Online: Dedsec Events

DedSec Events are small operations that happen randomly around you. The objectives of DedSec Events vary. These events often happen when two DedSec members are near each other. Teaming up will help you to complete the objective and get rewards, though DedSec Events can be played with one or two players. There are four variations of DedSec Events:

Hack The Hacker

Sitara usually lets you know about Prime_Eight, a rival hacker with a history of messing with DedSec. One of his operatives is nearby, and you’re here to hijack his phone, ideally without being spotted. When the previously purple icon disappears (at around 60 meters away from the target), switch to NetHack. Notice that the target has a glow around them. That’s your clue this citizen is of “prime” importance; an objective marker now appears above him.

Close in on your target, ideally without them seeing you. Begin the hack, ensuring you’re standing (or driving) within the blue circle shown on your minimap. Step outside this circle, and the hack stops temporarily and a warning timer counts down (from 15 to 0 seconds) to failure.

With about 8 percent of the data downloaded, the hacker realizes his predicament (if you haven’t exhibited violent or unsubtle tendencies toward him) and begins to run off, searching for a vehicle. The remainder of this event usually takes place with the target attempting to flee on foot or in a vehicle, with you in pursuit. During this time, Prime_Eight mercenaries (“reinforcements”) are called to thwart your progress.

The Hunt

In the Hunt, a getaway vehicle carrying data important to DedSec has been traced to a position nearby. You must neutralize the vehicle so the data doesn’t pass to Prime_Eight. In addition, the enemy vehicle has a tail (it could be the cops or a rival faction). Neutralize the target in whatever manner you wish.

The Persecution

The authorities are hacking hackers in your vicinity, trying to drum up arrests. You need to find the police hacker (who’s dressed as a civilian) and neutralize them. A purple hacking zone immediately appears on your minimap and is actually shown when you switch to NetHack mode.

Simply and calmly highlight every civilian who appears purple in NetHack view (as any of them could be the police hacker). As more of your data is stolen, the diameter of the area shrinks. If you can’t find the hacker by the time all of your data is hacked, you fail this event.

When the hacker is finally revealed, he or she attempts to flee and must be neutralized. This can be done without killing them (if you’re worried about your Heat) or they can be slain (if you’re not). Leave them and they may flee to vehicle, in which case, give chase. When the police hacker is neutralized, the Event concludes.

Hack The Hacker. The Hunt. Persecution: Tactics

There are various methods of ensuring impressive Event completion during any of these three DedSec Events. You can:

Hack the Hacker

Remain in nearby cover, lengthening the time the target takes to see you and flee at speed.

Hack the Hacker, the Hunt

Ignore the reinforcements and concentrate fully on remaining close to the fleeing target until either the download has completed or the hunted party is neutralized. Then flee the scene by driving defensively and losing your pursuers.

Hack the Hacker, the Hunt, Persecution

When you drive here, park close to the target’s location so you can quickly jump into a vehicle and follow. Or, take a motorbike to the scene of the hack so you can follow the hacker immediately without frantically searching for a vehicle.

If the foe flees in a vehicle, slow the enemy down by shooting out his vehicle’s tires or performing any number of offensive and defensive maneuvers or City Infrastructure Hacks (steam pipes, bollards, traffic lights, etc.). Remember you can also fire from the vehicle, so shooting out tires while driving—though tricky when you’re steering too—is a viable option.

If the foe is outside of a vehicle, you can shoot the hacker in the head, tase them, or melee tackle them. This causes quite a commotion, but it certainly stops this event from becoming a vehicle pursuit.

Full-on, violent confrontations with any reinforcements are possible, but they are dangerous and cause your Heat level to rise dramatically and the police to show up; however, this is a good way to acquire additional weapons (if you don’t die in the process).

Try ramming, slamming, and pushing the vehicle you’re chasing into other vehicles, concrete barriers, and scenery, shunting them into a stopping position. Remotely swerving innocent vehicles into the one you’re chasing at just the right time is another great way to slow them down.

With two players, have one get ahead of the foe and set up scenery traps or proximity traps with explosive devices, or wait with a grenade launcher.

An explosive device, grenade launcher projectile, or explosive City Infrastructure Hacks makes short work of any foe or vehicle that’s trying to test your patience and is fleeing.

A fast vehicle such as a motorbike may be worryingly delicate, but if you’re adept at not hitting lampposts, trees, and other obstacles, arm yourself with the grenade launcher and easily catch up to the vehicle, after which you can destroy it with a well-timed projectile or scenery hack.

If the Prime_Eight hacker you’re chasing wrecks their vehicle, they flee from it and attempt to find a new vehicle. If you’re able to kill them, shooting, tasering, melee-tackling, or running them over are all viable options. Or shoot out the tires of the vehicle they’re running to.

The Virus

A trio of Umeni guards is standing near a ctOS box that you must hack and upload a virus to. The location is random and near to your current position. When you arrive, treat this as a mini-infiltration: Start by cycling through cameras or using the Quadcopter to “tag” all the enemies and see potential hiding places, barricades, and areas where you’d expect reinforcements to turn up.

Employ stealth or violence to neutralize the guards. Before you begin the virus upload, it’s well worth preparing the area with City Infrastructure Hacks and explosive device proximity traps. Then begin the download. As soon as the download starts, attempt to find cover within the blue circle you can see on your minimap.

You must now wait here until the upload is complete, only retreating if the reinforcements that subsequently arrive are more trouble than you can handle. It’s pretty certain that violent confrontations are assured, to bring your best weaponry with you (a grenade launcher certainly helps), choose excellent cover, and make sure you’ve trapped every possible enemy insertion point. Die and you fail. Live to the end of the upload, and the event is complete.