NPC Protocols

NPC protocols act on enemies. The in-game scan label is NPC Target. This shelf has 18 protocols: 7 factory, 11 written from chips.

The factory seven are Short Circuit, Synapse Burnout, Optic Overload, Memory Wipe, System Reset, Contagion, and Cyberpsychosis. The chips are sold on TBUG’s NPC shelf.

The Effect column is the in-game protocol text. RAM is the base cost; the real spend scales with the target. Ordinary enemies are billed at about 1× to 1.5×. Bosses go up to 3×. Upload times are written in seconds.

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.
Live Cell Tap	Contagion	3	about 2.3 s	15 s	Live Cell Tap Chip	Pins the target immobile and immune, converting its life into your RAM
Compensation Protocol	Lethal	4	about 1.8 s	8 s	Compensation Protocol Chip	Advance 10% of the target’s life; kill it within eight seconds or pay the debt yourself
Armor Parse	Covert	3	about 1.5 s	6 s	Armor Parse Chip	Drops the target’s defense to zero for six seconds.
Phase Desync	Covert	5	2 s	7 s	Phase Desync Chip	Splits the target’s body from its hitbox; both sides become harder to hit
Meltdown Protocol	Lethal	5	about 2.5 s	4 s	Meltdown Protocol Chip	Locks the target’s heat sinks shut; four seconds later it cooks off, catching nearby enemies.
Shell Requisition	Paranormal	5	about 2.2 s	7 s	Shell Requisition Chip	Targets killed while marked rise again and fight for you for fifteen seconds
Forced Deletion	Paranormal	4	about 1.8 s	5 s	Forced Deletion Chip	Marks the target for deletion; the fifth hit it takes triggers a heavy strike.
Data Leech	Contagion	4	about 1.7 s	6 s	Data Leech Chip	While active, hitting this target restores your RAM, up to a total cap.
Firmware Rollback	Control	7	about 3.3 s	10 s	Firmware Rollback Chip	Rolls the target back to its previous phase; it runs berserk for five seconds after
Payload Rewrite	Control	7	about 3.2 s	10 s	Payload Rewrite Chip	For ten seconds the target’s projectiles become yours, dealt at your damage
Swarm Link	Control	5	about 2.2 s	5 s	Swarm Link Chip	Hitting the target also deals thirty percent to up to five nearby enemies.

Contagion, Memory Wipe, and Cyberpsychosis also reach nearby targets in the same group. Against packed fodder, one upload can cover a cluster. Firmware Rollback only matters on a boss that has already changed phase: it rolls the behavior back, then the target runs berserk for about 5 seconds. Compensation Protocol cuts 10% of the target’s life on landing; if you do not kill it within 8 seconds, that debt returns to you.