Difference between revisions of "Enhancements"

Revision as of 14:19, 14 December 2006

Overview

Enhancements are permanent boosts to powers.

There are four main types of enhancements: Training, Dual-Origin, Single-Origin, and Special. Training and Special enhancements are usable by any characters. Dual-Origin and Single-Origin enhancements are only usable by characters of specific origins, as indicated by the exact enhancement type.

With the exception of special enhancements, each enhancement is for one particular aspect of a power. Special enhancements affect multiple aspects of a power. Aspects are characteristics of a power, such as accuracy, damage, recharge rate, etc.

Enhancements can be bought from contacts and stores, and are also "dropped" randomly by defeated (non-player) enemies.

Enhancement Types

There are four basic types of enhancements:

• Training Enhancements
• Dual-Origin Enhancements
• Single-Origin Enhancements
• Special Enhancements

Training Enhancements

Training Enhancements are usable by all character archetypes and origins. Training Enhancements may be bought in Freedom Corps stores located in various zones, from Freedom Corps Superpowered Field Trainers in Atlas Park and Galaxy City, and at an inflated cost, from individual contacts.

Training enhancements are the least potent of all enhancements, but they are the cheapest to obtain and the most commonly dropped by enemies when they are defeated.

Dual-Origin Enhancements

Dual-origin enhancements, often referred to as DO's, may only be used by characters whose origin is one of the two origins that are the basis of the dual-origin enhancement. For example, a natural/magic dual-origin enhancement is only usable by characters of a natural or a magical origin. Dual-origin enhancements may be bought at origin-specific stores in various zones, some special contacts, and at an inflated cost, from individual contacts. Currently, the lowest level of dual-origin enhancements available for purchase is level 15, usuable by characters of minimum level 12. They are also sometimes somewhat rarely dropped by some enemies when they are defeated, and occasionally awarded as a prize for completing certain mission story arcs.

Because these enhancements are more specific for a character, they are more powerful, and also much more expensive than training enhancements.

Single-Origin Enhancements

Single-origin enhancements , often referred to as SO's, are even more powerful still, and may be used only by characters of the specific origin that is the basis of the enhancement. Single-origin enhancements may be bought at origin-specific stores in various zones at a relatively very high cost, from certain special high-level contacts, or at a highly inflated cost, from individual contacts. Currently, the lowest level of single-origin enhancements available for purchase is level 25, usuable by characters of minimum level 22. They are also sometimes, though very rarely, dropped by some high-level enemies when they are defeated, and occasionally awarded as a prize for completing certain high-level mission story arcs.

Special Enhancements

Special enhancements are usable by all character archetypes and origins, but are only obtainable by completing some very difficult-to-accomplish tasks. Special enhancements have the same aspect-boosting power as single-origin enhancements, but unlike all other enhancement, they affect multiple aspects of a power. For example, a special enhancement may affect both the damage and accuracy of a power, whereas all other enhancements would affect either one or the other.

Currently, special enhancements include Hamidon Enhancements, Crystal Titan Enhancements, and Hydra Enhancements.

Slotting Enhancements

Each power may be enhanced up to six times, in six enhancement slots. Every power begins with one enhancement slot, and as a character increases in level, he or she receives additional enhancement slots which can be distributed however she chooses among her powers. Once an enhancement is slotted in a power, it may not be reallocated to another power or removed without replacing it with another enhancement, deleting the enhancement, or using a power respecification.

The Lightning Bolt power, slotted with three accuracy enhancements and one damage enhancement

Enhancements must be within three levels of a character to be usable. For example, a level 12 character may use enhancements that are level 9 through level 15. Enhancements that are unusable or that are obsolete are shown with the number in red. The lower an enhancement's level relative to a character's, the less powerful the enhancement is in boosting its aspect. Enhancements with an effective level below the character's level are shown with yellow numbers. Enhancements with an effective level equal to the character's level are shown with white numbers. Enhancements with an effective level equal to the character's level are shown with green numbers. In the example image above, the effective level of the first accuracy inspiration is equal to the character's level, 27. The effective level of the second enhancement, 26, is below the character's level. The effective level of the third and fourth enhancements, 28, is above the character's level.

Stacking Enhancements

Enhancements may be stacked, or slotted multiple times within the same power to provide larger bonuses to the aspects that they affect. The power improvement that comes from stacking enhancements is normally cumulative. However, when the total enhancement becomes high enough, it is subject to enhancement diversification, which imposes a point of diminishing returns on super-slotted enhancements. In the example picture above, three accuracy enhancements (a dual-origin enhancement, a training enhancement, and a single-origin enhancement) are stacked in the slots for the Lightning Bolt power. Since the cumulative boost of the accuracy enhancements are not high enough to be subject to enhancement diversification, the total boost in accuracy is equal to the sum of the boosts for each enhancement.

Combining Enhancements

Enhancements may also be combined, which makes two of one type of enhancement into one slightly more powerful enhancement. Combining enhancements allows for old enhancements to be boosted at a lower cost than buying new enhancements and to allow a hero to have enhancements of a level normally not sold in stores or otherwise easily obtained. When two enhancement are combined, it results in one enhancement that is the equivalent of an enhancement that is one level higher than the higher of the two enhancements.

For example, if a level 14 and level 16 enhancement are combined, the resulting enhancement is a level 16+ enhancement, which is the equivalent of a level 17 enhancement. If this new enhancement is further combined with a level 15 enhancement, the new ehnancement will become a level 16++ enhancement, which is equivalent to a level 18 enhancement.

Enhancements may only be combined to produce a double-enhanced enhancement. In the example above, the level 16++ enhancement cannot be combined with any level 16 or below enhancements. However, enhancements that have been combined may be combined with higher level enhancements as long as the effective level of the combined enhancement is lower than the effective level of the enhancement that it will be combined with. For example, a level 16++ enhancement may not be combined with another level 16 enhancement, but it may be combined with a level 18 enhancement to produce a level 18+ (effective level 19) enhancement.

Dual-origin enhancements may be combined with each other as long as one of each enhancement's origins matches the character's origin. For example, a natural character may combine a level 15 natural/science dual-origin enhancement with a level 16 natural/technology enhancement to create a level 16+ dual-origin enhancement.

Single-origin enhancements may only be combined with other single-origin enhancements that exactly match each other in aspect and origin. Special enhancements may be combined with each other as long as they exactly match each other in aspect.

Like uncombined Enhancements, combinined Enhancements can only be used if they are less than or equal to 3 levels different from the character's level. For example, a player at level 27 can purchase and use a level 30 Enhancement, but cannot combine it until level 28. At which point, the Enhancement can be combined to create a 30+ Enhancement (equivalent to 31), but cannot be combined a second time until level 29, because a 30++ Enhancement is equivalent to a level 32 Enhancement.

Likewise, Enhancements at lower than 3 levels can still be used if they are combined. For example, a level 14 character can use a level 9 Enhancement if it is combined to form a 9++ Enhancement, which is the equivalent to a level 11 Enhancment; 3 levels below 14. However, a level 9 Enhancement cannot be assigned to a power while the character is at level 14, because it is 5 levels below the player and Enhancements cannot be combined until they are locked in place.

Enhancement Aspects and Schedules

An enhancement aspect is the element of a power that an enhancement boosts. Currently, there are 26 enhancement aspects. The following is a complete list of enhancement aspects:

• Accuracy
• Confusion
• Damage
• Defense Buff
• Defense Debuff
• Endurance Modification
• Endurance Reduction
• Fear
• Fly
• Healing
• Hold Duration
• Immobilization Duration
• Intangibility
• Interrupt Time (also sometimes seen as Activation Acceleration)
• Jumping
• Knockback Distance
• Range Increase
• Recharge Time
• Resist Damage
• Run Speed
• Sleep
• Slow (also sometimes seen as Snare)
• Stun
• Taunt
• To Hit Buff
• To Hit Debuff

These enhancement aspects may be further broken down by schedule, or a category used to calculate exactly by how much a power is boosted by an enhancement. The enhancement schedules are as follows.

Schedule A

Enhancements in the Schedule A category are enhanced by 33.33% when slotted with a single-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, they are enhanced by 16.66% when slotted with a dual-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, and they are enhanced by 8.35% when slotted with a training enhancement of equal level as the character. All modifications are subject to differences in level between the effective level of the enhancement and to enhancement diversification, if applicable. The following is a list of enhancement aspects that fall under Schedule A:

• Accuracy
• Confusion
• Damage
• Defense Debuff
• Endurance Modification
• Endurance Reduction
• Fear
• Fly
• Healing
• Hold Duration
• Immobilization Duration
• Intangibility
• Jumping
• Recharge Time
• Run Speed
• Sleep
• Slow
• Stun
• Taunt

Schedule B

Enhancements in the Schedule B category are enhanced by 20% when slotted with a single-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, they are enhanced by 10% when slotted with a dual-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, and they are enhanced by 5% when slotted with a training enhancement of equal level as the character. All modifications are subject to differences in level between the effective level of the enhancement and to enhancement diversification, if applicable. The following is a list of enhancement aspects that fall under Schedule B:

• Defense Buff
• Range Increase
• Resist Damage
• To Hit Buff
• To Hit Debuff

Schedule C

Enhancements in the Schedule C category are enhanced by 40% when slotted with a single-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, they are enhanced by 20% when slotted with a dual-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, and they are enhanced by 10% when slotted with a training enhancement of equal level as the character. All modifications are subject to differences in level between the effective level of the enhancement and to enhancement diversification, if applicable. The following is a list of enhancement aspects that fall under Schedule C:

• Interrupt Time

Schedule D

Enhancements in the Schedule D category are enhanced by 60% when slotted with a single-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, they are enhanced by 30% when slotted with a dual-origin enhancement of equal level as the character, and they are enhanced by 15% when slotted with a training enhancement of equal level as the character. All modifications are subject to differences in level between the effective level of the enhancement and to enhancement diversification, if applicable. The following is a list of enhancement aspects that fall under Schedule D:

• Knockback Distance

Retired Aspects

There are several enhancement aspects that have been retired. The currently known ones are:

• Cone Range, which has been incorporated in the Range aspect,
• Endurance Drain, which has been incorporated in the Endurance Modification aspect, and
• Endurance Recovery, which has been incorporated in the Endurance Modification aspect
• Team Defense, combined to just Defense Buff
• Self Defense, combined to just Defense Buff

External Links

Detailed description of enhancement diversification, including documentation of aspect schedules