Short Circuit
| Short Circuit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Combat Quickhack |
| Tier | Iconic |
| RAM Cost | T1 3 / T2 4 / T3 5 / T4 7 / T5 10 |
| Upload Time | T1 1.5 / T3 1 / T5 0.5 s |
| Location | Dogtown |
Short Circuit sends a burst of electricity through an enemy's implants. It deals instant Electrical damage with a fast upload. Machines such as mechs, robots, drones and turrets take extra damage from it. It is sold from Tier 1, and its upgrades run all the way to Tier 5. It suits any Intelligence build, and it grows stronger next to Cyberware Malfunction. Short Circuit is an early game quickhack that every netrunner vendor sells from Tier 1 onward.
Effect
Short Circuit is a combat quickhack. V uploads it to one enemy, and they take a jolt of Electrical damage at once. Mechs, robots, drones and turrets take extra damage, which makes it a strong answer to machines. The upload gets faster with each step up. Tier 5 uploads in half a second.
Each tier adds a new effect. Tier 2 adds three seconds to every Control quickhack already on the target. A Cripple Movement or Cyberware Malfunction then lasts longer. Tier 3 adds 10% damage for each stack of Cyberware Malfunction on the enemy. That extra damage also makes the enemy's weakspot explode. Tier 4 applies an EMP effect that deals more damage over a few seconds. Tier 5 adds 20% damage against enemies below a High threat level.
The Iconic variant raises the Tier 3 bonus. Each stack of Cyberware Malfunction then adds 25% damage instead of 10%. A target carrying many stacks takes a very large hit.
The RAM cost climbs at every tier. Tier 5 costs more than three times as much as Tier 1.
How to Get Short Circuit Guide
- Buy Short Circuit or its crafting spec from any netrunner vendor.
- Breach Access Points with Breach Protocol for a chance at quickhacks.
- With Phantom Liberty, buy the Iconic variant from Sammy Taylor at EBM Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown from around level 51.
Short Circuit Map Location
Short Circuit map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Crafting Spec
Netrunner vendors sell the Short Circuit spec. The spec lets V craft Short Circuit in the crafting menu. Every spec in the game is listed on the Crafting Specs page.
Upgrades
Short Circuit comes in Tiers 1 to 5, plus an Iconic variant. Tier 2 extends Control quickhacks. Tier 3 adds the Cyberware Malfunction bonus and the weakspot explosion. Tier 4 adds the EMP effect. Tier 5 adds damage against weaker enemies and the fastest upload. The Iconic variant keeps every effect and raises the Cyberware Malfunction bonus.
Netrunner vendors sell Short Circuit and its crafting specs. Higher tiers need quickhack components of the matching tier to craft. Breach Protocol on an Access Point can also reward quickhacks. Enemy netrunners can drop quickhacks and specs as well. The Iconic variant needs Phantom Liberty. Sammy Taylor, the netrunner at EBM Petrochem Stadium in Dogtown, sells it from around level 51. Enemy netrunners can drop the Iconic crafting spec too. Crafting the Iconic variant takes Tier 5 quickhack components.
Character Builds
Short Circuit belongs in an Intelligence build. Cyberware Malfunction is its main partner. A few cheap uploads of Cyberware Malfunction build up stacks, and Short Circuit then hits for much more. Both quickhacks upload quickly, so the pair works well in an open fight.
The Tier 4 EMP effect also helps Cyberpsychosis. Each EMP effect makes Cyberpsychosis cheaper for a short time. In a deck with all three, both Cyberware Malfunction and Short Circuit lower the cost of Cyberpsychosis.
Embedded Exploit adds quickhack damage against enemies affected by Control or Covert quickhacks. Icepick lowers the RAM cost of Combat quickhacks against the same enemies. Short Circuit gains from both once a Control quickhack is on the target. Speculation recovers RAM when a Combat quickhack finishes an enemy. System Overwhelm adds damage for each different quickhack and damage over time effect on the target.
Hack Queue and Queue Acceleration let V queue several quickhacks on one enemy. Overclock lets V keep casting with too little RAM, paying with Health instead. Race Against Mind adds quickhack damage as V's Health drops during Overclock.
Select a Build
Quickhacks do most of the damage, chained from cover before enemies find the character. Contagion goes on first and Overheat sets it off, and Cyberware Malfunction stacks make Short Circuit hit harder. Overclock spends Health in place of RAM, and a smart weapon finishes anyone left standing.
Attributes: Body 16, Reflexes 15, Technical Ability 15, Intelligence 20, Cool 15.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenaline Rush | 
|
Body 15 | More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode |
| Calm Mind | 
|
Body 15 | Adrenaline lasts longer before it decays |
| Juggernaut | 
|
Body 15 | More speed and damage during Adrenaline Rush |
| Acquisition Specialist | 
|
Intelligence | Wider Smart reticle and lock kept through reloads |
| Encryption | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Quickhacks are harder to trace |
| Eye In The Sky | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Highlights cameras and makes camera quickhacks cheaper |
| Optimization | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Faster RAM recovery |
| Proximate Propagation | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Cheaper quickhacks at close range |
| Subordination | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Control quickhacks last longer on enemies at full Health |
| Warning: Explosion Hazard | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Stronger explosions from hacked devices |
| Counter-A-Hack | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Counter quickhacks on enemy netrunners through walls |
| Data Recycler | 
|
Intelligence 9 | RAM back from queued quickhacks after a kill |
| Embedded Exploit | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Quickhacks hit harder on controlled enemies |
| Feedback Loop | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Faster RAM recovery for each queued quickhack |
| Hack Queue | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Queue two quickhacks on one enemy |
| Icepick | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Cheaper Combat quickhacks on distracted or controlled enemies |
| Precision Subroutines | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Smart weapon accuracy scales with max RAM |
| Recirculation | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Smart weapon kills restore RAM |
| Siphon | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Monowire hits recover RAM |
| Speculation | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Combat quickhack kills recover RAM |
| System Overwhelm | 
|
Intelligence 9 | More quickhack damage for each effect on the target |
| Blood Daemon | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Health back for each queued quickhack on a kill during Overclock |
| Overclock | 
|
Intelligence 15 | More quickhack damage and the Overclock mode |
| Power Surge | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Overclock heals on activation |
| Queue Acceleration | 
|
Intelligence 15 | More RAM and cheaper device quickhacks |
| Queue Prioritization | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Faster upload for the first quickhack in a queue |
| Race Against Mind | 
|
Intelligence 15 | More quickhack damage at lower Health during Overclock |
| Sublimation | 
|
Intelligence 15 | RAM recovery heals during Overclock |
| Target Lock Transfer | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Wider Smart reticle and locks kept on swap |
| Queue Mastery | 
|
Intelligence 20 | A longer quickhack queue that can be locked |
| Smart Synergy | 
|
Intelligence 20 | Instant lock and more damage during Overclock |
| Spillover | 
|
Intelligence 20 | Quickhacks spread during Overclock |
| Air Dash | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| Extended Warranty | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Cyberware effects last longer |
| License To Chrome | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monowire | 
|
Arms | Arm whip that hits several enemies from a distance |
| Thermal Monowire | 
|
Arms | Monowire that deals Thermal damage and can burn |
| Heal-On-Kill | 
|
Circulatory System | Health on each kill |
| Kiroshi Sentry Optics | 
|
Face | Scanning highlights cameras and turrets |
| Ex-Disk | 
|
Frontal Cortex | More max RAM and faster uploads |
| Smart Link | 
|
Hands | Turns on Smart weapon tracking |
| Optical Camo | 
|
Integumentary System | Near invisibility for a few seconds |
| Reinforced Tendons | 
|
Legs | Double jump |
| Kerenzikov | 
|
Nervous System | Slows time when aiming during a slide or dodge |
| Tetratronic Rippler | 
|
Operating System | Cyberdeck that raises quickhack and weapon damage |
| RAM Recoup | 
|
Skeleton | Damage taken restores RAM |
Quickhacks such as Contagion and Overheat soften a group, and Overclock spends Health for more uploads. The Hercules 3AX smart rifle finishes the rest. Kerenzikov slows time during dodges and slides.
Attributes: Body 18, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 20, Cool 3.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenaline Rush |
|
Body 15 | More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode |
| Optimization |
|
Intelligence 4 | Faster RAM recovery |
| Carhacker | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Unlocks quickhacks for vehicles |
| Eye In The Sky |
|
Intelligence 4 | Highlights cameras and makes camera quickhacks cheaper |
| Embedded Exploit |
|
Intelligence 9 | Quickhacks hit harder on controlled enemies |
| Precision Subroutines |
|
Intelligence 9 | Smart weapon accuracy scales with max RAM |
| No Escape | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Shooting a target keeps its Smart lock |
| Hack Queue |
|
Intelligence 9 | Queue two quickhacks on one enemy |
| Overclock |
|
Intelligence 15 | More quickhack damage and the Overclock mode |
| Target Lock Transfer |
|
Intelligence 15 | Wider Smart reticle and locks kept on swap |
| Targeting Prism | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Lock on to more targets at once |
| Acquisition Specialist |
|
Intelligence | Wider Smart reticle and lock kept through reloads |
| Sharpshooter | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Faster aim and Stamina stacks on hits |
| Air Dash |
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| Air Kerenzikov | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Kerenzikov in midair holds the character in the air |
| Gundancer | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Full speed while aiming and shooting while vaulting |
| Aerial Acrobat | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Better control in midair |
| Practice Makes Perfect | Reflexes 15 | Crit chance and crit damage per Sharpshooter stack | |
| Salt In The Wound | 
|
Reflexes 20 | Bonus damage after 7 hits on one target |
| License To Chrome |
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Pyromania | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Faster Health item and grenade recharge and bigger blasts |
| Edgerunner | Technical Ability 20 | Cyberware past the capacity limit for a small Health cost |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heal-On-Kill |
|
Circulatory System | Health on each kill |
| Kiroshi Cockatrice Optics | 
|
Face | More crit chance |
| Behavioral Imprint-Synced Faceplate | 
|
Face | A disguise that escapes the police |
| Quantum Tuner | 
|
Frontal Cortex | Resets a used cyberware cooldown |
| Smart Link |
|
Hands | Turns on Smart weapon tracking |
| Cogito Lattice | 
|
Integumentary System | More armor when RAM runs low |
| Kerenzikov |
|
Nervous System | Slows time when aiming during a slide or dodge |
| NeoFiber | 
|
Nervous System | More mitigation chance and strength |
| Rara Avis | 
|
Skeleton | More armor |
Overclock goes on first, then a round of quickhacks, then Adrenaline Rush, then more quickhacks. Smart weapons such as the Ba Xing Chong and the Yinglong clean up whatever is left. Body perks keep the character standing while Overclock drains Health.
Attributes: Body 20, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 18, Intelligence 20, Cool 3.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrenaline Rush |
|
Body 15 | More Health and the Adrenaline Rush mode |
| Eye In The Sky |
|
Intelligence 4 | Highlights cameras and makes camera quickhacks cheaper |
| Optimization |
|
Intelligence 4 | Faster RAM recovery |
| Proximate Propagation |
|
Intelligence 4 | Cheaper quickhacks at close range |
| Hack Queue |
|
Intelligence 9 | Queue two quickhacks on one enemy |
| Embedded Exploit |
|
Intelligence 9 | Quickhacks hit harder on controlled enemies |
| No Escape |
|
Intelligence 9 | Shooting a target keeps its Smart lock |
| Precision Subroutines |
|
Intelligence 9 | Smart weapon accuracy scales with max RAM |
| Icepick |
|
Intelligence 9 | Cheaper Combat quickhacks on distracted or controlled enemies |
| Speculation |
|
Intelligence 9 | Combat quickhack kills recover RAM |
| System Overwhelm |
|
Intelligence 9 | More quickhack damage for each effect on the target |
| Recirculation |
|
Intelligence 9 | Smart weapon kills restore RAM |
| Data Recycler |
|
Intelligence 9 | RAM back from queued quickhacks after a kill |
| Feedback Loop |
|
Intelligence 9 | Faster RAM recovery for each queued quickhack |
| Queue Acceleration |
|
Intelligence 15 | More RAM and cheaper device quickhacks |
| Overclock |
|
Intelligence 15 | More quickhack damage and the Overclock mode |
| Target Lock Transfer |
|
Intelligence 15 | Wider Smart reticle and locks kept on swap |
| Terminal Velocity | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Faster Smart rounds after a kill |
| Targeting Prism |
|
Intelligence 15 | Lock on to more targets at once |
| Race Against Mind |
|
Intelligence 15 | More quickhack damage at lower Health during Overclock |
| Power Surge |
|
Intelligence 15 | Overclock heals on activation |
| Blood Daemon |
|
Intelligence 15 | Health back for each queued quickhack on a kill during Overclock |
| Queue Hack Root | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Cheaper quickhacks when the queue mixes categories |
| Sublimation |
|
Intelligence 15 | RAM recovery heals during Overclock |
| Queue Prioritization |
|
Intelligence 15 | Faster upload for the first quickhack in a queue |
| Queue Mastery |
|
Intelligence 20 | A longer quickhack queue that can be locked |
| Spillover |
|
Intelligence 20 | Quickhacks spread during Overclock |
| Smart Synergy |
|
Intelligence 20 | Instant lock and more damage during Overclock |
| Acquisition Specialist |
|
Intelligence | Wider Smart reticle and lock kept through reloads |
| Air Dash |
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| Cyborg | Technical Ability 15 | Shorter cyberware cooldowns with every slot filled | |
| License To Chrome |
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Extended Warranty |
|
Technical Ability 15 | Cyberware effects last longer |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biomonitor | 
|
Circulatory System | Uses a Health item when Health runs low |
| Blood Pump | 
|
Circulatory System | A Health item that heals over time |
| Heal-On-Kill |
|
Circulatory System | Health on each kill |
| Ex-Disk |
|
Frontal Cortex | More max RAM and faster uploads |
| Smart Link |
|
Hands | Turns on Smart weapon tracking |
| Nano-Plating | 
|
Integumentary System | Chance to block incoming bullets |
| NeoFiber |
|
Nervous System | More mitigation chance and strength |
| Feen-X | 
|
Skeleton | Faster RAM recovery when RAM runs low |
Lore
The in-game description says the program overloads an enemy's microcircuits. The result is an electrical current of almost two million volts running through the target.
Notes
- Short Circuit deals extra damage to mechs, robots, drones and turrets, the targets that Contagion barely affects.
Quickhack Categories
All Combat Quickhacks
Every combat quickhack is listed below.
| Name | Image | RAM | Upload | Perks | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contagion | 
|
T2 5 / T3 6 / T4 9 / T5 12 | T2 3 / T4 2 | Icepick, Speculation, Queue Hack Root | |
| Overheat | 
|
T1 3 / T2 4 / T3 6 / T4 7 / T5 9 | 2 | Icepick, Speculation, Queue Hack Root | |
| Short Circuit | 
|
T1 3 / T2 4 / T3 5 / T4 7 / T5 10 | T1 1.5 / T3 1 / T5 0.5 | Icepick, Speculation, Queue Hack Root | Dogtown |
| Synapse Burnout | 
|
T3 10 / T4 14 / T5 16 | 3 | Icepick, Speculation, Queue Hack Root, Overclock | Kabuki |