Tinkering

Gadget mastery

Number of Nodes: 6

Key Data Needed: 4

Research Points Needed: 34

This branch focuses purely on the two types of thrown projectiles you can unlock and the enhancements you can purchase for each of them. One device offers electroshock neutralization without killing a foe and is relatively quiet. The other is an explosive bomb that’s as violent as it is loud. Both are thoroughly recommended for Marcus and your RC drones to use.

Electroshock Device

Purchase Price: 2 Research Points

Knocks people out temporarily. Access from the Equipment Wheel. Throw with the right shoulder button, then neutralize nearby foes with the same button. Hack the device and hold down the Hack button for more options.

Simultaneously press the left and right shoulder buttons to remotely detonate all deployed electroshock devices.

Thoroughly recommended! This is essentially a thrown projectile that acts like an electrocuting piece of scenery you can set as a proximity trap. It sticks to anything and neutralizes any foe or foes when it detonates. Note that foes who receive an electroshock wake up in the same way as if being struck by a taser.

The tactical advantages for using this are both useful and numerous and are detailed in the Gadgets and Weapons section of this chapter. Remember to use it as a proximity trap and then hack it to make a noise so enemies come to investigate and are electroshocked. Use it to neutralize groups of foes. Use the RC Jumper and Quadcopter to drop these devices remotely.

Remember you don’t actually ever run out of these devices; they respawn after you use up the supply of devices you’re carrying. Check the cooldown timer in the bottom-left corner of your screen or switch to the other device if you need more projectile explosions in the meantime.

Note that you don’t even need to destroy this device; just lob it near a foe so they walk over to it and inspect it. Step out of cover and execute a melee takedown before grabbing the dropped device!

Explosive Device

Purchase Price: 4 Research Points, Electroshock Device unlocked.

Explodes with a lethal blast. Access from the Equipment Wheel. Throw with the right shoulder button, then neutralize nearby foes with the same button. Hack the device and hold down the Hack button for more options.

Simultaneously press the left and right shoulder buttons to remotely detonate all deployed explosive devices.

Thoroughly recommended! This is another must-have ability. Refer to the Electroshock Device section for all the basic methods you can deploy this. The only difference here is that the explosive device acts like an IED and is used for lethal takedowns, rather than sending your foe to sleep.

The more potency this type of device has the more you can use it in alleyways as proximity traps to destroy reinforcement vehicles or foes. It can be daisy-chained to scenery, such as gas pipes and explosive pallets or red barrels, to create a bigger explosion. And you haven’t lived until you’ve executed a bombing run using a Quadcopter!

Make sure these devices are part of your offensive arsenal now! The tactical advantages for using these are numerous and are detailed in the Gadgets and Weapons section of this chapter.

Expert Tinkering

Purchase Price: Key Data in Vista Point, 6 Research Points, Explosive Device unlocked

Reduces cooldown time for explosive and electroshock devices.

Thoroughly recommended! Halving the time it takes between spawning devices is always handy, especially if you use one device more than another. Waiting for a device to refill is never a tactically cunning plan, so you may wish to employ other strategies during this cooldown period.

Remember, there are other ways to achieve a similar effect: While waiting for your electroshock devices to refill, you can hack junction boxes or use you taser or the WTB Launcher. While waiting for your explosive devices to refill, you can use the gas pipe, explosive pallet, or any regular grenade launcher.

Electroshock Optimization

Purchase Price: Key Data in Sutro Tower, 8 Research Points, Expert Tinkering unlocked

Allows carrying and placing of five electroshock devices at once.

Thoroughly recommended! See “Explosive Optimization” below.

Increasing the number of devices you have on your person from two to five means you don’t need to rely on the cooldown period between the use of these devices as much, and you have far more ways to cover a restricted area with these devices. This is especially true if you’re using your Jumper or Quadcopter to drop bombs on foes or are trying different strategies and need a few more devices when testing out a plan.

Tweaked Blast

Purchase Price: Key Data in Lombard Street, 6 Research Points, Explosive Device unlocked

Explosive and electroshock devices have a larger area of effect.

Thoroughly recommended! This mostly applies to detonating the device without creating a proximity trap first, which may not be possible if, for example, you have a group of enemy vehicles converging on your location and you want to ensure you destroy them all in one thrown device detonation. This also lengthens the proximity trap radius too. In almost every circumstance, this is helpful to your needs.

The only possible downfall is if you’re prepping a device as a proximity trap and the extra size means a foe triggers it before you want them to. In these cases, don’t set the proximity trap until necessary. Instead, use the advantage of a wider proximity “dome” to coax more foes within the diameter of the dome before activating it and catching more in the trap.

Explosive Optimization

Purchase Price: Key Data in Galilei, 8 Research Points, Tweaked Blast unlocked

Allows carrying and placing of five explosive devices at once.

Thoroughly recommended! Increasing the number of devices you have on your person from two to five (and with both Optimization abilities, you get four to ten devices) means you don’t need to rely on the cooldown period between the use of these devices as much, and you have far more ways to cover a restricted area. This is especially true if you’re using your Jumper or Quadcopter to drop bombs on foes or you’re trying different strategies and need a few more devices when testing out a plan.