Bolt

Bolt
Class	Technical Ability Perk
Attribute	Technical Ability
Tier	Phenom (15)
Levels	3
Affects	Only affects Tech Weapons

Bolt is the Tech weapon payoff of the Technical Ability tree. The first levels speed up charging and raise the damage of a charged shot, and the third adds the Bolt itself, a shot fired by releasing the trigger just before the charge completes. A whole branch is bought through it. Tech weapon builds aim for it.

Effect

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Tech weapons work by holding the trigger to charge and releasing to fire through cover. The charge time is the cost and the penetration is the reward.

The Bolt changes the timing into a skill. Releasing just before full charge counts as a fully charged shot, adds damage, and halves the penalty a round normally takes going through cover. On fully automatic Tech weapons it fires as a short burst, and holding the trigger again continues it.

Level	Effect
1	+20% charge speed for Tech Weapons.
2	+15% damage for each charged shot with Tech Weapons
3	Unlocks Bolt shots. To fire a Bolt, release the trigger for a charged shot right before it fully charges: counts as a fully charged shot, +30% damage, -50% penalty for penetrating cover. Fully auto Tech weapons fire Bolts in a short burst. To continue firing Bolts in full-auto, press and hold the trigger again after firing the initial burst.

How to Unlock Bolt

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It sits behind the Phenom gate of the Technical Ability tree and needs nothing bought ahead of it, though all three levels are needed before Bolts can be fired.

Perk Tree

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Buying Bolt opens the perks below.

Name	Image	Tier	Effect
Chain Lightning		Legend (20)	Bolt now deals Electrical damage and releases an electric arc that can electrocute up to 3 nearby enemies.
In Charge		Phenom (15)	Tech Weapons no longer fire automatically when reaching full charge.
Internal Clock		Phenom (15)	Increased time window to fire a Bolt.
Lightning Storm		Phenom (15)	+10% charge speed after firing a Bolt. Stacks 3 times. Swapping weapons or firing a non-Bolt shot resets the stack.
Shock Value		Phenom (15)	Bolts ignore enemy Armor

Character Builds

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The build is the Tech weapon Technical Ability build. A Tech pistol or rifle is the weapon, and the timing of the release is the skill the branch demands.

Buy all three levels at the Phenom gate, then Internal Clock and In Charge to make the timing reliable, then Shock Value for the armour penetration. Chain Lightning at the Legend gate closes the branch. A build that stops at the second level has a faster, harder charged shot and none of the Bolt mechanic above it.

Notes

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Internal Clock widens the window, In Charge stops the weapon firing on its own, Lightning Storm speeds up the next charge, Shock Value ignores armour and Chain Lightning adds electrical damage.

Tech weapons are what the Technical Ability attribute improves.

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