Social Engineering

People’s Data Manipulation

Number of Nodes: 9

Key Data Needed: 5

Research Points Needed: 46

One of the most critical abilities—Create Distraction—is accessible from this branch, which allows you to manipulate your fellow human beings for your own gain. Though some abilities may be overkill, there’s no better feeling than fleecing citizens with big bank accounts for your own coffers!

Create Distraction

Purchase Price: 2 Research Points

This hack sends a distraction to civilian phones or blasts feedback in enemy headsets. It also cancels 911 and reinforcement calls. To distract someone, press the Hack button, and hold it until the Distract icon appears in your hacking module (bottom right corner of the screen). Costs 2 BotNet Resources.

Thoroughly recommended! This should arguably be your first purchased ability, as it makes it easier for those using stealth to infiltrate. It enables guards who would otherwise be looking out for you to gaze into their phones for around six seconds. During this time, you can step almost within two to three feet of them without them noticing you. This aids your stealth runs considerably.

The help this gives you cannot be underestimated! If you have the BotNet Resources (and you should add to these in the “BotNets” branch), you can distract the same foe over and over again or multiple foes. You can also distract from the Jumper or the Quadcopter (which is a great tactic during Online Operations where one player “shields” the other using a Quadcopter and distracts).

After the foe is distracted, you can run up and strangle them and still keep your stealth plans intact. This also means you don’t need to wait for a foe to move to an area where you can strike them without being detected; the distract allows takedowns anywhere! Distract, then run up and execute a melee takedown. Distract, then tase. Distract, then shoot (but that obviously alerts others).

Furthermore, if you’ve been spotted and you’re trying to halt a full-out battle, you can use distracts to stop reinforcements from being called (use the Quadcopter to reach the Shot-Caller if he’s too far to distract on foot). This can limit your foes to those within a restricted area, ensuring an easier victory and objective completion.

If a foe is alerted and is actively searching or firing at you, distract them; for violent foes, this creates a feedback, temporarily incapacitating them (but not for as long as the phone-call distract). This essentially neutralizes any foe you encounter! Got an armored foe who isn’t going down with shotgun blasts? Then use the distract to cause feedback in his ears, and take him down by dashing in with a melee takedown or a tase.

Improved Profiler

Purchase Price: 4 Research Points, Create Distraction unlocked

Automatically flag profiles of nearby people with large bank accounts.

When you’re attempting to purchase the Quadcopter, better weaponry, vehicles, or clothing, and you want to accrue money from civilian bank accounts at around ten times the amount, pick this ability. Though it won’t help you during operations, it does allow you to see any citizen with a massive bank account. Normal folks can be hacked for around $60 to $80. Folks with large bank accounts can be hacked for $600+! Remember you can still hack citizens with large bank accounts without this ability; the only difference is that these specific citizens appear with a blue square reticle around them. Look for those in more crowded areas of the Bay Area.

Massive Communication Disruption

Purchase Price: Key Data in Nudle, 8 Research Points, Improved Profiler unlocked

Simultaneously create a distraction on everyone around you. Select it with up on the D-pad, and use it with the right shoulder button.

This is one of the three mass hacks you can obtain and select. When used against innocents, it simply allows you to hack multiple bank accounts at the same time, which is slightly more helpful than normal. It’s when you’re encountering groups of enemies that this ability comes into its own.

Although if you’re playing a stealth plan of attack and you’ve removed all threats one at a time without any problems, you may never need this ability. But if you have multiple foes you wish to distract at the same time (and there are more in the vicinity), the better this is, as you don’t have to individually distract them and use up more BotNet Resources.

Use this before foes have spotted you and raised the alarm, so that you (or your co-op partner) can rush a location without being seen and quicken the time it takes to complete an objective. Need to reach a data container in a building? Have a co-op partner launch this mass distract from a Quadcopter, just before you’re spotted while you sprint for the objective!

If your operation is turning into a bloodbath and you’re spotted by multiple foes, use this hack. Every enemy clutches their ears as they receive feedback, giving you precious moments to find a getaway car, get into cover, or start mowing the foes down with weapons and projectiles. If foes are chasing you, employ this hack without having to specifically target foes (e.g., while you’re running away with enemies behind you). Use this as a “nuclear option” if things are going south.

But there are those “Ghosts” who are so proficient at infiltration, they never need this ability.

Botnet Savings: Personal Devices

Purchase Price: Key Data in Swan Levitt Observatory, 6 Research Points, Massive Communication Disruption unlocked

Reduces BotNet Resource costs when using any hack on individuals.

Thoroughly recommended! Although you need to purchase Improved Profiler and Massive Communication Disruption—two abilities that are great to use but not thoroughly recommended—it’s worth it to get this. Halving your BotNet Resources for any Social Engineering ability is amazing. While getting more bank accounts quickly is a minor help, effectively doubling the number of times you can distract enemies during an operation is a godsend.

Gang Attack

Purchase Price: 4 Research Points, Create Distraction unlocked

Assign a target to one of the gangs of San Francisco. To do so, hold the Hack button, and select this icon on your hacking module. Costs 8 Botnet Resources.

See “APB: Wanted Criminal”.

Gang Skirmish

Purchase Price: Key Data in North Beach, 6 Research Points, Gang Attack unlocked

Rally high-level members of a gang to rough up your target. This replaces the Gang Attack ability. Costs 8 BotNet Resources.

See “APB: Wanted Criminal,” below.

Gang War

Purchase Price: Key Data in Elmhurst, 8 Research Points, Gang Skirmish unlocked

Call the strongest members of a gang to attack your target. This replaces the Gang Skirmish ability. Costs 8 BotNet Resources.

See “APB: Wanted Criminal,” below.

Apb: Suspect Located

Purchase Price: 4 Research Points, Create Distraction unlocked

Place a false APB on your target and broadcast the location. The police will come to arrest the target. To do so, hold the Hack button, and select this icon on your hacking module. Costs 8 BotNet Resources.

See “APB: Wanted Criminal,” below.

Apb: Wanted Criminal

Purchase Price: Key Data in Superior Court, 6 Research Points, APB: Suspect Located unlocked

Place a false APB on your target with a special “dangerous criminal” advisory. This replaces the APB: Suspect Located ability. Costs 8 BotNet Resources.

Need to start some rivalry between two San Francisco gangs? Then these three abilities do the trick! Simply hack the target and choose this ability from the hacking module. A few moments later, a vehicle arrives (parked in the same location reinforcements use) and two enemies get out:

• With Gang Attack, these are gunmen.
• With Gang Skirmish, these are likely to be enforcers or armored gunmen.
• With Gang War, these are elites with their insane body armor.
• With APB: Suspect Located, this is a cop car with two gunmen officers.
• With APB: Wanted Criminal, this is a SWAT truck with elites.

These abilities are the ultimate in distraction. It allows you to tag a target and sit back to watch the intergang carnage. Better yet, it enables you to get on with an objective while the enemy is preoccupied. Stepping in and fighting the foes is counterproductive, as you may have both factions to contend with. Instead, use this as an opportunity to slip into cover, head to a desired location, or follow the more hardened gang members you summon (with Gang War in particular), watching them lay waste to the enemy while you leisurely stroll in behind them.

This is also a great ability to use when you want to flush a foe that’s in an area that is difficult to reach, such as an upstairs area locked with a CCT or access key. Remember you can use your RC drones or security cameras to reach and target a foe.

The biggest drawback of this ability is the random nature of how the animosity plays out. You may find that using the distract hack and keeping the number of enemies down to just those already in the restricted area is a safer way to complete a mission. But if you’re content to create chaos, with objective completion or follow-up massacring on your mind, then choose these abilities.