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The OmniWrench is a recurring tool and weapon featured in every entry in the Ratchet & Clank series, that comes in different forms from different manufacturers. It is the signature weapon of the lombax race and Ratchet's primary weapon of choice. It serves as both a tool for turning bolt cranks and picking up objects, as well as a melee weapon that can be both thrown and swung against enemies.

OmniWrenches have been primarily used both by lombaxes (Ratchet, Kaden, and Alister Azimuth) and their allies (such as the combat bots, Merc and Green), and have been manufactured by lombaxes themselves, Gadgetron,[1] Vox Industries, and others. They have had many iterations and modifications made, changing or improving their functionality.

In Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Rivet uses a hammer of similar function to the OmniWrench.

Uses[]

Megacorp Helmet gameplay

Ratchet turning a bolt crank.

OmniWrenches are capable of performing a variety of tasks as both a tool and a weapon. As a tool, OmniWrenches can be used to tighten bolt cranks and help repair vehicles. With a Box Breaker modification, performing a hyper-strike can break nearby breakables. They can also be used to travel down zip lines. OmniWrenches are also magnetized, allowing them to collect bolts from afar.[2] Going Mobile also features bolt locks, which have to be smashed into the floor with an overhead strike, and will unlock various security doors.

As a weapon, OmniWrenches are used to strike enemies with in close combat. In combat, Ratchet uses three strike combos on the ground, and a hyper-strike attack in the air that launches him to the ground but does more damage than a regular strike. They can also be thrown at enemies and will return to the users' hand in a boomerang fashion (a comet-strike). Different iterations of the OmniWrench deal different degrees of damage to enemies, though some OmniWrenches' strength improve as Ratchet upgrades his nanotech by defeating enemies.

OmniWrenches are capable of tightening bolt cranks, which allows them to operate many of the bolt cranks found throughout the universe, used to operate machinery. Bolt cranks normally consist of a large VersaBolt planted on a circular pad on the ground. However, different bolt cranks can be found, often consisting of a larger gear turned with the wrench.

Kinetic tether gameplay

Ratchet using the kinetic tether.

Some OmniWrenches have granted additional abilities. The OmniWrench Millennium 12 allows the user to pick up items such as lava rocks and throw them to destroy objects, or to pick up glowing heliogrub aliens to light the way forward. It also features the kinetic tether which allows it to pull and manipulate objects from a distance. Additionally, the OmniWrench 10K has been able to equip a variety of modifications from equipped armor to grant the OmniWrench abilities, including releasing acidic sludge and freezing enemies.

Rivet's hammer is able to turn hammer cranks, similar to the bolt cranks operated by Ratchet.

Appearances[]

Ratchet & Clank[]

OmniWrench 8000 gameplay

Ratchet using the OmniWrench 8000 on a Horny toad.

Ratchet uses the OmniWrench 8000, manufactured by Gadgetron.[1] The OmniWrench can be used to turn bolt cranks and swung to attack enemies. It can also be thrown in the air to attack enemies and return to Ratchet afterwards, though Ratchet is vulnerable to attack after it is thrown as he must stay in position while it is mid-air. The OmniWrench does not upgrade at any point.

In the 2016 re-imagined game, Ratchet has the same OmniWrench 8000 albeit it is identical in appearance to the OmniWrench Millenium 12. However, the Thrusterpack allows Ratchet to use the wrench to turn special thrusterbolt cranks as well. These are similar to normal bolt cranks but consist of a large gear on the floor on the circular pad rather than a fastener bolt.

Going Commando[]

Meet up in the hangar bay cutscene

Ratchet acquiring the OmniWrench 12000

Ratchet again used the OmniWrench, though he is now able to move more freely after throwing it. Ratchet also finds other wrenches while in the Bogon Galaxy. First, on planet Tabora, in the caves during "Find a way out of the underground tunnels", Ratchet found the stronger OmniWrench 10000 in a glass container, a mostly blue wrench. Later, in the flying lab on planet Aranos during "Meet up in the hangar bay", Ratchet found the even stronger OmniWrench 12000, a mostly orange wrench. From this point on, most of Ratchet's wrenches took this appearance.

Up Your Arsenal[]

Ratchet uses the OmniWrench 12000 when returning to the Solana Galaxy. While he does not acquire new wrenches, its power increases as Ratchet's maximum nanotech level increases, with special effects on swinging the wrench. The wrench creates an opaque silver effect once your nanotech reaches 15, an opaque red-orange effect upon reaching 40 nanotech, a lightning effect upon reaching 80 nanotech, and a flaming effect upon reaching 180 nanotech. Additionally, breaking Inferno crates causes Ratchet to wield two flaming OmniWrenches, which defeat enemies in one hit and set fire to them.

Through an unlockable in-game cheat, Ratchet's wrench can instead take the appearance of a "laser sword". It can be activated by pressing Circle, Square, Circle, Square, Up, Down, Left, Left, which is revealed by completing the demo for Sly 2: Band of Thieves in the original release of Up Your Arsenal. A bug allows the laser sword's hyper-strike to deal double damage when slammed down on large enemies such as Scorpio.

Deadlocked[]

Wrench Price
(in bolts)
Available
Versa-Wrench Lite ā€” By default
Versa-Wrench Multicore 16,000 Avenger Tournament
Versa-Wrench Striker 24,000 Crusader Tournament
Fission Lance 32,000 Vindicator Tournament
Obisidian Blade 40,000 Liberator Tournament
Obsidian Blade V2 60,000 Avenger Tournament
(challenge mode)
Obsidian Blade V3 70,000 Crusader Tournament
(challenge mode)
Obsidian Blade X 100,000 Vindicator Tournament
(challenge mode)

In Deadlocked, Ratchet makes use of OmniWrench variants constructed by Vox Industries in their line of melee-weapon household tools for use in DreadZone. They are all virtually identical in appearance to the OmniWrench 12000, and possesses the same physical capabilities for moves such as comet-strike and turning bolt cranks. As Ratchet progresses through the various DreadZone campaigns he can acquire new Wrench Upgrades from the vendors during each newly unlocked tournament. These wrenches change only grant additional damage, although the Fission Lance and later upgrades are always on fire.

The Versa-Wrench Lite is cheap but reliable, and offers a nano-fiber mesh grip.[3] The Versa-Wrench Multicore gets its name from its lightweight core, which is made of a threaded helix of graphite, titanium and Tundorian Yeti hair.[4] The Versa-Wrench Striker features an outer shell carved from Sarathosian Leviathan scale, while the core of the wrench consists of magnetized iridium alloy. It was once the preferred melee weapon of Captain Starshield.[5]

The Fission Lance is encased in a shell of highly radioactive Raritanium isotope, and is due to its radioactive nature only available for sale to DreadZone contestants.[6] The Obsidian Blade is an experimental super-weapon created by Vox Laboratories. Its core is comprised of "vorpal matter" taken from the center of an H class black hole, and is one of the most coveted and feared weapons in the galaxy.[7]

Ratchet's combat bots, Merc and Green, also possess their own OmniWrench variant with which they can operate bolt cranks. In co-op, the second player also uses their own OmniWrench.

Through an in-game unlockable cheat, 'Super Morphing Freeze Wrench', the wrench could freeze, and also morph enemies into farm animals when defeated. Cheats also allow a ninja sword to be used when the 'Ninja Ratchet' cheat is in use.

Going Mobile[]

The OmniWrench has a similar melee use. However, rather than turning bolt cranks, it instead slams them into the ground.

Size Matters[]

Ratchet uses the OmniWrench 10K, which is identical in appearance to the OmniWrench 8000. By equipping armor sets the wrench's damage can be drastically increased from the norm, and it can also gain a wildly different set of abilities. Abilities include setting enemies on fire or poisoning them, creating shockwaves upon using a hyper-strike, creating crystals that harm enemies, block them, or destroy projectiles, as well as creating puddles of explosive goo or sending out fireballs. In challenge mode the wrench's base damage scales up highly to be able to still damage enemies.

Secret Agent Clank[]

Secret Agent Clank features the same OmniWrench 10K as Size Matters, which is also Ratchet's starting weapon on the Prison Planet. Completing specific challenges grants wrench mods, based on the armor effects from Size Matters, which can be equipped through the inventory menu by pressing Shoulder L or Shoulder R (L1 or R1 on PlayStation 2). The actual benefit of the wrench mods is rather small, as weapons will easily outperform them, in part due to the wrench's limited range.

Icon Wrench mod Challenge Effect
Fire-Bomb Wrench Mod icon Fire-Bomb Wrench Mod Karmic Beatdown Wrench strikes create fireballs, Multi Strike will generate multiple fireballs.
Triple Wave Wrench Mod icon Triple Wave Wrench Mod Catch-as-Catch-Can A Hyper Strike plants a temporary mine that periodically emits a damaging ring, cycling through fire, electricity, and poison.
Shock Crystal Wrench Mod icon Shock Crystal Wrench Mod Speak Softly And... Both normal and Hyper strikes will create a ring of short-lived sharp crystals around Ratchet.
Wild Burst Wrench Mod icon Wild Burst Wrench Mod Steel Is Steel Hyper Strikes create a toxic bubble that bursts after a short while, poisoning and burning nearby enemies.

Tools of Destruction[]

Ratchet uses the OmniWrench 3000,[8] which is identical in appearance and functionality to the OmniWrench 8000. A cutlass and axe can be used to replace the OmniWrench when the player obtains 500 skill points.

Quest for Booty[]

Heliogrub gameplay

Ratchet carrying a heliogrub using the OmniWrench.

Ratchet makes use of the OmniWrench Millennium 12, the latest in the Millennium series when Ratchet obtained it, which was redesigned with ultra-light teratannium and a hypergrip handle, and modified with an illegal kinetic tether.[9] The Omniwrench Millennium 12's new functionality is the ability to pick up and throw objects (primarily used in Quest for Booty to throw lava rocks and undead skulls, hold heliogrubs to light paths), and manipulate objects from a distance with the kinetic tether.

A Crack in Time[]

Bolt crank

A rusted bolt crank in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

Ratchet uses the OmniWrench Millennium 12 again, which features the same functionality as introduced in Quest for Booty. This time, Ratchet often uses the OmniWrench to grab and throw Battery bots to power items, or grab and throw seeds to plant plants to be grown later. The kinetic tether can also be used offensively to pull out VersaGears on robots such as the hydra tanks and shields of agorian phalanxes to leave them vulnerable. Ratchet also operates different bolt cranks from usual, which are instead a larger gear placed vertically upright, turned from the middle.

Meanwhile, Alister Azimuth uses his own Praetorian OmniWrench, a double-bladed orange OmniWrench that can be extended in length. It is powered by negatively-charged energy, which it can release in the form of projectiles, beams or shockwaves, allowing it to double as a ranged weapon.

Through cheats, the player can use other replacements when unlocked with skill points: the Praetorian OmniWrench, the Chronoscepter, a rubber chicken or a plunger.

Subsequent appearances[]

In the comic series Ratchet initially uses the OmniWrench Millennium 12, though he later makes use of Azimuth's Praetorian OmniWrench after escaping Artemis Zogg's ship, particularly taking advantage of its negative energy blast.

In All 4 One, Full Frontal Assault, Into the Nexus, and Rift Apart, Ratchet continues to use the OmniWrench Millennium 12, though he no longer makes use of the kinetic tether at any point.

Behind the scenes[]

Omniwrench from R&C (2002) concept art

Concept art for the original OmniWrench.

Ratchet's OmniWrench went through many iterations on paper during development of Ratchet & Clank, as Insomniac Games didn't want anything too generic, and wanted something to function as a tool and a weapon at the same time.[10] It was doubled in size during development when the developers found that the hyper-strike lacked impact. The Wrench's ability to magnetically pick up bolts was also added later when developers found that manually picking up bolts was not fun.[11]

Obsidian Blade X unused model

Cut Obsidian Blade X from Deadlocked

In early versions of Deadlocked, the Obsidian Blade X, along with other Obsidian Blade models, were going to use a different model instead of the one identical to the Versa-Wrench.

As Ratchet has appeared in games outside the series, the OmniWrench often also accompanies these appearances. In PlayStation Move Heroes, Ratchet uses the OmniWrench 3000. In PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Ratchet uses the OmniWrench Millennium 12. In Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, the OmniWrench Millennium 12 appears as an unlockable that can be used by Sly Cooper as a replacement for his cane, turning coins collected into bolts.

The OmniWrench 8000 in the 2016 reboot game uses the appearance of the OmniWrench Millennium 12. During a cutscene, Ratchet picks up a heliogrub, though this cannot be done in gameplay.

Gallery[]

Citations[]

References[]

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