Open the Patchline
Click the Patchline button or press P.
Patchline and Execution Deck
These two systems work together. The Patchline is where your class learns new abilities. The Execution Deck is where those learned abilities are equipped, reviewed, and managed. If you unlock something and cannot use it, this is usually the page that explains why.
Overview
Covert Cats separates learning an ability from equipping an ability. That distinction matters a lot.
- Patchline = unlock and learn the ability
- Execution Deck = equip it to your hotbar and manage your loadout
A lot of early confusion comes from players doing the first step and forgetting the second.
At a Glance
If you unlock a new ability and it does not appear on your hotbar, open the Execution Deck next.
The Patchline
The Patchline, also called the Firmware Ascension Program, is your class progression system.
This is where you spend Patchline points to unlock new abilities and move through your class tree.
Spend Points
Use available Patchline points to unlock nodes when their requirements are met.
Learn Abilities
Unlocking a node teaches the ability, but does not automatically equip it.
New characters begin with 1 Patchline point, so this is usually one of the first major systems players interact with after entering the world.
Important
If the Patchline button is glowing or pulsing, it usually means you have points available to spend.
Node Types
The Patchline uses several node categories to organize class progression. These labels are partly structural and partly thematic. They help signal the role and tone of different parts of the class tree.
Core
Foundational class abilities and major progression anchors.
Stable
More straightforward or logical class progression abilities.
Fragmented
Stranger, more chaotic, or more memetic progression choices.
Enhancement
Follow-up nodes that may become available without costing an extra point once requirements are met.
Contaminated
Later-stage abilities that lean further into warped or unstable class themes.
Corrupted
Hidden progression that does not appear normally until discovered through special means.
Rule of Thumb
Stable usually feels like the more direct class path. Fragmented usually feels weirder.
Neither is automatically “wrong.” They simply reflect different flavors of progression.
Progression and Choice
The Patchline is a progression tree, but it is not a giant freeform specialization web. It is designed as a mostly structured class path with a few meaningful forks.
That means:
- players do make some choices along the way
- some abilities unlock in a different order depending on the route taken
- a few levels offer short-term forks between a more direct path and a stranger one
- most players will still unlock nearly all of their class’s normal visible toolkit over time
This keeps the classes readable and prevents players from accidentally locking themselves out of major parts of their class too early.
Point Progression
Players begin with 1 Patchline point. At the moment, Levels 5 and 10 are the main point spike levels and grant 2 points.
Enhancement nodes can also make progression feel larger than the raw point count suggests, because some follow-up gains become available once their requirements are met.
Execution Deck
The Execution Deck is your ability management screen. This is where you review the abilities your cat already knows and decide which ones are actively equipped to your hotbar.
Open the Deck
Click the Execution Deck button or press E.
Known Abilities
The left side shows the abilities your character has already learned.
Equipped Abilities
This is where you decide what appears on your live hotbar during actual play.
Important rules:
- your starting core abilities are already equipped
- newly unlocked non-core abilities are usually not equipped automatically
- equipping a new ability places it into the first empty hotbar slot
- players can later drag and drop abilities on the live hotbar to reorder them
Most Common Mistake
Players unlock a new ability in the Patchline and assume it is ready to use immediately.
It usually is not. Learn it in the Patchline, then equip it in the Execution Deck.
Reading Ability Details
The Execution Deck is not just for equipping abilities. It is also one of the main places to inspect what an ability actually does.
Ability details may include:
- ability name
- flavor text
- technical description
- Energy cost
- Recovery
- Recharge
- usage type
- target type
Usage Types
Usage type tells you when an ability is allowed to be used.
- Combat = usable only in battle
- Anytime = usable in or out of combat
- Non-Combat = usable only outside battle
Target Types
Target type tells you what kind of target the ability expects. This may include:
- self-only
- player
- enemy
- all enemies
- combat group
- summon
If an ability behaves differently than you expected, usage type and target type are usually the first things to check.
Tip
The Execution Deck is one of the best places to compare whether an ability is a quick utility tool,
a heavy cooldown, a healing option, or a longer commitment.
Common Mistakes
Most problems with these systems come from one of the mistakes below:
- forgetting that learning and equipping are separate steps
- spending a point and never opening the Execution Deck afterward
- assuming every visible branch is a permanent specialization decision
- ignoring enhancement nodes and prerequisites
- equipping abilities without reading their target type or usage type
- assuming a class is “finished” just because a few abilities were unlocked
Best Habit
After every Patchline unlock, immediately open the Execution Deck and confirm whether the new ability
should be added to your hotbar.