Use a decoder on another player’s Security System to gain temporary access to their building. Kefir says the owner can repair that system and lock it again. The decoder opens a route into a structure; it does not make you its owner or automatically open every safe inside.
How to get a decoder
community sources and community client data list two barter inputs for an epic decoder. a community guide places the exchange at the Suspicious Door in Lenny’s Motel. These sources may use the same client data, and this guide has not tested the trades in game.
Community reports describe exchanging an Action Camera for an epic decoder at a barter point. They also describe an exchange involving lower-tier decoders and cash. Neither route has been tested by GuideWiki, and the exact inputs should be checked in the live menu.
A Steam community guide instead says decoders must be found. It does not establish a reliable drop point, and the different accounts may reflect build or item-tier differences. Do not sell a decoder until you have checked the recipes available to you.
Use one in a raid
- Choose a rival structure and locate its Security System.
- Use the decoder on the system. Kefir describes the resulting access as temporary.
- Enter, take what you can carry and watch for the owner’s return; repairing the system can lock the building again.
- Leave by your planned route and deal with the haul. See cargo routes and banking for the next decisions.
Plan around the brief access window rather than assuming you can sort everything at leisure. How many devices a particular defended building requires depends on the security you encounter; inspect its current prompt and do not assume one item opens every target.
Decoder versus a safe key
A community guide distinguishes hacking a structure with a decoder from opening someone else’s safe with a Master Key. The same FAQ lists Electronic Fuses as security upgrades and describes an Eviction Right as a different item used on the plot plan after all security systems are hacked. A building breach, a safe opening and an eviction are separate actions with different costs.
Defending your own plot
Kefir’s advice is to invest in security. Community sources describe Electronic Fuses in the security block as strengthening defense. If someone gets in, repair the Security System to close access again. Laundered money already in the bank is protected from thieves until the next wipe; a base and its contents should not be treated as equally protected.
Questions before you spend
Can I buy a decoder at an ordinary shop?
The official raid FAQ explains how to use a decoder but does not establish a normal shop location. The community barter entries above describe reported exchanges; their availability has not been independently tested.
Does the decoder permanently destroy a base?
No. Kefir describes temporary access through the security system; permanent removal is a separate, rare action. Read the live item description before using expensive raid equipment.
Before choosing a target
A plot and its production equipment are vulnerable to raids and the seven-day federal raid cycle. See land and production for community-reported plot and workbench information; exact defensive costs are not confirmed.
What security changes
Kefir says installed Security System fuses make attackers spend more time and resources, and defense modules alert allies when an attack is underway. These defenses are a reason to prepare for resistance, not proof that a base cannot be entered. The official raid FAQ says access from a decoder is temporary and the owner can repair the system.
Kefir separately says banked funds are protected from theft until the next wipe. That protection does not establish the fate of items left in a building. See the bank guide for the laundering route.