Chips are one of the things that make Deep Sky: Tracers feel different from other auto-battlers.
In most games in the genre, items are stat boosts. You attach them to your strongest unit and move on. In Deep Sky: Tracers, chips are role assignments. A Firewall chip turns a unit into a shield wall. A Payload chip turns it into a burst threat. A Worm chip turns it into a slow-burn poison engine. The same unit can play completely differently depending on what you socket into it.
This guide covers all 7 chip types across the game's pool of 56 chips, explains what each one does, and shows you how to think about chip-role fit instead of just equipping whatever has the biggest number.
[PICTURE OF THE CHIP SHOP SHOWING MULTIPLE CHIP TYPES AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE]
Why chips matter so much in Deep Sky: Tracers
Every chip costs 2 CR. That is the same as a glitch. So when you buy a chip, you are making a real economy choice — you are spending a unit's worth of credits on a modifier instead of a body.
That investment needs to pay off in combat. And it does — when the chip matches the unit's role.
A well-placed chip does not just add a number. It changes how a unit interacts with the combat sequence. It affects when value is generated, how trades resolve, and whether your board holds together under pressure or falls apart after the first exchange.
Each unit can hold one chip. That means every chip slot is a commitment. You are not stacking three items on a carry — you are making one precise decision about what this unit's extra job is.
Firewall, Payload, Worm
These three chips are the most straightforward — each one has a clear combat purpose that is easy to understand and immediately useful.
Firewall grants shields (temporary HP) at the start of combat. The shield absorbs damage before the unit's real HP takes a hit. This is a frontliner's chip. Put it on the unit that absorbs pressure first — your slot-one tank, your durable bruiser, the unit that takes the first trade. Firewall makes that first exchange cleaner and often lets your tank survive one extra round, which changes the entire combat flow.
[PICTURE OF A FRONTLINE UNIT WITH FIREWALL CHIP EQUIPPED, SHOWING SHIELD VALUE AT COMBAT START]
Payload adds bonus damage to the unit's first attack, then is consumed. It fires once and hits hard. This is a damage dealer's chip — specifically, a unit that you want to burst with on the opening exchange. A high-power unit with Payload in an early slot can eliminate an enemy frontliner before it gets to retaliate at full value. Payload rewards aggressive positioning and punishes slow starts from the opponent.
Worm applies Poison stacks on each attack. Poison ticks at the end of each combat round, dealing damage equal to the current stack count. Stacks are capped at 6. Worm rewards units that attack multiple times — it does not care about burst; it cares about persistence. A Worm-equipped unit in a longer fight can deal significant total damage through Poison alone, especially when stacks build to 4-5-6 across several rounds.
Worm is often strongest on units that survive long enough to keep attacking. If your Worm carrier dies after one round, it only applied one or two stacks — not enough to matter. Pair Worm with durability or mid-line safety.
Loopback, Compile, Meltdown
These three chips are more conditional. They reward specific board states and combat patterns, and they punish opponents who play into them without realizing it.
Loopback reflects damage back to the attacker when the equipped unit is hit. Every time an enemy attacks this unit, the attacker takes Loopback damage in return. This is a tank's chip — but a specific kind of tank. Loopback is strongest on a unit that you expect to get hit repeatedly. The more attacks absorbed, the more damage reflected. Pairing Loopback with high HP or shields (from synergies or hero abilities) maximizes its value.
[PICTURE OF A LOOPBACK CHIP TRIGGERING ON A FRONTLINER, REFLECTING DAMAGE BACK TO THE ATTACKER]
Compile grants permanent power stacking from trigger events. Depending on the specific Compile chip, triggers can include combat start, post-attack, taking damage, killing a unit, or ally death. Compile chips scale — they start weak and get stronger as combat progresses. This makes them ideal for units that survive long fights and keep participating. A Compile carrier on a durable mid-line unit can end a long combat with significantly more power than it started with.
Meltdown grants power after attacking, but the unit takes self-damage (bypassing shields) each time. It is a high-risk, high-reward chip. Meltdown turns a unit into a ramping damage dealer that eventually kills itself. The value comes from the output spike — if the Meltdown carrier deals enough damage before it dies, the tradeoff was worth it. If it dies too early from self-damage without getting enough attacks in, the chip worked against you.
Meltdown works best on units with enough HP to survive several self-damage ticks, or on units positioned to attack early and often before the self-damage catches up.
Uplink and adjacency value
Uplink is the support chip, and it works differently from everything else. Instead of buffing the equipped unit, Uplink buffs adjacent allies — the units in the slots directly next to the Uplink carrier.
Depending on the specific Uplink chip, effects can include power buffs, shields, healing, or persistent auras. Some trigger at combat start. Others trigger post-attack, on death, at end of round, or as a continuous aura while the unit is alive.
[PICTURE OF AN UPLINK CHIP ON A MID-LINE UNIT BUFFING TWO ADJACENT ALLIES]
That makes Uplink the most position-sensitive chip in the game. An Uplink carrier in slot one only buffs one neighbor (to the right). An Uplink carrier in the middle of your formation buffs two neighbors — both sides. Placing Uplink on the wrong unit in the wrong slot can cut its value in half.
Uplink works well when you have a clear support unit that you want to enable your damage dealers or tanks through adjacency. It pairs naturally with Song synergy (which also rewards adjacency) and with formations where your key units sit next to each other.
The strategic read: Uplink is not about the unit holding it. It is about the units next to it. Choose the carrier based on who it will buff, not based on the carrier's own combat stats.
How to think about chip-role fit
The most common chip mistake — especially for new players — is equipping chips based on raw stats or on whichever unit seems strongest. A better approach is to ask one question before every chip assignment:
What is this unit's job in the coming combat?
- If it is absorbing pressure: Firewall or Loopback.
- If it is delivering burst damage: Payload.
- If it is dealing sustained damage over time: Worm or Meltdown.
- If it is scaling through a long fight: Compile.
- If it is enabling neighbors: Uplink.
When chips match roles, your board starts to feel coherent. Each unit has a clear job, and the chip reinforces that job. When chips mismatch — a Firewall on a backline damage dealer, a Payload on a tank that attacks last — the combat line plays out less efficiently than it should.
[PICTURE OF A WELL-EQUIPPED BOARD WITH FIREWALL ON TANK, PAYLOAD ON DPS, UPLINK ON SUPPORT]
There is no single "best" chip. The best chip is always the one that fits the unit's role, your board's plan, and the combat order you set up during Loadout.
Upgrade vs equip decisions
Since chips cost 2 CR — the same as a unit — every chip purchase is a real tradeoff. Buying a chip means not buying a glitch. On turns where your board needs another body, a chip purchase can actually make you weaker by leaving an empty slot.
A useful rule of thumb:
- Early game (turns 1-2) — prioritize bodies. Fill your board slots. Chips matter less when you only have 2-4 units and combat is short.
- Mid game (turns 3-4) — start equipping chips on your key units. Your board direction is forming, and chips start making meaningful combat differences.
- Late game (turn 5+) — chips are often worth more than another unit. Your board is close to full, and a well-placed chip can swing a combat that an extra mediocre body would not.
The exception: if you see a chip that perfectly fits your carry unit early, buying it on turn 2 can give you a combat edge that snowballs into healthier HP through the mid-game. Context always matters more than rigid rules.
Want to understand how chips interact with combat? Read the combat guide. For synergy and faction pairings, check out the synergy foundations guide.