The mission "Hit n' Run" showing Ratchet in the middle of turning a bolt crank.
A node is a type of ground-based station that appears in Up Your Arsenal, Deadlocked, and Full Frontal Assault. They were used by the Galactic Rangers to capture and hold large areas during combat operations. They were first seen in "Hit n' Run" in Operation: IRON SHIELD on Marcadia, and later again on Aridia's Operation: DEATH VALLEY in "Reclaim the Valley". They were also used in the multiplayer of all three games
Each node consisted out of a tall machine, with a nearby bolt crank. Turning the crank activates the machine, which will immediately form a visible electric connection with other active nodes, and activate a single mini-turret. The turret will then begin to fire upon nearby enemies, with great effectiveness on the tyhrranoid dropships.
Multiplayer[]
Up Your Arsenal[]
A node in multiplayer.
Around the map, multiple strategic nodes can be captured by the team to gain extra resources, such as weapons, ammo, and vehicles, and as an available point to respawn upon death. Before a node is captured, it is defended by neutral troopers and turrets, which players must destroy to then use the bolt crank. A rare few also have missile turrets that only attack vehicles. Nodes are an especially important mechanic in the Siege game mode.
Deadlocked[]
A node from Deadlocked'.
Deadlocked's multiplayer features a similar gamemode to Siege called Conquest. Nodes, ranging from five to eight per map, are defended by two mini-turrets, and can be controlled through operating a bolt crank, or hacking a hacker node with the Hacker Ray (depending on the match's settings). Taking control of one, two, and five nodes grants upgrades. Upgrades have to be voted on by a team within a fixed time. They vary from additional and stronger turrets, to a teleport network, vehicle spawns, forcefields, additional capture resistance, and finally the option for health or ammo pads, Missile Turret upgrades, and a player-controlled turret spawn.