad dash by sending capture requests to every single node that you can, and fortifying everything behind you as you capture your way to the finish. Even without many extra Hacking augs, this is a good method. Add extra augs to improve your fortifying and it gets even better (this is not required and is wise only if you have spare Praxis).
Hacking Stealth makes it easier to perform these operations without starting a trace, but it can only go so far. The problem lies in firewalls. These hidden traps immediately start a trace if you attempt to capture their node from a given direction. This won’t always be clear (because they’re hidden), so you walk into a trace with some frequency when attacking high-end networks. Speed and fortification are just more reliable than stealth, at least in this aspect of the game!
As a final warning about hacking, be sure to position your character carefully before starting a hack. Time doesn’t stop when you’re going after a network. Patrolling guards may spot your character, start an alert, and attack you! Close doors, shut blinds, and knock out anyone who might notice your hacking attempts before you even think about starting.