Contraptions

Anya, Set, and Fergus holding the three contraptions.

"Now… these are very rare Nazi combat equipment from super soldiers... our fighters found in the field. None of them is working, but... I have enough material to fix one contraption. You should decide which one you want. You can choose."

―Set Roth to B.J. on the contraptions.

Contraptions are a type of equipment in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. The contraptions are gear found by resistance fighters who fought on the field, and were given to B.J. Blazkowicz after being given his new body.

Overview

Each contraption grants the player a different set of abilities, separate from the abilities granted by Perks; each set of powers ties to a different playstyle. After completing the first half of the game one contraption is chosen for immediate use; after this the other two can be obtained in specific Übercommander missions wherein their use is necessary to complete the mission. The Constrictor Harness and its associated abilities will be most beneficial to a stealthy player; the Ram Shackles work best for aggressive players; the Battle Walker is the best choice for a tactical fighter.

Contraption descriptions and abilities

Constrictor Harness

"The Constrictor Harness will compress your torso upon activation, allowing you to enter narrow spaces. Using the Constrictor Harness prevents you from breathing properly. Prolonged use will cause damage eventually death due to lack of oxygen."

―In-game description.

The Constrictor Harness allows B.J. to access certain openings and passages which are otherwise too small to fit through, allowing the player to move quickly and quietly through an area using routes which enemies cannot enter or see into or hide underneath certain objects. Its associated battery of secondary abilities primarily benefit a "Stealth" playstyle. If not selected as the initial contraption, the Constrictor Harness can be found in the Nuclear Bunker during the relevant Übercommander mission.

Abilities granted by the Constrictor Harness include:

• Kobra: The Constrictor Harness' main function, allowing entrance into small places while crouched. Activated by crouch-walking into appropriate apertures while aiming at them. Staying in these cramped spaces too long causes health to start to deplete slowly, but most such areas are quick enough to navigate that this isn't an issue unless one stays concealed inside them for an extended period of time.
• Silent Step: Normal movement is made completely silent just like crouch-walking, and sprinting is significantly quieter. This makes stealth play significantly less tedious as the player can move faster through certain areas without increasing their risk of being detected.
• Terror-Billy: Enemies will freeze in terror upon seeing B.J., which is represented in-game as a brief period of slow motion. Getting behind cover immediately when this triggers can sometimes cancel the enemy's awareness but it's generally more effective to use the window to bring a silenced weapon to bear or close the distance for a melee takedown without other enemies being alerted. Enemies can still bring their weapons to bear whiled slowed down and if they manage to fire a shot the alarm will be raised as usual. This ability works against all human enemies (soldiers, Commanders, Übercommanders and Klansmen) and Supersoldaten but not against Kampfhunde or robots.
• Iron Lung: an upgrade to the basic Kobra ability which increases the time that the constrictor harness can be used for before health starts to deplete. Unlocked by completing Habib Ismail's side quest on the Eva's Hammer.

Ram Shackles

"A metal reinforcement rig protecting your upper body joints, elbows and shoulders. The Ram Shackles allow you to ram through obstacles, smash open doors and crates and pummel your enemies."

―In-game description.

The Ram Shackles are oriented toward the "Mayhem" playstyle and as such grant abilities mainly focused on enhancing B.J.'s capabilities in direct combat. If not selected as the initial contraption, they are found in the Bienville Street district of New Orleans during the relevant Übercommander mission.

• Rammbock: The main function, activated by sprinting. Running into certain cracked walls or metal grated doorways will smash through the wall, allowing quick entrance to previously inaccessible areas. Running into human enemies will knock them over and damage them, sometimes kill them outright or even causing their entire body to explode in a satisfying shower of gore.
• Sturdy: B.J. is no longer knocked over by explosions going off nearby, making enemy grenades and environmental explosions less dangerous.
• Cannon Arm: Grenades and hatchets are thrown much farther and faster. Hitting an enemy directly with a Handgranate will knock them down.
• Mechanic: One of the most useful of all the contraption abilities, allowing armour as well as health to be regenerated. Inactive when armour is reduced to zero, but picking up any armour boost will still trigger it; otherwise it engages automatically if no damage is taken for a few seconds. Like health regeneration, armour replenishment stops at certain intervals but can be bumped up to the next interval by collecting some; where health stops at multiples of 10, armour stops at multiples of five. Unlocked by completing Ritva Tuomivaara's side quest on the Eva's Hammer.

Battle Walker

"A mechanical actuator system that is mounted on your legs and activated on demand. Once activated, mechanical supports extend, allowing you to access new areas, vertical covers or other tactically advantageous positions."

―In-game description.

A pair of retractable metal stilts which B.J. is able stand, walk, and shoot from without balance issues. If not selected as the initial contraption, they are found in the Transporthalle on Venus during the relevant Übercommander mission. As the Battle Walker is the primary contraption for a "Tactical" playstyle the abilities it grants are more well-rounded compared to the specialized Constrictor Harness and Ram Shackles.

• Wanderer: Main function, activated by double-pressing the jump button. Extending the stilts allows access to elevated platforms or passages for more thorough exploration of an area. In combat, this ability can be used to exploit tall objects for cover while still being able to fire over them or to reach enemies firing from elevated positions for a takedown.
• Quick Draw: Time is slowed down when the Weapon Wheel is displayed, allowing for safer switching between weapons mid-fight.
• Adrenaline: A boost of 3 health is granted every time an enemy is killed. All kinds of enemies and all weapons trigger the effect.
• Stamina: Overcharged health only begins draining once damage is taken, and stops draining when health is restored. Naturally this synergizes well with the adrenaline ability. Unlocked by completing the Irina Yakova/Septimus Stubbins side quest on the Eva's Hammer.

Gallery

Anya, Fergus, and Set holding the contraptions in Fergus' timeline.

Concept art of the Battle Walker in action

Ditto for the Constrictor Harness

Ditto for the Ram Shackles

The Ram Shackles up close.

B.J. uses the constrictor harness to squeeze through narrow space.

B.J. uses the Ram Shackles to smash through a wall.

Trivia

• Though they don't appear directly in Youngblood, the Ram Shackle feature is modified into the Power Suits used by the Terror Twins called Crush alongside Power Slam.
• In addition, the Youngblood powers could be modification of the Contraptions:
  • Crush is the Ram Shackles, allowing you crush enemies and crates.
  • Cloak is the Constrictor Harness, allowing to stealth and move around the area in silence.
  • Power Jump is the Battle Walker, allowing to reach higher places. Unlike crush and cloak, you don't have to buy the ability, as it's given in the first mission of the game.
• Despite this however, the contraptions' upgrades aren't applied from The New Colossus, as the player can buy more upgrades for Crush and Cloak to deal more damage, or recharge your invisibility with the Parking Cloak ability.