Null drones: what are the basic principles for dealing with them?

[Bahger]

I haven't a clue. I tried shooting them but could only get LOS from the front so they shot my agent before he could shoot them. I could not hack a vault until I got rid of the drones so it was stalemate. It's the first encounter I've had with them. How should I arm myself to deal with them, with weapons or hacking tools through Incognita? Many thanks!

[Doctor H. Derp]

Remember that discretion is the better part of valor and if a null drone is in a very nasty position but can be avoided, it might just be best to not deal with it. Shooting them is one way to handle a null drone, even with another drone. In fact, if another drone is patrolling around the general area of a null drone, but one of the end points of it's path is outside of the null drone's influence, you might just be able to put a parasite on it and have it commandeered just as it paths within close proximity of the null drone and can shoot it that way. Buster chips also work to hack something that the null drone is blocking, as well as emp packs if memory serves.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, volt tazers. I haven't tried on on a null drone yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't also work.

 

Edit2: Just got back from a Sankaku mission. So yes, emp packs does KO the drone itself, just does not disable it's null aura.

[J20hawkz]

What I've seen regarding Null drones.

1. Volt disruptors don't work on them

2. Hacking one of those smaller drones does not allow you to use it to shoot the Null drone.

[Palpetinus]

What I've seen regarding Null drones.

1. Volt disruptors don't work on them

2. Hacking one of those smaller drones does not allow you to use it to shoot the Null drone.

 

Are you sure? I remember I used that to kill one on my final mission.

Usually I simply avoid and stealth past them.

[J20hawkz]

Are you sure? I remember I used that to kill one on my final mission.

Usually I simply avoid and stealth past them.

100% positive. I was in a mission yesterday. Hacked a smaller drone, moved it in firing range to a Null drone and there was no fire icon on/next to the Null drone for me to go through with the attack.

[Palpetinus]

100% positive. I was in a mission yesterday. Hacked a smaller drone, moved it in firing range to a Null drone and there was no fire icon on/next to the Null drone for me to go through with the attack.

 

That's very odd, really.

On my first final mission I was pretty much still a newb through the normal mission so I didn't buy a fire weapon. I had no weapon at all to shoot a null drone, the only way to do it was another drone. I would have failed that mission easily if I wasn't able to.

Maybe it's the new update now?

Or maybe one of us was bugged?

Because I am 100% positive that I was able to

[J20hawkz]

That's very odd, really.

On my first final mission I was pretty much still a newb through the normal mission so I didn't buy a fire weapon. I had no weapon at all to shoot a null drone, the only way to do it was another drone. I would have failed that mission easily if I wasn't able to.

Maybe it's the new update now?

Or maybe one of us was bugged?

Because I am 100% positive that I was able to

It could be that I was bugged then and yes I had 2/2 ammo on the drone I hacked and was controlling.

[the truthseeker]

Thought I drone napped once for this resolution too, but it was a few updates ago, so that could be gone now....

[JamesFactory]

I have definitely used a drone (in past updates) to kill null drones. not recently though.

[Bahger]

I have definitely used a drone (in past updates) to kill null drones. not recently though.

But how?  I am sorry to be such a novice but I am not yet versed in these dark arts and if I get through the next mission I may well be faced with null drones again.  And, as we all know, there is no trial and error in this game.

[JamesFactory]

But how?  I am sorry to be such a novice but I am not yet versed in these dark arts and if I get through the next mission I may well be faced with null drones again.  And, as we all know, there is no trial and error in this game.

 

Hacking an obake or akuma drone close enough to a null drone (or any unit without armor) will allow you to shoot and kill that unit.

[Palpetinus]

Hacking an obake or akuma drone close enough to a null drone (or any unit without armor) will allow you to shoot and kill that unit.

 

For me it was enough to hack one right outside of the null drone's radius.

I took the opportunity, daggered it and went in for the kill.

[CreekDK]

Hacking an obake or akuma drone close enough to a null drone (or any unit without armor) will allow you to shoot and kill that unit.

I just tried this yesterday in the final mission. I could shoot it. The hit registered. But the null drone didn't die.

 

In retrospect (after I failed the mission), I thought to try and shoot it more than once, which would be my next attempt when I get to the final mission again.

[Palpetinus]

I just tried this yesterday in the final mission. I could shoot it. The hit registered. But the null drone didn't die.

 

In retrospect (after I failed the mission), I thought to try and shoot it more than once, which would be my next attempt when I get to the final mission again.

 

That's weird, since the shots of drones either give the message KILL or ARMORED, I think. There shouldn't be some "in-between". If it didn't die by the first shot and it's not armored, it's bugged.

[CreekDK]

That's weird, since the shots of drones either give the message KILL or ARMORED, I think. There shouldn't be some "in-between". If it didn't die by the first shot and it's not armored, it's bugged.

 

Now that you mention it. The "label" did say "Kill". I'll grab a screenshot and report it when I get to try it out again, unless someone gets to it before me.

[Palpetinus]

Now that you mention it. The "label" did say "Kill". I'll grab a screenshot and report it when I get to try it out again, unless someone gets to it before me.

 

Also I forgot to mention when it's amoured you can't even shoot it, at all. You can't even try to. So IF you shoot, you HAVE to kill something unless bugged

[CreekDK]

In the final mission yesterday, one of those buggers (pun intended) fizzled around a narrow corridor I needed to move through, blocking a hack on a camera in an adjacent room, forcing me to blitz my way through the room. Ending in the inevitable take down of both my agents.

 

I guess the mission might (just might) have gone a bit better, if I managed to take down the null drone.

[Palpetinus]

Now that I think of it...

I find null drones a bit... problematic.

They very often are clustered with other drones so they force you to take ways around, or even wait until one of the drones splits off to be hacked. In my final mission there once was a room (around 3x10 tiles, a rather long room) right in the middle. There were four doors on the corners. It was the only room in the middle, there was no way around it and all the objectives were on the other side. There were four drones in there, including a null drone. They were watching all the doors, with the null drone staring against a wall for some reason.

 

That's kinda when I snapped then. Opened a door, lured a drone out. Hacked it, went back in, killed the null drone. The rest was a massacre.

Out of hatred towards those drones, I decided to take them over and kill everyone on the level. Found some more drones, kept hacking and killing until only around three drones remained. Escaped easily. Of course it didn't take long at all until the alarm was at 6