Getting Started
Starting conditions
| Stat | Starting value |
|---|---|
| Hacking level | 1 |
| Money | 1,000 DWC |
| Hacking XP | 0 |
| Hackers / Machines owned | 0 of each |
| Max RAM | 4 GB |
| Home server | home — not hackable (0 money), connects out to the rest of the network |
What you can do from the start
- Write and run scripts in the Code Editor tab against the
nsscripting API (see Scripting API). This is the main way to earn money and hacking XP. - Manually hack a server directly from the Network Map without writing a script — same mechanics as
ns.hack(), just triggered by a button click instead of code. - View the Network Map to see which servers you can currently reach and hack.
What unlocks as you progress
Most systems are gated behind your hacking level (see Tabs & Unlocks for the full list):
- Machines — level 3
- Boss Target — level 3
- Research tab — level 7
- AI Tools tab — unlocked by completing the "Unlock AI" research (no level gate on the research itself)
- Missions tab — level 30 (currently a placeholder, "Coming soon")
- Leaderboard tab — requires being signed in (not level-gated)
A minimal first script
while (true) {
await ns.hack('srv-node-alpha');
}This repeatedly attempts to hack srv-node-alpha. ns.hack() already waits ~1 second per attempt and respects cooldowns, so a bare while(true) loop won't spin-lock the game — but see Scripting API for the full behavior and gotchas before relying on that.
Onboarding
The game shows a one-time multi-screen intro on first launch, followed by a guided tour that highlights the main UI elements. Both only appear once per save.