Love ‘em or hate ‘em, quickhacks are useful programs that can be used to manipulate, damage, disorient, and even kill your enemies–depending on what quickhacks you choose to upload to your cyberdeck. With 5 different types of quickhacks–combat, control, covert, device, and ultimate–there is bound to be at least one that calls your name. So if you’re looking to narrow down your selection to make a preem cyberdeck perfect for your playstyle, look no further. Check out the top 10 quickhacks you can find in Cyberpunk 2077!
10. Breach Protocol
A true netrunner could unlock all datamine tiers in one go!
Breach Protocol is installed by default on any and all cyberdecks. It allows you to break into enemies’ ICE (Net security), thereby allowing you easier access to use quickhacks against connected enemies and devices, in addition to uploading daemons to their subnet.
Breach Protocol functions as a mini-game that is part of quickhacking. Once you have initiated Breach Protocol, a new interface will appear that will allow you to unlock tiers of “datamines” that can reward eurodollars, crafting components, and potentially…quickhacks. Initiating Breach Protocol gives you access to the subnet, allowing you to upload up to 4 daemons that can infiltrate any connected enemies and/or devices.
What's Great About Breach Protocol:
- Default on any and all cyberdecks.
- Uploading the ICEpick daemon via Breach Protocol will reduce RAM requirement of all quickhacks by 1.
- During Breach Protocol, you can obtain eurodollars, crafting components, and new quickhacks via the datamine tiers.
- You can unlock new daemons via the perks in the Breach Protocol skill tree (under the Intelligence attribute).
Breach Protocol Details:
- Official description: Installed by default on all cyberdecks.
- Type: Device
- Rarity: Common
- Effect(s): Break through enemy ICE, causing all nearby enemies and devices connected to the network to become more vulnerable to quickhacks.
- Duration: 0
- Upload time: 0
- Cooldown: 20
- RAM cost: 0
9. Ping
Batman-vision, commence!
Ping reveals enemies and devices that are connected to the subnet you have infiltrated. Think of it like Batman-vision–you can see all enemies and devices connected to the subnet, even if they are in other rooms.
After initiating Ping, you can then pin each enemy before Ping wears off–this will allow you to keep tabs on where the enemies are going, allowing you to stealthily plan your attack. If you’re not one for stealth, you can still use Ping to help you snipe enemies through walls, using tech weapons to do so. Additionally, if you upgrade Ping to its Rare, Epic, or Legendary variants, you can greatly increase the duration of the ping, allowing you more time to track your targets.
What's Great About Ping:
- Very useful when trying to use stealth to sneak around enemies .
- Helps you track enemies and enemy devices–for stealth or blasting through walls.
- Only costs 1 RAM.
- Batman vision that let's you see enemies through walls for a brief period of time (who doesn’t want to feel like Batman?).
Ping Details:
- Official description: "Some of the oldest, most basic functions in computing may never outlive their usefulness.”
- Type: Covert
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Effect(s):
- Reveals enemies and devices connected to the subnet.
- Highlighted enemies and devices can be scanned and quickhacked through obstacles (Legendary).
- Duration: 20.00 → 30.00 (Rare)→ 40.00 (Epic and Legendary)
- Upload time: 1.0
- Cooldown: N/A
- RAM cost: 1
8. Reboot Optics
Fade to black in 3, 2, 1…
Reboot Optics allows you to disorient targets by rebooting their optical cyberware, thereby causing temporary blindness. Upgrading to a Rare or higher level variant will unlock the additional ability to have the blindness spread to the nearest additional target within 8 meters. Increasing rarity will also increase the duration of the quickhack, leaving your enemy blind for a longer period of time. Lastly, if you upgrade to the Legendary variant, you will unlock the additional daemon that permanently distorts your target’s sight.
This quickhack–especially its upgraded variants–is very effective for navigating enemy territory stealthily, as you can slip by your blinded opponents. Or if guns blazing is more your style, you can still use Reboot Optics to interfere with your opponent’s ability to fight, by blinding them mid-fight (afterall, sudden blindness would make combat accuracy more difficult). To get your hands on the Reboot Optics quickhack, there are a couple gigs where you can pick up the Rare and Uncommon variants, as well as purchasing the Uncommon variant from various netrunners. To purchase the Rare variant, you can go to the ripperdoc in West Wind Estate. Higher variants can only be acquired through crafting specs.
What's Great About Reboot Optics:
- Aids in stealthily traversing enemy territory.
- Upgrading not only extends duration, but adds the effect of spreading to an additional target.
- Upgrading to the Legendary variant adds the effect of permanent blindness on the intended target.
Reboot Optics Details:
- Official description: "When you pay for expensive optical implants, you leave behind your worries of dry eyes, allergy irritation and pink eye. But not blindness."
- Type: Covert
- Rarity: Common
- Effect(s):
- Resets an enemy’s optical cyberware, causing temporary blindness.
- Spreads to the nearest target within 8 meters (Rare).
- Greatly increases duration (Epic).
- *Passive while equipped* Unlocks Optics Jammer daemon, which causes permanent blindness (Legendary).
- Duration: 8.00 → 12.00 (Epic and Legendary)
- Upload time: 5.00
- Cooldown: 10.00
- RAM cost: 4 → 5 (Rare) → 6 (Epic) → 7 (Legendary)
7. Weapon Glitch
Hey, why are you firing at me? You’re supposed to be on my side!
Just as the name implies, Weapon Glitch causes your target’s weapon to glitch out. Exactly how it glitches out may vary depending on the variant–sometimes it’ll just jam the weapon, sometimes the smart tracking and wall penetration will be disabled, spread to the next nearest target, and sometimes it might fire (or rather explode) in their direction. Whatever the case, it’s good for you!
The default duration for Weapon Glitch of uncommon rarity is 30 seconds, and that can be increased up to a whopping 57 seconds by spending attribute points in Intelligence, leveling up Quickhacking, and obtaining the Signal Support perk. Plus, the higher the variant, the better the additional effects–Rare adds the effect of spreading to the next target within 8 meters, Epic adds the effect of causing the target’s weapon to explode, and Legendary adds the passive effect of enabling the Weapons Jammer daemon during Breach Protocol.To get your hands on the Uncommon variant, you can purchase it for €$ 300 from Yoko Tsuru. Higher variants can only be acquired through crafting specs.
What's Great About Weapon Glitch:
- If your health and/or ammo is low, Weapon Glitch buys you some time to re-up without taking damage from your target.
- If you have the Rare variant, the Weapon Glitch will spread to the next target within 8 meters, buying you even more time.
- If you have the Epic or Legendary variant, you can watch as your opponent’s weapon quite literally blows up in their face–entertaining and useful.
Weapon Glitch Details:
- Official description: "During the Unification War, Militech soldiers feared little more than the chance their weapons might jam in the heat of battle."
- Type: Control
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Effect(s):
- Jam the target’s weapon, rendering it unusable for the duration of the quickhack.
- Causes the target’s weapon to malfunction, disable smart-tracking and obstacle penetration, thereby reducing accuracy.
- Spreads to nearest enemy within 8 meters (Rare).
- Causes the target’s weapon to explode (Epic).
- *Passive while equipped* Unlocks Weapons Jammer daemon during Breacj Protocol (Legendary).
- Duration: 30.00
- Upload time: 5.00
- Cooldown: N/A
- RAM cost: 4 → 5 (Rare) → 6 (Epic) → 7 (Legendary)
6. System Reset
This guy has no idea he’s about to take a nice, long nap.
Without a doubt, the least violent Ultimate Quickhack, System Reset causes the target’s cybersystem to reset, which means they are knocked unconscious from afar. This renders them useless in combat, in a manner that can help you maintain stealth (if that is what you are going for). If you use System Reset on any drone, robot, or mech, it will instantly destroy the machine.
By crippling the target’s nervous system, System Reset forces your target’s cybersystem to reset, rendering them unconscious. An added bonus is that the target will not make any noise when this happens, so stealth is not at risk. You can obtain System Reset blueprint during the Spellbound side quest with Nix. Then to get the necessary crafting component, you’ll need to complete Kold Mirage and choose to save Nix’s life.
What's Great About System Reset:
- Allows you to render an enemy unconscious, from a distance.
- The reset is quiet, so nearby enemies will not be alerted when your target loses consciousness (unless they were standing right next to them).
- Helps you maintain stealth while getting past annoyingly stagnant gonks.
System Reset Details:
- Official description: "The magnum opus of a corporate netrunner who believed most problems could be solved by simply turning off whatever is giving you trouble."
- Type: Ultimate
- Rarity: Epic +
- Effect(s):
- Cripples a target's nervous system, causing them to lose consciousness.
- Target will not make any noise when losing consciousness.
- *Passive while equipped* Defeating an enemy reduced the RAM cost of next quickhack by 1. Stacks up to 6 times. (Legendary).
- Duration: 9.70
- Upload time: 8.00
- Cooldown: 120.00
- RAM cost: 10 → 11 (Legendary)
5. Suicide
Don’t mess with V--they might make you turn against yourself…
Suicide is one of the Ultimate quickhacks which–no surprise–causes your target to commit suicide. Initating Suicide will cause your target to forcibly remove their equipped weapon, aim it towards their head, and pull the trigger.
This can be incredibly useful if you are low on ammo or are up against a higher-level target–simply initiate the Suicide quickhack and your target will neutralize themselves. To get your hands on this lethal program, head to Yoko Tsuru in Kabuki, who will sell you the Epic variant for €$ 500. If you don’t want to pay, you can try your luck by neutralizing Voodoo Boys netrunners in Pacifica, although it is quite rare to find the Epic variant they may drop. The Legendary variant can only be acquired through crafting specs.
What's Great About Suicide:
- Instantly neutralizes your enemy.
- You can initiate this from afar, meaning your position is not necessarily given away if other enemies are nearby.
- No wasted ammo or health.
Suicide Details:
- Official description: “‘Suicide note not included.’ - Emmalicious, purported author of the first suicide program.”
- Type: Ultimate
- Rarity: Epic +
- Effect(s):
- Lethal–forces the target to commit suicide.
- *Passive while quipped* Causing an enemy to panic reduces the RAM cost of your next Ultimate quickhack by 2 (Legendary).
- Duration: 12.00
- Upload time: 8.00
- Cooldown: 120.00
- RAM cost: 11 → 12 (Legendary)
4. Contagion
Plague Inc. anyone?
Contagion is not a quickhack to be trifled with. Once initiated on your target, Contagion will cause your target to take poison damage for a short time (default duration starts at 2.5 seconds and increases by spending attributes in Intelligence, leveling up Quickhacking, and unlocking the Signal Support perk). After the effect ends, Contagion will jump to at least one other target within an 8-meter radius. You can purchase the base Uncommon variant for €$1500 from any netrunner vendor or you can purchase the Rare variant for €$3000 from the netrunner in Vista Del Rey or Coastview. Higher variants can only be acquired through crafting specs.
Contagion’s contagious nature means that you can “infect” a small group of enemies fairly quickly, making it perfect for closely knit enemy groups. Additionally, if you combine Contagion with Request Backup quickhack and the Plague perk, you can quite easily wipe out a group of enemies.
What's Great About Contagion:
- Deals non-lethal damage, so if you are trying to keep your target alive (such as a cyberpsycho), this can help you neutralize your target without killing them.
- The poison damage spreads to up to 2 subsequent targets, making it very effective against closely grouped enemies.
- Pairing Contagion with Request Backup quickhack and the Plague Perk can help you easily wipe out closely grouped targets.
Contagion Details:
- Official description: "Did you know most alloys used in cyberware manufacturing contain trace amounts of toxic elements such as lead, cadmium and mercury? And that the safeguards keeping them from slipping into your bloodstream can be broken? Well you're not alone."
- Type: Combat
- Rarity: All
- Effect(s):
- Deals non-lethal poison damage to the target.
- Spread to up to 2 targets within an 8 meter radius.
- Poisons lasts significantly longer (Rare).
- Each additional target receives 20% more damage (Epic).
- *Passive while equipped* All quickhacks capable of spreading to multiple targets can “jump” 1 additional time (Legendary).
- Upload time: 2.00
- Cooldown: 30.00
- RAM cost: 4 → 5 (Rare) → 6 (Epic) → 7 (Legendary)
3. Short Circuit
Boy’s about to get zapped!
Short Circuit is an effective, but inexpensive Combat quickhack that you can obtain fairly early on in the game. Short Circuit causes moderate non-lethal electric damage to the target (making it perfect for all targets, including cyberpsychos who you want to keep alive).
The Short Circuit is useful early on in the game, before you obtain its more rare variants. Then when you get its Rare or higher variant, you get the added effect of an EMP applied to the target, causing their cyberware to malfunction for several seconds. Starting at the Epic variant level, you apply an additional 30% damage to enemies below a High threat level. Lastly, the Legendary variant adds an effect that when you get any critical hits, it adds the short Circuit electric damage, making it very powerful in combat.
What's Great About Short Circuit:
- The damage is practically instant.
- The damage is non-lethal electrical damage, making it perfect for human and robotic targets, as well as targets you do not want to kill (such as cyberpsychos).
- The Legendary variant’s added effect (applying the tier 1 effects whenever you get a critical hit) is incredibly useful and powerful!
Short Circuit Details:
- Official description: "Overloads an enemy's microcircuits, producing a devastating electrical current of almost 2 million Volts"”
- Type: Combat
- Rarity: All
- Effect(s):
- Deals non-lethal electrical damage–making it particularly effective against drones, robots, and mechs.
- Applies an EMP effect to the target for 4 seconds (Rare).
- Deals 30% extra damage to enemies below a High threat level (Epic).
- *Passive while equipped* Critical hits with any weapon will apply the the tier 1 effect (Legendary).
- Duration: 0.10 → 4.00 (Rare)
- Upload time: 1.00
- Cooldown: 10.00
- RAM cost: 3 → 4 (Rare) → 5 (Epic) → 6 (Legendary)
2. Cyberpsychosis
Nothing says Night City like looting a random corpse, only to find a program that allows you to infect people with Cyberpsychosis…
Cyberpsychosis is quite a quickhack–initiating it induces a cyberpsychotic state on the human target, causing them to attack anyone in sight–friend or foe. If used on drones, robots, or mechs, they will turn friendly and attack your enemies. Once no enemies remain, the target will commit suicide. This quickhack can be found on Voodoo Boys netrunners in Pacifica, bought from Chang Hoon Nam after complementing the Gig: Wakako’s Favorite, or if you’re lucky, acquired from access points (odds increased with the Datamine Virtuoso perk).
Aside from the obvious (neutralizing targets), this quickhack can also be used to create a diversion in order to sneak by some enemies (while neutralizing some in the process–a double win).
What's Great About Cyberpsychosis:
- Turns your target against other enemies, which can cause multiple enemies to be taken out rather quickly (and without you sparing a bullet).
- Target will commit suicide after all nearby enemies are eliminated.
- Can serve as a great diversion, allowing you to sneak about while reducing your enemy’s ranks.
Cyberpsychosis Details:
- Official description: "If cyberpsychos are an invention of the tabloids, then who was behind yesterday's massacre of 76 people at 7th Hell?" – Op-ed excerpt, Night City Herald
- Type: Ultimate
- Rarity: Epic +
- Effect(s):
- Lethal–induces cyberpsychosis within the selected target, causing them to attack (and potentially kill) anyone in their vicinity–enemy and ally alike.
- Sets the status of drones, robots, and mechs to friendly, causing them to turn against your enemies.
- If there are no other allies nearby, the target will commit suicide.
- *Passive while equipped* Enemies under the effect of any quickhack will not avoid inflicting friendly fire.
- Duration: 60.00
- Upload time: 8.00
- Cooldown: 120.00
- RAM cost: 12 → 13 (Legendary)
1. Detonate Grenade
This guy’s night is gonna be da bomb!
Detonate Grenade is another Ultimate quickhack, similar to Suicide, in that it lethally neutralizes the target. However, with Detonate Grenade, you cause a grenade to detonate on the target’s person. The blast of the grenade can also kill enemies in the near vicinity of your target, meaning you can take out multiple enemies at once (if you time it right). However, the exact nature of the damage depends on the type of grenade the target is carrying–which you can determine by scanning the enemy and looking at the Data tab. The Epic variant of this quickhack can be dropped by Voodoo Boys netrunners in Pacifica or if you are very lucky (increase your odds with the Datamine Virtuoso perk), you can obtain this bad boy from access points.
Although the damage type can be a bit of a wild card, the fact that you can potentially take out multiple enemies at once with a quickhack is nothing to scoff at. This can be a huge help in taking out more advanced enemies, allowing you to save your ammo for the lower level enemies. If you want to cause a distraction, this can also be a great way to simultaneously eliminate some enemies while causing an explosive distraction that allows you to stealthily traverse the opposing area.
What's Great About Detonate Grenade:
- Allows you to neutralize your target from afar.
- Depending on the type of grenade they are carrying, and their proximity to other targets, you can neutralize multiple targets at once.
- This explosive kill causes a great distraction if you need to sneak around…or if you want to make a memorable entrance.
Detonate Grenade Details:
- Official description: "Especially popular with South American mercenaries, believing they were doing their enemies a favor by helping them ‘go out with a bang.’"
- Type: Ultimate
- Rarity: Epic +
- Effect(s):
- Lethal neutralization–forces the target to detonate a grenade in their hands.*The type of explosion and its effects are based on the type of grenade the target is carrying.
- *Passive while equipped* Defeating an enemy with any explosion reduces RAM of the next Ultimate quickhack by 2. Can stack 4 times.
- Duration: 15.00
- Upload time: 8.00
- Cooldown: 120.00
- RAM cost: 12 → 13 (Legendary)
