Ability Deep Dive, Part 2: Magnet Burst, Time Spark and Decoy Bot

In Part 1 we covered Pip's movement abilities, Phase Shift and Overcharge. This time we turn to the three support tools: Magnet Burst, Time Spark and Decoy Bot. They have longer cooldowns than the movement abilities, which tempts players to save them. The goal of this article is to show exactly what each one does, where it shines and where it is wasted, so that you can use them with confidence rather than hoarding them until the run is already lost.

Magnet Burst at a glance

• Default key: 2 (gamepad: B)
• Duration: 1.2 seconds
• Cooldown: 10 seconds
• Effect: pulls every energy seed within about 4.5 tiles toward Pip

How Magnet Burst works

When you fire Magnet Burst, a pulse radiates from Pip and every seed within roughly four and a half tiles is drawn in over the next 1.2 seconds. The radius is measured in a straight line, not along corridors, so Magnet Burst can pull seeds through walls from parallel corridors. That is its secret strength. A single well-placed burst at the junction between two corridors can collect a dozen seeds you would otherwise have to walk to.

Magnet Burst seeds count toward your combo just like normal pickups, as long as each one arrives within the 1.1-second combo window. A big burst is therefore one of the best ways to build a high combo quickly.

Best uses for Magnet Burst

• Dense seed clusters. Fire it where corridors meet, not in the middle of a single corridor.
• Dangerous seeds. Seeds next to a heat vent, a laser or a Blocker's patrol path can be collected from safety.
• Mimic districts. In the Crystal Network and Core Vault, pulling real seeds from a distance reduces the number of times you walk up to a seed that might be a Mimic.

Time Spark at a glance

• Default key: 3 (gamepad: X)
• Duration: 3 seconds
• Cooldown: 12 seconds
• Effect: enemies and hazards run at 50 percent speed

How Time Spark works

Time Spark slows the world around Pip without slowing Pip. For three seconds, enemies move at half speed and every timed hazard runs at half speed too. That second part is easy to overlook. Heat vent cycles, laser cycles, moving platform timers and the shifting crystal wall timer are all slowed. A laser that is normally off for 1.5 seconds stays off for three; a platform that normally waits 1.1 seconds waits more than two.

There is one important exception. Wardens resist Time Spark. They are slowed to half speed for the first second, then recover to 85 percent speed for the remainder. If you fire Time Spark during a Core Vault extraction, use that first second to make your most important move.

Best uses for Time Spark

• Hazard corridors. Doubling every safe window makes laser and vent sections almost free.
• Platform crossings. Extra dwell time on the water platforms removes the guesswork.
• Closing chases. Halving a Seeker's speed when it is three tiles away buys you enough distance to turn a corner.

Decoy Bot at a glance

• Default key: 4 (gamepad: Y)
• Duration: 4 seconds
• Cooldown: 15 seconds, the longest in the kit
• Effect: every enemy targets a holographic decoy instead of Pip

How Decoy Bot works

Decoy Bot leaves a flickering hologram of Pip where you are standing. For four seconds, every enemy on the map switches its target to the decoy. Seekers stop following your trail, Swarm Drones abandon their pincer, and Wardens turn away. Even enemies right next to you will head for the hologram.

This makes Decoy Bot the strongest single tool in the game for escaping a bad situation. It is the only ability that affects every enemy at once regardless of distance, walls or type.

Because enemies run toward the decoy, the best place to drop it is somewhere that pulls them away from your intended route. Drop it, then move in the opposite direction.

Best uses for Decoy Bot

• Extraction. Four seconds of freedom right after touching the core lets you build a lead on every pursuer, including the Wardens.
• Pincers. When a Seeker and a drone close from two sides, the decoy breaks both at once.
• Seed sweeps. In a crowded district, a decoy lets you clean up a contested area without interruption.

Choosing the right tool

The three support abilities overlap in some situations. Here is a quick way to decide:

• The problem is a hazard: Time Spark (or Phase Shift from Part 1).
• The problem is one nearby enemy: Time Spark, then turn a corner.
• The problem is several enemies: Decoy Bot.
• The problem is that seeds are scattered or dangerous: Magnet Burst.

Upgrades that improve support abilities

• Ability Duration: 25 percent longer durations per tier. At max tier Time Spark lasts just over five seconds and Decoy Bot a full seven.
• Cooldown Reduction: 15 percent per tier. Decoy Bot's 15-second cooldown benefits the most in absolute terms.

Summary

Magnet Burst is about efficiency, Time Spark is about control and Decoy Bot is about survival. None of them is meant to be saved for a perfect moment; with cooldowns of 10 to 15 seconds, you can use each of them several times per district. Start using them early and often, and you will find that runs which used to end in a desperate scramble now end with time to spare.