Nanotech

"Nanotech acquired. The more Nanotech you have, the more damage you can take."

- Gadgetron HelpDesk

Nanotech was a technology which consisted of nanomites (nanobots) living in many living organisms, robots and other technology such as weapons. Nanomites then repaired the being they were inside, or performed other tasks such as upgrading weapons. Originally Nanotech was just used to improve health; however, as technology advanced weapons became more and more upgradable.

Armor
Captain Blackstar's Blackstar Armor used biostatic Nanomites to absorb a large percentage of damage received.

Devices
GrummelNet developed a device called the Leech Bomb which functioned similarly to the Nanoleech mod and absorbed Nanotech health from enemies, the Mega Leech Bomb took more health and dealt more damage.

Health
"Nanotech—that's the stuff."

- Qwark receiving nanotech.

Nanotech allowed the living organisms and robots to take damage without dying, being destroyed or being seriously harmed, instead Nanotech was lost. Only so much Nanotech could be held at one time; however, as technology advanced it was possible to upgrade this limit by defeating enemies as nanomites could then be absorbed from the defeated enemy. When enough enemies were defeated to fill the Nanotech level meter or experience bar an extra amount of Nanotech could be held, and the current Nanotech was restored to maximum if needed. Nanotech could also be restored by collecting it from Nanotech crates where it was contained in a spherical shape known as a Nanohealth Orb, the nanomites then repaired the being or robot to an extent, restoring health. When a being had full Nanotech, it could also be known to have full health. Collecting Nanotech improved health. Nanotech was stored in a Nanotech health level meter, when it reached zero the being either fell unconscious or died.

Weaponry
During Ratchet's mission to find the Protopet for MegaCorp, Nanotech technology was at the stage where weaponry could be upgraded through Nanotech by absorbing nanomites. A weapon power meter was filled up by using it, when it was full, the weapon upgraded. Originally weapons could only upgrade once before Mega and Omega upgrades had to be bought; however, as technology increased weapons were able to upgrade with a level system before reaching their maximum level where upgrades needed to be bought to upgrade them further. Vox Industries created weaponry for their DreadZone holovision show and they could be upgraded to level 99, throughout this mods could be bought to give weaponry extra features. One mod, the nanoleech mod mod, enabled the user to absorb Nanotech from enemies when the weapon was used. It did this by stabilizing and binding the Nanotech from enemies through the use of a polarized magnetic field. The XP Mod increased the amount of experience absorbed from enemies, this filled up the weapon power meter quickly and allowed the weapon to upgrade easily. Weapons upgraded through the use of a weapon power meter, or upgrade bar which, when full, returned to zero after the weapon had transformed into its upgraded form.

Ratchet & Clank
In the original Ratchet & Clank, Nanotech's only purpose was to replenish Ratchet's health, of which he can, at first, carry a maximum of four, and each hit, no matter how severe, would take away one point from his health. However, at the Kogor Refinery on planet Orxon Ratchet was able to buy Premium Nanotech for 4,000 bolts and then Ultra Nanotech for 30,000. The former expanded Ratchet's Nanotech capacity by one, and the latter increased it by three; therefore, doubling the Lombax's total capacity to a maximum of eight Nanotech.

Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
In Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando Ratchet was suited with a special MegaCorp armor that permitted him to pick up Nanomites that his enemies left behind after dying, thus allowing the Lombax to gradually increase his maximum capacity of Nanotech outside just 4, which he starts with even if he used the Nanotech Supplements from the first game. Each time Ratchet's capacity expanded, his Nanotech was fully replenished causing a flash of electricity that damaged - and in most cases killed - all enemies on the screen. Ratchet could also obtain a new Nanotech unit in Nanotech Tubes. A new type of Nanotech, so far only available in this game and colored pink, restored four Nanotech units rather than the one granted by blue Nanotech. In Challenge Mode, the healing rate quadrupled, meaning blue Nanotech restored four units, while the pink Nanotech restored sixteen. The maximum number of Nanotech units was 80, 70 without the boosts.

Ratchet's weapons could also absorb Nanotech in the same way. The more one was used and more enemies defeated with it, the more Nanomites it picked up, and after reaching a certain amount it upgraded, no more than once. The more powerful the enemy, the more Nanomites it absorbed. However, upon completion of the game, a second upgrade could be purchased at MegaCorp vendors which, using Nanomites, could upgrade a third time to reach its maximum capability.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Up Your Arsenal functioned very much the same way as Going Commando in regards to Nanotech. However, the flash of electricity that used to occur at every expansion of Ratchet's capacity only happened every ten times it increased. The maximum amount of Nanotech is now 100 in a normal playthrough, and doubles to 200 in Challenge Mode. Clank always has 4 Nanotech and could not be upgraded.

Nonetheless, Up Your Arsenal introduced new bonuses regarding its weapons: they can upgrade four times (from level 1 to level 5), and once a fifth upgrade was bought at a Gadgetron vendor in Challenge Mode once the weapon reached V5, could be further upgraded to level Omega (V8). The only weapon that could not reach this level was the RY3NO, which only goes as far as level 5, at which point it became the RYNOCIRATOR.

There was also a gadget called the nano-pak which could collect unneeded Nanotech and release it to the user when their Nanotech was low. (At 5 Nanotech or under.)

Ratchet: Deadlocked
In Ratchet: Deadlocked, the way Nanotech worked in regard to Ratchet's lives were nearly the same.

Due to Vox Industries weapons could be upgraded as far as level 10, and level 99 in Challenge mode once you purchased the Mega upgrade for them once they reached Level 10, they also upgraded much faster than previously, especially with XP Mods, up to a maximum of 10, meaning each enemy gave up to 500% extra weapon and health XP. This is the highest weapon level out of all of the Ratchet and Clank series. Ratchet's maximum Nanotech could also be increased to a record maximum of 999. Only Tools of Destruction has a maximum Nanotech level that could go that high as well reaching up to 1000.

Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile
In Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile Ratchet had 20 Nanotech as his health in the style of Going Commando. However, it could not be upgraded. The weapons would be upgraded to V3 (level 3).

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
In Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters Ratchet's Nanotech could reach a maximum of 50, and up to 75 in challenge mode. His weapons had four levels; level two, three, four and a Titan upgrade.

Secret Agent Clank (spin off)
In Secret Agent Clank, Clank, Ratchet and Qwark had a Nanotech level. Ratchet's maximum was 90. The weapons upgraded in the same way as in Size Matters, only with Proto instead of Titan.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
In Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Ratchet's Nanotech maxed out at 999 like in Deadlocked. Each time his Nanotech experience bar filled up completely, a flash was released that destroyed any nearby enemies and the Nanotech level increased by five rather than by one. Weapons could be upgraded to level 5, and in Challenge mode an Omega version could be purchased to allow it to level to Level X (10). The RYNO IV differed, becoming the RYNO IV Extreme, and buying the Omega version transformed it into the Omega RYNO 4-EVER. An upgrade given to Clank by the Zoni, the Robo-Wings, contained a smaller and presumably superior form of Nanotech, known as Zeptotech. As Zeptomites have the term "Zepto," meaning one sextillionth or 20 zeroes, in their name they are far smaller than Nanomites which are a larger one billionth or eight zeroes.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
In Quest for Booty, Ratchet's Nanotech capped at 20 units, releasing a flash of energy that destroyed nearby enemies and refilled health every level. Weapons, as in Tools of Destruction, were maxed at level 5, but as there were no vendors on Merdegraw, there were no Omega Weapons.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
In A Crack in Time, Ratchet hadNanotech and it was upgradable. It gained experience points through Ratchet defeating enemies or collecting Zoni. His max Nanotech was 199.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
In Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Ratchet and all the other 3 characters had nanotech, but it was not upgradable. Ratchet's maxNanotech level was 4. Nanotech could be found inNanotech crates. Also, when one of the teammates is low on Nanotech, another player can use extra Nanotech that has been stored to heal them.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus
In Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, Ratchet & Clank had nanotech. Ratchet's maximumNanotech was 200, similar to Up Your Arsenal. Ratchet's weapons could upgrade up to V3, and after getting the Omega version, it can get up to V6. Clank's nanotech, when traveling through the Netherverse as him, is now at 10, upgraded from the previous 4 in earlier games.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Nanotech crates fully restored the health of the player in Multiplayer on Up Your Arsenal. In the Siege game mode Nanotech can also be fully restored by standing on a Nanotech pad when base defences are active.

Ratchet: Deadlocked
In Cooperative mode Alpha Clank and Ratchet shared their weaponry and therefore shared Nanotech used to upgrade these weapons. Experience to upgrade Nanotech health was also shared; however, any damage taken was not shared. If either Ratchet or Alpha Clank ran out of Nanotech they would respawn after after six seconds assuming their companion was still alive.

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Nanotech crates restored at least one quarter of the player's Nanotech. Yellow Nanotech boxes upgraded weapons. Orange Nanotech boxes gave weapon mods.

Trivia

 * Nanotech seemed to change in appearance over time, such as in Going Commando, Insomniac added purple colored Nanotech, which raised Ratchet'sNanotech by four (sixteen in Challenge Mode), and in Up Your Arsenal, the Nanomites seemed to be more opaque. In Deadlocked, it seemed to be grey-orangish color, and when the nanomites reached Ratchet, they seemed to bounce off. In Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank, they seemed to be a bunch of circles lined up together, and when it reached Ratchet or Clank, it would make a strange noise that sounded like it hit them. In Tools of Destruction, theNanotech was blue.
 * Although the items inside Nanotech were called 'Nanomites,' the Deadlocked manual referred to them as "Nanodrones."

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank
 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
 * Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
 * Ratchet: Deadlocked
 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile
 * Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
 * Secret Agent Clank
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
 * Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
 * Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault
 * Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus
 * Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
 * Ratchet & Clank (movie)