Grappler

## In-Game Description

Grappler software allows pilots to use their ship's Tractor Beam to tether and capture other ships. Bounty hunters across the galaxy use Grappler technology to keep space safe from criminal activity.

**Tactical Summary**

* Tool for capture of Wanted Outlaws
* Wear down target's shields
* Use at close range to grapple

## General

The Grappler is a new mechanic introduced in the Crimson Moon update.

After the player is granted access to the Crimson Moon, and after recruiting Galla Joust from her Armory mission, the player will be able to request the Prospector Mission "Atlas's Most Wanted" from Fortune, where the player can then find the lost bounty hunter and salvage the Grappler from her ship's remains. This is introduced just before the player's first Most Wanted encounter with Lazy Kyp.

The Grappler is a situational use mechanic that allows the player to grapple onto select ships in space once their shields have been broken, and receive an important item upon ramming on the completely grappled target:

* Cockpits of the Most Wanted Outlaws of the "Atlas's Most Wanted" mission
* "Wanted: Outlaw" Medallions from Most Wanted Outlaws hidden throughout space
* "Wanted: Elite Outlaw" Medallions from any Elite Outlaw (and Outlaw Leader?) in space
* "Wanted: Elite Drake" Medallions from any Elite Legion Drake in space

Cockpits must be turned into the Void for containment processing, while Medallions can be delivered to Fortune for Cogs and Paint Jobs.

### **Grappling, Movement, and Targeting**

Grappling is a tricky and risky procedure that requires tethering your ship to the target ship. While tethered, your firing reticle will release off its fixed position in the center of the screen, allowing you to move it freely with limited range. With this, you can thrust forward to meet the target or run from hazards, or brake to help limit movement and stabilize your reticle. Your ability to steer the ship sideways is limited as the target ship moves itself erratically to avoid your reticle, dragging you along with it.

This reticle serves as a sort of aim lock, similar to a targeting computer. Moving the reticle off the target will result in locking decay, decreasing your targeting progress. When you have kept your reticle on the target long enough, the monotonous sound that plays with it will gradually change to a faster, higher pitch, and you'll be prompted to press a button to launch another grappler.

### **Hazards**

When grappling a Wanted Outlaw, they will attempt to destroy your ship by leaving caltrops or shooting miniature traps that all deal damage. Shooting caltrops or these traps will cause them to explode or dissipate; weapons such as Shockwave are an ideal counter weapon, but may make the targeting process more difficult due to its disorienting wave effect.

Regular grapple targets, such as regular Outlaw Leaders or Legion Drakes from hyperspace trap ambushes, will not fight back with hazards, but will often have sheer squadron numbers to overwhelm you.

### **Finishing the Grapple**

Each important target has a certain amount of grapples required to safely initiate the extraction process, with the amount increasing with target importance. Once this number has been reached, the player is prompted to finalize the process with a Shield Ram, destroying the target hull and extracting its important item or person.

If the targeting process proves too difficult to do, players can change the difficulty to Easy to drastically speed up the time it takes to lock onto the target when the reticle is over them.