Bolts are the primary currency in the Ratchet & Clank series, with which the player purchases weapons, gadgets, armor, ammunition, upgrades, and other necessities. Although only referred to as "bolts", there are also nuts, springs, and gears. The characteristics of bolts change per game, such as the visual appearance, value and quantity (inflation), minimum attraction distance, and sound.
Bolts are located in various places throughout the series, though the most common way of acquiring them is through destroying enemies and breaking crates. Other methods include completing challenges, destroying nearby breakable objects (such as vases, lamp posts, or small robots), and using certain gadgets, such as the Box Breaker.
There are also special bolts, such as gold bolts, platinum bolts, titanium bolts, and hero bolts. These are larger, rarer bolts which are unrelated to the main bolts currency, often used for certain weapon upgrades.
Types[]
Common types of bolts found throughout the series are:
- The standard hex bolt resembles a common fastening bolt.
- A hex nut is a hexagonal fastening nut.
- A star nut, similar to a hex nut, has six sides with each side indented to form two sides, giving it a total of twelve sides.
- A gear is a standard cogwheel that has the apparent use of a common nut.
- A solid gear is a gear in which there is no center hole, and is filled by a slightly proud or indented cylinder (depending on game).
- Springs (see spring (device)).
- Three-way cross-fittings are short and cylindrical with three capped tubings placed equidistant from each other around the perimeter of the cylindrical base.
- Six-way cross-fittings resemble a six-way tee fitting with caps at the end of each tube.
- Acorn nuts resemble hex nuts but are capped with a semi-sphere on one side.
- Wingnuts resemble a simple, circular nut with two wings on either side for leverage.
- Double-capped bolts resemble standard bolts with caps, or heads, on both sides, giving it the appearance of a weight.
- Special bolts in the form of gold bolts, platinum bolts, titanium bolts, or hero bolts, resemble a large fastening bolt.
Value[]
Name | Availability | Value | Appears in |
---|---|---|---|
Hex bolt | Common | 1 bolt | Ratchet & Clank, Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, Deadlocked |
Hex nut | Common | 5 bolts | |
Star nut | Common | 20 bolts | |
Solid gear | Common | 50 bolts | |
Spring | Uncommon | 100 bolts | Going Commando, Up Your Arsenal, Deadlocked |
Three-way cross-fitting | Uncommon | 500 bolts | |
Six-way cross-fitting | Uncommon | 1,000 bolts | |
Acorn nut | Uncommon | 3,000 bolts | Up Your Arsenal |
5,000 bolts | Deadlocked | ||
Wingnuts | Rare | 10,000 bolts | Up Your Arsenal |
20,000 bolts | Deadlocked | ||
Double-capped | Rare | 30,000 bolts | Up Your Arsenal |
50,000 bolts | Deadlocked |
Appearances[]
Ratchet & Clank (2002)[]
Bolts are large and colored silver and copper, with a small radius of attraction and a heavy, clanky noise. Due to the fact that higher-value bolts did not appear in this game, such as springs, cross-fittings, etc., the average gross value was lower than the following games, though the relative inflation rate remained proportionate for cost. Bolts are used not only to purchase weapons, but also for some mandatory purchases required for story progression, as gadgets and infobots have a cost attached.
This is the only game in which the Metal Detector is used to obtain bolts. This item is obtained from the Plumber on Batalia after "Destroy the bombers", and can scan the ground for bolts when high concentrations were detected. The Bolt Grabber can be obtained on Quartu after the optional mission "Explore the coolant system", which greatly increases the bolts' radius of attraction.
Collecting a total of 1,000,000 bolts in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Ratchet & Clank will unlock the silver trophy Bolt Collector.
Going Commando[]
In Going Commando, bolts are smaller with a golden appearance, a larger radius of attraction, and a slightly quieter noise which plays when the bolt is physically picked up rather than initially attracted compared to the previous title. This game also introduces higher-value bolts compared to the previous game. Additionally, a bolt multiplier is introduced in challenge mode, meaning that bolts are much faster accumulated after the first playthrough. However, weapon costs, and mandatory purchases in missions, greatly increase to compensate.
This is the first title in which bolts are earned as rewards for winning challenges. These include arena battles in the Galactic Gladiators and Megacorp Games on the Maktar Resort and planet Joba respectively, hoverbike race challenges on planet Barlow and Joba respectively, and space combat challenges in the Feltzin System, the Deep Space Disposal Facility, and Gorn. Completing the challenge the first time will net the highest reward, though subsequent completions of the challenge will reduce the reward each time.
Collecting a total of 1,000,000 bolts and 2,000,000 in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Going Commando will unlock the silver and gold trophies Bolted Down and I got bolts to trade, respectively.
Up Your Arsenal[]
Bolts retain their appearance, radius of attraction, and noise from Going Commando, though the values of higher-value bolts are higher, with weapon costs increasing to compensate. This is the first title in which there are no mandatory purchases in the story missions, and purchases are limited to weapons, ammo, and armor.
Arena combat and gauntlet challenges in the VR deck and Annihilation Nation can be won for a reward in bolts. Though many are mandatory, Galactic Rangers missions can also be completed on planets Marcadia, Tyhrranosis, Kerwan, Rilgar, and Aridia. Additionally, bolts are rewarded after completing Qwark vid-comics based on how many tokens were collected in-game. In the Insomniac Museum, challenging Hacker puzzles can also be completed for bolts.
Collecting a total of 1,000,000 bolts and 10,000,000 in the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Up Your Arsenal will unlock the bronze and silver trophies These things keep comin'! and They Never Stop Comin'!, respectively.
Deadlocked[]
Bolts in Deadlocked leave behind sparks after being collected. Most bolts have a lighter gold color, though higher-value bolts, including acorn nuts, wingnuts, and double capped bolts, are black with an orange shine. They are received as a reward from completing challenges, by collecting skill points, and by defeating enemies. Especially the latter vastly trumps the former two past the early game, when the enemy amounts begins to ramp up drastically as the difficulty increases.
Unlike other games, Deadlocked features no giant special bolts to be collected, nor are there bolt crates, although hidden jackpot crates are a useful way to acquire more bolts early on. Similarly the Jackpot Mod in challenge mode, alongside the bolt multiplier, are effective ways to increase the amount of bolts gained.
Vox Industries takes a 75% cut from all bolts earned by contestants, per the contract they "signed",[1] although this does not actually show as much during the game itself.
Collecting a total of 40,000, 400,000, and 4,000,000 bolts in the PlayStation 3 HD version of Deadlocked will unlock the bronze, silver, and gold trophies "What Are These 4?", "All 4 Me!?", and "4 the Win!", respectively.
Size Matters[]
Bolts in Size Matters are primarily acquired through defeating enemies, and secondarily through completing Clank Challenges and Skyboard races. Size Matters is also the first game to limit the challenge mode bolt multiplier to a maximum of twelve, as well as increasing the ammunition price by five or even more than ten times the original amount. Both of these are partially responsible for the lack of a proper bolt income to secure all available equipment, although the game offsets this by encouraging multiple challenge mode playthroughs, which is required to unlock additional armors.
Holding 1,000,000 bolts at any time will unlock the bronze trophy Being a Hero Pays Off.
Secret Agent Clank[]
Bolts in Secret Agent Clank are used to purchase weapons and weapon mods for both Clank and Ratchet at the Agency vendors, which only Clank can use, although any bolts earned as Ratchet are transferred to Clank. Bolts can be earned by completing Prison Planet challenges as Ratchet, gadgebot challenges as the gadgebot mk.IIs, and several vehicle challenges as Clank. Because these challenges are very frequent in the game, this is the primary means by which the player earns bolts, compared to traditionally acquiring them from crates and slain enemies. This is further offset by the game encouraging stealth, with xp bonuses being awarded for sneaking past enemies entirely.
Like Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank features only a maximum bolt multiplier of twelve in challenge mode, which also features a ammo price increase of around three times as expensive.
Future series[]
Bolts do not significantly change throughout the Future trilogy, compared to earlier entries in the Ratchet & Clank series. Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time each feature various equipment to be purchased through vendors, and both have arena challenges that can be completed for bolts. Defeating enemies and breaking crates remains the best way to acquire bolts as well. A Crack in Time features additional bolt rewards for completing temporal recording puzzles, as well as for space missions, and gold bolts also grant bolts when acquired.
Quest for Booty stands out slightly as it does not have a bolt economy beyond using them to pay the Smuggler for a plot-required item twice. Tools of Destruction also features raritanium as an additional currency, used to purchase weapon upgrades. Rare and hidden camo crates in A Crack in Time will drop bolts that are worth far more compared to normal crates.
In A Crack in Time, collecting 10,000, 50,000, 250,000, and 1,000,000 bolts will unlock the bronze, silver, and gold trophies "For a Rainy Day", "Greed is Good", "Retirement Fund", and "Thrifty", respectively.
All 4 One[]
Full Frontal Assault[]
Into the Nexus[]
Ratchet & Clank (2016)[]
Bolts appear in much higher frequency and fly towards Ratchet from widely different directions, but individual bolts are lower in values. Bolts have four different colors and have a variety of different shapes, though the value is determined by the color of the bolt rather than its shape.
Hoverboard racing on planets Rilgar and Kalebo III have bolt rewards for winning races.
Name | Availability | Value |
---|---|---|
Bronze | Common | 1 bolt |
Silver | Common | 5 bolts |
Gold | Common | 10 bolts |
Platinum[a] | Uncommon | 30 bolts |
Gold bolt | See Ratchet & Clank (2016 game) gold bolt locations | Used for extras and Insomniac Museum doors |
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ Platinum bolts in the 2016 version of Ratchet & Clank have a gold highlight to differentiate them from silver bolts.
Citations[]
- ↑ Deadlocked, game manual (NTSC), p. 30