Quickhack Protocols

A quickhack protocol is an instruction written into a locked target. After you enter Hack Time and lock a target, the panel lists only the protocols that kind of target can take. The corner shows a bracketed count of how many you have written against the full library. World-target protocols and hostile-player protocols are added together.

There are 63 protocols that act on world targets. The first time a character gains Hack Time, the daemon library already holds 14 factory protocols. The other 49 are written in with protocol chips. A chip is a one-time consumable: using it writes that protocol into the current character’s library. A chip for a protocol already owned cannot be used again. The in-game line is “One-time write; unusable afterwards.”

TBUG sells the chips by shelf. The shop restocks in full at each dawn and marks two items at 25% off.

The 14 protocols that target hostile players are on PvP Hacks.

Factory 14

These 14 do not need chips. They cover enemies, tiles, turrets, and signal towers, which is enough to learn scanning and upload.

Protocol	Category	RAM	Upload	Duration	Source	Effect
Short Circuit	Lethal	2	1 s	Instant	Factory	Releases an EMP causing instant damage and brief paralysis.
Synapse Burnout	Lethal	3	about 1.5 s	5 s	Factory	Overloads the target’s neural synapses, dealing continuous thermal damage.
Optic Overload	Covert	2	about 1.3 s	4 s	Factory	Blinds the target, making them unable to perceive their surroundings.
Memory Wipe	Covert	3	about 1.3 s	5 s	Factory	Clears the target’s hostility data, resetting their aggro list.
System Reset	Control	4	2 s	6 s	Factory	Forces a system reboot on the target, completely paralyzing them.
Contagion	Contagion	4	about 1.7 s	6 s	Factory	Implants a self-replicating malware that spreads to nearby targets.
Cyberpsychosis	Control	5	about 2.5 s	8 s	Factory	Drives the target into a frenzy, attacking all nearby units.
Magnetic Pull	Tile Manip	2	1 s	5 s	Factory	Generates a magnetic field, pulling nearby dropped items towards you.
Tile Detonation	Tile Manip	3	about 1.3 s	Instant	Factory	Compromises structural integrity, triggering a localized explosion.
Phasing Protocol	Tile Manip	4	about 1.7 s	8 s	Factory	Alters the physical properties of a tile, making it intangible for a duration.
Machine Short Circuit	Tile Manip	3	about 1.3 s	Instant	Factory	Drains the target machine’s energy, releasing electric arcs that damage nearby entities.
Turret Short Circuit	Tile Manip	3	about 1.5 s	4 s	Factory	Instantly discharges the turret’s energy to briefly stall it, immediately coming back online after recovery.
Circuit Overload	Tile Manip	6	3 s	12 s	Factory	Injects reverse current into the turret’s power circuit, completely disabling it for a long duration.
Virus Broadcast	Contagion	8	4 s	20 s	Factory	Injects worm code into the signal tower, causing it to emit cyber EMP waves that short-circuit all turrets within broadcast range for a long duration.

Browse by target

Locking a different kind of target changes the panel. The in-game scan labels are NPC Target, Projectile Target, Liquid Target, Tile Target, Dropped Item Target, Turret Target, Signal Tower Target, Container, World State, Boss Part, and Self Rig.

• NPC: 18 protocols that act on enemies
• Projectile: 7 protocols
• Liquid: 5 protocols
• Tile: 8 protocols
• Dropped Item: 5 protocols
• Circuit: 5 turret protocols and 4 signal-tower protocols
• Container, World State, Boss Part, and Self Rig: 2 / 3 / 3 / 3 protocols

Protocol chips

Use a chip once from the inventory. On success the game prints “Writes protocol:” plus that protocol’s in-game name. The chip tooltip also lists category, valid targets, and the protocol text. The chip is not consumed if RAM is short, the target kind is wrong, or the protocol is already in the library.

Laboratory security chests currently generate RAM Capacity Upgrade Chip and RAM Recovery Upgrade Chip. They do not generate protocol chips. The stable source is TBUG’s shop.