Deus Ex Mankind Divided - Easy Hacking (Guide)

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Hacking is one of Deus Ex's most fundamental mini-games and without mastering this skill, you'll be left empty handed, if not completely frustrated. In this guide, there are essential tips to master the art of hacking and take away the frustration that goes with it.

Like most of the other Deus Ex game's, Mankind Divided uses hacking as a way to restrict access to certain rooms, computer information, vaults and all manner of hidden secrets. Successfully hacking control panels will open doors whilst cracking computers will reveal hidden secrets such as story plots, passwords and passcodes.

How does hacking work?

Hacking is a mini-game that players start when they try and access a computer, terminal or other electronic device. Every device which can be hacked has an associated Level which determines the difficulty of that particular mini-game. Level 5 is the highest whilst Level 1 is the easiest hack.

Depending on the difficulty level, the hack will obviously be harder but the rewards are also be much larger.

Note: If you have the passcode to a terminal, you can avoid the hack entirely and simply opt to enter the code to complete the unlock process.

How to complete a hack?

Upon starting a new hack you should see a black screen with several "nodes" bound together by light grey lines that connect them. The different node colours signify their role in the mini-game:

Blue - this is your starting point
Green - this is where you need to get to
Grey - this is an intermediate node, "stepping stone"
Red - this is the enemy starting point (antivirus)

The primary goal is to create a blue line that connects the blue node (starting point) all the way to the green node(s) (end point) by hopping between the grey nodes. This is achieved by "capturing" individual grey nodes along the route and doing so before the red node detects you and catches your blue node.

As you progress in one direction the red node will progress in the opposite - forming a race to see who completes the process first.

If you claim the green node before the red line reaches your blue node, then you win the challenge and the hack is completed in your favour. This results in access being granted to the locked door, computer, safe or whatever the terminal was controlling.

If you fail the hack then the terminal goes into lockdown, preventing you from trying again until the cooldown has expired. In the worst case, the enemy can be alerted to your hack and will attempt to hunt you down.

Strategies to make things easier

1. Unlock "Hacking Capture" augmentations

To attempt the higher level hacks you'll have to unlock the "Hacking Capture" augmentations which are part of the Cranium group. There are four upgrades in this aug tree relating to Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 and Level 5 hacks.

2. Unlock the "Hacking Stealth" augmentations

Arguably the most important tip for completing hacks!! The augs in the Cranium - "Hacking Stealth" tree will significantly reduce the chance of being detected during a hack, giving you more time to complete the challenge first time.

Being detected is EASILY the most frustrating part about hacking.

The first "Hacking Stealth" unlock (v1) will reduce the chance of detection by 15%, whilst the next two upgrades will reduce the threat by 30% then 45%. If for example one of the nodes on a hack was labelled as having a detection rate of 60% then a fully upgraded "Hacking Stealth" aug will automatically reduce this down to 15%. That's a massive difference and real life saver.

3. Spam the capture button

Not many people realise that you can actually capture multiple nodes simultaneously during the mini-game. As soon as one nodes starts, immediately select another to start a branching capture. Repeat the process to create as many capture actions as you can get away with.

This tip is even more important when you have multiple green nodes or wish to capture Datastores for additional rewards.

4. Take note of API and Datastore

Upon close inspection, it's clear that not all paths lead to the green node. These branching nodes are optional but also highly important. Hover over one of these additional nodes and look out for the word API or Datastore.

In the case of API nodes these are optional "supportive" nodes - capturing these will affect the antivirus in the following ways:

Spam - slows down the antivirus tracing
Transfer - transfers two rating points from adjacent nodes
Clearance - lowers the rating of Datastores by 2

Datastore nodes offer bonus rewards in addition to completing a hack. If you successfully complete a hack and capture a Datastore in the process you will earn additional XP, credits and sometimes software.

5. Fortify

The Fortify option becomes available as soon as you capture a node. Fortifying a previously captured node will slow down the speed of the antivirus, giving you more time to complete your hack attempt.

It's good practice to capture low risk nodes first, then fortify them to buy yourself more time later. If you want to, you can take advantage of the Cranium - "Hacking Fortify" augmentations to increase the strength of fortified nodes, increasing the time it takes the antivirus to trace your origin.