There are few things as alarming as realizing your PC rig has become inadequate. Games stop loading quickly, video takes ages to render, the fans produce a concerning burning plastic smell; the same is true for the advanced hacking cyberdecks of The Ascent. You’ve got an arcology to climb, you can’t be using dollar store hardware forever. Here’s how to upgrade your cyberdeck in The Ascent.
Unlike many of your abilities and stats in The Ascent, the computing power of your cyberdeck can’t be altered through skill points or any kind of internal character tinkering. Rather, in order to upgrade your cyberdeck, you need to pick up cyberdeck upgrades that, when used, will elevate your cyberdeck to the next level automatically. Higher level cyberdecks can perform more complicated hacks and analyses; at first, the most you can do is scan something or crack an ICE 1 lock, but the later-level cyberdecks can hack turrets, ATMs, and more.
How to Upgrade your Cyberdeck in The Ascent
There are ten levels of cyberdeck in The Ascent:
- TA Lifestyle
- City Kicker
- Peacemaker CD
- Icepick
- Plug
- Visitor
- Manta D
- Diva
- The Arcade
- Ghost of Veles
Every cyberdeck upgrade you find out in the world, either hiding in a nook somewhere or in a chest, will elevate your cyberdeck to the next level. It doesn’t have to be a particular upgrade, either; any of them will bring you up one level. Don’t worry if you miss one, either, as there are more than ten cyberdeck upgrades in the game, so you can still max out without finding all of them.
As for where to find them, some of them are stashed in pretty obvious spots in broad daylight, but if you’re ever having trouble finding one, take note of your surroundings. If you’re finding a lot of doors and chests that are locked behind an ICE level you can’t crack yet, chances are good there’s a cyberdeck upgrade in the vicinity.
