City Disruption

ctOS 2.0 exploits.

Number of Nodes: 7

Key Data Needed: 4

Research Points Needed: 40

Use the city’s infrastructure against your enemy with a variety of hacks against scenery, robots, and security systems designed to thwart you.

Auto-Takedown

Purchase Price: 2 Research Points

Trigger gates and steam pipes when enemy vehicles pass nearby. Press the button at the bottom of the screen when you see it, with the indicated timing. Costs 4 BotNet Resources.

This affects not only gates and steam pipes, but also barriers and bollards (small concrete blockers). Normally, you can hack these instantly. With this ability, you can hack and prime them to activate as you see them coming up ahead of you (usually a proximity trap is created). If you have a visual of the scenery you’ve hacked, you can watch a vehicle hit a steam pipe proximity trap, or you can time a bollard erection, gate closure, or barrier closure.

If you’re not able to see the scenery (e.g., if you’re being chased), a button press appears; press when the button is flashing white. Time it correctly and you hack the scenery.

Attempting this depends on the situation, though it’s useful to waylay pursuers during escapes or rival hackers during DedSec Events in which you are attempting to escape in a vehicle. It’s exceptional for damaging the vehicle of a human bounty you’re hunting.

Otherwise, there are different methods to remove or slow down enemies, either by proficiently escaping or using the Vehicle Directional Hack, which isn’t as instant but still causes a pursuer to break off a chase.

Robot Exploits

Purchase Price: 4 Research Points, Auto-Takedown unlocked

Create a distraction on robots by pressing the Hack button, holding it to see the hacking module, and acquiring more hacking options. Costs 2 BotNet Resources per use.

More entertaining, perhaps, than critically useful to your game, this neutralizes any robot that you may face in a restricted area. However, there are other ways around robots, such as removing all human threats first, then destroying a robot with a taser or electroshock or explosive devices to stop them calling reinforcements.

Depending on the hack you choose from the hacking module, you can shut the robot down for a few moments, make it “dance” and distract foes while you maneuver to an objective, or make the robot feel “love” and ram the nearest enemy, which is a different type of distraction. All of this can be done by Marcus or either RC drone.

While the robot is incapacitated, you can complete your mission. Having this gives you more options and is the only way to employ “distract” tactics when infiltrating areas with both robots and humans. But because the robot recovers from the hack and goes back to its patrol pattern when the hack ends, these exploits aren’t permanent solutions.

Massive System Crash

Purchase Price: Key Data in Jack London Square, 6 Research Points, Robot Exploits unlocked

Shut down all city infrastructure for 30 seconds. Select it with up on your D-pad, then use the right shoulder button to employ this mass hack.

This effectively “locks” any garage door, hackable door, gate, barrier, motion detector, laser fence, and scenic object (like a junction box or explosive pallet) from being hacked. This is similar to when ctOS shuts down local infrastructure to help benefit the enemy. So why do this to yourself?

This is more about keeping the enemy locked inside a location so they can’t maneuver to you easily, which is fantastic during Bounty Hunts when you’re searching an explosive-rigged hideout for a human opponent. Locking gates stops reinforcements from entering or from them giving chase if you’re trying to escape. It quickly cuts a motion detector or laser security within a restricted area, meaning you don’t need be nearby, which is very helpful during Online Operations (you can remove these detection threats without targeting them first).

You can also lock yourself in an objective area, sealing security doors so foes can’t get in and you can’t get out. This gives you time to, for example, download data, prep proximity traps, or remotely move vehicles to a rendezvous spot for a quick getaway. Why not try locking yourself in a room so foes can’t reach you, then use a Quadcopter to rain down devices to detonate and remove these threats?

System Crash Upgrade: Blackout

Purchase Price: Key Data in Gates Houseboats, 8 Research Points, Massive System Crash unlocked

Upgrades the Mass System Crash hack. Turns off all lights in the area, reducing line of sight (in addition to shutting down all infrastructure).

With a large BotNet sapping and more useful at night, this may be overkill in most circumstances. However, use this ability if you’re infiltrating after dusk, your foes are numerous and armed to the teeth, and you want to try melee takedowns with a greater chance of success.

Marcus can also resist arrest more easily; if you’ve got your hands up and the police are about to take you in (and aren’t shooting), perform the blackout, then melee strike the nearest cop and escape. Naturally, this can’t happen during daylight hours with the same degree of success!

Traffic Control Exploit

Purchase Price: 6 Research Points, Robot Exploits unlocked

This upgrades the Auto Takedown with the ability to hack the traffic light system. Create accidents to stop pursuers by pressing the button at the bottom of the screen when you see it, with the indicated timing. Costs 4 BotNet Resources.

See “Auto Takedown” for the tactics on how and when to perform this ability. This enables you to hack the traffic lights of any intersection that has them (ideally after driving through the intersection). This causes a pileup and waylays any pursuers considerably. It’s an excellent way to ensure an escape in record-quick time or if you don’t want to defensively drive your way out of a Heat felony.

Security System Shutdown

Purchase Price: Key Data in Spiritual Ascendance Development, 6 Research Points, Robot Exploits unlocked

Enables shutting down security systems. To do so, hold the Hack button and select this icon from the hacking module.

Use this primarily on motion detectors and laser fencing. What you have to think about is whether you can more easily find a different path into a restricted area or shut down the security system by firing your taser instead (which is also a permanent solution). Despite these drawbacks, this ability is great for Ghosts, who value a slick maneuver through lasers and motion detector–covered doorways without pausing in their infiltration. As always, this can be done remotely with either RC drone. It’s also extremely effective during online Bounty Hunts, when you’re attempting to flush out a foe in a hiding place and they’ve rigged the area with traps. Just switch them off while finding them in NetHack.

Botnet Savings: City Hacking

Purchase Price: Key Data in Fort Point, 8 Research Points, Security System Shutdown unlocked

Reduces BotNet Resource costs when using any hack on city infrastructure or tech.

If you’re using these type of abilities more than others, it makes sense to purchase this, which essentially halves the cost of each ability in terms of using up your BotNet Resources. Adding additional Resources (in the “BotNets” branch) also helps. If you’re using other types of abilities in different branches more frequently, wait to purchase this.