Frontal Cortex

The Frontal Cortex is the brain slot, and it is the home of the netrunner. It holds three implants. Most of them work on RAM, the resource every quickhack spends. Others let quickhacks land critical hits or shorten the cooldown of every other implant. A netrunner fills all three slots with RAM and quickhack implants. A fighter with a Sandevistan or a Berserk still wants at least one cooldown implant here.

Effects

RAM implants are the core of the slot. The RAM Upgrade makes RAM refill faster and adds a little Max RAM. The Ex-Disk adds Max RAM and speeds up quickhack uploads. Memory Boost restores RAM each time an enemy goes down. The Camillo RAM Manager refills part of the pool the moment it runs nearly dry. It then needs 80 seconds before it can fire again. The RAM Reallocator is its Iconic variant. It refills a larger share and adds two Max RAM as well.

Quickhack crits come from two implants. The Bioconductor lets quickhacks deal critical hits, starting at a 15% Crit Chance. It costs four Max RAM at every tier. The COX-2 Cybersomatic Optimizer is the Iconic variant. Its quickhack Crit Chance starts at 80% and reaches a sure crit at Tier 5. Its RAM penalty shrinks at the plus steps of Tier 5.

Cooldown implants trigger on kills. The Newton Module cuts the cooldown of all installed cyberware a little each time an enemy is neutralized. Axolotl is its Iconic variant, with a much larger cut. A run of quick kills can bring a Sandevistan or Berserk back long before its normal cooldown ends. The Quantum Tuner works another way. When another implant is fully used, it wipes up to 30 seconds of that implant's cooldown at once. It also shortens every other cooldown by 10% at all times.

Other implants fill narrow roles. The Mechatronic Core raises damage against drones, robots, mechs and turrets. The Kerenzikov Boost System strengthens the Kerenzikov in the Nervous System. Self-ICE blocks an enemy quickhack on its own and adds Max RAM.

Pros

Three slots leave room for a full RAM setup or a mix of RAM and cooldown implants.
Several implants add Max RAM on top of their main effect. Even a cheap pick helps a cyberdeck.
The Camillo RAM Manager and the RAM Reallocator refill RAM in the middle of a fight. Quickhacks keep flowing without a wait.
The Newton Module and Axolotl help every build that relies on active cyberware.
The COX-2 turns damaging quickhacks into near-certain critical hits.

Cons

The Bioconductor and the COX-2 lower Max RAM. Fewer RAM units mean fewer quickhacks in a row.
The COX-2, the Quantum Tuner and the RAM Reallocator carry a heavy capacity cost. The Tuner costs 45. The Reallocator costs 40 capacity, while the Camillo costs 8.
The Kerenzikov Boost System does nothing without the Kerenzikov.
One kill gives only a small cut with the Newton Module. It pays off in long fights with many weak enemies.

Cyberware Categories

Best Frontal Cortex Cyberware

Name	Image	Why
COX-2 Cybersomatic Optimizer		Sure quickhack crits at Tier 5
Axolotl		Large cooldown cut on every kill
Quantum Tuner		Instant cooldown refund once per fight
RAM Reallocator		Refills up to 45% of RAM when low
Camillo RAM Manager		Light RAM refill for 8 capacity
Ex-Disk		More RAM and faster uploads
Kerenzikov Boost System		Free shooting during the Kerenzikov

The COX-2 and the RAM Reallocator suit a pure netrunner who has capacity to spare. Axolotl suits almost any build with an operating system. The Camillo and the Newton Module give similar effects for far less capacity.

Character Builds

Intelligence is the attribute behind this slot. Most RAM implants are attuned to it. Each point shortens the Camillo's cooldown by two seconds and the RAM Reallocator's by three. Each point also adds a little quickhack damage with the COX-2. The Mechatronic Core and the Newton Module are attuned to Technical Ability instead. Each point adds half a point of Armor. The Kerenzikov Boost System is attuned to Reflexes.

Optimization raises RAM recovery by 35%.
Hack Queue adds one Max RAM and lets two quickhacks queue on a single enemy.
Queue Acceleration adds another Max RAM and one more place in the queue.
Overclock lets quickhacks run on too little RAM, paying with Health for each missing unit.
Data Recycler and Speculation return RAM after a kill. They stack well with Memory Boost.
Cyborg and Extended Warranty from Technical Ability work with the cooldown implants. Cyborg cuts all cooldowns when every slot is filled. Extended Warranty adds 15% duration to cyberware effects.

The cyberdeck in the Operating System slot sets the base RAM pool, so these implants build on that deck. A Kerenzikov build pairs the Boost System with Dash, Steady Grip and Air Kerenzikov from Reflexes. A build that hunts machines adds Corrosion from Cool, which lets Poison work on robots and turrets.

Notes

Axolotl is the reward of Last Call, the job Regina Jones gives once all her Watson gigs are done. Dogtown ripperdocs also sell it from level 30.
The Quantum Tuner is a Phantom Liberty reward. It waits in a small container in Dogtown during From Her to Eternity, and only after the King of Wands ending. Its refund cap rises to 40 seconds at Tier 5+ and 50 at Tier 5++. After a refund, the Tuner's own 60 second cooldown counts down only outside combat.
The COX-2 and the RAM Reallocator are sold by the Dogtown ripperdocs and drop from airdrops in Dogtown.
The RAM Reallocator fires when RAM falls to a fifth of the maximum. Its cooldown falls from 95 seconds at Tier 4 to 75 at Tier 5++.
The Camillo RAM Manager is sold by ripperdocs from level 30. Self-ICE and the Ex-Disk appear from level 20.
Self-ICE has a cooldown of 45 seconds at Tier 3, falling to 20 seconds at Tier 5++.
The Kerenzikov Boost System removes the Stamina cost of shooting while the Kerenzikov runs. It also slows time even further for enemies.