/ _PROGRESSION, SKILLS, CRAFTING, AND STATISTICS

Welcome to the Progression, Skills, and Statistics chapter. This guides you through the advancements you make as you continue your investigations throughout Chicago. There is information on level progression, your Reputation, and all the types of skills you can acquire. All of this is accessible via updates on your screen and on the Progression, Skills Tree, and Statistics Apps on your smartphone.

/ PROGRESSION

Through the Progression App on your smartphone tile, you can access the Progression menu and look at every major aspect of the game that is tracked. This tech tree segments all your activities into various sections. All the similar activities are grouped by name, and completing everything on this page gives you a fabled “100%” rating, meaning you’ve finished everything in the game. The following activities are grouped together:

• Main Missions:All Campaign missions, from Act I to V.
• Side Missions:All criminal convoy, crimes detected, Fixer contracts, and gang hideouts.
• Investigations:All five investigations, involving some collectibles.
• Collectibles:Items to gather; ctOS breach and towers, privacy invasion, SongSneak, Audio Logs, and city hotspots.
• Online Contracts:All multiplayer tailing, races, hacking, and decryption.
• Minigames:Fun activities including shell games, poker, NVZN, drinking, chess, and Cash Run games.

Open any of the “branches” on this tech tree, and you can see how the individual sections break down. In this example of Act I of the main missions, you can see that finishing five missions unlocks a second tier of upgrades, and finishing all nine missions in this act awards you with an Achievement. This is the way to keep track of what you need to accomplish in the game.

/ SKILLS

Throughout your adventure, you acquire Skill Points under the following circumstances:

These are transferred into meaningful advancements at the Skills menu. Here, you can choose one of three types of skills to purchase, and test out your improvement in one of these three disciplines. Some skills cost more than one point, and others require you to complete certain parts of the main missions or a minigame, so you may need to wait in order to purchase high-priced skills. There are 52 skills. Some cost 1 point, and some cost 2, 3, 4, or 5 points. With the various points cost, all of that totals 137. which is how many skill points you are awarded if you do everything in the game. How they all unlock is detailed below.

Reading these tables:

Branch:This shows which part of the Skill Tree the skill is located.

Tier: Skills are either 1st or 2nd tier; 1st-tier skills are available immediately. 2nd-tier skills are available once you complete Main Mission Act I / 5: Open Your World.

Skill Name: The name of the skill as it appears on your screen.

Points Cost: How many points the skill costs to acquire.

Prerequisites: Whether another skill on the tree must be bought before this one, and other special instructions (see below).

Here is what the asterisks in the tables mean:

* 2nd-tier skills require you to complete Act I / 5: Open Your World to be accessible.

** Indicates this skill requires a side mission, minigame, or city game to be completed to some degree.

/// DRIVING SKILLS

/// HACKING SKILLS

/// COMBAT SKILLS

/// CRAFTED ITEMS

_DRIVING SKILLS

SIX SKILLS // 19 SKILL POINTS REQUIRED

These take up a part of your skills tree menu and are color-coded yellow. They improve your driving proficiency when you’re at the wheel of any vehicle, including improvements to stealing. There is one branch and six skills.

_CAR UNLOCK

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: None

• Automatically disables vehicle alarms and unlocks doors.

If you’ve ever wrestled with a car door and driven away with an alarm blaring while attracting unwanted attention, then this skill is for you. You need to purchase it before taking more potent skills, but this is extremely helpful if you need to leave in a hurry (you can more swiftly get into a parked vehicle and flee), without attracting enemies to your location. Unlock this immediately, unless you want to steal bikes for the rest of your career!

_DEFENSIVE DRIVER

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: CAR UNLOCK

• Reduces damage taken from collisions. You take approximately 75% of normal damage.

This becomes extremely helpful during any mission type where a vehicle plays a large role in shunting an enemy car off a road (e.g., Fixer or Convoy contracts). Or, if you’re riding the Pawnee trails on a bike and hit a tree, you won’t end up sprawled in an embarrassing death crumple. You can now be more reckless in your aggression toward other road users.

_PRECISION DRIVER

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: Defensive Driver, 2nd-tier skill

• Tires have a lower chance of blowouts. The first two times a tire would blow out, it doesn’t. It only blows out on the third time.

When you’re jostling with a foe in a vehicular battle, or you’re making a series of obscene turns to avoid cops, or you’re driving past police spike traps or over lowered traps, there’s an increasingly large chance that one or more tires will burst, rendering your vehicle useless. This skill won’t make your tires impervious to spikes, but it lowers the chances of exploding tires in most circumstances. This is useful when you’re unable to switch vehicles or when you have too many enemies in pursuit to safely switch.

_ESCAPE ARTIST

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: PRECISION DRIVER, 2nd-tier skill

• Improves the stealth capabilities of Hide-in-Car. Effective when evading choppers. Distance at which the enemies spot you is approximately 75% of normal distance.

This decreases the diameter of the area in which enemies can spot you if you’re hidden in a vehicle (except bikes). This also allows you to hide from helicopters. However, the points cost is very steep (compared to the single point it takes to make your own Jam Coms, which have arguably better benefits). Do you use the Hide-in-Car ability often? Then this takes it to the ultimate level and makes escaping the police a lot easier and less reckless, albeit with more stopping and starting.

_OFF-ROAD DRIVER

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: DEFENSIVE DRIVER, 2nd tier skill

• Improves off-road handling (grass and dirt). A factor of approximately 0.2 is applied on friction.

It isn’t wise to take a luxury vehicle up a grassy hill and expect exact driving, but your progress is much improved with this skill. However, for off-road vehicles and bikes, this enables you to drive without worrying about fishtailing or oversteering when the tarmac turns to mud. Obviously, this is helpful in more remote areas like Pawnee, and some areas like the Millennial Park and some of the more remote areas of the Wards and Brandon Docks. If you love trail bikes and SUVs, pick this skill.

_OFFENSIVE DRIVER

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: OFF-ROAD DRIVER; Complete five Fixer Contracts

• Causes more collision damage to enemy vehicles. Damage is approximately 125% compared to normal.

This is a must-have skill if you want quick and violent takedowns of enemies you’re targeting in a vehicle. If shunting, ramming, and prodding into a crash is your favored method of foe disposal, this helps your cause immensely. Ram a vehicle at speed and head-on (using your Focus to ensure accuracy) and, depending on the vehicle you’re in, you can cause an instant engine fire, crippling a foe before they can escape. This helps during Convoy missions with multiple targets.

_HACKING SKILLS

20 SKILLS // 45 SKILL POINTS REQUIRED

These take up a part of your skills tree menu and are color-coded blue. They offer an excellent variety of improvements to the way you interact with the environment and the technology you utilize during missions. There are 3 branches and 20 skills.

_HACKER’S TOOL KIT

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: None, initially available

BATTERY SLOT COST: 1 (Except for grenade hack, which is 2)

• Several hacking exploits that help with combat, stealth, and surveillance. Included is the ability to ghost into the ctOS security cameras to scout any area.

You begin with the ability to hack Smartphones and laptops, locks on doors, construction equipment (carriers, cranes, forklifts, lifts, and protectors), security camera controls, certain enemies (temporarily), and grenades carried on certain enemies

With the ability to raise protectors (metal ground plates that you can hide behind during battle), you have the flexibility of extra cover. With a phone, you can attract a foe with a cackling threat. With a forklift to activate, you can coax enemies to wander in and wonder how the machine is moving, after which you can sneak past or dispatch them. Or, you can climb onto the pallet the forklift was carrying. With a crane, you can drop a heavy container on your foe in a spectacular and deadly kill. Construction and scissor lifts allow access to high levels. Container carriers can be raised and lowered for the same purpose. You have a reasonable amount of power to begin with; now accrue even more!

It’s also well worth mentioning the two different hacks you can try on any enemies you meet, which makes confrontations a whole lot easier. Though this only affects enemies randomly (meaning you might not be able to hack the same enemy if you replay a mission) and affects only one in three foes, you can try the following enemy hacks:

Distract foes by sending them a text message, which they read, allowing you to move by them for around three seconds before they look up again. This is great if a foe is in your way or you want to move past them (or around to melee-strike them) and still remain silent.

Hack the grenade carried on a foe, rigging it to explode. This costs two battery slots and incapacitates the foe for around three seconds as he fumbles with the live grenade, sometimes throwing it and sometimes holding it as it explodes (there’s a kill about half the time). Obviously this alerts all foes (though not necessarily to your presence, if you hack via a camera or at a distance). Both enemy hacks can be incredibly helpful.

_ATM HACK BOOST

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: None

• Increases the amount of money gained (x2.5) when hacking bank accounts at ATMs.

If you’re in a hurry to make money, this gathers more than two times the normal amount of cash you can receive when you hack citizens exhibiting the “Bank Account” icon when you profile them. The points cost is steep, though, so you should weigh whether unlocking two or three crafting items is a better expenditure; do that, and you’ll need to work more than twice as hard when siphoning cash from ATMs. If you hack cash frequently, take this.

_PROFILER OPTIMIZATION

Point Cost: 4

Requirements: ATM Hack Boost, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Automatically highlights (with a blue square cursor) civilians with high-value rewards. Press your Profile button to activate the Profiler and learn more about the targeted civilian.

Before, once you unlocked a ctOS control center, the citizens you hacked provided a huge amount of information that you probably weren’t interested in. With this skill, you can target only those with a blue cursor on them. These high-value targets (which offer performance cars, rich bank accounts, and system keys) are automatically displayed, even if your Profiler is off! A great way to quickly find the variety of useful information and items.

_ATM HACK BOOST PLUS

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: Profiler Optimization, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases the amount of money gained (x4.5) when hacking bank accounts at ATMs.

This is the same skill as the previous ATM hack boost, but with even more potency. You can steal tens of thousands of dollars from Chicago’s population (and easily find them, too, thanks to Profiler Optimization). If you’re really focused on getting as much cash as possible, take this. However, you need a lot of skill points, and you may wish to spend five points on a skill better suited to stealth or combat.

_EXTRA BATTERY

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: None

• Adds an additional battery slot.

Certain powerful ctOS exploits, such as detonating steam pipes and raising blockers, take up battery power from your smartphone, and having an additional battery bar is extremely useful if you want to use more than one exploit during a specific mission before your smartphone recharges.

_EXTRA BATTERY II

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: Extra Battery I, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Adds an additional battery slot.

This enables you to achieve more powerful and spectacular hacks with the scenery in one mission before your smartphone recharges. And if you gained extra batteries by obtaining an exclusive skill, then you have even more juice!

_EXTRA BATTERY III

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: Extra Battery II, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Adds an additional battery slot.

This enables you to achieve the most powerful and spectacular hacks with the scenery in one mission before your smartphone recharges. Five points for one extra battery bar is a little steep for some, though; just think of the crafted items or weapon proficiency you could obtain with those skill points!

_UTILITIES

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: None

• Hold your Profile button to overload building utilities and create explosions.

Whether you’re hacking a junction box, vault transformer, or steam regulator, this is an extremely handy option to have during missions where you’re exploring a location. This can knock a foe off their feet (and very rarely kill them)—good if you’re chasing a foe and need to catch up. It’s also helpful during more clandestine activities, when you want to draw an enemy to a particular area while you slip by elsewhere.

_DISRUPT ENEMY COMMS

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: None, 2nd-Tier SKILL

BATTERY SLOT COST: 1

• Disrupt the enemy by hacking into their helmet’s communications equipment.

This is one for the clandestine operator, who favors stealth over slaughter: Hack the helmet of any foe showing this over their heads, and a shrill crackle pierces their heads. They become immobile for a few seconds, long enough for you to sneak past or run up and melee-strike them. This essentially turns them blind during this time, which is extremely helpful if the foe is blocking your path. However, there are other ways to remove a foe (including nonviolent methods such as lures), and only some enemies have this shortcoming, so it doesn’t work on everyone.

_DISABLE REINFORCEMENT CALLS

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: Disable Enemy Comms, 2nd-Tier Skill

BATTERY SLOT COST: 2

• Disable the enemy’s ability to call reinforcements.

Though extremely pricey, this skill can stop an infiltration gone wrong from getting completely out of hand. A hack appears over every Shot-Caller (enemies that can call in reinforcements), and after a simple hack, they are unable to bring in more foes. This is great if you’re in danger of being overrun, want to complete a mission quickly and easily, or are low on ammunition (or general competence). It’s less helpful when you realize the cost to unlock it, the fact that only Shot-Callers are affected, and that sometimes you actually want more foes to appear (especially if you’re on a killing spree for the XP!).

_L-TRAIN CONTROL

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: Utilities

• Press your Profile button to stop or start L-trains and escape your enemies.

Elevated trains can be controlled with this simple hack app. You can board or climb onto the roof of any L-train (usually after fleeing up into a station), and then set it off to move to the next station, losing any foes in the process. This is handy when escaping, though this plan is usually overlooked in favor of one of the many other escape options. It does come in handy if you’re driving along a track and want to switch to a more leisurely ride. It also works in multiplayer, which can help you during those very infrequent races along railroad tracks.

_TRANSFORMERS

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: L-Train Control

BATTERY SLOT COST: 1

• Hold your Profile button to overload box and post transformers and create large electrical explosions. The resulting blackout will conceal you from enemies at night.

This works on transformer poles and ctOS boxes, and the resulting blackout is incredibly helpful for allowing you to flee from an area unnoticed or to start melee-striking without enemies seeing you. It’s completely useless during daylight hours (aside from the damage it causes to foes standing nearby), making this an expensive skill that works wonderfully but doesn’t have the versatility of other similar skills.

_TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: None, initially available

BATTERY SLOT COST: 1

• Hold your Profile button to redirect traffic signals and cause accidents. Press the Profile button while the blue diamond flashes to take out vehicles.

Though this sometimes only slows down a foe or doesn’t work at all, depending on the number of vehicles at the lights and whether you have right of way, you can seriously impede a chase by utilizing this functionality. Change the lights under normal conditions, but remove threats entirely when the blue diamond appears. This is very handy due to the sheer number of traffic lights you can try this at, especially in more densely populated areas.

_GATES & GARAGES

Point Cost: N/A

Requirements: Complete Main Mission Act I / 1: BOttom of the Eighth, automatically awarded

• Hold your Profile button to open or close gates and garage doors.

You automatically receive this skill after your first main mission, and this allows you to access the most basic of ctOS hackable scenery. Open gates and garages to access shortcuts, and remember to close gates behind you to stop foes during pursuits, and close garages if you want to hide inside.

_BRIDGES

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: GATES & GARAGES, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Hold your Profile button to open or close the city bridges.

This enables you to raise or lower most city bridges. Suspension bridges lift vertically, which can cause you to crash into the opposite supports or drive into a river in the gap where the bridge was; make sure this is your adversary and not you! You can also drive on suspension bridges, hack to lift the bridge up, step out, gaze down at foes below, and start dropping grenades on them.

Swing bridges simply rotate horizontally, so time the bridge movement so you reach the entrance without needing to stop or overshoot. Trap foes on swing bridges while they are on it!

Drawbridges are most common and create a ramp over the middle, which is great if you enjoy spectacular jumps but less great if you move too slow and drop through the middle; get a good run-up. All these bridges will stall pursuing vehicles, making this extremely useful when chasing or fleeing by vehicle.

_STEAM PIPES

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: Bridges, 2nd-Tier Skill

BATTERY SLOT COST: 2

• Hold your Profile button to overload steam pipes beneath the city streets and cause explosions. Press your Profile button while the blue diamond flashes to take out vehicles.

This is amazingly violent but utilizes two bars of your smartphone’s battery. Your timing must be right for the steam pipe to explode and for it to hit the target vehicle. Use your Focus to ensure this happens. This ends chases whether you’re the instigator or the pursued. It can also kill enemies running close to the steam pipe, which is versatile. Just be careful you aren’t on a collision course, as your vehicle can explode (and be sent flying) if you blow a steam pipe you’re under. Otherwise, this is a must-have skill that can turn the tide in online races too!

_DISABLE HELICOPTER

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: Gates & Garages, 2nd-Tier Skill

BATTERY SLOT COST: 2

• Disable helicopter for five seconds.

When you’re being hounded by the police and don’t have the time (or want to take the Rep hit) to shoot the marksman standing on the side of the police helicopter, disable it for five seconds. This is usually enough time for you to dash into cover and hide, so that when the chopper returns, it can’t find you. This aids in your escape but is obviously only useful when you’re being pursued from the sky. Of course, there are other low-cost methods of fleeing from the police chopper—evasive maneuvering, blackouts, or Jam Coms, or simply hiding under a bridge.

_IMPROVED DISABLE HELICOPTER

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: Disable Helicopter, 2nd-Tier Skill

BATTERY SLOT COST: 2

• Disable helicopter for ten seconds.

As long as you utilize the skill at the appropriate time—when the chopper is pursuing you but ground forces haven’t seen you and aren’t chasing you—there’s usually ample time to dive into cover. Remember you can use this during the ctOS Mobile App games, too, which makes the steep cost almost worthwhile. However, when you consider all the time you’re not being chased by a chopper, the skill doesn’t quite have the return on investment of other five-point options.

_BLOCKERS

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: Gates & Garages

BATTERY SLOT COST: 1

• Hold your Profile button to raise or lower the city blockers. Press the Profile button while the blue diamond flashes to take out vehicles.

Whether you’re raising the security poles (bollards) or the ramped metal blocks, this is great way to end a chase, especially if the police are on your tail. This is well worth a purchase, as you can block a foe ahead of you or behind, depending on your situation. If bollards are raised and you’re on a bike, you can squeeze through the gaps between the poles, while your pursuers are caught in a nasty crash.

_ROAD SPIKES

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: BLOCKERS, 2nd-Tier Skill

BATTERY SLOT COST: 1

• Hold your Profile button to raise or lower the city road spikes. Press the Profile button while the blue diamond flashes to take out vehicles.

Spikes appear at entrances across the city and usually feature a barricade. Not only does this stop vehicles, but it also ruins their tires—including your own if you’re foolish enough to drive over a spike strip you just raised! Otherwise, this is similar to the blocker; use it on foes in vehicles you’re pursuing or fleeing from.

_COMBAT SKILLS

18 SKILLS // 59 SKILL POINTS REQUIRED

These take up a part of your skills tree menu and are color-coded dark blue. They refer to the advancements you can make in the field of violent retribution; these skills add to your aim, explosives knowledge, and focus.

_FOCUS

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: None

Focus Time: 4 Seconds

• This allows you to start and stop your Focus, slowing down the perception of time to approximately 10% normal speed. Focus can be used while driving to hack more effectively.

This ability is extremely useful; choose the skill immediately. Test it out during noncombative situations, such as when you’re driving past a hackable object, and use it to help increase your dexterity during non-Focused occasions, such as by driving past the same object in “real time” and seeing if you can hack it before you pass or lose control.

During combat, this comes into its own, as you can easily aim and shoot at a specific body part of a foe (usually the head), an area of a vehicle (the windshield or tire), or a hackable object (some of which you can detonate with a bullet instead of your smartphone). Utilize this only when you’re in danger, and use it often. Add additional Focus by purchasing drinks at businesses.

_STEALTH SPRINT

Point Cost: 4

Requirements: Focus, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Sprinting has a reduced detection radius. Normal value is 20 meters. With this skill, it becomes 2 meters.

This is an amazing ability when you’re infiltrating an enemy compound and want to sprint around but don’t want to attract attention. Usually, the noise alone would alert foes within 20 meters. With this skill, that sound is reduced to only two. Obviously you can still be seen, but if you want to quickly and effectively rush to a hiding position or to a melee takedown without being spotted, this is amazingly helpful. Obviously, if you’re not keen on stealth infiltrations, this isn’t the skill for you.

_CRITICAL FOCUS

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: Stealth Sprint, Complete 1 Criminal Convoy, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Replenishes Focus when health is critically low. Focus bar is refilled by approximately 35% per second during this time.

The requirements are extremely straightforward, and the advantage is most helpful as long as you use your Focus when you’re literally seeing red. Don’t simply give up and keel over; enter Focus mode and defeat or evade the foe you thought would end your days. This is almost as helpful as an extra life! Or, spend the five points on a variety of cheaper skills that would prevent you from getting into this predicament in the first place!

_IMPROVED FOCUS

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: FOCUS, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases Focus duration. Focus time +1.5 seconds (total of 5.5 seconds).

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the benefits of Focus, it becomes even more entertaining to, say, aim at the heads of multiple foes and shoot them before they even have time to blink! You can also turn your Focus off and on in quick succession more often, which is handy when you’re driving and need to find an alley to scoot down or more than one hackable object to waylay your foes with.

_SLOWED FOCUS

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: IMPROVED FOCUS, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Time moves slower when in Focus. Focus speed changes from 10% of normal time speed to approximately 5% of normal time speed.

Slowing down time is an obvious advantage, allowing an increased number of activities while at the same time limiting foes’ movements. If you’re caught in an ambush, have multiple threats to neutralize, need to shoot at enemy heads, and precisely lob a grenade, all before diving into cover, make sure you have more time on your hands.

_MAXIMIZED FOCUS

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: SLOWED FOCUS, Complete 10 Chess Puzzles, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Greatly increases Focus duration by another 1.5 seconds (total of 7 seconds).

This is the ultimate in time-slowing and may actually be unnecessary for your needs; if you find you’re not using Focus as much as other actions affected by other skills or that the Focus duration you have currently is good enough, then purchase this only after choosing to optimize a different skill set. However, this shouldn’t diminish the extreme advantages this skill gives you: a lengthy time frame to see how a fight or infiltration is shaping up and to plan a perfect battle, the sleight-of-hand cheats you can spot during a shell game, or even navigating difficult sections of a Cash Run!

_QUICK SWITCH

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: CATCH 1 CRIMINAL THROUGH THE CRIME DETECTION SYSTEM

• Draw and swap weapons faster; approximately 75% of normal weapon switch speed.

When you’re in the midst of a gun battle, every second counts. With this skill, you can speedily switch weapons and get the draw on the enemy more quickly, letting you expertly drop more foes. So, if it takes a second to switch weapons normally, with this skill it’s only 3/4 of a second. To find out exact times, consult the weapons chart, and multiply the draw time by 0.75.

_PISTOL EXPERT

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: QUICK Switch, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases the rate of fire with pistols. Time between shots is approximately 75% of normal time.

This affects the semi-automatic “Support” class of weapons. Basically if it’s carried one-handed and you shoot it, this skill allows you to fire it faster, peppering your foes with more bullets. If you generally prefer accurate firing and single-headshot takedowns, this isn’t as useful. Another possible disadvantage is running out of ammunition more quickly, but this shouldn’t dissuade you from purchasing it, as this skill can help drop a foe if you aren’t relying on accuracy (e.g., you’re ambushed, have no Focus, or multiple threats are approaching from all angles). To find out exact times, consult the weapons charts and multiply the rate of fire by 0.75.

_SHOTGUN EXPERT

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: PISTOL EXPERT, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases shotgun damage against vehicles by approximately 125%.

One of the best ways to halt a foe in a vehicle is with your boomstick. With this skill, it takes fewer rounds to impede an enemy driver and bring a Convoy mission or any other activity involving vehicles to a close. Enemies take more damage as the shotgun blasts cut through more metal, and vehicles take a pounding and become immobile more quickly, especially if you aim at the tires, windshield, and engine block. To find out exact damage ratings, consult the weapon charts, and multiply the damage by 1.25.

_SNIPER RIFLE EXPERT

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: SHOTGUN EXPERT, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases scope steadiness for sniper rifles. Sway is approximately 80% of normal.

If you enjoy the extreme-range takedown opportunities of weapons marked in the “Special” category, which aren’t grenade launchers, but don’t want a wobbly aim at longer ranges, choose this skill. It significantly steadies your hand, which is a must for anyone using a scoped weapon. However, if you prefer closer combat, this has limited usefulness. Take it if you’re a well-rounded firearm fan. Remember to combine with Focus for even more accuracy.

_AUTO WEAPONS EXPERT

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: SHOTGUN EXPERT, Reach Wave 5 in NVZN, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases burst precision with all automatic weapons. This is approximately 66% of normal dispersion (Steady Aim is ignored for burst firing)

For assault rifles and machine guns, shots tend to cluster as range increases; this is significantly tamed with this skill, which is extremely handy in most combat situations. If you’re attacking well-armored foes and need to ensure multiple headshots connect, or you’re jumped by a group of Viceroys and have to cut each one down, one burst at a time, this skill helps you accomplish this task. If you favor any “Primary” class of weapon, lessen the recoil chart by 44%.

_STEADY AIM

Point Cost: 1

Requirements: None

• Decreases weapon recoil when firing any weapon. You feel only approximately 75% of normal recoil.

The weapons chart details how much of a recoil (or “kick”) each weapon has. This is a useful skill, as it covers every firearm you own rather than a specific type. It increases accuracy, too, and can be unlocked relatively easily. Make this one of your first skills.

_DEMOLITIONIST

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: Steady Aim, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases amount of carried explosives by 2 (IEDs, proximity IEDs, and frag grenades) or 5 (lures).

Grenades, IEDs, and lures are all excellent projectiles to throw in addition to your regular guns. However, during long bouts of combat, the small number you can carry limits their usefulness. Not so with this skill; if you want to craft and lob two more grenades and IEDs (and you do), purchase this! This skill is much more helpful if you choose to craft explosive projectiles from the Crafted Items skills list.

_EXPERT DEMOLITIONIST

Point Cost: 4

Requirements: DEMOLITIONIST, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Increases amount of carried explosives by 1 (IEDs, proximity IEDs, and frag grenades) or 5 (lures).

Even more projectiles in your pocket means even more tactical help flushing out enemies behind cover, exploding vehicles with a well-lobbed grenade, or prepping more entrances with proximity IEDs in readiness for a mass set of trap-laying.

_ENFORCER COMBAT TAKEDOWN

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: Expert Demolitionist, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Take down Enforcers in combat.

Usually it takes a whole load of firepower to bring down the most frightening of enemies—the armored Enforcer. With this skill, you can bring this foe down with a melee attack just like the one you use on other foes (though it takes 1.5 times as long to drop the Enforcer). If you want options during combat, don’t want to be powerless against an Enforcer in close quarters, and like to use stealth over explosives (the main way to topple an Enforcer), pay the price for this expensive skill.

_BULLET RESISTANCE

Point Cost: 2

Requirements: Steady AIm, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Reduces damage suffered from enemy bullets. You receive 75% of normal damage.

This is an obvious choice, as you’ll be constantly fighting foes armed with guns. If you can shrug off more bullets before you find cover and rest to regain your health, you’ll live longer! There’s no downside to this, but you may wish to choose other skills first if you’re playing a more stealthy game: If you sneak and melee-strike all your enemies without being spotted, this obviously isn’t as handy. To figure out how much damage you save, look for the foe’s weapon, and cross-reference it with the weapons chart, before multiplying it by 0.75.

_BLAST RESISTANCE

Point Cost: 3

Requirements: BULLET RESISTANCE, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Reduces damage taken from explosions. You receive 75% of normal damage.

It pays to purchase this, if only to unlock the Rapid Reload skill or figure out the basics of the Cash Run minigame. Explosions include hackable scenery you or your enemies detonate, as well as grenades and other exploding projectiles, exploding canisters and propane tanks, and vehicles after taking heavy damage. However, getting caught by such blasts is usually the result of poor planning (e.g., don’t stand next to a propane tank during a firefight)!

_RAPID RELOAD

Point Cost: 5

Requirements: Blast Resistance, Complete 5 Gang Hideouts, 2nd-Tier Skill

• Improves reload speed of all weapons; 50% of the reload time.

Having a quicker time between emptying each chamber or clip only leads to good results (see the weapons chart for the reload speed of all your guns). You can target and drop foes more quickly, move to other targets before reinforcements arrive, and generally add a layer of competence to your firefights. This skill is very expensive, but it allows you to be at your best if you favor firepower in your infiltrations.

_EXCLUSIVE SKILLS

Aside from the skills you can earn through experience, there are skills you may obtain through Acquired Content (the various “Packs” exclusive to certain versions of the game or retailers). These bonuses don’t show up on your Skills Tree and are instantly added.

_ATM HACK BOOST

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: Acquired content // The Palace Pack

• Immediately increases your cash rewards when hacking bank accounts. This increase is 0.25 to the multiplier.

For example, if no other ATM Boost skills are unlocked, the amount of cash is 125% of normal. This is the same bonus as the usual ATM Hack Boost in the Hacking Tree, and all the advantages apply here.

_BLUME WEAPON

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: Acquired content // Blume Agent Pack

• This reduces recoil on all shots. You feel only 90% of normal recoil. This is overridden if you purchase the Steady Aim skill.

This is a lower-potency version of the Steady Aim skill in the Combat Tree. As this skill is almost immediately overridden (as Steady Aim is available right away), it isn’t the most helpful. But if you’re concentrating on other skill types (such as crafting or hacking) and want at least a basic proficiency with a weapon, this works well.

_DEDSEC BATTERY BOOST

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: Acquired content // DedSec Shadow Pack

• Adds an additional battery slot.

This is identical to the “Extra Battery I” skill in the Hacking Tree, and all the advantages apply here.

_DRIVING MASTER

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: Acquired content // Club Justice Pack

• Gives 20% more hit points to your vehicles.

This is close to the Defensive Driver skill from the Driving Skill Tree, but instead of you receiving less damage from a crash, any vehicle you utilize is 20% tougher. This is an excellent skill, especially if you enjoy hijacking a security truck and ramming the police with it, or if you concentrate on using offensive maneuvers to stop a fleeing suspect in a car.

_SUPERIOR CAPACITY

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: Acquired content // SONY EXCLUSIVE MISSIONS

• Adds one to your battery slot.

This is identical to the “Extra Battery I” skill in the Hacking Tree, and all the advantages apply here.

_VEHICLE EXPERT

Point Cost: 0

Requirements: Acquired content // Breakthrough Pack

• Gives free and discounted vehicles in the Cars On Demand App. Car On Demand vehicles now cost 50% of the normal price.

This is an excellent skill if you constantly use the Car On Demand App (you want only the finest vehicles to drive instead of what’s available near you on the streets). As some vehicles can cost thousands of dollars, you can save cash with this skill. However, many vehicles are free if you complete certain progression rewards, so this gradually becomes less and less useful (unless you have a vehicle you simply must use in every circumstance, and it costs a load to acquire).