Weird how a once almost useless perk is now almost overpowered. I am enjoying it though, aiming down sights with a sniper rifle and shutting down and THEN self-destructing a robot in the middle of a giant crowd. Makes life a lot easier!

That being said maybe Bethesda should consider restricting hacks to one function at a time, so you can't do both to immobilise and destroy a group...

Anyone else noticed the change? Or did this happen with an earlier update and I'm just really late to the party.

Don't you not get xp from those kills?

Not really sure, might have to check the XP thing later.

XPs overly abundant anyway, so it's not like your missing out on anything.

It's balanced pretty well by the fact that, except for when you're going through the Automatron questline, you don't fight robots that much

No Bethesda, don't nerf it, don't listen to this guy.

Indeed. If you took the perk, you we're looking for that advantage.

If I need 8 int to get there, It better be a damn good perk. We have enough useless perks that require above 6 in a particular SPECIAL stat.

Perks should give certain advantages. If you think that running around and hacking every single robot is fun, then go for it. But it would screw up the actual fun gameplay imo

Oh I wasnt justin imagining things it did get more badass.

Does anyone know if the Robotics Expert perk offers any more dialog options in Automatron? I just boosted my INT by one, and next level I could pick up Robotics Expert if I wanted... I haven't been fond of the Intimidation kind of Charisma abilities, so not sure the base functionality of Robotics Expert would appeal at all, but it if is also used as a perk-gate to, say, unlock a Robot type you can create, or something, it might be worth it.

A well made point! Did not think of it like that.

I can see why you wouldn't want to nerf it, it's suddenly become great, I did say 'almost' overpowered. Though I do still think there needs to be some kind of nerf, like maybe even just attaching an AP cost or something minor so you can't run around and use it on every single robot. I know you can use self-limitation, which is what I am doing, and arguably it should be left at that... Anyway I wasn't really trying to push Bethesda into tweaking it, was just a minor suggestion.

Haven't gotten around to completing Autamatron so I can't tell. But to tell you'd need someone with two characters (ideally one with same INT but with/without Robotics Expert) as dialogue changes simply override current dialogue options.

Be careful though. I saw this one youtuber enjoying the hacks until he forgot to shut down a melee-robot before setting it to self-destruct! (He was running for his life XD).

It`s not matter of how good it is. (It is damn too good with remote hacking)

...the idea of remote hacking itself is extremely stupid, I cannot take it.

The perk was supposed to be fixed so we can do hacking during combat if we get close enough to dangerous robots.


NOT from 100 feet away.

Automatron battles become extremely bad joke if u use new remote hacking & incite option.


Except for last part where hacked robots auto initiate self-destruct sequence.

I actually agree with you. Before playing Automatron, I last played the game before the new patch came out. The only robots I could actually hack were like Protectrons since you couldn't hack hostile robots.. It's pretty difficult to sneak up on an Assaultron or Sentry Bot. I was pretty surprised when aiming at those junkbots or whatever they're called, that I had the option to remotely hack them. I understand the argument that outside this DLC, powerful robots are scarce, but it literally felt like I was cheating when I inticed a robot to attack it's allies and then self destruct when it was done. Maybe it's how they intended it to work... who knows... but I haven't been using it too much like that because I felt guilty afterwards... lol. My character is already OP, with all my legendary armor and weapons and now I don't even have to fire a shot at anyone.

I figured they sent out wireless signals that could be hacked with your pip boy... kind of like how you can hack a computer from all the way across the ocean??

That plugging cable into Pip-boy animation was supposed to be you pulling a cable out of a robot into your Pip-boy...


how log is this cable now? lol


It should be fixed... because it`s so out of context.



NVM. I might be confused with Stealth boy animation. lol


I kinda stopped using hack after it became possible remotely.

I was honestly surprised to find that I could look through my sniper scope and hack robots and shut them down from such extreme distances. It did not always work, however, and the only clue I had that it did not work was that my zoomed-in scope view vanished and I had to re-draw my weapon, sight down the scope and try again. No idea what the actual % chance to hack is, or if it varies based on bot type or what. Felt kind of random.

Not 100% sure on this, but it seemed like when I triggered self destruct, the robots still kept firing and/or moving toward me and of course nearby robots went aggro (I think). So it always seemed safer to just quietly Shut Down every robot and then shoot it to pieces at my leisure. I am not sure it would be worth it to get the higher ranks where you can incite and then later, what, order the bot to Go Here, Inspect That, Get That? All I need is Shut Down.

During the last part of the Automatron quest, the robots do start self-destruct sequence automatically when hacked.


I guess Bethesda just didn`t want this part of the quest to be ruined by hack perk.



Incite is very useful in places where Gunners keep assaultron guards. These assaultrons can take them down entirely by itself...

The perk needs to be left alone. Controlling robots through a scope is 100% optional.

Yeah, when you initiate self destruct, it doesn't do it instantly. It's like they have to overcharge their fusion cores or something, so there will always be that delay while they "charge up to explode" And if they're a really agressive, melee type robot, that can be pretty problematic...

Wow i didnt realize u could hack by aiming down a sight! Awesome, thank you. I thought u had to be close too them at which point its a cluster f and u can only hack 1 at a time!

No link?

You can both shutdown then self-destruct. Doing so causes them to stay in place, but you have to repeat the animation.

Oh. Sure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkBAUJY92JQ

And yet saving whenever and wherever you want is currently possible and optional, and so is fast travelling, and yet you want those to be forced elsewhere?

EDIT: Should also say that this wasn't the purpose of the thread. It was to raise awareness of something that I thought some people might have missed out on, since past threads have popped up about Robotics Expert being rubbish which might have led people to missing out on this.

Thanks!