The worst of this apocalyptic event has been contained inside an exclusion zone known as Meridian, and it’s here where you’ll be running about, trying to gather precious Nerva – an energy resource that also acts as currency in the game. Nerva is being harvested by the Nanos, so not only do you help push back the infection by killing them, but you can also earn yourself some Nerva while doing so. Your home base of operations will be Haven, a safe space near Snake River Valley in Washington, where your activities will be focused.
In Haven, you can equip yourself with new weapons and gear after a run, upgrade your equipment with powerful mods, and team up with friends for an excursion. You’ll even be able to equip an extremely important piece of kit – your very own Nano. Coming online See, as well as being your biggest threat, the Nanos in Synced can be transformed into one of your best allies. Using the Nanos’ technology against them can give you a huge boost in combat ability, and could be the difference between life or death in a particularly hairy situation.
You won’t get a Nano right from the start of a mission, however. While you can choose which of the four Nanos you want to have with you – the enormous-yet-agile Crusher, the long-ranged Suppressor, the protective Guardian, or the sensory Seer – you won’t have access to one until you’ve defeated it in combat in the Meridian. Once it’s down, you’ll sync with the remains of its nanomachines to create your very own Nano, granting you a range of abilities.
The Guardian, for example, is capable of placing a shield down when it’s deployed, which it can also then attack with. But when it’s not deployed, you’ll get a passive shield bonus whenever you aim down the sights of your gun. Similarly, the Seer will let you know where enemies are on your radar when it’s not deployed, but can also be thrown out into the world to create a decoy and fire lasers at its targets. If you get lucky on your excursions buy and sell video game items, you’ll find a special chip that lets you carry a second Nano, though it’s worth remembering that you can only have one in use at any time. Don’t expect to have your own army of Nanos running around, wrecking enemies while you sit back and relax.
The fight for survival Victory in Synced comes in a few different flavours. Your first port of call will likely be the PvE mode, where you and two other Runners will enter one of five different Sectors to complete objectives, secure loot, and defeat an enormous boss monster. You can try to tackle these Sectors alone, but you will almost definitely be destroyed within minutes – and you can’t revive yourself if you get taken down.
Each Sector is split into three phases, and you won’t have much time to dilly-dally looking for loot. You’ll be faced with an ever-rising surge difficulty bar, which fills up as time passes. As the name suggests, as the bar fills, the game increases in difficulty – when it’s full, you’ll start to take damage even if there aren’t any enemies around. Clear out a storm that enemies spawn from and you’ll slow the bar’s progress, creating a safe bubble where the difficulty stays flat. But you can’t stay there forever.
You’ll also be able to find lore fragments when you’re on a mission, though you can’t decode them until you return to Haven. Gather enough of them and you’ll find out for yourself what happened to the world around you and what’s been done to push back against the rising tide of Nanos.
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