What is Cyberware? | Frequently asked questions Shadowrun: Hong Kong Guide

Purchase window and the current Cyberware state

Cyberware is the name of the special equipment that you can buy after you complete the prologue. Regardless of the character that you have created, thanks to cyberware you can upgrade him with the sufficient amount of Yens. Upgrades can be applied, removed and replaced, buy you will not be refunded, then. Limb elements are independent of the actual limbs, i.e. an arm or a leg upgrade can be used on either the left or the right limb. Using better upgrades, apart from more cash, also requires preparations of the character - by increasing Cyberware Affinity. Cyberware may be both passive and activated (e.g. laser targeting). There are some limitations to the gear - the, so-called, Essence is limited by the level of your Cyberware Affinity. It decreases magic abilities, which is why characters with magical affinity should keep the limit of mechanical add-ons down to a reasonable level. Each element uses up a certain amount of the Essence, depending on the advancement of the part, and it cannot drop below 1. In some forms, Cyberware may have some special functions (e.g. automatic deflection of the enemy grenades), where the basic ones are Smartlink and Datajack, described below.