Hepcat
Maas Neotek is filled with these mutated beatniks. Their names are references to figures in beat culture, and while they all have the same XP (and contract) payout, they range from extremely easy to slightly challenging. Regardless, one should not attempt to fight the majority of them until arachnos become easy. Luckily, hepcats are usually easy enough to avoid.
Contract payout: $1000 per kill.
Contract location: Botany Bay
Common loot: sonic scalpels, nanoweave zoot suits, and poison picks.
Hepcat Profiles
Hepcats not only vary in terms of equipment and stats, but also in their aggro behavior. Below is a list of some of the hepcats you're likely to meet, though it is not yet comprehensive. Note that difficulty level is relative to other hepcats and to HellMOO enemies at large — "low difficulty" does not mean a player should expect to kill them for quite a while.
| Name | Difficulty | Weapon | Aggro Behavior | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keasey | Low | fists | Delayed | Ken Kesey |
| Ricky | Medium | fine wakizashi | Fast | Unknown |
| Butch | Medium | slam bat | Fast | Unknown |
| Lucy | Medium/Hard | sonic scalpel | Very fast | LSD[[verify]] |
| Jack | Hard | poison pick | Very fast | Jack Kerouac |
| Ginsberg | Hard | Gamma Fist (?) | Typically non-aggro | Allen Ginsberg |
| Burroughs | Hard | Mugwup tentacles | Very fast | William S. Burroughs |
Avoiding Hepcats
If you're looking to do business in Maas Neotek without fighting hepcats, you can avoid them altogether with relative caution. Entering Maas from the eastern side entrance is usually sufficient to bypass some of the dangerous ones, and looking ahead (using l <direction>) can ensure that you don't walk into one. Additionally, hepcats are frequently wiped out altogether for extended periods of time when players complete the Missile Commander quest, though at those times radiation poisoning can become a problem (or benefit, depending on your point of view) for unprepared players.
The one exception to this is in obtaining the Rubberskin mutation. Two low-level hepcats block the entrance to this location, and must be dispatched before players can enter the mutation room.