Weapons
Runner's explicit preference, and the stats suit the playstyle well: 11 damage per round at 1000 RPM across a 45-round magazine gives substantial sustained burst output at CQB range — exactly where Grapple Device deposits you. The high magazine size means you can empty a full TTK window without reloading mid-engagement, which is critical for hit-and-run since you need to finish fast and disengage before return fire organizes.
The Magnum MC hits 41 damage per shot at 138 RPM in the Mid range band, filling the gap when you are caught outside CQB or need a high-damage single-trigger response without committing to a full SMG engagement. Two body shots plus one headshot interaction can delete targets at ranges where the BRRT loses effectiveness, and its Heavy Rounds ammo pool does not compete with the BRRT's Light Rounds, keeping resupply options independent.
Shell Cores
The name alone could not be more on-brand, but the mechanic is the reason: striking a target immediately after grappling Hacks them AND knocks random loot items from their backpack. This directly chains the Grapple Device into the Thief's extraction identity — you arrive, you Hack, you strip loot, you shoot, you leave. It collapses the Pickpocket Drone loot step into the melee-grapple entry, saving the drone for scouting or secondary targets.
While piloting the Pickpocket Drone you become invisible. For a solo runner with no squad cover, this is survival insurance during the most vulnerable window of the loop — when you are stationary piloting the drone to hook high-value loot. It also enables aggressive drone positioning: park it deep in contested space, go invisible, hook items, retrieve, and relocate without ever exposing your physical shell.
Each container opened increases Loot Speed, resetting only on down. For a hit-and-run solo runner, this compounds throughout the run — early-game container farming snowballs into late-game extraction speed that dramatically shrinks the window you spend exposed while looting. This directly serves the extraction priority and pairs with the aggressive early movement of the build.
Implants
Loot Speed: 10%, Agility: 10, Fall Resistance: 10%
Agility +10 and Loot Speed +10% in a single Enhanced slot is exceptional value for this playstyle. Agility directly translates to movement speed, which is the Thief's primary survival tool — faster baseline movement means Grapple Device launches you further and your repositioning between engagements is tighter. Loot Speed reinforces the extraction half of the hit-and-run loop. Fall Resistance +10% has incidental synergy with aggressive Grapple usage from height.
Agility: 20, Melee Damage: 20, Fall Resistance: 50%
Agility: 20, Melee Damage: 20, Fall Resistance: 50% — and the Frenzy Matrix passive: defeating a hostile increases tactical recharge rate and sprint speed for a short time. For a build centered on Grapple Device as a mobility and entry tool, Fall Resistance 50% is nearly mandatory — aggressive grapple angles involve significant drop height. The Frenzy Matrix passive directly shortens Grapple Device cooldown after each successful kill, enabling faster re-engagement or escape repositioning. Agility +20 stacks with Sprint Kit V2 for meaningful total movement gain.
Loot Speed: 25%, Agility: 5
Loot Speed +25% is the single largest Loot Speed value available in the Torso slot at Enhanced tier and directly serves the extraction half of this build. Combined with Sprint Kit V2's +10% and Crime Spree's stacking bonus, looting becomes near-instant in the mid-to-late run. Agility +5 is a small additional movement bonus. The Ballistic Resistance passive reduces incoming UESC ballistic damage, which is a meaningful buffer for a solo runner with no squad to absorb pressure.