Sonic Shock
| Sonic Shock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Covert Quickhack |
| Tier | Tier 2 |
| RAM Cost | T2 3 / T3 4 / T4 5 / T5 6 |
| Upload Time | T2 1 / T5 2 s |
Sonic Shock deafens an enemy so they have a harder time noticing V. At higher tiers it also cuts them off from their squad. They can no longer call for help, and their allies stop paying attention to them. At the highest tier it can knock a guard out when combined with two other quickhacks. It suits a stealth build that wants to make noise near guards without being found. Sonic Shock is an early to mid game quickhack that netrunner vendors sell from Tier 2 onward.
Effect
Sonic Shock is a covert quickhack. V uploads it to one enemy, and that enemy goes deaf. Their ability to detect V drops for the duration. Sonic Shock itself is untraceable. At Tier 2, other quickhacks against the affected enemy still start a trace and push it forward.
Tier 3 scrambles the enemy's comms. The affected enemy can no longer talk to allies. From this tier, quickhacks against the target stop adding to the trace progress.
Tier 4 cloaks the enemy from their allies' sensory systems. The other guards then ignore them.
Tier 5 adds a knockout. If V uploads Sonic Shock to an enemy already affected by Memory Wipe and Reboot Optics, the enemy loses consciousness. Tier 5 also takes a little longer to upload. The Iconic variant cuts the RAM cost by 4, which makes the highest tier very cheap.
How to Get Sonic Shock Guide
- Buy Sonic Shock or its crafting spec from a netrunner vendor once Tier 2 stock appears.
- Breach Access Points with Breach Protocol for a chance at quickhacks.
- With Phantom Liberty, watch netrunner stock for the Iconic variant from around level 51.
Sonic Shock Map Location
The map shows the netrunner vendor in Kabuki, one of the netrunner vendors that sell it.
Sonic Shock map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Crafting Spec
Netrunner vendors sell the Sonic Shock spec. The spec lets V craft Sonic Shock in the crafting menu. Every spec in the game is listed on the Crafting Specs page.
Upgrades
Sonic Shock comes in Tiers 2 to 5, plus an Iconic variant. Tier 3 scrambles comms and stops the trace from rising. Tier 4 hides the enemy from their allies. Tier 5 adds the knockout combo. The Iconic variant keeps every effect and costs far less RAM.
Netrunner vendors sell Sonic Shock 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. Netrunners begin to offer Iconic quickhacks at around level 51, and their stock rotates. Crafting the Iconic variant takes Tier 5 quickhack components.
Character Builds
Sonic Shock belongs in a stealth build with points in Intelligence. Memory Wipe and Reboot Optics are its partners for the Tier 5 knockout. Hack Queue and Queue Acceleration let V line up all three quickhacks on the same guard. Request Backup at Tier 3 sends a Sonic Shocked enemy away to back up an ally, which clears a spot without a fight.
Eye In The Sky makes Covert quickhacks cheaper and longer lasting when V uploads them through a camera. Embedded Exploit adds quickhack damage against enemies affected by Covert quickhacks. Icepick lowers the RAM cost of Combat quickhacks against those same enemies. Encryption lowers the traceability of every quickhack. Shadowrunner removes all trace progress after a Takedown.
Select a Build
Reboot Optics and Sonic Shock keep enemies from seeing the character, and Cripple Movement holds them in place. Blade perks from Reflexes and the Blue Fang knife finish them up close. Ping shows where the next targets stand.
Attributes: Body 12, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 15, Intelligence 20, Cool 14.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proximate Propagation | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Cheaper quickhacks at close range |
| Optimization | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Faster RAM recovery |
| Eye In The Sky | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Highlights cameras and makes camera quickhacks cheaper |
| Forcekill Cypher | 
|
Intelligence 4 | Shorter sequences when hacking Access Points |
| Hack Queue | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Queue two quickhacks on one enemy |
| Feedback Loop | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Faster RAM recovery for each queued quickhack |
| Embedded Exploit | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Quickhacks hit harder on controlled enemies |
| Icepick | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Cheaper Combat quickhacks on distracted or controlled enemies |
| Counter-A-Hack | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Counter quickhacks on enemy netrunners through walls |
| Queue Acceleration | 
|
Intelligence 15 | More RAM and cheaper device quickhacks |
| Queue Prioritization | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Faster upload for the first quickhack in a queue |
| Queue Hack Root | 
|
Intelligence 15 | Cheaper quickhacks when the queue mixes categories |
| Air Dash | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| Finisher: Bladerunner | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Faster blade attacks and a finisher that restores Health |
| Opportunist | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Easier finishers on stunned, blinded or bleeding enemies |
| Flash Of Steel | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Speed and attack speed after a finisher |
| Aerial Acrobat | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Better control in midair |
| License To Chrome | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Pump | 
|
Circulatory System | A Health item that heals over time |
| Microrotors | 
|
Circulatory System | Faster melee attacks |
| Ex-Disk | 
|
Frontal Cortex | More max RAM and faster uploads |
| Handle Wrap | 
|
Hands | Crit chance for throwable weapons |
| Reinforced Tendons | 
|
Legs | Double jump |
| Stabber | 
|
Nervous System | Crit chance with blades and throwables |
Stealth comes first, with Cool perks for crouched movement and Optical Camo to stay unseen. Control quickhacks such as Weapon Glitch and Cyberpsychosis turn guards against each other. Blade perks from Reflexes finish anyone who comes close.
Attributes: Body 5, Reflexes 20, Technical Ability 20, Intelligence 16, Cool 20.
The perks, cyberware and weapon mods for this build are listed below.
| Name | Image | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninjutsu | 
|
Cool 15 | Crouch sprinting and more mitigation while crouched |
| Serpentine | 
|
Cool 15 | Harder to hit while crouch sprinting |
| Creeping Death | 
|
Cool 15 | Health, Stamina and speed after a stealth kill |
| Eye In The Sky |
|
Intelligence 4 | Highlights cameras and makes camera quickhacks cheaper |
| Optimization |
|
Intelligence 4 | Faster RAM recovery |
| Forcekill Cypher |
|
Intelligence 4 | Shorter sequences when hacking Access Points |
| Hack Queue |
|
Intelligence 9 | Queue two quickhacks on one enemy |
| Embedded Exploit |
|
Intelligence 9 | Quickhacks hit harder on controlled enemies |
| Data Recycler | 
|
Intelligence 9 | RAM back from queued quickhacks after a kill |
| Copy-Paste | 
|
Intelligence 9 | Quickhacks on an enemy netrunner spread to their allies |
| Counter-A-Hack |
|
Intelligence 9 | Counter quickhacks on enemy netrunners through walls |
| Queue Acceleration |
|
Intelligence 15 | More RAM and cheaper device quickhacks |
| Overclock | 
|
Intelligence 15 | More quickhack damage and the Overclock mode |
| Queue Hack Root |
|
Intelligence 15 | Cheaper quickhacks when the queue mixes categories |
| Finisher: Bladerunner |
|
Reflexes 15 | Faster blade attacks and a finisher that restores Health |
| Going The Distance | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Double finisher range |
| Flash Of Steel |
|
Reflexes 15 | Speed and attack speed after a finisher |
| Air Dash |
|
Reflexes 15 | Dash in midair |
| Aerodynamic | 
|
Reflexes 15 | Stronger Mitigation in midair |
| Aerial Acrobat |
|
Reflexes 15 | Better control in midair |
| Slaughterhouse | Reflexes 20 | Every attack causes Bleeding | |
| Tailwind | 
|
Reflexes 20 | Stamina from air dashes and double jumps |
| License To Chrome |
|
Technical Ability 15 | Stronger cyberware, more armor and a Skeleton slot |
| Ambidextrous | 
|
Technical Ability 15 | A second Hands cyberware slot |
| Edgerunner | Technical Ability 20 | Cyberware past the capacity limit for a small Health cost |
| Name | Image | Slot | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isometric Stabilizer | 
|
Circulatory System | Cheaper attacks |
| Shock Absorber | 
|
Hands | Less recoil |
| Optical Camo | 
|
Integumentary System | Near invisibility for a few seconds |
Lore
The in-game description says the program fires a high-pitched frequency inside the target's skull. Some claim that a long enough dose can cause a psychological break. Netrunners from the Glen wrote their own variant of the program. It is known as Banshee's Wail.
Notes
- The Tier 5 knockout needs both Memory Wipe and Reboot Optics on the target before Sonic Shock lands.
Quickhack Categories
All Covert Quickhacks
Every covert quickhack is listed below.
| Name | Image | RAM | Upload | Perks | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bait | 
|
T1 2 / T2 3 / T4 4 | 0.3 | Eye In The Sky, Embedded Exploit, Icepick, Queue Hack Root | |
| Memory Wipe | 
|
T3 8 / T4 10 / T5 32 | T3 1.5 / T5 10 | Eye In The Sky, Embedded Exploit, Icepick, Queue Hack Root | |
| Ping | 
|
T1 4 / T3 5 / T5 7 | 1 | Eye In The Sky, Embedded Exploit, Icepick, Queue Hack Root | Little China |
| Request Backup | 
|
T2 3 / T4 4 / T5 6 | 2 | Eye In The Sky, Embedded Exploit, Icepick, Queue Hack Root | |
| Sonic Shock | 
|
T2 3 / T3 4 / T4 5 / T5 6 | T2 1 / T5 2 | Queue Hack Root |