Understand Malicious Code
Useful when…
- Adding a chance to frighten enemies near a Mercy Kill.
- Choosing a Parazon effect focused on nearby crowd control.
Trigger, range, and duration
On a Mercy Kill, Malicious Code has a 50% chance to make enemies within 15 meters cower in fear for 8 seconds. The effect depends on performing the Mercy Kill, and the chance means it is not guaranteed each time.
Parazon fit and rank
This Rare, standard Parazon mod has universal polarity, base drain 0, and maximum rank 0. It has no rank-up steps, so there is no fusion progression to invest in for improving its listed effect. Its value is in the Mercy Kill trigger and crowd-control result.
Different Mercy Kill outcomes
Out Of Sight blinds enemies within 18 meters on Mercy Kill. Blood For Ammo refills the Primary and Secondary magazines by 100%, while Blood For Energy has a 50% chance to drop an Energy Orb on Mercy. These are different outcomes from Malicious Code’s chance to frighten enemies; choose based on the effect you want from the same general trigger.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- The effect requires a Mercy Kill and has a 50% chance, so it is not reliable as an always-on defense.
- It has no ranks to upgrade; the listed effect does not scale through fusion.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not assume nearby enemies will always cower; the effect has a 50% chance on Mercy Kill.
- Do not expect the effect to reach enemies beyond the stated 15-meter range.