Summary[]
The more tentacles join together, the stronger the Kraken is.
The Kraken is a Brute Force Offensive Program which attacks nodes using the shortest possible path towards the network's Core. When there are multiple available paths of the same distance to the core, the Kraken will choose either a Turret or Black ICE with the highest firewall if available, or the node with the highest firewall if not. Wraithed nodes, as well as nodes with a Sentry antivirus do not affect target selection. If two nodes are identical, the Kraken will choose the node which was connected first by the network admin.[1]
Only one Kraken program can be installed on each netConnection in a network. They cannot be installed by the user on any other type of node, including those that the player has Portaled into.
Each Kraken program automatically installs one copy of itself on each node it captures. If the next node along its path already has a Kraken installed, their tentacles merge together and they combine their strength while still occupying only one program slot. The strength of a Kraken program on each installed node is equal to its program strength multiplied by the number of Kraken programs that have converged up to that point. As of v1.030, Kraken overwrites worms on a full node. Kraken will not overwrite any other offensive or defensive programs and will simply stop where they are.
They will continue this pattern until they capture the Core, then they will simultaneously attack all hostile nodes connected to the Core, similar to the Shuriken. As of Patch v1.011, the damage to nodes connected to the Core is equal to the Kraken's base program strength with no multipliers. Attacks from the Core do not install the Kraken onto connected nodes.
If a node with Kraken installed is recaptured, all tentacles which pass through the node will be severed and forcibly removed from all nodes after the break point. This does not directly cause any other captured nodes to be lost, even if all program slots become empty.
In this video you can see an example of a network attacked by a Kraken program.
Statistics[]
| Program Level |
Strength (DPS 1-5x) |
Compilation Price |
| 1 | 36-180 | B60 |
| 2 | 41-205 | B120 |
| 3 | 46-230 | B180 |
| 4 | 52-260 | B240 |
| 5 | 59-295 | B300 |
| 6 | 66-330 | B360 |
| 7 | 75-375 | B420 |
| 8 | 85-430 | B480 |
| 9 | 96-485 | B540 |
| 10 | 108-540 | B600 |
| 11 | 122-610 | B660 |
| 12 | 138-690 | B720 |
| 13 | 156-780 | B780 |
| 14 | 176-880 | B840 |
| 15 | 199-995 | B900 |
| 16 | 225-1125 | B1,020 |
| 17 | 254-1270 | B1,140 |
| 18 | 287-1435 | B1,260 |
| 19 | 325-1625 | B1,380 |
| 20 | 367-1835 | B1,500 |
| 21 | 415-2075 | B2,000 |
| Program Level |
Upgrade Cost |
Experience Gained |
Research Time |
Required Evolver Level |
| 1 | B8,000 | 475 | 12 Hours | 5 |
| 2 | B16,000 | 500 | 18 Hours | 5 |
| 3 | B32,000 | 600 | 24 Hours | 6 |
| 4 | B48,000 | 700 | 30 Hours | 6 |
| 5 | B60,000 | 800 | 36 Hours | 7 |
| 6 | B80,000 | 830 | 42 Hours | 7 |
| 7 | B100,000 | 860 | 48 Hours | 8 |
| 8 | B120,000 | 900 | 54 Hours | 8 |
| 9 | B140,000 | 930 | 60 Hours | 9 |
| 10 | B160,000 | 960 | 66 Hours | 9 |
| 11 | B180,000 | 1,000 | 72 Hours | 9 |
| 12 | B200,000 | 1,080 | 80 Hours | 10 |
| 13 | B220,000 | 1,160 | 88 Hours | 10 |
| 14 | B260,000 | 1,250 | 96 Hours | 10 |
| 15 | B300,000 | 1,330 | 104 Hours | 11 |
| 16 | B340,000 | 1,410 | 112 Hours | 11 |
| 17 | B380,000 | 1,500 | 120 Hours | 11 |
| 18 | B420,000 | 1,625 | 132 Hours | 11 |
| 19 | B440,000 | 1,750 | 144 Hours | 12 |
| 20 | B460,000 | 1,875 | 168 Hours | 12 |
| 21 | B480,000 | 2,000 | 180 Hours | 12 |
| Total | B4,444,000 | 23,535 | 1,686 Hours | 12 |
Tips[]
- Krakens have limited use against networks that have their Core placed near their netConnections.
- Similar to Worms, Krakens can attack multiple consecutive nodes using a single program.
- Krakens only occupy one Program slot on any given node regardless of the number of merged tentacles.
- Only one Kraken can be installed on each netConnection.
- Nodes with a Portal installed do not count as a netConnection and cannot have the Kraken installed on them.
- Kraken can save space in libraries with its duplication and on nodes with its convergence, all while consolidating power, which is particularly useful against Code Gates and other tough nodes en route to the Core.
- On chokepoints, the Kraken will only attack one of the connected nodes, leaving the chokepoint vulnerable to any other securities. Consider bringing Shockers, ICE Walls or Shurikens along if that poses a problem.
- It is not always best to use as many Krakens as possible - consider the placement of the core, the nodes and security in between, the level of your Kraken program and what else you could use extra disk space for when deciding how many to compile.
- Once the Core and the adjacent nodes to Core are captured, it is advisable to remove the Kraken to free slots for other programs as it does not serve any more purpose.
- [Visual Bug] Rarely, the Kraken will appear to not be severed when one of the nodes along its path is recaptured by the network's defenses.
Trivia[]
- The Kraken program is most likely named after a legendary sea monster with the same name.
- “Release the Kraken!” is a catchphrase uttered by Zeus in the fantasy adventure film "The Clash of the Titans."
References[]
| Hackers Wikia - Programs List | ||
|---|---|---|
| Programs | Nodes | Gameplay |
| Offensive Programs |
| |
| Defensive Programs | ||
| Stealth Programs | ||
| A.I. Programs | ||
