Cloak

Cloaking is a gameplay mechanic in Planetside, mostly used by the Infiltrator.

When cloaked, the player or vehicle will become mostly transparent, and become far harder to see. The degree to which infantry are transparent is based on a few factors, though primarily their movement state. Players who are immobile and crouching are the most transparent, with those sprinting the least. Vehicles that can become invisible always have the same transparency level regardless of movement.

The act of cloaking and uncloaking makes a fairly loud sound, which is faction-based if cloaking an infantryman. If revealed by way of Darklight Flashlight, players will also glow faction-coloured.

Infiltrator
Infiltrators, as part of their classes' niche, have the most numerous and most effective ways of cloaking. All three of their class abilities allow the Infiltrator to cloak, with varying benefits and disadvantages compared to eachother.


 * Hunter Cloaking Device — The most versatile infiltrator cloak. It has good recharge time and duration, though provides no other benefits.
 * Nano-Armor Cloaking — The combat infiltrator cloak. Duration is shorter and recharge time is longer, though the infiltrator is far stronger in direct combat as well as tankier when cloaked.
 * Stalker Cloak — The slow-paced infiltrator cloak. Duration is potentially infinite, as recharge time continues when cloaked if stationary, however the infiltrator becomes far weaker in direct combat as they lose their primary weapon.
 * Hermes Cloaking — A mobility-focused cloak. Duration is shorter and recharge time is longer, but the infiltrator sprints considerably faster while cloaked and receives reduced fall damage.

Vehicles
Two vehicles are able to cloak themselves using an ability; the Flash and Sunderer. Both vehicles have different requirements for cloaking.


 * Flash — Wraith Cloaking Device — A cloak on a standard energy meter. Only usable with an Infiltrator as the driver. Hides all crew and the vehicle.
 * Sunderer — Stealth Cloaking Module — A cloak that activates when the Sunderer is deployed. Also cloaks all allied infantry in a bubble around the vehicle while active. Temporarily broken when the Sunderer is damaged or one of its guns is fired.

All-Class
All Non-MAX classes can also cloak using Implants, though the cloak is either very restricted or far less powerful than an Infiltrator's.
 * Covert Drop — Briefly cloaks the soldier upon taking fall damage or, at max rank, for 6 seconds upon hitting the ground after ejecting from an aircraft with an Ejection System. Cloak will break early if a weapon is fired.
 * Minor Cloak — Cloaks the soldier if they remain stationary for 8 seconds. Movement breaks the cloak, and no other actions can be taken while the cloak is active.
 * Nightmare — Briefly cloaks the soldier if they kill someone with a melee weapon (excluding quick-melee) or, at max rank, within 5 meters of their victim. Cloak does not clear spots or hide ability usage (like Overshields), nor does it prevent the soldier from using abilities and weaponry like normal cloak.