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Special Enhancements

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Overview

Special Enhancements are usable by all character archetypes and origins, but are only obtainable by completing some very difficult-to-accomplish tasks. Currently, Special Enhancements include Hamidon Origin Enhancements, Crystal Titan Origin Enhancements, and Hydra Origin Enhancements.

Benefits

Special Enhancements provide benefits much like Single-Origin Enhancements, but provide benefits to more than one aspect at a time. For example, a Special Enhancement may affect both the damage and accuracy of a power, instead of a just damage or just accuracy.

A Special Enhancement may be added to a power if any portion of the enhancement can apply to the power. However, any aspects which do not apply to the power will be ignored. For example, a Damage/Accuracy Special Enhancement may be added to Envenom, but because Envenom does no damage, the damage portion of the enhancement will be ignored. The accuracy portion, however, will function perfectly.

Special Enhancement Progression

When City of Heroes was first released, the maximum level was 40, and the Hamidon Raid (where masses of players defeat a super-Giant Monster Hamidon) was a level 40 event. The level cap was raised to 50 in Issue 1, and the Hamidon Raid was also raised to level 50. However, the Abandoned Sewers Trial (introduced in Issue 1, awarding Hydra Origin Enhancements) and the Eden Trial (introduced in Issue 2, awarding Crystal Titan Origin Enhancements) replaced the Hamidon Raid with level 40-43 Special Enhancements.

Because these Special Enhancements respect the character's level just like normal enhancements, the Hydra and Titan enhancements can be outleveled. While the Hamidon enhancements function the same way, since the Hamidon raid is now designed for level 50 characters, they can't technically be outleveled since the level cap is 50.

Additionally, Hamidon enhancements offer a higher bonus than the Hydra or Titan enhancements do. Each aspect of a +0 Hamidon enhancement offers the same bonus as a +0 SO. Hydra and Titan enhancements offer a bonus that is between a -2 and a -3 SO. (Just like normal enhancements, a difference in level between the character and the Special Enhancement, or stacking Special Enhancements, will affect the exact bonus conferred to the character's power.)

Invention Enhancements

Main article: Invention Origin Enhancements

Invention enhancements may also be called "special enhancements", but they are special in a different way than the enhancements discussed here. These Special Enhancements are obtained through trials or raids, respect the difference between your level and the level of the enhancement, and each aspect always has the same value (dependent on its Enhancement Schedule) regardless of how many aspects are present. Invention enhancements are crafted and always maintain the same bonus regardless of your level. Invention Sets may have multiple aspects, but the bonus for each aspect decreases for each aspect present.

Comparison

Below is a listing of each Special Enhancement matching with their effects. In the table below, the "Hold" icon (TO Training Hold Duration.png) stands in for: Confuse, Stun, Fear, Hold, Immobilize, Intangibility, and Sleep ("Mez Duration"). The "Run Speed" icon (TO Training Running Speed.png) stands in for: Flight Speed, Jump Speed, and Run Speed ("Movement Increase").

Hydra Enhancement Titan Enhancement Hamidon Enhancement Effects
Anti Proton Exposure Zeolite Shard Enzyme Exposure endrdx thtdeb defdebEndurance Reduction ToHit Debuff Defense Debuff
Delta Particle Exposure Gypsum Shard Lysosome Exposure acc thtdeb defdebAccuracy ToHit Debuff Defense Debuff
Electron Exposure Peridont Shard Ribosome Exposure endrdx resEndurance Reduction Resist Damage
Gluon Exposure Amethyst Shard Peroxisome Exposure dam mezDamage Mez Duration
Graviton Exposure Calcite Shard Endoplasm Exposure acc mezAccuracy Mez Duration
Neutrino Exposure Diamond Shard Nucleolus Exposure acc damAccuracy Damage
Neutron Exposure Quartz Shard Centriole Exposure dam rngDamage Range
Positron Exposure Kyanite Shard Golgi Exposure endrdx healEndurance Reduction Healing
Proton Exposure Tanzanite Shard Cytoskeleton Exposure endrdx thtbuf defbufEndurance Reduction ToHit Buff Defense Buff
Quark Particle Exposure Citrine Shard Membrane Exposure rech thtbuf defbufRecharge Reduction ToHit Buff Defense Buff
Theta Exposure Selenite Shard Microfilament Exposure endrdx spdEndurance Reduction Movement Increase

Other than enhancement value (Hamidon enhancements provide a larger bonus than the other two) and level when the enhancement is usable (Hydra and Titan enhancements are level 40-43, while Hamidon enhancements are generally level 50), all three types of Special Enhancement are identical.

Historical

Badge time.png This article contains information that no longer applies to the current version of City of Heroes Freedom. It is provided for historical purposes.

Multiple Types Exploit

It was possible to achieve enhancement values unintended by the developers by exploiting the way in which the powers system handles enhancements, and the way in which Special Enhancements were permitted to be added to a given power. More information can be found at the Hamidon Origin Enhancements page. Although the exploit and quote from Castle normally pertain to Hamidon enhancements, the exploit was viable with any Special Enhancements.

Much to the astonishment of the playerbase, this long-standing exploit was fixed without any prior warning in a patch during Issue 22 beta, and went live with the issue release.

See Also