Integumentary System

The Integumentary System is the skin of a build, and it is one of the main sources of Armor in the game. It holds three implants. Almost every implant here carries a block of Armor of its own. On top of that, each one adds a defensive trick. Some cut damage at close or long range, some react to burst damage, and Optical Camo hides its user from sight. Every build fills this slot, because every build wants to take less damage.

Effects

Flat Armor is the simplest pick. Subdermal Armor adds 17 Armor at Tier 1 and 49 at Tier 5, for a capacity cost of only 5. Chitin is its Iconic variant. It adds far more Armor and speeds up Health regeneration.

Distance decides how much two pairs of implants protect. ProxiShield cuts damage from enemies within 3 meters, and the cut fades to nothing at 6 meters. The Peripheral Inverse is its Iconic variant, with a cut of a third to nearly half at point-blank range. RangeGuard does the opposite. It adds up to 90 Armor while no enemy stands within 6 meters.

Damage cuts work on every hit. The Pain Editor lowers all incoming damage by 6% at Tier 4 and 7% at Tier 5. The Painducer turns a share of each hit into damage over time, so a big blow arrives more slowly. The Carapace raises Armor effectiveness against attacks from the side or the rear.

Reactive implants switch on in a crisis. Countershell raises Mitigation Chance for four seconds after a heavy burst of damage. Defenzikov raises Mitigation Chance when the Kerenzikov ends. Nano-Plating can block bullets outright, and the chance jumps after a dodge or Dash. Shock-N-Awe has a 10% chance to release an electroshock at nearby enemies whenever its user takes damage.

Build implants tie the slot to an attribute. The Cogito Lattice multiplies its own Armor while RAM runs low, but only with a cyberdeck installed. The Cellular Adapter turns each Technical Ability point into explosion resistance, Tech weapon damage and faster recharges for Health Items and grenades. Optical Camo cuts visibility to enemies for a few seconds.

Pros

• Nearly every implant adds Armor, whatever its main effect.
• Subdermal Armor fills a spare slot for very little capacity.
• The Pain Editor and the Painducer work against every kind of damage.
• Optical Camo helps both stealth and open combat, since a hidden target is harder to hit.

Cons

• The Pain Editor and the Painducer cost 35 and 30 capacity, and they only reach ripperdocs at level 30.
• ProxiShield and RangeGuard help at one range only.
• Defenzikov needs the Kerenzikov, and the Cogito Lattice needs a cyberdeck.
• The Cellular Adapter needs the Built Different perk before it works properly.
• Optical Camo shares the Combat Gadget quickslot with grenades and the Projectile Launch System.

Cyberware Categories

Best Integumentary System Cyberware

Name	Image	Why
Chitin		Large Armor and faster Health Regen
Peripheral Inverse		Up to 45% less damage at point-blank range
Optical Camo		Up to 90% less visibility
Pain Editor		Flat cut to all incoming damage
ProxiShield		Close-range damage cut from the start
RangeGuard		Up to 90 Armor with no enemy nearby
Subdermal Armor		Cheap flat Armor
Countershell		Mitigation burst after heavy damage

Chitin and the Peripheral Inverse suit a melee tank. RangeGuard suits snipers and netrunners who keep their distance. Optical Camo is the core of a stealth build.

Character Builds

Each attribute has its own picks here. Body suits Chitin, ProxiShield, the Peripheral Inverse and the Painducer. Cool suits Optical Camo, RangeGuard and the Pain Editor. Each Cool point makes Optical Camo last a tenth of a second longer. Technical Ability suits Subdermal Armor, the Carapace, Shock-N-Awe and the Cellular Adapter. Reflexes suits Countershell, Defenzikov and Nano-Plating. Intelligence suits the Cogito Lattice, which gains 2 Armor per point.

• All Things Cyber lowers the capacity cost of Integumentary System and Skeleton implants by 20%.
• Chrome Constitution cuts incoming damage by 5% when every Integumentary System and Skeleton slot is filled.
• Built Different unlocks the Cellular Adapter at ripperdoc clinics.
• Creeping Death and Vanishing Act in Cool reward kills and movement under Optical Camo.
• Emergency Cloaking, a Phantom Liberty Relic perk, makes enemies lose track of their target when Optical Camo starts in combat.
• Comeback Kid and Painkiller add Health Regen, which stacks with Chitin.

The Skeleton is the natural partner. Para Bellum and the Rara Avis raise total Armor by a percentage, so every Integumentary implant feeds them.

Notes

• Chitin and the Peripheral Inverse are sold by the Dogtown ripperdocs. They also drop from Dogtown airdrops.
• Optical Camo reaches ripperdocs at level 10. It cuts visibility by 30% for 4 seconds at Tier 2, and by 90% for 7 seconds at Tier 5.
• Countershell triggers after a loss of 35% of max Health within three seconds. Its cooldown is six seconds.
• Nano-Plating can block at most three projectiles within a short window.
• The Cogito Lattice switches on earlier at higher tiers, because its RAM threshold rises with each tier.
• Shock-N-Awe deals 135 damage at Tier 1 and 500 at Tier 5.

All Integumentary System Cyberware

Every Integumentary System implant is listed below. The Iconic ones come first, then the standard ones.

Iconic Integumentary System Cyberware

Name	Image	Attribute	Capacity	Location
Chitin		Body		Dogtown
Peripheral Inverse				Dogtown

Standard Integumentary System Cyberware

Name	Image	Attribute	Capacity	Location
Carapace		Technical Ability	16
Cellular Adapter		Technical Ability
Cogito Lattice
Countershell		Reflexes	12
Defenzikov
Nano-Plating
Optical Camo		Cool	20
Pain Editor		Cool	35
Painducer		Body	30
ProxiShield		Body	10
RangeGuard		Cool	14
Shock-N-Awe		Technical Ability
Subdermal Armor		Technical Ability	5