====== Buster Chips ======
[{{ buster_chip.png|Buster Chip icon}}]
[{{ buster_chip_alt.png|Buster Chip alternative icon}}]

> //A favourite of script kiddies and low-level corporate sysadmins, the Buster Chip automatically breaks down firewalls.//

**Buster Chips** are [[:items:]] which can be used to manually break [[:firewalls]] on [[:mainframe devices:]], when the agent is standing on a tile adjacent to the device. There are four "[[:tiers]]" of Buster Chip; each type has an [[:skill#Anarchy]] skill level requirement for the agent to use them.

^ ^  Firewalls broken  ^  Cooldown  ^  Skill required  ^ Availability ^
| Buster Chip I |  2  |  5 turns  |  Anarchy 2  | Buy from a [[:mainframe devices:Nanofabricator]] for 250 [[:credits]]. \\ Buy from [[:buying from Monst3r|Monst3r]] for 200 [[:credits]]. \\ Rare loot from a [[:mainframe devices:Corporate Safe]]. \\ [[:stealing|Steal]] from an [[:guards:Akuma Drone]]. \\ [[:agents:Archive Prism]] starts with one. |
| Buster Chip II |  3  |  4 turns  |  Anarchy 3  | Buy from a [[:mainframe devices:Nanofabricator]] for 400 [[:credits]]. \\ Buy from [[:buying from Monst3r|Monst3r]] for 320 [[:credits]]. \\ Rare [[:stealing|steal]] from an [[:guards:Akuma Drone]]. |
| Buster Chip III |  4  |  3 turns  |  Anarchy 4  | Buy from a [[:mainframe devices:Nanofabricator]] for 600 [[:credits]]. \\ Loot from a [[:missions:Security Dispatch]]. \\ Rare [[:stealing|steal]] from an [[:guards:Akuma Drone]]. |
| Buster Chip IV [icon:CP] |  8  |  1 [[:tiers#Tier IV items|charge]] \\ per mission, \\ 3 turns  |  Anarchy 4  | Buy from a [[:mainframe devices:Nanofabricator]] for 800 [[:credits]]. \\ Loot from a [[:missions:Security Dispatch]]. |

[icon:CP] Found in the [[:Contingency Plan]] DLC.

===== Strategy =====

Buster Chips can be useful complements to your [[:programs:#breakers|breaker programs]], to break some firewalls with no [[:PWR]] cost. They are particularly effective in low-PWR-generation strategies, or to free up [[:Incognita]] program slots for [[:programs:#utilities|utility programs]] which do not break firewalls. They can be used to mitigate against [[:daemons:Paradox]] and [[:guards:Null Drones]], which only prevent hacking by [[:Incognita]], not by other means.

Buster Chips are most useful for breaking firewalls on devices your agents are going to be adjacent to anyway, such as [[:mainframe devices:Corporate Safes]], [[:mainframe devices:Nanofabricators]] and [[:mainframe devices:Server Terminals]], or devices you want to scan using [[:agents:Decker]]'s [[:augments:Neural Networking]] ability. Buster Chips can also be used on devices like [[:mainframe devices:Databases]] and [[:mainframe devices:Power Supply|Power Supplies]] if you can spare the [[:AP]] to move an agent next to them. Buster Chips are least useful for hacking [[:mainframe devices:Security Cameras]], because you have to stand in front of the camera to hack it with a Buster Chip; however, this can still be done safely using a [[Cloaking Rig]] or [[:agents:Prism#Archive|Archive Prism]]'s [[Holo Projection Mesh]].

Except for the higher skill level requirements, the first three tiers of Buster Chip are strict upgrades of each other. The Buster Chip IV is not a strict upgrade since it has only one charge per mission; the charge can be replenished using a [[Charge Pack]], but this is normally a waste of a Charge Pack, and a waste of inventory space to carry the Charge Pack. Therefore, Buster Chip IV should normally be reserved for specific devices with very high firewalls, such as [[:guards:Akuma Drone#Akuma 2.0]] drones or [[:guards:OMNI Protectors]], or devices hit by [[:daemons:Castle]] or [[:daemons:Castle#Castle 2.0]].