New set, new mechanic. Here's how Hacks in Cyber City work in TFT.
Teamfight Tactics (TFT) Set 14, also known as TFT Cyber City, has arrived with the new Hack mechanic. However, what exactly does Hack do in the game? What does it affect? Are there any benefits to it? Here’s our quick guide on how Hacks work in TFT.
TFT Hack mechanic explained
Hack refers to TFT Cyber City’s set mechanic that can alter a game in terms of Augments, the shop, how items work, and more. Basically, Hacks bend the rules of TFT’s core systems. According to Riot Games, Hacks are always to the player’s benefit as well. Tacticians can expect to see two to five Hacks per game.
How Hacks work in TFT Set 14
For example, Hacks can modify Augment rounds in TFT. Players can select either one Gold Augment or two Silver Augments. They can even reroll the leftmost Augment slot for a chance at, for example, Econ, Combat, and Black Market Augments. Black Market Augments refer to retired and fan-favorite Augments that players can get if the aforementioned slot is Hacked.
Augment Hacks impact which Augments you’re offered and, sometimes, how many.
Themed Augment Slots: Your leftmost Augment slot will have additional rerolls and show Augments from one category such as Items, Econ (gold, XP, rerolls), Chaos (Have random outputs such as Call to Chaos), Traits, Black Market (bring back old Augments that have been vaulted), Buildaround (Augments that shape your team comp such as Bronze for Life, Built Different, or Little Buddies), Formation (Augments that impact positioning on your board), and Combat (Augments that buff combat power e.g. HP, AP/AD, etc).
One Gold Augment or two Silver Augments: Choose one stronger Gold Augment, or two potentially synergistic but weaker Silver Augments
Fourth Augment: An additional round for choosing an Augment, bringing you to a total of no more than four total Augments
Augment Timing: Augments can move to different rounds. Unlike the Lillia Encounter from Inkborn Fables, which randomly moved Augment rounds (often to the dismay of players) this Hack will only ever move Augments to earlier rounds.
Hacked 2.5% Augment: There will be an extra Augment round in stage 2!
Hacked 3.0% Augment: There will be an extra Augment round at the end of stage 3!
Hacked 2.5% Augment: There will be an extra Augment round at the end of stage 4!
Hacked 2.0% Augment: There will be an extra Augment round at the start of stage 5!
Hacked 7.0% Aurelion Sol: The Stage 4 NPC round is replaced with a rerollable Treasure Armory!
Hacked 6.0% Azir: The Augment rounds have been moved earlier this game.
Hacked 5.0% Hacked Egg: Pick an egg with 1 of 3 hatching times at the start of Stage 4!
Hacked 4.0% Mecha Soldier: Lucky shops tailored to your traits can appear!
Hacked 4.0% Sentinel: Pick a Sentinel unit with 1 of 3 combat roles at the end of stage 4!
Hacked 2.0% Mecha Minion: Two-star units can appear in your shop!
Shop Hacks are also possible in TFT Set 14. For instance, players can get two-star units, carousel bonuses, Hacked Eggs or more Tactician Health via Hacked Loot Orbs, and so on.
Lucky Shops: Some players are just lucky, but these shops are always lucky. Like all Hacks, Lucky Shop will affect all players at an equal rate, which will be once per stage, in a random round. During this round, everyone’s first shop will be lucky, containing units tailored to their team. Hacked Lucky Shops will always let you know where the luck is coming from, with a graphic that plays when that shop appears.
Two-Star Shops: Occasionally, a Hacked unit will appear at two stars in your shop.
Carousel Hacks: These Hacks won’t make it free to go on the local carnival carousel, but the carousel on the Convergence will always be free.
Tailored Items: Each unit on the carousel will have two completed items attached, both of which will be from the unit’s recommended items list.
Anvil Carousel: A carousel with anvils in place of champs and items
Treasure Dragon: At Stage 4-7 choose from a rollable package of loot. Augments can appear during the Treasure Armory.
Hacked Eggs: Players will receive eggs with loot in them. The loot power is based on how long the egg takes to hatch. Hacked Eggs appear in Hacked Loot Orbs—you’ll know them when you see them. There’s also a Hack that will open up an Armory of three different lengths (rounds) of eggs to choose from, with short, medium, and long variations that have prize power that scales with duration to hatch.
Tactician Health: A small amount of Tactician Health has a chance to appear in some Hacked Loot Orbs.
Unstable Item Components: Also available in Hacked Loot Orbs, Unstable Item Components transform into a different item component each round. Think Pandora’s Items, but for one or two specific components.
Take it or Split it?: Opens up an Armory that presents two choices for all players: take 10 gold or split 30 gold from whoever chooses the latter.
Sentinel Armory: Pick one of three Sentinels with three items each. These Sentinels will all have items of the same class and be: Tank Sentinel, Frontline Attacker Sentinel, or Backline Sentinel.
Hacks as the TFT Set 14 mechanic
According to Rodger “Riot Prism” Caudill, the Hack mechanic is an evolution of the Encounters one from TFT Set 11. Lessons from Inkborn Fables were applied to Hacks as well. For example, Hacks won’t change an entire lobby drastically in terms of composition diversity and viability. The goal of the Hack mechanic is to actually add some “variability with agency” to the game.
“Variability, coming from which Hacks appear, their outcomes, and their frequency, and agency coming from their outputs,” Riot Prism explained.
He also explained how Hacks inspired by Encounters can move Augments to earlier rounds for better planning. Additionally, unlike past Encounters like the Sett one, there aren’t any Hacks that simply don’t do anything.
“So Hacks will always be positive and/or provide for some autonomous direction,” he stated.
That’s all for now. Are you ready to encounter some Hacks in TFT Set 14? Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates!