Ever felt that you can't quite get enough buffs going at one time? What you might need is to upgrade your NCU abilities, to do that you are going to need a belt! As you have probably figured out already these go in the waist slot and allow you to install a certain amount of NCU upgrades, either one,two, three, four, five or six slot belts are available. These can be bought from 'tool' terminals.

List of Belts by Quality Level and Computer Literacy

2 slot belt, by comparison of other QL's of belt, might start at QL 10 and 18 computer literacy

There are also a few 'special' belts available:

• Guardian Circuit board - special - CL 225 - Dropped by Guardian of Tomorrow in the Temple of the Three Winds
• Belt of Justice - various - CL varies - Dropped by bosses in the Subway Dungeons
• Reinforced NCU Component Belt - varies - CL varies - Drops of A-Series Robot Mobs around Rubi-Ka (rare)

NCU Memory

These come in various stages, listed below. As this might suggest each adds a certain amount to your max NCU. These are the categories you will find in shops, the various 'types' exist in varying QL's but will always be named one of the following:

• 2 - 3 NCU Memory
• 4 - 7 NCU Memory
• 8 - 15 NCU Memory
• 16 - 31 NCU Memory
• 32 - 63 NCU Memory
• 64 NCU Memory

Shift right click on the NCU upgrades and you will see two important pieces of information:

1. The Comp Lit skill required to use the item.
2. How many NCU's it actually adds.

The number of NCU's added is usually directly related to the price and CL skill required. The following table is a break down of what each QL awards in terms of NCU and how much comp lit is required.

List of NCU by Quality Level and Computer Literacy

Like the belts there are also some special versions available:

• Safeguarded NCU Memory Unit - Dropped by Dust Brigade Generals in EFP.
• Dark Memories - Dropped by bosses in The Temple of the Three Winds.
• Memory Loop - Dropped by bosses in The Temple of the Three Winds.
• Standard Juggernaut Nano Containment Module - Dropped by Omni Juggernaut.

You will see six slots in your 'wear' menu where these can be installed, but remember you need the correct belt to activate the relevant number of slots. If one of the deck items has a requirement of Deck Slot 4 for example, you must have at least a four slot belt to wear it.

Both belts and NCU upgrades require the computer literacy skill to install. These are worth it in the long run though as they can seriously boost your chances of survival if you can have many more NF's running at one time. So most users go purely for the extra NCU space the upgrades allow and shy away from the ability increases.

The other items that can be equipped in your deck slots do have their uses though, Recompilers for example can add to your Nano Init, which can be very helpful at higher levels. Whilst a Coolant Sink reduces your chances of being interrupted. Whether these items are of any use to you really depend on your own set up and skills.

Armor and NCU

There are also a number of armor types that add to NCU, here is a list of armor types that add to NCU. Some are quite rare, but Carbonum armor is made through tradeskills and very easy to get your hands on, just keep an eye on the shopping channels!

Conclusion

There are plenty of ways to upgrade your NCU in AO, make sure you fill up as best you can!