Cyberware

Cyberware is technology installed permanently into the body. Implants raise damage, slow time, add Armor, refill Health or unlock quickhacks. They are also the main source of Armor in the game. Ripperdocs sell and install them, and only a ripperdoc can swap one implant for another. A build is chromed slot by slot. The operating system sets the active power, and the other slots add passive bonuses around it. Cyberware Capacity limits how much of it a single body can carry.

Capacity

Every implant has a capacity cost. The total of all installed implants cannot go over Cyberware Capacity. A cheap implant such as the Basic Kiroshi Optics costs 1 point. A heavy Iconic implant such as the COX-2 Cybersomatic Optimizer costs about 50. Capacity therefore decides how many strong implants a build can run at once.

Capacity grows in several ways. The table lists them.

Cyberware Capacity Shards are permanent. Enemies drop them at random, and a few hide in caches.

Going over the limit needs the Edgerunner perk. It opens at 20 Technical Ability, after License To Chrome. Each point over capacity costs 0.5% of max Health. In return, each kill during combat has a small chance to start a Fury. The chance rises with every point over capacity. A Fury adds 10% damage, 30% Crit Chance and 50% Crit Damage for 12 seconds.

All Things Cyber lowers the cost of Skeleton and Integumentary System implants by 20%. It adds no capacity, but it frees room in the same way.

Cyberware Categories

Best Cyberware

The strongest implants of every class, taken from the Best table of each class page.

Name	Image	Class	Why
Militech Apogee Sandevistan		Operating System	85% time slow, the deepest of any Sandevistan
Militech Falcon Sandevistan		Operating System	Heals on every kill while time is slowed
COX-2 Cybersomatic Optimizer		Frontal Cortex	Sure quickhack crits at Tier 5
Axolotl		Frontal Cortex	Large cooldown cut on every kill
Mantis Blades		Arms	Leap Attack and the full blade perk line
MaxTac Mantis Blades		Arms	Heals on killing a bleeding enemy
Rara Avis		Skeleton	Up to 42% more total Armor
Epimorphic Skeleton		Skeleton	Up to 13% more max Health
Deep-Field Visual Interface		Nervous System	Crit Chance scaling out to 100 meters
Revulsor		Nervous System	Free time slow at low Health
Second Heart		Circulatory System	Full Health when Health hits zero
Blood Pump		Circulatory System	Burst heal plus healing over time
Chitin		Integumentary System	Large Armor and faster Health Regen
Peripheral Inverse		Integumentary System	Up to 45% less damage at point-blank range
Kiroshi Cockatrice Optics		Face	Up to 35% Crit Chance on every attack
Kiroshi The Oracle Optics		Face	Enemies, cameras and traps in one scan
Immovable Force		Hands	Less recoil and spread, cover bonuses anywhere
Smart Link		Hands	Lock-on for Smart weapons plus Max RAM
Reinforced Tendons		Legs	Double jump for combat and travel
Leeroy Ligament System		Legs	Up to 20% movement speed at all times

Ripperdocs

Ripperdocs are the clinics where cyberware is bought, installed and upgraded. Every ripperdoc shares the same stock. That stock depends on the player's level. It refreshes every 10 levels, not every day.

Each implant comes in tiers. Tier 1 is on sale from level 1, Tier 2 from level 10, Tier 3 from level 20, Tier 4 from level 30 and Tier 5 from level 40. An installed implant can be upgraded at a ripperdoc with item components of the next tier. That is the only way to reach Tier 5+ and Tier 5++.

Implants also carry stat bonuses on top of their main effect. A Tier 1 implant has one bonus, and Tier 2 adds a second. The Driver Update perk adds a third bonus to every implant. Chipware Connoisseur lets the player choose between sets of bonuses when upgrading. From Tier 3, it offers two new sets alongside the current one.

The Dogtown ripperdocs need Phantom Liberty. They sell most of the Iconic cyberware.

Attributes and Slots

The body has ten cyberware slots. Each slot holds its own kind of implant.

Every implant is attuned to one attribute. Each point in that attribute adds a small bonus through the implant. Technical Ability often adds half a point of Armor per point, and Cool adds 0.2% headshot and weakspot damage. Reflexes adds a little Crit Chance, and Body adds Health. The attribute of a build therefore points to its implants. Filling all ten slot types unlocks the achievement Full Body Conversion. The Cyborg perk cuts every cyberware cooldown by 15% once all available slots are filled.

Operating Systems

The operating system is the one implant that shapes a build the most. It takes a single slot, and three families compete for it.

• Sandevistan. It slows time for everyone except its user. Every Sandevistan is attuned to Reflexes. The Militech Apogee slows time by 85%, and it is the best Sandevistan in the game. The Militech Falcon heals on each kill. Both can start at any charge level.
• Berserk. It cuts incoming damage and keeps Health above a quarter, but locks its user to melee weapons. Each kill during the window restores a quarter of max Health when it ends. The Militech Berserk makes its user fully invulnerable instead.
• Cyberdeck. It unlocks quickhacks and sets the RAM pool, the quickhack slots and the buffer. Each deck adds bonuses for one style of netrunning. The Raven Microcyber spreads quickhacks, and the Militech Canto carries Blackwall Gateway.

The Chrome Compressor stands apart. It gives up the active power for extra capacity. Ticking Time Bomb sets off an EMP whenever a Sandevistan or Berserk starts, and Extended Warranty makes every cyberware effect last 15% longer.

Character Builds

• Reflexes blade fighter. Mantis Blades or a Sandevistan lead. Microrotors, the Adrenaline Booster and Stabber keep the blades swinging and landing crits.
• Body brawler. Gorilla Arms and a Berserk lead. ProxiShield, the Epimorphic Skeleton and Chitin keep the brawler standing.
• Cool marksman. Visual Cortex Support or the Deep-Field Visual Interface raise Crit Chance with distance. The Kiroshi Cockatrice Optics and the Tyrosine Injector add more damage.
• Stealth. Optical Camo, Lynx Paws and Atomic Sensors keep the character hidden. The Basic Kiroshi Optics slow down cameras.
• Intelligence netrunner. A cyberdeck leads. The COX-2 or the Bioconductor adds quickhack crits, and the RAM Reallocator or the Camillo RAM Manager refills RAM.
• Smart weapons. Smart Link is required, and it adds Max RAM for hybrid netrunners.
• Technical Ability tank. Para Bellum, Bionic Joints and Subdermal Armor stack Armor. The Blood Pump and the Biomonitor keep Health up, and the Feedback Circuit heals on charged Tech shots.

The Newton Module and Axolotl help every build with active cyberware, because each kill cuts all cooldowns. Second Heart is a late game safety net that suits any of them.