====== Net Downlink ======
[{{ generic_head.png|Net Downlink icon}}]

> //Offloads some basic brain functions to a remote server, allowing the host to focus on more pressing matters.//

**Net Downlink** is an [[:augments:|augment]] which gives the agent +2\ [[:AP]] whenever all [[:firewalls]] are broken on a [[:mainframe device]], up to a maximum of +6\ AP per turn. It is not possible to install more than one Net Downlink on the same agent.

Net Downlink is available from some [[:mainframe devices:Nanofabricators]] for 650 [[:credits]], or from some [[:mainframe devices:Augment Grafters]].

===== Strategy =====

Net Downlink is considered to be one of the best augments in the game. It is not the only augment that can give a bonus of up to +6\ AP per turn, but its bonus can be triggered more often than other augments --- it is usually more common to hack multiple devices per turn, than it is to make melee attacks (for [[Predictive Brawling]]'s bonus) or to cloak (for [[Chameleon Movement]]'s bonus).

When playing with Net Downlink, it is often a good idea to hack a device for no other reason than to get the AP bonus --- and even to [[:strategy:exploration|explore]] more of the facility so you have more opportunities to use Net Downlink. For example, you can hack [[:mainframe devices:Sound Bugs]] even if you have no intention of making noise near them; or [[:peeking|peek]] through a [[:doors#Vault Door]] even if you don't have a [[:items:Vault Access Card]], simply so you can hack a device behind it.

If there are many devices to hack, it can be best to avoid hacking more than 3 per turn to avoid wasting the bonus; take particular care when using [[:programs:Data Blast]] in a dense area, to leave some devices for later turns. You may sometimes also plan to leave a device deliberately unhacked so that Net Downlink can be used in an emergency, similar in purpose to a [[:items:Stim]]. The bonus from Net Downlink is particularly useful when you need to [[:sprinting|sprint]] but don't have quite enough AP to start sprinting.

The fact that Net Downlink exists is reason enough to avoid installing lower-value augments such as [[Skeletal Suspension]] or [[Titanium Rods]] too early in a campaign --- augment sockets are limited, so it is often better to have a spare socket available in case you find Net Downlink later. If you don't have any spare sockets, consider taking Net Downlink into the [[:missions:OMNI Mainframe|final mission]] to install on [[:agents:Central]] or [[:agents:Monst3r]]; or in [[:modes:Endless]] mode, you can use an [[:mainframe devices:Augment Drill]] to remove a different augment and replace it with Net Downlink.